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Aunty Gerty is 102 and still going
Despite her frail condition, God has spared Muriel Dolphin’s life to see yet another year. Today marks the 102nd birth anniversary of the resident of Lot 244 Bourda Street, Lacytown, Georgetown, who is fondly called Aunty Gerty.
Muriel Dolphin, aka Aunty Gerty. (This photo was taken in 2008)
She was born on April 25, 1908. The aged woman was not up to an interview with this newspaper yesterday but was said to be persevering.
Born and raised in the East Coast Demerara village of Victoria until she was seven years old, the elderly woman during an interview with this newspaper on the occasion of her 100th birthday had revealed that her parents brought her and her six siblings to the city where they took up occupancy at a Wortmanville house.
Fluently conversing during that interview, Aunty Gerty said that she received her schooling at the Salem Congregational Primary School where her father was the Head Teacher.
Following her convocation, Aunty Gerty said that she too commenced teaching at the primary school where she developed a burning passion to help students learn the curriculum.
In order to ensure that her students understood what was taught, the elderly woman said that she would even keep back the slow learners after school to help them grasp the lessons of the day. And this was by no means paid extra lesson, Aunty Gerty said, even as she pondered on the extensive lessons that some students are forced to take these days.
Reminiscing on herself as a student, she said that she cannot recall taking a day of extra lessons, adding that her teachers were thorough enough for her to learn.
According to her, she had only completed the primary level before becoming a reputable and illustrious teacher who was instrumental in producing several renowned officials in the society, some of whom have even passed on.
Among those she readily remembers are the renowned Justice Aubrey Bishop, Joyce Sinclair, Magda Pollard and the late Dr Leslie Mootoo.
Aunty Gerty said that she was able to share such an outstanding relationship with her students that even today some of them continue to check-up on her well-being.
As the oldest and longest standing member of the Smith’s Congregational Church, Aunty Gerty up to two years ago had been able to keep her body and mind active by being involved in many activities. In fact, she had been doing the church’s book keeping over the years, an undertaking she gave up only in 2007.
Her other significant contributions to the society include activities she engaged in as a member of the Government Pensioners’ Association which she joined after retiring as a teacher in 1965.
There she was also regarded as the longest standing member and was the book keeper, too, a duty she also gave up in 2007. In addition to being involved in the church’s youth movement, she was also a lieutenant in the girls guide, and did numerous sick visits at various institutions.
And while she cannot recall a bad moment of her life, Aunty Gerty admitted that there were some hardships in her life which she was able to eventually overcome.
She had recounted the passing of her mother who she had attended to until the day she died at the age of 76. Aunty Gerty has also been able to cope well with the passing of five of her siblings over the years.
And over the years too, she kept her distance from the opposite sex when it came to personal relationships. This, she explained, was in order for her to maintain her independence and keep focus on her career as a teacher.
Back in the days she noted that being a teacher meant that one had to maintain a reputable status, thus indulging in an affair before or outside of marriage was unthinkable.
So in order to maintain her status, Aunty Gerty said that she preferred not to venture into that arena, adding that she out-rightly rejected one such looming affair. According to her, one young man once sent her a post card which she opened, read and mailed right back, signaling that she was not in any way interested.
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