FOR Lucretia Bradford of Cullen Village in Region Two, this year is a very special one as she has made it to age 105 and will also get the chance to witness Guyana’s independence anniversary celebration being held in her region for the first time.

Bradford, popularly known as “Sister Baby” was born on May 25, 1917, in Cullen Village, to her parents, James Bradford and Christina Grant. She attended the Abram Zuil Methodist School but later moved to the West Bank Demerara area.

However, a few years later she returned to the region and got married. She mothered four children: Randolph, Sheila, Yvonne and Edward who is deceased.
In her village, she is known for giving good “advice” and spreading words from the Bible. As she celebrated her birthday on the eve of Guyana’s 56th independence anniversary, she recalled many fond memories of her younger days.

She still remembers how “bad” Essequibo roads were in the 1930s and how she used to assist with the fetching of bricks to help build several roads in the Cullen area.
“The roads were so bad back in the days, we used to walk far and then we used to pick up bricks just to build the roads. Essequibo has transformed, especially the roads. [They] are good now… I does tell my grandchildren,” Bradford told this publication.

She spends most of her time reading scriptures and sharing her advice to her 30 grandchildren and more than 10 great grands.
Women of the village often turned to Bradford for her home remedies and herbal medicine. She has given up that trade and now spends time with her daughter in Cullen and grandchildren.

Her daily routine would be to wake up, eat her breakfast, listen to the news and read her Bible. Despite having problems with her vision and hearing, she is always fun to be around.

Bradford is a member of the Methodist Church Guyana District. Members of the congregation celebrated her birthday with prayers and also extended good wishes.
Her wish for Guyana as the country’s celebrates its independence, is for everyone to live in harmony.