1995’s Ms. YWCA Turns a Hundred Years Old  

We continue to celebrate the remarkable lives of Belizeans who have reached extraordinary milestones. This time, it is the story of Leotine Gillet. As she says it, she has proudly turned one hundred years “young” on the very same day Belize marked its 44th anniversary of independence. We rejoin News Five’s Benita Keme-Palacio.

 

Benita Keme-Palacio, Reporting

While Belizeans marked Independence Day, Leotine Gillett and her family celebrated a hundred years of her life. Over the years, she has stood as one of the strong pillars of the YWCA women’s senior group in Belize City. She is also a proud mother of two sons, a grandmother to the generations that followed, and the graceful bearer of the 1995–1996 Ms. Y title.

 

Leotine Gillett, Turns 100 Years Old 

“You can find out about this queen, and other queens, and other queens, but none has reached a hundred years. So, I’m proud of the Y and proud to be a Y queen. I hope that other queens in the Y would be shining stars like Queen Leotine.”

 

We’ve seen a handful of Belizeans reach such a long and blessed stretch of life, many often wonder what time has captured after so long. Gillett says she’s never been short of experiences.

 

Leotine Gillett

“I enjoy every moment of travelling because I can boast that I’ve been to five continents. And in my travels, I’ve enjoyed meeting people of different races. I’ve enjoyed talking to them. I could say I could boast about the people who I associated with. They were somebody that I could look up to, and I could admire and learn something from them. They were beautiful people.”

 

Gillett calls herself a ‘loner,’ as she is the only surviving member of her three sisters and three brothers. Every Wednesday, she can be found at the YWCA in Belize City, where she enjoys spending time and connecting with the other women in the senior group.

 

Phillipa Cadle, Director, YWCA Senior’s Group / 031G3110

“She’s a hundred years old, and that’s a big milestone in our eyes. Her birthday was September twenty-first. so we all celebrated her. Ms. Leotine from the time is here from the time she won the Ms. Y pageant in 1996. She is a part of the Y; we look forward to seeing her here every Wednesday. Whether it rains or it is a bright sunny day, Ms. Leotine is one of the first persons to be here at the Y. Because of her age, everybody looks up to her and makes sure that they are following her footsteps to be here on time from two to four.”

 

After a hundred years filled with memories, experiences, and travels around the world, Gillett continues to embrace life, meeting new people and learning from everyone she comes across.

 

Leotine Gillett

“Well, as a teenager, I loved the boys. I loved being in their company because I learned so much from them. And I learned so much from being with the Boy Scouts and the church groups. I learned so much from them. I was a learner; I’m still a learner. I’m a hundred years old. I’m a centenarian, but I still, I’m learning. She’s very friendly, she’s outgoing, she speaks her mind. She knows exactly what the right word to say is, when to say it, and how to put you in your place if you’re being out of order at some time or the other. This Saturday the twenty-eighth, we’re going to have a tea party for her here at Y to celebrate her as our oldest senior and as our oldest queen at the YWCA.”

 

Benita Keme-Palacio for News Five.