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Essequibo’s centenarians were hard workers
Over the years there has been an increasing number of elderly Essequibians who are one and two years shy of becoming centenarians. More interestingly, over the span of those years, Essequibo has recorded a record number of centenarians to date.
While many Essequibians may not be aware of that astonishing record, during my interviews with all four of those centenarians, I have noticed a significant factor which possibly has attributed to longevity of those four centenarians.
Essequibo’s oldest resident, 103-year-old Lillian Elliot, of Mashabo, an Amerindian community on the Essequibo Coast was born in 1909.
Lilian Elliot, 103 years old (centre) with two of her daughters.
The 102-year-old May Garraway, Essequibo’s second oldest resident, of Hackney, Lower Pomeroon River was born in the year 1910. Ram John Mohamed Khan, of Aurora and Charles Josephat Gardiner, Essequibo’s newest centenarians of Aurora and Adventure Villages were born in 1912.
All four centenarians have attested that their common secret to longevity has been self discipline and observing a healthy lifestyle.
Elliot, who still goes to the creek for her bath frequently, said that she relishes ground provision and fish.
Her daughter, Joyce Garraway said that Elliot, who has been gradually recovering from a fall last month, continues to experience sporadic pains in her shoulder and back. Garraway’s meals also consist of ground provision and steamed fish.
The younger Garraway added that her mother worked for many years on her farm and consumption of fish with ground provision has routinely become her daily diet.
Khan and Gardiner, Essequibo’s newest centenarians have also shared similar sentiments concerning their diet.
Gardiner acknowledged partaking in a variety of dishes but expressed his craving for fish. But while all of the centenarians have credited their longevity in the interest of maintaining a healthy life style, they have also zeroed in on regular exercise and waking up early.
“I get up at three each morning and read my bible then prepare breakfast and lunch,” Gardiner boasted.
Gardiner, who turned one hundred on Wednesday October 17, is active and needs no assistance to move around. The popular Essequibian also attends the Airy-Hall Anglican Church frequently and takes it upon himself to uplift his monthly pension in the neighboring Village, Suddie.
Essequibo’s two oldest residents, Elliot and Garraway are remarkably strong elderly women, who have single-handedly worked hard on farms to raise their children successfully.
Meanwhile, Khan who still travels abroad, has been a practicing Imam for the past forty years. He has a strong voice and confessed to praying regularly.
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