Gebke Hinrichs Tjaden was born in 1829, in Viktorbur (Germany). She spent her childhood in Petten in Holland. On her 40th she came to Groningen, where she would live another 66 years. In 1932, on her 103th birthday she became the oldest living person in the Netherlands.

Everybody in Groningen knew this remarkable person. Everyday she walked downtown to the market pushing a perambulator (pram).. so it was probably granny Tjaden who invented the rollator.
On March, 29 1935  the street where she lived filled up with kids singing for her 106th birthday, the mayor of Groningen and other officials came to congratulate her with her birthday. It was a narrow escape. She turned ill a few weeks before and everybody was afraid she would die before her birthday. But on her birthday she had recovered and was stronger than ever. "I only turned 6" she mentioned in her Groningen-slang, "I have thrown away the other hundred years."

Just over a month later she died.

Opoe (granny) Tjaden with her grandchild at the age of about 70.

The following pictures are from newspapers with thanks to www.nednl.nl.

101 years old, walking with her pram-rollator.

100th birthday.

almost 103 years old.

Visit of the mayor of Groningen.

She loved flowers. The childeren from the neigbourhood came to her 103rd birtday and gave her flowers.

103 years of age.