The oldest documented living citizen of Antigua and Barbuda, Irenie Mussington, has marked her 103rd birthday surrounded by love, official recognition and warm tributes from the nation’s highest leaders, family members and countless well-wishers across the country.
Born on July 4, 1923, Mussington’s life has been defined by quiet resilience and persistent hard work from her earliest years. When she was just nine years old, she lost her mother, a devastating loss that forced her to leave formal education just two years later to step into a caregiving role for her injured grandmother. To support herself and her family, she took up work as a domestic helper, shouldering adult responsibilities long before most girls her age.
At 18, Mussington took a bold step to build her own livelihood, launching an independent small business as a street vendor. She started by selling handcrafted homemade sweets, gradually growing her enterprise to include locally produced beverages and clothing items. For more than six decades, she ran her small trading operation out of St. John’s, continuing her work until she retired at the age of 83.
Beyond her professional tenacity, Mussington has built a sprawling, loving family: she is a mother of three, grandmother to nine, and great-grandmother to another nine children. Governor General Sir Rodney Williams lauded Mussington as a shining model of resilience, relentless work ethic and committed service to local communities across the nation. During his weekly public broadcast, Prime Minister Gaston Browne echoed this praise, calling her “a national treasure” and extending his warmest birthday wishes to the centenarian. To commemorate her extraordinary 103-year milestone, the government of Antigua and Barbuda presented Mussington with a 10,000 Eastern Caribbean dollar cheque as a formal recognition of her legacy and lifetime of contribution.