There was a grand celebration on Wednesday night at Rokos Restaurants in Moto'otua for Aifetina'i Temese Poumaniana as she turned 95-years-old.

She was surrounded by her children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren and friends. 

Mrs. Poumaniana's 95th birthday was seen as a milestone achievement by her relatives and children from Samoa and abroad as they celebrated with thanksgiving hearts. 

In an interview with this newspaper, Mrs. Poumaniana's son, Amituana'i Sevesi said the celebration on Wednesday night is a celebration of their mother's life. 

"It also provided the opportunity for us to come together as a family and give thanks to God for his blessings and guidance upon our mother," Amituana'i said. 

"95 years is a lot of years and something we are grateful for. We are gathered here to celebrate her life, and to thank God for his love and blessings. 

"Her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren have travelled great distance to be here for this milestone and there are no words to describe how happy and grateful we are for the gift of life and that we still have her around.

"Despite being unwell due to old age, we are still grateful that she is still able to communicate well with us and can still recognise our faces and remember our names. 

"To say that we are blessed to have her around and for her to raise and nurture our children and grandchildren and give them her blessings would be an understatement. We consider ourselves lucky that she is still here with us and we will continue to look after her and make the most of her time with us."

Amituana'i described his mother as a loving, hardworking and faithful woman of God. 

"She had her own way of showing and expressing her love for us," Amituana'i said with a smile. 

"She is a strong-willed and a faithful woman of God. Our father passed away in 2008 and she still managed to lead and raise not only us but also our children and her greatgrandchildren.

"She is also a family person and is well respected and loved by all of her relatives and friends."

Mrs. Poumaniana who is from Vavau, Ma'asina Fagaloa and Moata'a is a mother-of-eight children. 

Two of her children have passed while six are still alive. 

She has twenty (26) grandchildren and 35 great-grandchildren.