Old Harbour’s Nina Maud Diviney celebrates 108 years of blessings

This is how Mrs. Nina Maud Diviney sees her achieving a whopping 108 years, all of which have been filled with laughter, family, good health and most of all a special anointing from her Creator, whom she praises for waking her up with a sense of purpose and peace every single morning.

The centenarian who lives in Claremont, Old Harbour, celebrated her birthday a day early on Sunday, September 13, 2026, with family, friends and tonnes of food, courtesy of her daughter Maxine, who ensured the get-together went off without a hitch.  The gathering included Nina’s only remaining sibling, Miss Gwendolyn, who was present for the life-extending milestone. 

Old Harbour News wanted to know the secret to her longevity. “I never thought I would live to see this age, but it’s an honour to see it. I'm happy and giving God praise. I’m grateful to know that God has been so good to me that he has kept me alive. My God is good, and I believe in Him one hundred percent,” she said

Nina – nee Small, originally hails from Salisbury, Jeffrey Town in St. Mary, and was born on September 14, 1918. She is the fourth of her parents’ twelve children. Nina herself would get married and have six children of her own, all of whom have successful careers, though most reside overseas. She attended Jeffrey Town Elementary School and later had a thriving career as a seamstress and was married for some forty-five years before her husband Sylvester passed at the age of 86. With the death of her spouse, her daughter relocated her to Old Harbour to live with her in 2000.

At 108 she is still mobile and active, though Maxine insists that for her safety, she moves around with a cane. Nothing, however, stands in Nina’s way of getting about her tasks which include making her breakfast, especially her favourite saltfish fritters which she makes very often from scratch as it hits just the right spot for her. Her hearing is the only thing that is now a ‘little stubborn’, but her mind is still very agile, and she can still recount stories and lessons from her past. And she can still recall phone numbers of close friends and family. When it comes to her guilty pleasure, Miss Nina enjoys her favourite meal of chicken wings and fries.  

On Sunday, a gathering of about 40 celebrated her new milestone, though many who wanted to attend from overseas were unable to, both because of scheduling as well as escalating ticket prices. However, those present ensured that she had birthday cake, other treats and gifts presented to her, plus lots of singing and well wishes.  

Maxine, her ‘wash belly’, shared that while she does supervise her mother’s activities to make sure there are no unfortunate accidents, she does not have to do much for her because she is very independent.