A record 360 seniors filled the hall at First Baptist Church for the annual Rotary Boxing Day lunch for senior citizens, the largest turnout in the event’s history and a milestone moment for the Rotary Club of Grand Cayman as it marked 60 years of service to the community.
Held on 26 Dec., the annual lunch has now taken place 58 times, missing only two years in its long history – once after Hurricane Ivan and once during the COVID-19 pandemic. Organisers described the 2025 edition as the most successful yet, both in scale and participation.
In her address to the packed room, Governor Jane Owen spoke directly to the legacy seated before her. “We need to look back over so many years and say thank you to all of you,” she said. “All of you have been so involved in the Cayman that we’re all able to celebrate this year.” She then stepped off the stage and made her way through the room, stopping to greet seniors individually.
From there, the lunch took on its own momentum, evolving into an afternoon of food, music and storytelling in which many of the seniors were no longer just audience members, but part of the performance.
Live music was led by Henry Leslie alongside Orvin Hernandez, with steel pan by Earl LaPierre and storytelling from Venita Ryan, while Roydell Carter kept the programme moving as emcee.
Attendees took turns sharing their own talents, with performances from violinist Curtis Barnett, guitarist Dan Ebanks, singers Leila Orser, Cecile Webster and Ellard Myles, and a duet by Daphne Orrett and her brother, guitarist Rupert Ackerman.
Rotarian Tim Adam, who helps organise the programme each year, said the breadth of performances set this year apart.
“This year the seniors stepped up their game,” he said, describing the atmosphere as stellar. “We had more content than we had time to do. It was just a beautiful thing to watch.”
A commemorative touch was added through artwork by Caymanian artist Luelan Bodden, whose depictions of island life were turned into a desktop calendar gifted to seniors. Event coordinator Tania Slijper said the artwork helped anchor the celebration in shared memories.
“It made it different this year,” she said.
Seniors went home with multiple gift bags, including fresh produce supplied by the Cayman Community Farm and goody bags from Foster’s. Food was supported by hotels and restaurants across the island, with on-site backing from EY and the The Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman. Transportation was provided by Webster’s Buses, while Pastor Stephen Ryan and the First Baptist Church hosted the gathering.
The event also included highly anticipated meet-and-greet moments with youth ambassadors and community leaders, including pageant titleholders Miss Royal Cayman Islands Kezia McLean, Our Little Miss Universal Setareh García Holl and Miss Earth Cayman Islands Latecia Bush.
“Serving at the 60th Annual Boxing Day Lunch for Seniors made my heart really happy,” said McLean in a social media post. “I loved spending the day serving seniors with my queen sister.”
Rotary Club president Vinton Chinsee said the lunch remains one of the most anticipated events on the senior calendar.
“Some of them are over 100 years old, and they look forward to it every year,” he said. “They dance, they sing, they tell their stories, and they see friends they haven’t seen all year. It’s a packed house, and it just keeps growing.”
Chinsee said the scale of the event reflects months of planning and support from across the community, from restaurants and farmers to musicians and transport providers.
“It’s a whole web of supporters,” he said. “And of course, Rotarians who organize this every year. And this is just the end result. … It’s finely tuned machinery.”
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Congratulations to Rotary and above all to those other entities in providing this wonderful occasion for our seniors over so many years. It is evident that a lot of planning, not to mention funding went into this annual project. It is a wonderful way to reward our seniors for all their contributions to making Cayman what it is today.