In this newpaper clipping (undated):
REFLECTING ON THE PAST: Birthday girt Jeanne Brown.; (left) with her good friend Gwen Stuart-Forbes
Ninety years of memories for Jeanne
By Viv Posselt
ONE abiding memory stands out among many held dear by Jeanne Brown. She remembers spending the day as a schoolgirl, cleaning at the local doctor's surgery in her home town of Shannon. When she left, the doctor's wife handed her half a crown.
Alight with excitement, she rushed home with her precious reward: "I had never seen so much money."
"But when I showed mum, she told me to take it back. She said I should never to expect to be paid for helping out a friend."
It was one of life's lessons she has never forgotten.
Whether that paved the way or not, the 90-year-old’s life has been filled with the kind of friendships which have left her with barely a regret. She turned 90 on October 9 surrounded by friends.
"I was born on 5.10.11 - I always liked that."
Miss Brown never married. "I had lots of boyfriends, but when it came to settling down, I didn't want to."
One of six' Brown girls and a boy raised in the country bustle of Shannon, she took off to learn ladies hairdressing in Auckland, gaining her diploma in 1934. After a stint in Thames, she chased her dream of joining a cruise liner. When that that failed because the line didn't accept applicants from New Zealand, she tried to get in via Australia - but the outbreak of World War 11 put paid to that.
So Wellington won the day ... and she spent five years teaching hairdressing for the princely sum of £3 2s a week.
She later bought a house in Palmerston North with her dad and took a position with one of the most gracious men's hairdressing shops of the day, the father-to-son business, Giorgi's. The shop remained a Coleman Mall icon until it closed in early 1976.
Miss Brown's training had been very specific, very feminine. Now, she was faced with a barrage of bristling men - not a one who was used to having, a woman touch his locks.
Mr Giorgi patiently took her under his wing. He spent seven months teaching her the fine art of cutting men's hair "mostly short back and sides", and shaving with the old cut-throat razor..
"I was scared stiff. I'd always been told by my dad never to touch his (razor)!"
Miss Brown proved to be a great, if not rather novel, asset. Clients used to gruff barbers were curious about this young woman, known to be one of the first qualified to shave men. She loved it there. The men were polite and unfussy, always welcoming and friendly. Once, Mr Giorgo asked a client to leave because he dared utter the word "damn".
And of course, she was suddenly earning a handsome wage of $11 a week!
Miss Brown stayed with Giorgio's for 35 years. In her own time, she travelled extensively, played golf, tennis and a host of other sports, and joined clubs.
"I think it's important to join clubs."
Looking back at that early lesson with the half crown. Brown makes a point of teaching good manners to any youngster crossing her path.
In a sad testament to today's mores, her advice is not always taken in the manner it is meant, but changing customs are hardly likely to deflect her.
