Layne Lewis — fit as a fiddle at 103-“Honour your mother and father, and your days shall be long upon the earth…”

Mar 29, 2019 News

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By Alex Wayne

Relatives and friends of Berbician Layne Lewis, of 59 Litchfield Village, West Coast Berbice, gathered with him on Wednesday as he celebrated his 103rd birth anniversary.
With no idea that Kaieteur News was paying him a visit, he was up and about as usual, even on this auspicious day travelling several miles to share in the grief of a friend who recently lost a loved one.
I did not mind the wait as I indulged in fruit cake and some “good ole countryside mauby’ while relatives fussed about his absence.
Layne returned shortly after and I was shocked at his agility, merriment and distinct alertness. His eyes lit up when he was told that this publication had sent a reporter to his birthday celebrations.
He demanded that he must have a bath and ‘dress to impress’, and nothing relatives said could stop him from choosing one of his best shirts, a pants and his favourite white cap that he used to wear when playing cricket some years ago.
We settled down to talk and as I enquired about his astounding youthfulness and long life, he responded, “Honour your mother and father, and your days shall be long upon the earth”.

Layne went into a stirring tale of working as hard as an ox at the tender age of twelve, which mostly contributed to fitness at such a ripe old age.
“I worked hard in this life. From the age of twelve, I was working. I worked at the lime estate and as I got older, I worked at almost all the sugar estates in Berbice. My mother used to say, ‘by the sweat of thy brow, thou shall eat bread’ and I always kept that at the back of my head…So it was always work and more work for me… I was always moving around in the village even after getting home from work, because there was always something to do in and around the house. And I loved to play cricket, so naturally this contributed to the healthy man I am today”
At 103, Layne still walks around the village in the mornings, even though he is often chided by close relatives for doing so. He demands that it is very essential for him to get as much exercise as he could, since his target is to create a record of living to 150.
“They like fret too much…. Always telling me to stay home and rest…I don’t listen to them because I have to get my exercise. It is my intent to live to a good 150 years before saying goodbye to my relatives and friends”.
The merry old soul had well-wishers rolling over with laughter when he was asked to pose for photos. He demanded a special chair, demanded that I wait until he struck a certain pose, then had my eyes popping open as he then gave me the thumbs up sign with his right hand and stuck out three fingers with the left hand to indicate that he was celebrating an impressive 103…
As the interview continued, a male relative attempted to interrupt the old man to give his version of how Layne lived his younger days. This apparently infuriated the centenarian who spun around and shouted, “Shut your mouth… This is my day…Let me talk to the man… I would know about how I grew up, so let me do the talking.”
This of course evoked peals of laughter from those who attended the birthday celebration.
Layne seemed proud to inform that as he grew older, he was careful about his diet and would always consume lots of fruits, meat, less salt and lots of milk and fish. He said he was particularly serious about his intake of calcium and protein. He works in his kitchen garden every day since he loves the taste of fresh, homegrown fruits and vegetables.
Neighbours who attended the function related a harrowing story about how the man went to great lengths to retrieve his keys, which he had accidentally locked in the house a few days ago. One neighbour said upon realizing that he had locked the keys inside, the man demanded a ladder which he perched on the verandah, climbed it with no help from the onlookers, jumped into the verandah, opened the door and retrieved the keys with a beaming smile. When neighbours admonished him about it, he just shrugged them off, telling them to relax and declaring that he can take care of himself.
Layne lost his wife Maryann some twelve years ago, but is still surrounded by abundant love in the form of his foster children, Cynthia, 80, Daphne, 75, and Gladys who is 73.
“When my wife died, I was very sad, but life goes on, so I learnt to live through the grief and rise again. As you can see, she is blowing good wind on me because I am still alive, healthy and fit as a fiddle”
The old man seems particularly concerned about the indiscipline of the younger generation in today’s society and again had persons laughing as he shared his opinion on this issue.
“The younger generation is just terrible, especially the young men…They have no regards for elders and it’s just terrible to see how some of them treat old people…But you can really blame them you know… Because if de mumma and de daddy dem nah get mannahs and training, den de chip nah gon fall far from the block.”
The centenarian was also the recipient of a food hamper, several cases of water and juice from the Deputy Regional Executive Officer, Sherwyn Wellington, who happens to be a good friend.
Layne did all he could to ensure his guests were well entertained. He recited poems, and demonstrated his prowess and still good eyesight, by demanding that he be allowed to write his name and address on a writing pad provided. And trust me, he certainly did an excellent job.

 

 

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