One of Bermuda’s veteran teachers, Hilda Maude Harford, recently celebrated her 100th birthday.Family and friends gathered at the Extended Care Unit at King Edward VII Memorial Hospital to celebrate the milestone on Saturday.Former student Winifred Simons said if you didn’t learn from Mrs Harford, you never would.“She taught me at the Elliott School,” said Mrs Simons in a telephone interview. “We go and see her off and on at the Extended Care Unit at the hospital. She was very strict, but also very kind. She had the patience of Job.”Mrs Harford, whose actual birthday was on Friday, spent 40 years teaching primary school students.Despite her advanced age, she still remembers most of her former students, although it sometimes take a minute or two.She was born in Smith’s, the eldest of four daughters of Eugene and Minna Harvey. All three of her sisters predeceased her.The former Berkley Institute student also studied in Jamaica for a time.“Being the eldest of her siblings she was always the one expected to run errands for her parents and, from the age of six years old, had to ride her bicycle all the way into Hamilton to perform those duties,” said niece Vinette Hill.In 1947 she married Austin Coleridge Harford, a police officer. She and her husband travelled extensively until their later years when they settled down contented to enjoy life at home. Mr Harford died last year.Although Mrs Harford had no children of her own, she thoroughly enjoyed her profession and taught students who themselves became teachers.“Even after retirement she would lovingly speak of her former students and experiences in the classroom,” said Mrs Hill. “She always ensured that her young students were comfortable and that they had lunch otherwise she would share with them ensuring that they ate always bearing in a mind how essential nutrition was to learning.”Mrs Harford played the piano for many years and maintained an excellent memory for reciting long lines of poetry. She also loved to sing and would entertain herself by doing so on a daily basis. She was also a self-professed bookkeeper who kept records of everything that you could imagine. For certain, she was very business-minded and could always refer to her manual filing ‘old school’ computer system to obtain the required information.“Today, she enjoys life and loves God,” said Mrs Hill. “She remains comfortably content with the many visitors, friends and family she has amassed over the years. We encourage her to relax and enjoy her jovial character and longevity.”