The community of Roebuck, St. Peter, celebrated with Sylvia Agatha Halls (affectionately known as Ma), who marked her 100th birthday on January 11, 2024, with a small gathering of family and friends.
President of Barbados, Her Excellency The Most Honourable Dame Sandra Mason, was one of the specially invited guests.
Mrs. Halls, who had no expectations of reaching her 100th birthday, commented: “I feel good, good; I feel proud.” She attributed her ability to reach this milestone to “the grace of God”.
“I never thought I would reach this age. The sun rise on me working; the moon rise on me working…. I worked real hard; I never thought I would see it. I thank God for all of His blessings on me; I am blessed,” she said.
Mrs. Halls, who is in good health overall, has a good memory and is somewhat self-sufficient. She shared some of her morning routine with Her Excellency. “The first thing I do, I say my prayers, then I turn the radio on…and then I go to the shower and I bathe myself….”
In a tribute, her eldest son Keith Morris remarked: “I like the way she is batting. She has reached a century, so you can hold your bat in the air, mum.” Mr. Morris further stated that his mother “worked hard” throughout the years to keep the family together and they “love her for that”.
Mrs. Halls was born in Four Hill, St. Peter, and attended Indian Ground Primary School, St. Peter (now All Saints Primary). After school, she worked as a labourer on a number of plantations, including Four Hill Plantation.
In 1948, she met and married her first husband, Hattan Morris, and by 1968, both emigrated to the United Kingdom (UK). Mr. Morris passed away in 1972.
While in the UK, she met Bernard Halls, whom she described as “a wonderful man”. In 1984, at the age of 60, she got married to Mr. Halls. She said they were happy and especially enjoyed vacationing outside of the UK. At formal events, Mrs. Halls said she often felt like a “black fly in milk”, as her skin tone brought her a lot of attention. She relocated to Barbados in 1994.
The centenarian was in mourning on her 99th birthday as Mr. Halls passed away in December 2022, and was buried a few days before her birthday in January 2023. Mrs. Halls attends online church services throughout the week and often listens to Q 100.7 FM station.
Her favourite colour is daffodil yellow, and she likes soup and cou cou. Mrs. Halls was known to be a good cook; and earned a prize at school for her cassava pone, an award which she still has with her today. One of the centenarian’s specialties was white rice and corned beef with chana beans (chickpeas). “I was a wonderful cook,” she remarked.
Dame Sandra presented Mrs. Halls with a bouquet of flowers, a bottle of non-alcoholic wine and a personalised card; this was followed by a toast.
In her closing remarks, Dame Sandra remarked: “This part of my job is the one that I treasure most; coming to meet the true builders of Barbados, the centenarians, and I like to listen to them, and your mum is a phenomenal woman because her memory is very good; her health is very good….”
Mrs. Halls had seven children (one deceased) and has 17 grandchildren, 18 great-grandchildren and three great-great-grandchildren.
Troy Barker