Josephine Bailey Celebrated

One of Barbados’ newest centenarians, Josephine Bailey, celebrated her 100th birthday on September 27, 2024, at her home in Dalkeith Village, St. Michael.

In addition to family members and some close friends, one of her specially invited guests was President of Barbados, Her Excellency, The Most Honourable Dame Sandra Mason.

One of Mrs. Bailey’s daughters, Judith Lockhart, shared that her mother was born in Castle Bruce, a village on the east coast of Dominica, where she also attended school.  After school, the centenarian, who worked in agriculture, made an initial visit to Barbados around the age of 18 and decided to stay, working in retail stores in Bridgetown. 

Ms. Lockhart also shared that her mother had a stall in town where she would take them as small children, to work with her.  

“She had a market stall, fruits and vegetables, and then after that she left…. It was nursing that gave her the opportunity to go to England and train as a nurse,” she said.

When asked by Her Excellency whether the centenarian was a disciplinarian, Ms. Lockhart remarked that as teenagers they were allowed to attend social events with the understanding that they were to return “by a particular time” or face being disciplined. 

She said her mother insisted that all four of them attend evening classes, even while at school, to learn additional trades and be better prepared for the future. “Mum was very passionate about us doing something with our lives. Her motto was ‘always be independent …and look out for yourself’,” Ms. Lockhart said.

Always goal oriented, Mrs. Bailey applied to be trained as a nurse in the United Kingdom (UK), and became a member of the Windrush Generation, who emigrated there at the invitation of the British Government to be trained and to help rebuild England after the Second World War. 

After four years of training, she worked in the UK’s National Health Service (NHS), in hospitals such as St. Mary’s Hospital in Paddington and Royal Free Hospital in Camden. While in the UK, Mrs. Bailey (nee Lockhart) married a Barbadian and continued living there.

In the latter part of her career with the NHS, Mrs. Bailey worked at the Community Health Centre, which included family planning and home visits to patients.  Earning the respect of her patients, peers, and leadership team, she was selected to meet Queen Elizabeth II, during an official visit to open a section of the Queen’s Park Heath Centre.

Mrs. Bailey retired at age 65, returned to Barbados, and settled down in Dalkeith Village, St. Michael, an area with which she was familiar.  

She kept active in her kitchen garden and in church at the St. Patrick’s Roman Catholic Church. She also taught at the St. Patrick’s Primary School; spent time with family and friends; did some cooking and travelled.

Her Excellency presented Mrs. Bailey with a bouquet of flowers, a bottle of non-alcoholic wine and a personalised card, which was followed by a toast to the centenarian.  

Mrs. Bailey, a widower, had four children, nine grandchildren (one deceased), and seven great-grandchildren.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade advises that all persons, including infants and children, must complete an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) form in order to travel to the Republic of Kenya.

This new requirement results from policy changes, which took effect this year, whereby holders of Ordinary Barbados Passports have to obtain an ETA at least 72 hours before their intended visit to Kenya. However, it is recommended that applications be submitted at least two weeks prior to travel to ensure adequate time for processing.

The cost for Kenya’s ETA is US $32.50 per traveller, plus banking and processing fees. The ETA is valid only for a single trip, and a new authorisation must be obtained for every subsequent visit to Kenya.

Holders of Diplomatic Barbados Passports must apply for an ETA at least 72 hours before their intended visit to Kenya, but they will be exempted from payment if certified by letter that they are on official duty.

For ETA applications and guidelines, persons should visit the official website https://www.etakenya.go.ke.

Motorists who are driving around with dark tinted vehicle windows have been put on notice to comply with the law or face the consequences.

Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley warned that this action would not be tolerated as she addressed the nation during a press conference on Thursday, at Ilaro Court.

“We have laws that govern tints on vehicles; they don’t allow dark tints. It must stop and the Government has set a target date that no later than the 14th of October, persons who are not having tints that are compliant, in other words, the light tint, will be fined….

“If you are involved in behaviour that leads to those tints still being there, such that the police or anybody passing through can’t see you, and you believe that you can just drive around with impunity, … start paying some fines,” Ms. Mottley said.

She also indicated that the regulation of number plates is another area of concern. “This notion that any and everybody can make a number plate – those days are done – and there will be strict regulation, and the fines will be high…”, she stressed.

The Prime Minister spoke about the trend where some persons were walking on public highways with masks and shirts on their face.

“It stops the police and other legitimate people in this society from seeing and knowing who it is that’s standing next to them, or who it is that’s doing something opposite them…. The Highways Act passed in 1925, 99 years ago, made it an offence for people to walk on the streets or be in a public place with masks….

“Unless you have the permission of the Commissioner of Police, you cannot be wearing these masks, and you cannot be wearing these T shirts on your face to conceal [it]. The operative thing will be concealment, so, there may have to be an amendment to the actual section, but the section talks about masks….”

Ms. Mottley noted that those employed on construction sites or in landscape may need to have their face covered while working, and she pointed out that transparent masks could be used, so faces could still be seen.

She also disclosed that she had asked Attorney General Dale Marshall and Deputy Prime Minister Santia Bradshaw to meet with the owners in the hired cars industry.

“If your car is going to be used as an instrument of crime, remember that one of the first pieces of legislation that this Government passed…was the Proceeds and Instrumentalities of Crime Act, and that means that it can be confiscated and forfeited.

“Having said that, we don’t want to set about doing that, we believe that there is room for greater levels of regulation and greater Know Your Customer guidelines for anybody wanting to hire a car in this country,” the Prime Minister said.

During the wide-ranging address, Ms. Mottley stated that because of the misuse by some of 3D printers, persons would require a licence to import them.

“We will bring a regulatory framework for 3D printers, and it will also include the right of law enforcement to periodically inspect those who have these printers to ensure that they are not being used for nefarious purposes,” she added.

Cabinet members attending the address included Deputy Prime Minister Santia Bradshaw; Attorney General Dale Marshall; Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr. The Most Honourable Jerome Walcott; and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Kerrie Symmonds. (PR/GIS)