Violet Mosse Brown Monument Unveiled In Duanvale

The Government and the community of Duanvale, Trelawny, are celebrating the life and legacy of late supercentenarian, Violet Mosse Brown, with the unveiling of a monument in her honour.

Mrs. Mosse Brown, fondly called ‘Aunt V’, brought fame to the rural farming district in July 2017, when she was declared the world’s Oldest Living Person by Guinness World Records, at the age of 117 years and 139 days old.

Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, Hon. Olivia Grange, unveiled the supersized bronze bust of Mrs. Mosse Brown on March 10, to mark the 122nd anniversary of her birth.

Saluting the supercentenarian, Minister Grange said it was important to celebrate Aunt V in the community of her birth and where she contributed to the lives of others and the church.

“We place this bust here in Duanvale. May those who pass by stop and look and discover in that moment, their own mortality, and make the decision to make a positive difference to the lives of others as she did in her own quiet way. Aunt V was one of our unsung heroes, who gave of herself in her community and made a difference to many lives,” she noted.

Minister Grange said that the Violet Mosse Brown monument is part of Jamaica’s celebration of its Diamond Jubilee as an independent nation this year.

She noted that the late supercentenarian witnessed the turn of the century and had a front seat in watching the social and political changes in Jamaica.

“From Tilley lamp and bottle torch to electric light and power cut… she would have witnessed from the Abeng to the cell phone… and she would have [seen progress] from the donkey cart to the sport utility vehicle (SUV).

“Not to mention watching Falmouth grow from a little country town to taking over from Martha Brae as the new [parish] capital and, in recent times, to welcome cruise ships at the Falmouth Pier. Aunt V saw it all… she was truly blessed,” she said.

In his tribute, Chairman of the Trelawny Municipal Corporation and Mayor of Falmouth, Councillor Colin Gager, hailed Mrs. Mosse Brown, noting that she exemplified womanhood in her resilience.

“I am proud that we are gathered here for this grand occasion, to celebrate the strength and longevity of a strong black woman, a strong Trelawny woman, a strong Jamaican woman,” he noted.

The unveiling of the monument is part of initiatives by the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport in collaboration with the Trelawny Municipal Corporation to honour the supercentenarian.

In July of last year, the street on which Mrs. Mosse Brown lived was renamed in her honour, while in September, on the fourth anniversary of her passing, a storyboard detailing aspects of her life was mounted at her home.

Also joining the community for the unveiling were Mrs. Mosse Brown’s granddaughters, Dr. Beverly Davis Fray and Lelieth Palmer; Custos of Trelawny, Hugh Gentles; Councillors of the Trelawny Municipal Corporation; and sculptor, Pamrie Hall Dwyer.

Dr. Davis Fray, in her remarks, recalled her grandmother’s dedicated service to the Baptist church where she served as choirmaster and organist for many years.

She said Mrs. Mosse Brown would have appreciated the unveiling of the bust with humility “just as she accepted all the other accolades throughout her life”.

Dr. Davis Fray also expressed her family’s gratitude, noting that the mounting of the monument “is a testament that Jamaica values the life of my grandma”.

On April 27, 2017, Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, presented the Prime Minister’s Medal of Appreciation to Mrs. Mosse Brown at her home in Duanvale.

She died six months later, on September 15.