Edney McLean, one of Cayman’s newly named Older Person Ambassadors, has called for the creation of more spaces where seniors can get together and enjoy activities as a community.
McLean, together with veteran Cayman Brac civil servant Wanda Tatum and East Ender Carmen Eugenia Conolly, were announced this week as this year’s ambassadors for the Department of Children and Family Services’ Older Persons Month.
The 71-year-old East End resident, speaking with the Cayman Compass on Wednesday, said his nomination came as a surprise and he was pleased to be selected.
“From 1971, I have been involved in the community so it’s paid off,” he said.
Places to meet
McLean said he thinks the community needs places where older persons can gather and “where they can do a little exercise and walk around”.
Seniors in the eastern districts once had the East End Sunrise Cottage, but that facility was closed in 2019 after being deemed not fit for purpose when the Cayman Islands Fire Service inspected the site.
The elderly residents who had been living there were moved to West Bay.
In 2021, the Lions Club of Grand Cayman, as a community service project, refurbished the cottage with help from the Boyz2Men programme at John Gray High School.
Though the facility was turned over to DCFS, it remains unoccupied.
McLean said seniors should be honoured in the community and taken care of as the foundation builders of the island.
“I’ve been trying to get every month a birthday [celebration] for the elderly where you carry a basket of fruits or something. I think that will lift them up, make them know that we care,” he said.
This year’s theme for Older Persons Month is ‘Age Out Loud‘.
Minister for Social Development André Ebanks, in a ministry press release announcing the ambassadors, said it is essential that “we safeguard and empower our older persons, encouraging them to stay active and engaged through social and educational events like Older Persons Month.
“Together, let’s celebrate their contributions and ensure they continue to thrive as vital members of our community.”
Tatum told the Compass that she was “delighted” to have been selected as the ambassador for the Sister Islands.
“I have been involved in a variety of community events and committees from my teenage years. From a very young age my parents instilled in me the importance of service to others and my community. I have tried to live by this value and have passed on the sentiment to my children and grandchildren,” she said.
Tatum added that this year’s ‘Age Out Loud’ theme is “very fitting and profound, it fits well within my mantra”.
The Compass reached out to Conolly for comment, but was unable to contact her by press time.
She was described in the press release as a “a shining example of community service and cultural preservation”.
Born in 1936 in Honduras and raised in Grand Cayman, Conolly has spent her life serving her community, especially through the East End United Church and the East End Seniors Programme, according to the release.
McLean has a dream of establishing a Memorial Museum to showcase East End’s history.
He said his message to his fellow senior Caymanians is to always maintain pride in the legacy they have created.
“They should not feel down, because they are the ones that built Cayman and we are proud of them, and we’re here to assist them in each and every way and, when I say to assist them, I’m talking about myself also,” he said.
McLean added that he does not know why he was born in the Cayman Islands, but “I want when I leave it, that I leave it better than I found it.”
Highlights of Older Persons Month events 2024
- Seniors Bingo at Pedro St. James – 7 Oct.
- Seniors Karaoke at the Intergenerational Hub –14 Oct.
- Circle of Love Fellowship Brunch – 12 Oct.
- Older Persons Talent Show at the Harquail Theatre – 17 Oct.
- Senior Sports Day at Truman Bodden Sports Complex – 26 Oct.
To register for events contact the following community development officers:
West Bay: Vanda Powery – 916-7902
George Town: Dorline Welcome – 925-4083
Bodden Town and North Side: Nellie Mae Walker – 926-5569
East End: Delmira Bodden – 925-5543
Cayman Brac and Little Cayman: Julianne Scott – 929-7932
For the full Older Persons Month calendar, visit the DCFS Facebook page.
For further information, contact the Department of Children and Family Services at 949-0290 or 948-2331.
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