ROAD TOWN, Tortola — The Virgin Islands is being encouraged to look beyond the milestone of reaching 100 and consider how the Territory cares for and values its older residents.
National Centenarian Day was observed on September 22 under the theme “Then & Now…Through the Years,” highlighting the unique place centenarians hold as living links between the Virgin Islands of the past and the Territory of today.
The Social Development Department used the observance to encourage families and communities to show greater appreciation, care and support for older persons.
Programme Director for Aged Care Services, Trisha Smith-Gomes, said the Territory’s centenarians have experienced two very different Virgin Islands — the BVI “then,” when family, community, tradition and neighbourly support were central to daily life, and the BVI “now,” shaped by economic growth, technology and new opportunities.
“Our seniors are part of the foundation upon which our community was built,” Smith-Gomes said. “They raised families, supported neighbours, contributed to the development of the Territory and helped preserve many of the values and traditions we enjoy today.”
The observance also serves as a reminder that supporting older persons should not begin and end with birthday celebrations or centenarian milestones.
“Honouring our seniors must go beyond recognising a milestone,” Smith-Gomes said. “It is also about making sure they continue to feel valued, included, respected and cared for as they age.”
The 2026 observance carries an added note of remembrance, with the Territory honouring the late Enelle Smith and Esmie Estene Turnbull-Stoutt, two treasured centenarians who recently passed away.
The Territory’s current centenarian community includes Evelyn Hodge, Floresa George, Iris Leonel Harrigan and Christeen Hodge, according to information published in connection with this year’s observance.
For Smith-Gomes, their lives represent far more than longevity.
“Our centenarians are truly a bridge between then and now, carrying our history, values, stories and traditions from one generation to the next,” she said.
Their experiences offer a connection to a BVI that many younger residents know only through stories — a time when communities were smaller, families were closely connected and neighbours often played an important role in raising and supporting one another.
The Social Development Department is encouraging residents to make that connection more intentional by checking in on older relatives, friends and neighbours, spending meaningful time with them, listening to their stories and paying attention to their physical, emotional and social needs.
The message is particularly relevant as the Territory continues to change.
Celebrating centenarians, the Department said, should also mean preserving the history and values they carry while ensuring that older persons remain active, respected and included in the communities they helped build.
“Your lives remind us of where we have come from and the importance of preserving our heritage for generations to come,” Smith-Gomes said.