Millicent Grant on her "throne" and surrounded by (from left) her niece Daphne Rochester, granddaughter Allison, son Oliver Grant and MP for St Michael North-West, Chris Sinckler. Inset, Martin Alleyne of Dash Valley, St George displaying his skills on the harmonica for Governor-General Sir Clifford Husbands.

by Katrina Bend

It was a joyous occasion for two families when they celebrated the 100th birthday of their loved ones yesterday.

Martin Alleyne of Dash Valley, St George and Millicent Grant of the Hugh Gordon Cummins Hospital, St Thomas, were outfitted in their Sunday's best.

Alleyne, looking dapper in a green suit, fondly recalled his childhood and his adulthood when he worked as a chauffeur for a bus company.

His sight is not what it used to be, due to cataract and he can't hear out of his right ear, but he is still jolly and converses confidently.

Alleyne told the NATION he never knew his mother or father, and he was raised by his grandmother. He has one brother who is still alive.

He has a son Hadley and a daughter Ivor, both in their 60s, five grandchildren and one great-grandchild.

He plays the harmonica, and displayed his skills for Governor-General, Sir Clifford Husbands.

Alleyne is still quite active, walking twice a day, making his own tea and warming his food in the microwave oven.

"God keepeth me. Without Him I can't do anything . . . . I came along trying myself in the name of the Lord. The Lord keepeth me safe. He guideth and protected me," he said.

The former bass singer at St George Anglican Church and St David's was married for 65 years but his wife passed away almost three years ago.

Meanwhile Grant, sitting in a chair usually reserved for beauty queens, was elegant in a floral dress and well-groomed hair.

She was joined by three of her four children with ages ranging from 66 to 73, great nieces and some grandchildren, one of whom included an early '70s Independence Queen, Valmay Jones née Corbin.

Her sons, George and Oliver Grant said lessons their mother, a former teacher, taught them were honesty, good manners, and respect for others.

Oliver said his mother's eyesight, mobility and memory had deteriorated, but she still remembered the Lord's Prayer and repeated it every day.

"I'm feeling fair and thank you for the congratulations," she told the DAILY NATION at the seniors' home in St Thomas where she has been residing for about two years.