In the quiet farming community of Philippi on the Corentyne, Bertely Matheson, 70, was relaxing in a hammock in her yard when The World Beyond Georgetown dropped in.
She moved to the village in 1962 when she got married and recalled working very hard with her husband on their cash crop farm to raise their seven children. Bertley continued farming after his death and would leave home at 8 am and return at 6 pm. She stopped going to the farm about 10 years ago and her two grandsons have taken over. One has also expanded into rice farming.
The retired farmer does not suffer from any sickness and said she maintains good health by keeping herself active with household chores and by not worrying about anything. “Stress kills,” she told this newspaper. She also prays to God for “health and strength and courage to be independent.” She attends church regularly and also strives to maintain a