BASSETERRE, St. Kitts, August 30, 2023 (SKNIS) – 102-year-old George Ebenezer David, also known as Edmund of Stapleton Village, St. Peter’s, was celebrated on his birthday for his longevity and for his contributions within his community and the wider St. Kitts and Nevis society over the years.
The celebratory event, hosted by the Brotherhood of St. Andrew of which Mr. David is a member, was held at the Poinciana Restaurant in Frigate Bay on Tuesday, August 29, 2023.
Her Excellency the Governor-General, Dame Marcella Liburd; Prime Minister the Honourable Dr Terrance Drew; Minister of State with responsibility for Ageing, Senator the Honourable Isalean Phillip, as well as the President of the Brotherhood of St. Andrew, Mr. Cedric Liburd joined the family, close friends and other members of the Brotherhood in the celebration of Mr. David’s milestone.
Minister Phillip brought greetings from her ministry to Mr David and his family. In her remarks, the honourable minister also expressed her own admiration of the centenarian.
She said, “The fact that you have been able to live up to 102, it means that you are truly blessed and highly favoured by God—He is clearly not done with you yet. I see you in church all the time on Sundays so it’s much appreciation and admiration that I have in terms of seeing you and just the history that you have within you, I think that is quite impressive, so I want to celebrate you today and let you know that you are loved, cared for and appreciated. As the minister within the ministry, our mission is to ensure that our seniors are celebrated and that you continue to age with dignity and with the greatest amount of care, love and concern.”
Prime Minister Dr Drew, the Parliamentary Representative for the St. Peter’s community, also expressed words of congratulations to Mr David on attaining the milestone of 102 years of life and living.
The prime minister, who previously served as Mr Edmund’s medical doctor, described him as a fighter after he overcame a tremendous illness just a few years ago. He said, “We know when you get to that age and you survive these things, it’s not just about the medication but it means that you have the will to live, faith in God and the support that you get from friends and family and of course the support that he gets from his church. So, Edmund is really a testimony of a lot of ‘TLC’, tender loving care, from all those around him.”
Her Excellency Dame Marcella Liburd said she had the pleasure of meeting and interacting with Mr. David for the first time in May of this year when she visited all centenarians living in St. Kitts and Nevis as part of the celebratory activities for Centenarians Day.
“I have to say that one of the persons who really left an impression on me was Edmund David. At 100, he was definitely one of the most cogent of the persons [we visited]. Some of them are bedridden, some of them can’t walk, and some of them are not that cogent, but Edmund has everything going for him; he’s walking, he’s talking and he’s cogent and he’s even ‘hip’ if you look at the way he is dressed today,” Dame Marcella joked.
Mr. David rose to his feet to thank those responsible for hosting the event, as well as all those who came out to celebrate his 102nd birthday with him. He also said a special thank you to all of his caregivers.
Mr. George Ebenezer David is one of ten (10) centenarians residing in the Federation, with six (6) on St. Kitts and (4) on the island of Nevis.