ROCKY POINT, Clarendon — It hasn’t been easy but they made it. Carol and Rudolph Brown, 82 and 83 years old, respectively, have the distinction of being the oldest married couple in their community. A local group, Channels of Hope, recently brought residents together to celebrate the couple’s 65th wedding anniversary.

“They are an inspiration to us so, therefore, we come out to scatter their roses before they go,” said Channels of Hope Chairman Derrick Osbourne, who explained that the organisation was formed a year ago in an effort to offer hope to the community.

Carol Brown was touched by the event held in honour of the love and devotion shared by her and her husband.

“The celebration was wonderful. It couldn’t be nicer, I enjoyed it very much,” she said of the toasts and encouragement from their children and neighbours. “I am happy to know that God spared my life to see them hanging around and all my good friends and everybody showing love to ‘Mother Brown’. It shows that they love me because I take good care of all of them. You can’t know who is my child from who isn’t. I’m so grateful,” she said softly.

The Browns have eight children, 34 grandchildren and 35 great grandchildren. Rudolph Brown also has other children but his wife forgave his infidelity and their marriage survived.

“I don’t know if others have the faith that I have, but if they do they will ride on. Mi thank God for the faith I have and now the children are our strength. It’s the best thing when you can forgive because all through what I have been through, if mi never forgive, he wouldn’t be here where I am,” said the matriarch.

They got married as teenagers. When Rudolph left Westmoreland for work in Kingston, his wife joined him there and they started their family. The fisherman later moved to Clarendon seeking to earn a living from his trade and eventually the couple settled in Rocky Point where they built a house and expanded their family.

“My mom was always hustling to look after us. She boiled corn, made tamarind balls and anywhere dance a keep she goes and cook food and fry chicken and sell to patrons just to ensure we had food. The reason why they stayed together is because of my mother and us the children…It was the love she had for him that kept them together,” said the couple’s oldest living child, Karen Brown.

“Persons in the community look up to my mom because of how she lived, she never stopped being a lady and a virtuous woman. She had a shop and anybody could come to her kitchen and get food whether or not they had money. She has eight of us but she still fed other people’s kids out of the little that we had,” she added.

Family friend Sonia Brown-Thompson, who has known the Brown’s for many years, lauded them for staying together for 65 years.

“I have known the Browns for almost all my life and they are decent, upright and law-abiding citizens in the community and they have grown their children to be such. They may not be rich monetarily, but they are rich in character. I applaud you Mrs Carol as you have worn the robe of humanity with distinction and pride,” she said during the celebration.

The marking of the Brown’s anniversary is merely the latest initiative by Channels of Hope.

“This community has its own challenges with teenage pregnancy, unattached youth, illiteracy and a level of hopelessness. We saw the need and so we tried to offer hope to this community. Through Channels of Hope, teachers have been brought in to do diagnostic reading tests for children, remedial classes, the distribution of care packages, parental training as well as bringing in various agencies to assist residents to access government services with the hope of achieving a transformation of the community,” said Osbourne.