Antigua and Barbuda’s oldest known living citizen, Irenie Mussington, has celebrated her 103rd birthday, receiving tributes from Governor General Sir Rodney Williams, Prime Minister Gaston Browne, relatives and well-wishers.

Born on 4 July 1923, Ms Mussington overcame hardship from an early age. After her mother died when she was nine, she left school at 11 to care for her injured grandmother and worked as a domestic helper.

At 18, she started her own business as a street vendor, selling homemade sweets before expanding into local drinks and clothing. She continued trading in St John’s until the age of 83.

A mother of three, grandmother of nine and great-grandmother of nine, Ms Mussington was praised by Sir Rodney as an example of resilience, hard work and service to the community.

Prime Minister Browne described her as “a national treasure” during his weekly broadcast and wished her a happy birthday.

To mark the occasion, the Government presented Ms Mussington with a cheque for EC$10,000 in recognition of her milestone.

This article was originally published by Antigua News Room. Read the original article here: Antigua’s oldest known resident celebrates 103rd birthday.