Hopkins’ Oldest Resident Still Leads by Example, One Catch at a Time

In the coastal village of Hopkins, you won’t find history tucked away in dusty archives, you see it come alive on the sea and along the sandy streets. Tonight, on The Bright Side, Sabreena Daly takes us out to meet a man who’s been casting his nets since he was just fourteen years old, and he’s never looked back. At ninety-five, he is the oldest resident in this Garifuna community, a man whose daily routine of hard work and neighborhood love is a masterclass in healthy living. We go to Hopkins to meet the man everyone calls ‘Bobo.’

 

Sabreena Daly, Reporting

In Hopkins, everyone knows Bobo. Not by his given name, just Bobo. At ninety-five years old, he’s not just the oldest man in the village; he’s also one of its busiest, still up and still going strong. His days don’t follow the slow pace one might expect at nearly a century old; they follow the rhythm of the sea.

 

Sabreena Daly

“What time do you go to sleep at night?”

 

Bobo, Hopkins Resident

“At night, uh, 7:00, 8:00, I sleep. Go out fishing if, if the weather is good, 4:00 in the morning have my tea, or coffee and go out.”

 

Bobo has built his reputation on a foundation of hard work. And at ninety-five, he’s on the go, tending to his property, riding his bike, and still making a living as a fisherman. To his neighbor, Jason Flores, Bobo’s tireless energy is a daily marvel.

 

Jason Flores, Friend

“Bobo is a hardworking man. We always talk, and he always says, “I love you. I always admire you,” because we always work together. Sometimes he comes, Bobo comes in the morning, he will rake the beach- He always finds something to do every day, regardless of if he does- matter if it’s Sunday or a Monday, Bobo works sometimes 10:00, 11:00, Bobo is working that time. Always find something to do.”

 

Bobo has centered his life’s work on the sea since he was just fourteen. Eight decades later, the water is still where his spirit thrives.

 

Bobo

“Fishing is my life, man. It’s my life completely. And sometimes when I think, “I’m so old” I still have that spirit. I don’t do it as before, but I’m still doing it.”

 

Watching him work is like witnessing a master at his craft. His movements are steady and deliberate. He places the weighted edge of the net between his teeth, keeping everything balanced before the release. He pivots. Flings. And the mesh blooms like a flower, landing silently on the ground. It is a skill built not from formal instruction, but from a lifetime of careful observation.

 

Bobo

“ The things I see, I imitate it. So what I see, as I tell you, when I get it I put it aside.”

 

Now, it was my turn to try. But what Bobo makes look as easy as breathing is actually a precise balance of skill, timing, and strength.  When I asked if he ever had a teacher, he explained that his wisdom was “caught,” not taught.

 

Sabreena Daly

“Did you learn to do this on your own or did someone teach you?”

 

Bobo

“The way I see someone do it, I copy from them.”

 

Bobo spent a lifetime learning from the good he saw and making it his own. As an elder, he is now the benchmark for the community. For Chairlady Ella Carr, Bobo represents the strength of their roots and a living foundation of wisdom and history.

 

Ella Carr, Chairlady, Hopkins Village

“When it comes to the elderly in the community, they are the foundation of this community. They carry wisdom and also culture and history. So they’re the one who are to guide us the right way, and we are to respect them and also learn from them.”

 

That wisdom wasn’t found in books; it was a choice Bobo made as a young boy, to find the best in people and make it his own.

 

Bobo

“You know, Bobo, from my youth, when I see something that is good, I say to myself sometimes, “When I grow up, I’m going to do that because I see that it is good.”

 

Today, the “good” people see in James Castillo is a heart that still has room for everyone. At ninety-five, Bobo knows exactly how he wants his story to end.

 

Sabreena Daly

“So, you want to be remembered as a people person?”

 

Bobo

“Yes, man. You know, this old man here now, Bobo. Anybody who passes, “Bobo. Bobo.” Why? Because we are talking about love. How does that make you feel? I feel happy, man, because I’m called, and those who call me happy to them too.”

 

Looking on the Bright Side, I’m Sabreena Daly

 

Attention readers: This online newscast is a direct transcript of our evening television broadcast. When speakers use Kriol, we have carefully rendered their words using a standard spelling system.

 

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