GUYANA’S newest centenarian, Edwin Renford McDonald, has a way of painting a picture with his words to effectively chronicle his hundred-year journey; this is a skill he frequently puts to use to share the history of his family with his 165 offspring – children, grandchildren, great grandchildren and great-great grandchildren.

‘Uncle Ren’, as he’s known in Hopetown, Region Five (Mahaica-Berbice) is the patriarch of his 165-member family. A father of 15, Uncle Ren has also been blessed with 65 grandchildren; 75 great grands; and 10 great-great grandchildren.

The visually impaired man stands as one of his only family members to have met and interacted with six generations of his bloodline. The mother of his 15 children died 23 years ago; according to their son Michael, the pair grew up together in Hopetown and fell in love. They got married in 1944, at the age of 22.

The couple’s first four children survived while their fifth to 10th child all died during infancy. Uncle Ren and his wife then went on to birth another five children.

Uncle Ren lost his ability to walk some three years ago, but that has not stopped him from continuing to live a full life with the help of his family. He continues to sing and tell stories; two things that he said brings him joy.

In his 100 years, Uncle Ren worked as a farmer and train driver in Kwakwani in Region 10 and subsequently returned to his hometown to take up a job as a ranger. He was later promoted to the position of superintendent of works, a position which he retained until his retirement.

At his 100th birthday celebration on Thursday last, Uncle Ren, in his usual style, took the time to share life stories with his family.

He stated that he always paid keen attention when his grandfather spoke of his experience as a slave on the plantations in early British Guiana. And even though those stories were told to him many years ago, he could still recall accurately the details provided by his grandfather, especially the atrocities that slaves lived through.

Uncle Ren noted that while the stories spoke of the difficult circumstances and treatment meted out to the slaves, it also chronicled the determination and strength of his forefathers.

These stories not only inspired Uncle Ren but it gave him the strength and confidence to pursue his dreams and it is one of the major reasons he still insists on sharing the stories with his offspring.

Remembering fondly his childhood, Uncle Ren spoke of one of his favorite meals – fish broth. He recalled that it was a staple on the weekends and “them old people” would gather together in the back yard, peeling provisions and bonding.

“Every week we used to cook soup here in the village, people come put two plantains, two this, two that. Everybody came together and they talk and they cook. I always remember it because everybody would come together.”

Uncle Ren now tries to be a voice of reason in the lives of the young people around him but he never forgets that he too had phases as a young man where all he wanted to do was charter his own path and as he jokingly said: “break as many rules as possible.”

Prayer, he said, is one of his most useful tools, noting that it has helped him to remain optimistic and has guided him as he navigated life these past 100 years.

He said his father placed heavy importance on a good walk with God, making him and his siblings attend services at all three of the churches in the village every Sunday.

“Three churches were in this village when I was small and we had to go to all three; my father was very serious about that. We went to church every Sunday because he wanted us to be close to God.”

Uncle Ren said he has found joy in his old age, being able to share his family’s story, passing down first-hand knowledge and experience through the family’s bloodline.

Michael McDonald, who described himself as one of Uncle Ren’s favourite children, told the Sunday Chronicle that he has fond memories of stories his father told him. He is the 11th child for his parents.

According to Michael, knowing the history of the family, how they came to settle in Hopetown, and how they were able to make life for themselves has always been an inspiration.

Michael is proud that his children and his grandchildren all have the chance to hear the same stories that made him the man he is, more so from his father.

Michael is grateful that both of his parents showered him and his siblings with love. He described his upbringing as humble, noting that his father made many sacrifices to ensure that his family was taken care of.

“We didn’t have the fancy clothes and stuff like that, but to us that wasn’t even important, we had everything that we needed, my father made sure of that, he worked hard to make sure that we got whatever we needed,” Michael said.