Cecilia Olive Grace Oxley, Barbados’ newest centenarian, celebrated her birthday in style on Friday with family, friends, and Acting President The Very Reverend Dr Jeffrey Gibson all present to mark the occasion.
Born in St Lucia, Oxley came to Barbados after she married her late husband in 1955. She was celebrated by her family as a strong and loving person who throughout the years has been a consistent figure of support in their lives.
When asked how he feels about his mother’s achievement, Milton Oxley, one of her three children, joked that he hoped it meant that he and his siblings would also live just as long.
“It’s a hope of things to come; maybe I can hit 100 too,” he said. “If it’s in the genes I would get piece. She has arthritis – some days are good, some days are not so good – but all in all, she is fairly good, and if that can pass down to me and my sister and my brother, I would be glad for it.”
Milton added: “Her energy levels are [still] good. She would take you back to 1920s, 30s, 40s, whatever. She is as sharp as a tack; just the hearing is fading a bit. She does not like to use the hearing aid but when she is good she is good.”
When asked about his mother’s work in her earlier years, he said she was a registered nurse who worked in St Lucia, the United States and Barbados.
“Her speciality [was] midwifery. She could get that baby out in 4.5 seconds if she had to. She is that good,” Milton said proudly.
She also has a passion for good food, he added: “She is a St Lucian from birth so she likes green banana and saltfish, but she says there is no better breadfruit in the world than a Bajan breadfruit – and a Bajan pear. She likes a macaroni pie too.”
One of Cecilia’s 13 grandchildren, Michael Oxley, also paid tribute to the matriarch.
“You can tell a tree is strong by the strength of its fruits and this family, as we can see today, is very strong, very smart, very resourceful, and a lot of that is directly attributed to you,” he told his grandmother. “Thank you for being a rock, that nice calm voice when we needed you to be, and being a nice firm kick in the butt when you needed to be. I appreciate you.”
(SB)
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