Winnifred Noble (left) hugs her long-time friend, 100-year-old Irene Ingram, during a visit to the Golden Age Home in Kingston yesterday. - Norman Grindley/Chief Photographer

THERE IS never a dull moment when you are around Irene Ingram, an amusing centenarian who worked with Jamaica's first National Hero, Marcus Garvey.

Now staying at the Golden Age Home in Kingston, Miss Irene, called Grandma by her friends, is a picture of contentment and evokes smiles and laughter when she engages someone in conversation.

The Gleaner news team visited the institution yesterday and spoke with the pleasant century maker who, at the time, was entertaining young friends from Wilton Gardens, popularly known as Rema, the community where she lived before being placed at the Golden Age Home.

Just four months at the home and the centenarian has been nicknamed 'Cartoon Ingram'.

Worked with garvey

She remembers working with Garvey while he lived in St Ann and in Kingston.

Performing domestic jobs at Garvey's residence in a place she referred to as Cocoa Walk in Chapelton, Miss Irene says the national hero was a conservative man at home.

She tells an interesting story of how Garvey saved his money.

"When we work with him at that time we never know anything name 'tief', so him tie up him money under the bed inna one bag, and put (it) under the bed right on the spring, and mi clean, and it a 'buk buk' mi inna mi head, but mi just look up but mi nuh know a wha."

According to the senior citizen, in those days the maintenance of a person's integrity was so important that it did not even enter her thoughts to check what was stashed away so carefully in the bag.

She says Garvey was a keen reader and spent a lot of his time reading The Gleaner and the many books he had at home.

Travelled to kingston

Miss Irene

Miss Irene said that after Garvey relocated to Kingston, she travelled with him and carried out her domestic chores. She remembers when Garvey organised meetings at the then Victoria Park, now St William Grant Park, in downtown Kingston.

Clad in his suit, Miss Irene says Garvey wore a "tall black hat with small brim". Reliving the memory, the centenarian provided a rendition of a song often sung by Garvey at the meetings.

"Marcus Garvey our key Lord, O yes, O yes, Marcus Garvey could only deal with the people dem," she recited.

The custom of eating bun and cheese at Easter was not popular with her generation, but she explains that cassava was the meal of the day.

"We grater the cassava and squeeze it out and mek bammy. We used to eat fish and bammy."

Winnifred Noble, a resident of Wilton Gardens, says her community cares for 'Grandma'.

She says a decision was made to take the senior citizen to the Golden Age home because there was no one to stay with her at all times and keep her company.

Expressed reservations

However, she says, not everyone in the community wanted her to leave and expressed reservations with the plan to take her to the home.

"Some a cuss and say why we a tek her weh, but we tell them that she have more people in her age group and in the day she wants people fi talk to, because a so she stay, she love fi sit down and talk."

However, she says residents from Wilton Gardens visit their special senior citizen every week and spend quality time with her at the institution.

"Young and old visit Grandma," Noble points out.

Grandma not only keeps her new friends and former community allies cheerful but she passes on valuable knowledge to young people on how to make Irish moss and 'asham'.

On October 26, Miss Irene will be 101 years old and although she has arthritis and other ailments, she does not allow them to dampen her lively spirit. "Everybody love mi yuh nuh, because mi behave myself and give joke."

The centenarian is the mother of three children. Only one is still alive today.

edmond.campbell@gleanerjm.com