ST. KITTS: 'Ghost' Phillip attributes longevity to strong family support

. BASSETERRE, St. Kitts / ZIZ Broadcasting Corporation / News / April 26, 2010 Minister of Youth Empowerment and Sports, Glenn Phillip, is attributing longevity among the country’s senior citizens to hard work during their lifetime and strong family support upon their retirement. Minister Phillip made the remarks on Saturday at Half Way Tree as he wished one of his constituents, Allan Davis, advance birthday wishes. Mr Davis who was at that time surrounded by some of his children, grandchildren and great grandchildren, turned 93 on Sunday April 25, 2010. Minister Glenn Phillip (left) looks on as Anne Wigley presents a fruit basket to Allan Davis. On the right is Davis’ daughter Mary Dias. “This milestone has been a testament to what he has done,” said Phillip. “He is a man who has worked hard and also he has strong family support now that he is retired and I think this has really helped him to survive this long. “It is also a testament to the longevity and of his personal lifestyle over the years and is really fruitful for anyone to make such a milestone. I would like to say publicly congratulations to Mr Davis and his achievement.” Accompanying Minister Phillip in paying homage to the celebrant was the supervisor of Social Services, Anne Wigley, who also talked of strong family support as a positive ingredient and expressed thanks to Mr Davis’ daughter Mary Dias, who had left her job to take fulltime care of her father. “Mr Davis to me is looking better than when I saw him last year,” remarked Wigley. “By the help of God he is really doing well and I am made to understand that his daughter Mary Dias has decided to look after him. I think she is not working now, just to make sure he is taken care of, which I always admire about people because we want more of that in St. Kitts to care for their elderly.” Anne Wigley presented Mr Davis with a fruit basket on behalf of the Ministry of Health, Social Development, Community, and Gender Affairs and Culture and wished him all the best and continued healthy life for him to “make the big century.” Mr Davis, who expressed thanks to those who came to wish him well, has five children, 23 grandchildren and 19 great grandchildren. The supervisor of Social Services also thanked Minister Phillip, the area representative and members of the community for having turned up to encourage Mr Davis. [rc] Seniors World Chronicle adds: St. Kitts is an island located in the Eastern Caribbean, 69 sq miles with a population of 31,880. Basseterre is the capital.

ST.KITTS and NEVIS: Mildred Daniel honoured as she turns 92

. BASSETTERRE, St. Kitts / Sun St. Kitts/Nevis / February 18, 2009 CHARLESTOWN, Nevis – Though Mildred Daniel of Newcastle had been in the rank of senior citizen for some time, she inched closer to her 100th birthday when she turned 92 on February 9, surrounded by her family and friends and members of the Nevis Island Administration (NIA) Cabinet. A conversationalist, Daniel said she never expected to live to 92 since she had been knocked about many times in her life, but she was grateful that the Lord had seen her through and everything was in his hands. Daniel had an important message to parents and urged them to care for their children as she did with hers within her means. “I thank the Lord for my children. Whether they give me something or not I thank the Lord for them. I bring them up I learn them manners and respect that when they come up they could have respect and people would have respect for them. “So I can tell anybody it pays to tend to your children in the correct way and learn them behaviour and manners and take care of them. Me children can’t say me didn’t treat them good… I sent them to school and everything,” the proud mother said. Minister of Social Development in the NIA, Hensley Daniel, who has special responsibility for the island’s elderly, told Daniel he was pleased to celebrate with her on her way to her 100th birthday and thanked her for her contribution to the development of the island. He used the opportunity to underscore the importance of the Senior Citizens Programme under which the profile of the island’s senior citizens was raised. He explained that the birthday celebration programme had made it possible for the seniors to reconnect with each other which was a major achievement of the programme. Under the programme, the Ministry organised a series of activities and in the St. James area seniors would meet at the Community Centre every Monday; at the Butlers Community Centre they would also meet on Mondays and those from St. John’s met on Wednesdays. Three times a year there would be group meetings. Last October as part of their activities, the seniors were taken to St. Kitts via the Sea Bridge ferry. A few weeks ago, the seniors from St. John’s displayed their art and craft in the Square in Charlestown. “There is a whole new approach to dealing with our senior citizens …the senior citizens are our people and we owe it to them to celebrate them and so this programme is not an accident – these are carefully crafted to bring the senior citizens in the mix,” he said. Meanwhile, Federal Representative for St. James and Legal Advisor in the NIA, Patrice Nisbett, who chaired the brief ceremony, also congratulated Daniel on the achievement of a significant milestone in her life and thanked her for her contribution to her fellow villagers and the people of Nevis. He pointed to the longevity of many individuals in the area which he ascribed to good habits. “I have always said it is because of our strong faith in the Lord. It is because also of the community spirit that exists here in St. James. Also, the people of St. James have a tendency to give everything that they have and expect nothing in return and so by extension, I believe what the Lord has done, he has blessed them with length of years,” he said. Minister of Agriculture Robelto Hector in brief remarks, thanked Daniel for her contribution to agriculture. He also encouraged her to pass on the history of Newcastle to the younger members of her family and to tell them what life was like for her then because life today was not comparable. Click to view report © SUN Printing & Publishing LTD 2003-2009