There was a celebratory mood on Tuesday, February 13, in Rockley, Christ Church, as family members and friends of British born Gwendoline Joan Fox, affectionately known as “Nanna”, came together to wish her a happy 100th birthday.
Among the specially invited guests was President of Barbados, Her Excellency, The Most Honourable Dame Sandra Mason.
Mrs. Fox, a long-stay visitor, who has been consistently travelling to Barbados for 50 years, said she always looked forward to celebrating her 100th birthday on the island with family and receiving an official visit from the Governor General, now President..
The centenarian discovered Barbados through her son, Michael Fox, who first visited with a friend in the early 1970s, “just on a whim”, and stayed at the Southwinds Hotel (now Divi Southwinds Beach Resort).
Mr. Fox noted that back then “we had such an unbelievable time; came home and told mum and dad and everybody how fantastic it was…had the pictures…next thing I know they are all booked”. He added: “I have been here 22 times…. These guys (the family members) have been coming here for 50 years…. It is a second home for everybody.”
One of the centenarian’s granddaughters, Shauna Tsuchiya, in her tribute, remarked: “We have had the honour of coming to Barbados every year with Nanna; it feels like a second home…. I was privileged to be able to do part of my medical residency training in Barbados…. It is Nanna bringing us together as a family… We are all here because of Nanna.”
Mrs. Fox was born in Royal Tunbridge, United Kingdom, and attended Tunbridge Wells Girls’ Grammar School. She was in school when World War II began. During the war, she served as an Air Raid Warden and a Wartime Telephonist.
The centenarian has a passion for ballroom dancing, and it was through this that she met her husband, Gerald S. Fox, a pilot in the RAF Bomber Command (Lancaster). They were married in 1945 and migrated to Canada in 1953.
Mrs. Fox worked as an Accounts Administrator at St. John’s Convalescent Hospital, Ontario, Canada, until retirement. She spends eight months of the year in Canada and four months in Barbados enjoying audio books, watching baseball, and memorising poems. She was able to recite from memory “In Flanders Fields” by John McCrae.
When asked what she loves most about Barbados, Mrs. Fox replied: “The weather and the people, everything about it.” She further noted that coming to Barbados and sitting outdoors during the winter months and the warmth of friends and family that visit her have helped her to remain fit and healthy.
Dame Sandra presented the centenarian with a bouquet of flowers and a personalised card; this was followed by a toast. Mrs. Fox expressed gratitude for the day’s celebration remarking to Dame Sandra: “I am very honoured that you are here…absolutely amazing.”
Mrs. Fox, widowed in 1984, has five children, six grandchildren, and nine great-grandchildren.
Troy Barker