By PAULA TROTTER
Red Deer Advocate
Edna Pratt enjoys curling so much that she hopes to celebrate her 100th birthday on the rink.
At 95, the Rimbey senior curling team lead only has a few more years to go until that becomes a reality.
“God willing, I’ll celebrate my centennial on the ice,” she said with a laugh. “It’s a great sport, one of the best sports I know of. It’s active and it’s healthy and it’s fun.”
Pratt never threw a rock before she decided to take up the game after retiring.
Now, more than 25 years later, Pratt garnered the admiration of her fellow club members and competitors at the Rimbey Seniors Bonspiel last week.
“If I can curl at 95, I would be ecstatic,” said Larry Scheible, the skip of the team Pratt has played with for the past three years. “For her to be able to do that, it is unbelievable,” the 65-year-old added.
She moves with caution on the ice but Scheible said her age has not slowed down her drive to be victorious.
Pratt is known for always wearing a tartan hat and occasionally even a kilt while playing, to honour the Scottish heritage that she and her beloved game share.
As a young woman she travelled to Edmonton to see King George and Queen Elizabeth during their 1939 Royal tour of Canada. This was when she filled out an application form to volunteer if needed during the Second World War.
In 1941, Pratt said she received a telegram from Ottawa telling her to report to Calgary, where the Royal Canadian Air Force was recruiting for its women’s division.
When the war ended, Pratt joined the United Nations and spent the next four years helping with the “mopping up of Europe” in various roles, including resettlement of displaced people.
Her voice is full of pride when she talks of living in a nice townhouse, tending to her vegetable garden, cooking for herself, driving around town and not needing to take any doctor-prescribed medication.
As for her secrets to longevity, Pratt said she always ate healthy, only has the occasional sip of alcohol in a social setting and never smoked.
But most importantly, she’s always been active.