NINETY-NINE plus and ‘fit as a fiddle,’ with very little to do and lots of time at her disposal, our winsome Norton Street ‘Grannie’ insists on doing her own laundering and cooking most of her meals, even though she has a part-time caregiver. Without a bother, she would trek to and from the National Insurance Scheme on Brickdam, to receive her monthly pension.

On Saturdays she walks to Bourda Market to do her shopping. Then on Sundays, foots it to and from Smiths Memorial Church, where she worships.
And just who is this amazing woman?
Mrs. Kathleen Headley nee’ Norton of 34, Norton Street, Werk-en-Rust, popularly known as ‘Nen’ or ‘Grannie.’
Spritely and vivacious, she is full of life, and is probably counting her remaining days to attaining the venerable age of 100.
Most active ninety-niner

Perhaps Guyana’s most active ‘nintety-niner’ Kathleen Headley would within the next four months, God’s willing, be joining the ranks of Guyana’s few, but privileged centenarians.
She was born on October 15, 1914 to Lionel Theophalus Norton, a farmer and Rebecca Elizabeth Arthur, a housewife, in the thriving agricultural community of New Supply on the East Bank of the Demerara River.
Nen places a high premium on exercising and eating right, and concedes that all these activities play an integral part in safeguarding her health. Today, for breakfast she opts to use a slice of bread with butter, raw oats (no sugar), an orange and a glass of water. For lunch, her favourite dish is chowmein served with chicken or vegetables, along with a serving of fish, carrots and peas.
And of course she considers it a boon, being able to go to market and meet up with friends of yester-year. She is grateful to, and holds in high esteem, Mrs. Carmen Padmore, veteran stallholder in Bourda Market who gives her discounts on purchases, and hires a taxi to take her home each week after shopping in the market.
Nen, who has become well known and equally respected in her community, continues to age gracefully, not for one moment looking 99. At her age, she is alert, physically fit, and possesses amazing critical thinking skills. She’s intelligent, very vocal and her mental faculties are in good shape.

Clean Bill of Health
Boasting a clean bill of health, she’s free of such chronic diseases as diabetes, hypertension, arthritis and heart complications. And even the common flu, she manages to keep at bay, using self-prepared herbal potions such as carilla bitters, lemon, lots of vegetables, fruits and juices.

Small wonder she is so well physically and mentally, and has an equally prodigious memory. Without flinching, she would rattle off the names and dates of birth of her five siblings, all of whom have now passed on, except for her youngest sister, Lynette Francis, residing in Barbados and England. She remembers too, and thinks it a strange coincidence that her mother passed away on August 9, 1940; her father on August 9, 1962 and her second husband, in August, 1995.
Driven by a love of farming, she has a well planted garden with a variety of fruits and vegetables all of which, she boasts, contribute to her health and longevity. And likewise, she is able to keep her food bills down considerably today.
Apart from having outlived her parents, Nen, twice married, has outlived both husbands: James Ford, she married in 1940, and Alban Headley, with whom she tied the nuptial knot in 1955. Her second marriage lasted for 40 years.
Nen never had children of her own, but knows the joys of caring and providing for children, having fostered many of them. Of affable disposition, loving, caring and compassionate, she is all you could ask for in a mother.
At age 21, she relocated from the Demerara River to Georgetown where she did a period of attachment at the Pegasus Hotel for a month and later, housekeeping as a domestic. Soon after she met the man of her dreams and became married for the first time after an exciting five-year period of courtship.
Kathleen got married on December 11, 1940 – just two weeks before Christmas. She therefore has vivid memories of shopping for the festive season; sewing curtains for the home, as well as cooking the traditional Christmas pepperpot; baking black cake, and brewing her favourite mauby, sorrel drink and ginger beer.

Chicken-4c per lb.
Browsing down memory lane, she’d often marvel at the astronomical cost of food items today, compared to her time. She would recall with pride, just how much her princely pay packet of $30 per month could have bought. “In those days, that money could have bought plenty things, and I still had enough to ‘throw box,” she asserted, rather convincingly.
“Oranges were 5 for 8c; condensed milk – 5 tins for 40c; chicken 4c per lb; 5 eggs for 8c and rice was 16c for one gallon,” she mused with a chuckle, as if to say, “Things couldn’t be better.”
Nen loved cooking and made a Sunday feast of peas or barley soup, with ‘loud cow heel.’ She also loved cooking dhal and rice with mince balls (referred to as resource) which she regularly prepared, much to the delight of her husband and adopted children.
The couple lived happily until her husband’s passing in the mid-1940s. Following his death, she remarried in 1955 to Alban Headley who initially worked at Gun Fernandes Betting House. Life began blooming once more, and they lived a wonderful life for the next 40 years, until he transitioned in 1995.

Fire
Their one big misfortune was the destruction of their home by fire in 1992. Alban who was awake when the fire started, quickly awoke Kathleen, roused the two young girls they had in their care and evacuated them from the burning building. But they lost all their material possessions.
But through it all, Kathleen remained trusting and demonstrated strong faith in God, as her deliverer and the source of her supply. Being a prudent and industrious woman, she had savings with the New Buildings Society and was also a member of a self-help group. All these put her in a good position to be able to acquire a new home after their home was destroyed by fire.
Within six months their dream was realised and they were the proud owners of a new home, built on the same site, in Norton Street, Werk-en-Rust, which they enjoyed for the remainder of their marriage, until Alban’s death in August 1995.
In 1997, she travelled to Canada on vacation and received an offer for marriage. But being a dedicated patriot with no desire to migrate from Guyana, Kathleen turned that offer down, has remained unwed to this day, and is enjoying every day of her life in Guyana.

Childhood days
Meanwhile, growing up on the Demerara River bank, with her parents and siblings was always full of excitement, Nen recalls. And being born and brought up into a strong Christian family. Every Sunday the kids looked forward to a day on the river- travelling by boat from New Supply to either Cephus Congregational Church or Brethren Church on the Lana Creek, 28 miles from Georgetown.
The opening up of the family’s huge picnic basket, lavishly packed with sumptuous cuisine and mother’s delicious home-baked cakes and buns, was something to which they looked forward with great expectation at the end of church services.

Help others in need
Kathleen’s experiences were many and varied, but rocked by the vicissitudes of life, and having learnt many lessons along the way, she has a word of advice for others: “Whatever your situation, be trusting and put your faith in God. When we’re blessed with riches or goods, it is given us for a purpose, but certainly not for us to be greedy and store it all up for ourselves. Help others in need.” She credits her sustenance and well-being to the love and generous outpourings received from her sister Lynette Francis and her husband Owen Francis of Barbados and England; her paternal cousin Joseph Norton of the USA (son of the late Pastor Harry Norton, Founder of Lamaha Park Church of Christ); God-daughter Elaine; Celeste Smith, niece in London; daughter-in-law Jean; part time caregiver Carishma Franklin; her church family and other relatives and close friends– all of whom she continues to lift up in prayers.