This Caribbean Island Has the Second Highest Number of Centenarians in the World

On this Caribbean island, the elderly are revered.

There’s an African proverb: “A village without the elderly is like a well without water. What water is to a well, elders are to a society.”

So, the thinking goes on the island of Barbados, where centenarians, those who are 100 or older, are honored with special events. In 2016, at a time when the country was celebrating its 50th anniversary of independence, a national census found that Barbados was home to 114 centenarians, a fact that marked them as the country with the second highest percentage of centenarians in the world. This point of pride inspired the Barbados Postal Service to create the commemorative postage stamp collection, “Centenarians of Barbados,” honoring 27 of the island’s centenarians in recognition of their contributions to Barbados.

The commitment to members of the 100+ club didn’t start with or stop with the stamp. Reaching that milestone continues to bring a moment in the spotlight. In April, Athelstan Browne turned 100. During a fete at his home in Montrose, Christ Church, with family and friends, the president of Barbados, Her Excellency, the Most Honorable Dame Sandra Mason, came. Earlier this year, the president was present for Violet Unita Small’s party at the Barbados Yacht Club. When the president shows up, it’s a big deal.

The island’s longevity speaks volumes about its quality of life.  If you’ve been there, it’s not hard to imagine how good life can be. There is always some sort of festival. Then there are the white sand beaches, the bluest of blue clear waters, great food, and action, be it kayaking, surfing, snorkeling, diving, or hiking.  A chill vibe permeates the island. Bajans can exhale, take their mind off any worries, and marvel at the nature that abounds everywhere, like the sea and massive rocks at Bathsheba Park and the epic splashing, crashing of waves at Little Bay and Cove Bay. It’s about lifestyle too. Faith is a priority, so is family. Many have a healthy diet that’s big on veggies, fish, and ground provisions like yams and green bananas.

But you don’t have to wonder, you can get a glimpse of what it’s like to live in Barbados from the centenarians, thanks to the website, Centenarians of Barbados: Foundation Builders, developed in 2019 by the former National Committee on Aging, The Barbados Museum & Historical Society, and the Barbados Government Information Service, to celebrate the centenarian’s lives and legacies at home and abroad through the digital archive that includes stories, videos, and photographs.

The stories on the website enlighten and inspire. James Emmanuel Sisnett was a super-centenarian (someone 110 or older), who celebrated his 113th birthday in February of 2013, at which time he was the oldest living man in the Western Hemisphere and the second oldest man on the planet. He worked as a blacksmith and mechanical engineer before retiring in 1970. According to the website, he was a historian for the community and loved agriculture and dairy farming.  He was an Anglican who was serious about religion and held several positions in the St. Luke’s Anglican Church. He had children and was married twice.

His list of awards is long and includes being honored in 1990 by the Ministry of Agriculture as the country’s oldest small farmer. In 2000, he received the Barbados Centennial Honor for his contribution to agriculture. It’s not everyone who can say their photo has been on a bus shelter. He could. In 2007, one of them was put on a bus shelter near St. Luke’s Anglican Church to honor him. In 2011, he was named one of the Heroes of the Parish by the St. George Parish. What was his secret to a long life? God, hard work, eating freshly cooked food, especially vegetables, ground provisions, and fish. Sisnett died in 2013.

Then there’s Eleise Hortense Rock’s tale. Born in 1911, the educator, mentor, and entrepreneur attributes her longevity to her undying faith in God. She reads her Bible daily and often attends church. She never married or had children and is a retired seamstress. Though she didn’t become a schoolteacher as she planned, she taught Sunday School and was instrumental in the development of the “Children’s Service” on evenings right after school. She was honored in 2013 by the Ministry of Social Care for community work in St. George, where she was born.

Christopher McDonald Smith, born in 1914, is the last of eight siblings.  He lives on his own with some help. Over the years, he worked as an engineer in factories, but left Barbados for adventures at sea, working for nearly two decades in the engine room of Shell oil tankers during World War Two. Post-war, he continued his engineering work in Barbados factories. He was a father and grandfather and read his Bible almost daily.

When Emily Clarke died in 2013, she was 110—the oldest woman in Barbados. She was born in the rural parish of St. John and worked as a maid while raising her children and grandchildren. Family members called Clarke feisty and a strict disciplinarian. She loved God and her church.

Working your way through the mini profiles and especially watching some of the videos, hearing the stories of these elders is all the more engaging. I love the one featuring Melville Williams. The father of nine, born in 1910, learned the trade of making saddles, bridles, and collars for racehorses from his father. He enjoys reading the newspaper and his daily horoscope and boasts that he can read without glasses. Williams offers the interviewer his famous concoction, a drink with ginger wine, cognac, and bitters. When she asks him for his advice on a long life, he says simply: “You have to live right. Live properly and you’ll live long.”

It’s a Caribbean Thing

It must be all that sunshine, sand, and sea, the no-rush, no-fuss of island life that leads to longevity. It’s not only Barbados that salutes centenarians.  Many islands do. Since 1999, as part of the United Nations International Year of the Older Person, the National Council for Senior Citizens in Jamaica has observed National Centenarians’ Day (this year it’s May 20th). On National Centenarians’ Day, they may receive official birthday cards from King Charles III, congratulatory messages from the governor general, as well as visits and tokens from the prime minister and other officials.

The U.S. Virgin Islands also celebrates centenarians with Centennial Living Treasure awards. Recently, Esmie Turnbull-Stoutt became the first Virgin Islander to receive the newly enhanced Centenarian grant of $10,000 introduced by the government of the Virgin Islands to honor residents who reach 100.