Barbadian Organisations

Celebrating Centenarians

The list of Barbadian centenarians keeps going, with three new additions this year. Others celebrated going past the magic 100 years.

There are now ten known centenarians, including two who are 107 years old. The Consulate is happy to salute all of them.

Among those who had celebrations this year were Verona Edwards, Eleanor “Aunt May” Mayhew, Everton “Daddy Hall”Hall and Gwen Goring.

Some celebrations were muted, due to concerns about Covid-19, in the case of Edwards. Mayhew, who at 107 is still the life of the party, lives in a senior’s home and her party was restricted to family and friends at the home. But Hall and Goring were celebrated in grand style, with family and friends gathering from all over the world. In both cases, all their children are still living and attended.

All Kinds of Support

Donations to Barbados are nonstop, from associations and individuals, to a range of institutions and causes, from cash to medical supplies.

Mostly, donations are unknown as Barbadians support their pet causes at home and associations keep up their support to, mainly, their alma maters or corresponding associations.

For instance, the Barbadian Ex-Police Association donated to the Browne family who needed support after caring for a daughter with lupus, to injured police officer Dale Jordan and to Alexcia Williams, the daughter of retired policeman Grenville “Floats” Cumberbatch, who was murdered last year.

The Combermere group is involved in the effort to build a sports facility at the school, HCQC is concentrating on providing scholarships and assisting with facilities while the Nurses Association’s assistance ranged from support for a young lady needing eye surgery to the provision of scholarships and school supplies.

Among the known individuals contributing were Jennylynn Chase-Hoyte, who donated school supplies; Stacia Mason, who donated 21 wheelchairs, 20 bedpans and 55 packs of adult diapers worth over US$6 ooo, through her Cynthia Alleyne & Monica Butcher Foundation, to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, (QEH), and Dr. O’Neall Parris, who donated backpacks and medical supplies and Nurse Sonia Forde, who also donated medical supplies.

The Consulate kept up its support of the Paediatric Ward of the QEH. Among other things, it was involved in the donation of ten recliner chairs to the Ward by families and organisations. Chairs were sponsored by Lestra and Daniel Cox; Earl & Gail Phillips; Alicia Connell, Ira Carrington and Sonia Clarke; Shirley Holder and Virginia Mayers-Holder; Judge Sylvia Hinds-Radix and Dr Radix, Consul General Mackie and Treva Holder; Mayor Adrian Mapp, Plainfield Now and the Barbados Support Group.

The Consulate also facilitated the donation of US$5000 to the QEH, from Trinity Church Wall Street, Manhattan, secured by congregant Barbara Inniss.

With organisations back to holding public activities, and the increased public relations of the Consulate, Barbados should see an uptick in support.