Ayrshire Centenarian's Secret to Long Life

Jean Dunlop celebrates her extraordinary milestone with friends and family at Renaissance Care’s Malin Court Home in Maidens and will be presented with her telegram from King Charles II.
 
Looking back on a life well-lived, Jean said: “My secret is, that I behaved myself! I had a good lifestyle, I liked to keep active and moving, especially as I came into my older years. That doesn't mean I missed out on anything, I enjoyed everything - just in moderation. I also have a family that has a history of living a long life, so good genes have helped as well.”
 
Jean was the head teacher at Ballantrae Primary School for more than a decade and was a prominent figure in the local Scottish Women’s Institute.
 
She said her proudest moment was being awarded an MBE at Buckingham Palace in 2000 for services to the community.
 
“It was by far the moment in my life that I am most proud of and to make it even better I received it from Queen Elizabeth herself,” said Jean. “I received it for services to my community, and coming from such a good community in Ballantrae, it was very unexpected. I am very proud to have it.”
 
Jean was born in Portpatrick on May 23, 1926 - a year marked by the birth of the late Queen Elizabeth on April 21 and the world's first public demonstration of a mechanical television system in London by Scottish inventor John Logie Baird.
 
She was raised on a farm and said her earliest memory was “going to the byre and sitting on a stool watching my Mum milk cows”.
 
Jean attended Ballantrae Primary and Secondary Schools and later studied History, English and Botany at Glasgow University.
 
Jean married her childhood sweetheart, Jack Dunlop, who she met at Ballantrae Secondary and they had two children, Jack and Isobel.
 
Jean said if she had her time again, she “would do nothing differently”, adding: “I am a very proud gran to four lovely grandchildren. I am very happy and satisfied at how my life has panned out”.
 
The centenarian regards the telephone as the best invention and asked what she considered the biggest change in her lifetime, Jean said: “I think the biggest change I have noticed is how the younger generations have a lack of respect nowadays. When I was younger, we appreciated life and had a respect for it. We lived properly and healthy, you just don't seem to see that from many younger people now.”
 
Jean’s birthday plans include lunch at the five-star Turnberry golf resort on Sunday, and a party organised by staff at Malin Court.
 
She said after the celebrations, her plan is “do as little as possible - I feel like I have earned my quiet years coming up!”
 
Louise Dunlop, manager of Malin Court, said: “We are incredibly fond of Jean here at Malin Court and feel truly privileged to celebrate her 100th birthday alongside her family and friends. Jean has lived such a wonderful and inspiring life, and we always enjoy hearing the stories and memories she shares with us. She is a much-loved member of our community, and we wish her a very happy birthday and a truly special day.”