Treve Mitchell Becomes Summerset by the Sea's First Centenarian

Katikati's Summerset by the Sea retirement village celebrated a historic milestone on 30 October when resident Treve Mitchell marked her 100th birthday — the first resident of the village to reach that age. Family, friends, fellow residents and staff gathered at the village for speeches, cake and refreshments.

Village manager Casey Hope described it as a truly remarkable occasion. "Reaching a century is an extraordinary achievement, and Treve's life is a testament to resilience, grace, and the quiet strength that inspires all of us," she said. Treve has lived at Summerset by the Sea since September 2015, initially in a serviced apartment with her late husband Jack 'Jock' Truscott Mitchell before moving to the care centre in November 2024.

Born Treve Rose Larner on 31 October 1925 in Hastings, she grew up on a sheep farm near Morrinsville in a district called Kiwitahi. She met Jock at a dance in Katikati after he arrived in 1946 to teach at what was then Katikati Central School No. 2, where he remained on staff until 1982. The couple married in January 1949 in Waihi and had three sons — Trevor, Jim and Ross — eventually settling at a home they built on Carisbrooke Street.

Over the years Treve was well known for knitting thousands of jerseys for newborn babies across the Katikati district. Her son Trevor noted that while she now lives with macular degeneration affecting her eyesight, she remains mentally sharp. "Every now and again she surprises us with what she can see — but her hearing is perfect," he said, also thanking the Summerset staff warmly for the care they provide his mother.

Originally published in Katikati News (Sun Media).