Enjoying a much blessed' life Former mayoress turns 95

Peggy Taylor might be 95 years old but she's still young at heart. A Hawera resident for the past 58 years, she has watched society, technology and the environment change unrecognisably during her lifetime. "It's a different world," she said. "I'm not shocked. I think I have come to terms with it as it seems it's the only way to go." Families today need two working parents to survive and the former mayoress said there was no point in getting misty-eyed over days gone by. "People could be critical and find fault with a lot of things but you have to train your mind to think for the best and hope for the best." As a mother raising five children - two sets of twins and another son - Mrs Taylor said women had to conform to a traditional home-maker's role. A simpler time, women had to spend more time at home to get jobs done, raise children and help out in groups and clubs. She said World War II changed the role of women in society drastically, paving the way for a more equal society. "There was a new role for women, which many of them handled very well indeed," she said. With men away fighting, women had to take on provider roles, working on farms and helping with more physical jobs. "We worked hard, there was land to build." People worked to help others too, never thinking twice about it. She can remember volunteering to peel pears by hand at a business in her home province, Hawke's Bay, because it needed to be done and quickly. She said many worked at paying jobs during the week before helping others during the weekend. It was also a more social time. Mrs Taylor met her late husband, former mayor Alex Taylor, when they were both performing in a stage show. She still has the programme for Marama. Both were singers in a chorus. "He sang very nicely and I couldn't sing," she laughingly remembered. The couple hit it off and married in 1945. They moved to Hawera in 1955 to help establish a produce market. The couple settled in quickly and never looked back. "Taranaki became home. The weather was a bit different in Hawke's Bay of course but I got on with life," she said. Both became immersed in their new home town and its social activities. Mrs Taylor joined various groups including Red Cross, the Citizens Advice Bureau and the local women's club. She was a dedicated mayoress from 1971-77, when Alex served as mayor, and was surprised by how involved the role was. "There was more than one expected really," she said. "The people were very kind and you got into the role gradually." A gracious and selfless person by nature, Mrs Taylor, born Jessie Margaret, celebrated her 95th birthday on September 14 without much fuss. She has never had much time for that sort of thing. "I've become more and more thankful as I've got older," she said. "My life is not spectacular that I've done anything worthy or noteworthy but, on the whole, you could say it's been a good life and I've been much blessed." - © Fairfax NZ News PETRA FINER- SOUTH TARANAKI STAR Last updated 14:54 26/09/2013