SINGING the glory of the almighty is a daily routine for Ursula Dainty Corbin of Queenstown Village, Region Two who turned 100 years old on June, 11, 2021.
She was born on June 11, 1921, and is the oldest female in the village of Queenstown, one of the largest African villages in Region Two.
Ursula was very excited and overjoyed when the interview was conducted that she kept singing the hymn, “Praise the Lord, let the earth hear his voice”. She was surrounded by her five children, Veronica Marks, Carmen Hinds, Aldia Corbin, Patrick Corbin and Oliva Corbin. They all visited their mother to celebrate her 100th birth anniversary.
The children were very excited that their mother achieved such a milestone in age and contended that it was God’s guidance protecting her.
Ursula was baptised at the St Bartholomew Anglican Church in Queenstown at the age of two. Shortly after, her parents moved to Georgetown. There, she attended the Roman Catholic School/Lady Fatima. At the age of 18, she moved to Vergenoegen on the East Bank of Essequibo where she attended the Philadelphia Scots School. The school, she said, was built by her ancestors, who were slaves.

Still good at remembering things, the elderly woman said that at a tender age she was involved in needlework and knitting. She said in the primitive ages, girl children had to know how to sew even though they were working. She recalled working at the Uitvlugt Sugar Estate where she met the love of her life, Victor Hinds, who was an engineer on the sugar Estate. Her union with Hinds produced three daughters, Veronica Hinds, Carmen Hinds, and the now-deceased Monica Dainty. She was 20 years old when she got married to Hinds.
She recalled that in 1955, her husband returned to her birthplace, Queenstown, where they built a wooden village house; however, he passed away in 1957, leaving Ursula to take care of her children. At the age of 35, the elderly had to fill the gap of fatherhood and provide for her daughters.

Ursula was a seamstress as well as a nursing assistant at the Suddie Public Hospital.
Ursula decided to re-marry at the age of 38 to Lenard Corbin, a spiritual leader who was also a carpenter by profession. She reminisced that her life began to prosper when she got three more children Alida, Patrick, and Cathrine Corbin. Only five of her children are currently alive.

Corbin passed away when Ursula was in her 60s and by then her children were already grown. She had then taken an oath to support her children and to focus on worshipping Jesus Christ.
When asked what advice she had for young people, especially during the pandemic, Ursula said that persons need to become more prayerful. She said that making time for God in one’s life is important. She said her day usually starts with prayers and ends with prayers. Most of her children are living in the United States of America and as such, she is being taken care of by a caregiver at her home.The elderly woman said she is very happy to be surrounded by her five children and her 35 grandchildren. She also said that most of her day she spends sleeping. Ursula does not suffer from any chronic illness. She was the granddaughter of two deceased slaves, Yama Yagusha and Miche Johnson.
Ursula’s children said they admire their mother’s determination and courage in life. One of her daughters, who currently lives in Brooklyn, New York, Carmen Hinds-Joseph, said she ensures that she spends time with her mother while she is alive. Joseph said that her mother is always jolly to be around.