Barbara Alexandra Wickham was well aware that yesterday was her birthday.
The 107-year-old woman, who is the oldest living in Barbados, couldn’t help but ask: “It’s my birthday, right?”.
She was feted by the National Committee on Ageing, along with friends and family at the Centrepoint Health Network in Warrens Crescent, St Michael.
Wickham, who seemed quite cheerful, quietly chattered to herself as Reverend Fequel Laplante blessed her in a short ceremony, asking for God’s continuous blessings.
The former nurse, who spent most of her working years in the United States, has no children and was never married.
Her niece, Barbara Joan-Mitchell, said her aunt had been like a mother to her throughout the years.
“She’s a very hearty eater ‘cause she always use to say, your health goes through your mouth,” Barbara noted.
She said Wickham was always a peaceful, loving and thoughtful woman.
Although Wickham now gets mixed up with the days and forgets a few things, Joan-Mitchell said most of her memory was still intact.
Chairman of the National Committee on Ageing Maizie Barker-Welch, who presented Wickham with a fruit basket and flowers, said the committee was pleased to be celebrating the milestone.
She noted the committee was there to recommend to Government the things it thought would help with comfortable ageing, and to oversee the treatment and accommodation of those in their care. (CT)
