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Every five years since her 85th birthday, Jean Crabtree has taken to the skies to celebrate by leaping out of a plane 12,000 feet (3657 metres) above Tauranga – and turning 95 wasn’t going to stop her.
Proving age is no barrier to adventure, she rounded up 18 of her family and friends to jump with her, marking her April milestone skydiving with a charitable twist.
Describing the skydive as “a piece of cake”, Jean says, “I wasn’t scared at all.”
When asked why she wanted to skydive, Jean chuckles, “For the hell of it. If there’s a challenge, I’ll go for it. If anybody dares me, I’ll do it. After the jump, I had a choice to take the bus or go on the back of [friend] Tomas’ motorbike, so of course I went on the motorbike!”
A bird’s-eye view of Mount Maunganui.
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Jean is thrilled at how much her fellow jumpers enjoyed the experience. At 96, former gymnast, friend and village resident John Rowlandson was the oldest jumper and a first-timer who described the experience as “magic”.
“He did two somersaults on the way down and couldn’t sleep that night for the sheer pleasure of reliving the experience.”
Jean, who lives at Greenwood Park Retirement Village, is motivated by her competitive streak and is always up for a challenge.
“I was on the way to the supermarket and saw an ambulance branded with the name of another retirement community,” she tells. “I thought, ‘If they can do that, why shouldn’t we?’ I knew St John’s Tauranga needed an ambulance and thought we could use the skydive to raise money.”
Jean asked around to see if anyone would jump with her, and friend and fellow resident Derek Dean was the first to agree, even though he’s afraid of heights.
“Derek got stuck in, nominating Roger as chairman, and Wayne and Sheryl to join us, forming a working committee. It was all go!”
On terra firma with pal John.
This is how on Anzac Day, a group of 11 Greenwood Park residents, in their seventies, eighties and nineties, plus seven extended family and staff aged between 14 and 72, leapt from a plane above Tauranga. Included in this group were four generations of Jean’s family.
“The combined age of the group is over 1119 years, including the young ones,” says Jean, adding there have been other benefits to the fundraiser. “We are checking to see if it could be a Guinness World Record. This has done wonders for the village. People are closer together and everyone has something in common to talk about.”
Generational jump: Jean was joined by (from left) son Guy, great-granddaughter Mya and granddaughter Charlotte, who are all raising money for a new ambulance.
Jean modestly describes her life as “ordinary”. She met “the love of her life” Tom Cheeseman through family connections at 19 and two weeks later he proposed.
“It was absolutely love at first sight for us both. We had 23 years together before he died of a heart attack at 47.”
Jean is no stranger to taking on unconventional challenges.
“After Tom died, I was in a big black box of grief. It is hard to explain, but one morning I woke up hearing a message that told me to go teaching. At first, others discouraged me because they thought I was too old at 42.”
Jean on her wedding day to Tom, aged 19.
The mother of Guy, Trevor, Alison and Jenni sold her house, got a widow’s benefit and began her studies, graduating in 1978 with a degree in education and psychology.
Jean went on to marry the late John Crabtree and just weeks into their marriage, the pair jumped into another adventure, this time as volunteers in a Cambodian refugee camp.
“This was in 1980 after the brutal regime of Pol Pot, which resulted in the ‘Killing Fields’. Initially, nobody wanted us because they thought we were too old in our late-forties and because we had no medical experience.”
At a refugee camp in Cambodia.
But with a bit of Kiwi ingenuity, they proved very helpful. Jean worked with traumatised mothers and sick children, and John organised a lighting system for the camp. She says it was a “life-changing and sobering experience”.
Jean is giving back to her community again, with everyone taking part in her birthday jump raising money for Hato Hone St John. Donations are still trickling in, but Jean is hopeful with enough generosity, they’ll reach their target.
Jean’s enthusiasm rubbed off on these brave Greenwood Park residents and staff, who joined her for the Anzac Day jump.
“We have pulled together, but we are still short of our financial goal and desperately seeking further donations,” she tells.
To donate, visit skydive95.com
