100-year-old lady walks three miles a day to get a free burger

Centenarian Catherine Reddoch makes an hour-long daily trek using her zimmer to munch her way through a free cheeseburger. For more than 20 years, the canny Scot has rolled up at her local Matamata branch of McDonald's on New Zealand's North Island. And she's become a bit of a celebrity since the fast food chain erected a plaque in her honour above her favourite table , dubbed Cat 's Corner, where she holds court every lunchtime.

Catherine has been making the two-hour round trip from her retirement flat since her husband Neil, who served in the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders in World War II, died in 1989. The couple had left Scotland the year before, but Neil passed away from an injury he suffered serving his country. Now at 11am each day, Bellshill-born Catherine, known as Cat to her many friends, reaches for her walker and sets off for the town centre.



And she places the same order every day - a cheeseburger with no salad or relish, and a hot chocolate. That's more than 8000 cheeseburgers and hot chocolates. Catherine said: "I love my cheeseburger, just the cheese and the meat. I don't have any sauces on it, just plain. And I never have to pay for it - maybe that's why I like it."

Her mile-and-a-half each-way pilgrimage takes her around an hour, with stops to chat to friends and watch the world go by. Her Saturday trips always include a stop at the bookmakers to place a $10 bet. The only thing that might make Catherine stay at home would be a very wet day or a sore hip. And when she doesn't turn up, McDonald's staff pop round to her house with her burger.

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