A remarkable Waikato woman in her 90s has become a “townie” for the first time.

Lalla Loeffen is coming to grips with life in the Radius Matamata Country Lodge Village after a lifetime on the land.

Now 93, Lalla came into town only eight months ago from a farm at Walton between Matamata and Morrinsville.

Her journey began in Ōpōtiki in the Bay of Plenty when she was born, prematurely, on the day of the Napier earthquake — February 3, 1931.

Lalla grew up on her parents’ dairy farm — 100 cows on 150 acres (60ha) — between Ōpōtiki and Whakatāne.

She attended a one-room/one-teacher primary school 16km out of Ōhope but, with the nearest secondary school at Whakatāne, the travel issue meant her secondary education was undertaken via correspondence.

With University Entrance accredited, Lalla headed to Teachers’ Training College at Ardmore near Auckland.

She spent five years teaching at primary level back in the Bay of Plenty — Ōpōtiki, Waotahe Valley and Whakatāne.

Lalla says with a laugh that she was not suited to teaching. “It was difficult to keep law and order.”

A newspaper advertisement for a receptionist at an optometrist in Whakatāne caught her eye and she worked there for five years.

Lalla Loeffen on her wedding day with late husband Hank at Whakatane in 1960.

At that time Lalla met her future husband, an orchardist who had relocated from Holland to New Zealand.

With orchard jobs scarce, they worked on a dairy farm at Edgecumbe where her husband’s cousin was the sharemilker. They milked 300 cows, which later increased to 400.

A massive flood in their first year, however, had the herd divided between other farms and the Loeffens shifted to a dairy unit at Awakeri 13km west of Whakatāne.

After three years there milking 150 cows, they took sharemilking jobs at Waimana near Tāneatua, and Ōpōtiki.

It was at Ōpōtiki that the Loeffens farmed — 100 cows on 95 acres (38ha) — for 25 years.

Twelve acres (5ha) was used for kiwifruit, which they retained after the dairy block was sold off. This was later also sold and the move made to Taranaki, marking a return to fulltime dairy farming at Eltham.

Her husband died during the first year they were on the farm, and Lalla moved to a smaller dairy unit in the Waikato, at Harper Rd, Walton.

Their son was to sharemilk on the property, but died in a tragic rafting accident.

Employing sharemilkers, she remained on the Walton farm for 34 years until the move to Matamata.

At age 92, poor eyesight meant Lalla could not renew her driver’s licence and, with no immediate family at Walton, “pressure from friends” saw her take up residence at Radius Matamata Country Lodge Village.

Although it has been a matter of only months, Lalla says she is quite happy in the village. “It’s comfortable.”

She does, however, miss “walking down the race” on the farm and the view of the Kaimai Range from Walton.

On the plus side, there is a community feel to the village. A van takes residents on a weekly trip to the supermarket, plus another excursion into town for any shopping, banking and business activities required.

Every Monday there is a mystery trip for residents, with recent destinations including Te Aroha, Manawaru, Tīrau and Putāruru.

Morning and afternoon tea, plus some lunches, are also regularly held in the social centre of the village — the Beehive.

Lalla says it is rather ironic that the village is on the same property as the former Matamata Maternity Hospital.

The latter opened in 1924 and was converted to an aged care facility, Radius Matamata Country Lodge, in 1990. A centenary function was held in April.

Lalla Loeffen has always had a great fondness for writing and formed the Matamata Writers’ Group 30 years ago.

She had been involved in a similar group when living in Eltham and another in Cambridge during the first couple of years she was on the farm at Walton.

Lalla still writes a small weekly column with her Thoughts on the Bible for a community newspaper in Matamata.

She puts her penchant for writing down to earlier generations of the family from Italy who had a love for literature and art.

Lalla Loeffen with her first grandchild Bryce, now aged 38.

Living alone in the village, Lalla says she generally keeps good health, which probably stems from many years in the great outdoors of New Zealand.

She tried smoking once, when a teacher, but found it was “not for me” after one cigarette.

In earlier years Lalla enjoyed the odd glass of wine, but now it’s strictly orange juice at village functions.

Pride of place in her lounge is a wonderful photograph of her family, who now extend to six grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren, at the beach in the Bay of Plenty.

Lalla Loeffen remains a country girl at heart.

Lalla Loeffen with some of her written work at home