The former BOAC cabin crew member, Barbara Halbert, was given the nickname by friends in light of her having been aboard the de Havilland Comet for the first transatlantic jet flight in 1958.
Looking back at her long life as she celebrated her monumental birthday, it was those days as a stewardess that stood out to her as the best part of life so far.
‘I still remember my first visit to Hong Kong. It was amazing. I was so happy to be flying. I enjoyed going to lots of places in East Asia. And the transatlantic route was good too. I loved shopping in New York.’
Before becoming a stewardess, Mrs Halbert trained from the age of 18 as a fashion model at the Lucy Clayton College in London.
Although not developing into a lifelong career, her interest in fashion has remained a much-loved ‘hobby’ throughout her life, and she continues to grace the catwalk as and when chance arises, most recently walking for the Inner Wheel Club’s biennial fashion show last summer.
As stylish as ever, Mrs Halbert marked her 100 birthday with friends and family at the La Villette Hotel in an elegant light green blouse and skirt. She was also visited during the event by Lt-Governor Sir Richard Cripwell and received the customary birthday card from Buckingham Palace.
‘It’s shattering. I can’t believe I’m 100,’ she said. ‘I had no idea I would last this long.’
Mrs Halbert did not credit her longevity to genetics, commenting that other than her father ‘who lived a great age to his 90s’, no other relatives had reached such an age.
Rather, she said the trick was: ‘To just get on with life and keep busy. I had a beautiful, wonderful life with the airline for years. My advice is to take every day as it comes and live it.’
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