Rev Hustin Patterson (second right) cuts his birthday cake with his wife, Joyce (second left), and his son, Everton (left) and daughter, Vedalyn Mingo, at his 95th birthday surprise dinner at Waterfalls night club, Old Hope Road, last Saturday.

They came from far and near to celebrate the 95th birthday of Rev Hustin Patterson - the oldest and only surviving member of the previous generation of Pattersons - held at the Waterfalls, on Saturday, September 27.

Rev Patterson was invited to dinner, but he had no idea that his daughter, Vedalyn Mingo, husband Jim and sons, Carl, Gary, Simon and Mark, would have been travelling from the United Kingdom to be there. Neither did he know that a number of nieces and nephews from the United States of America and The Cayman Islands had planned to be in attendance.

Surprise

So when Rev Patterson - who is blind - was escorted into the Waterfalls on Saturday evening everyone kept quiet so he would have no idea that there were 80 persons waiting to shout 'Surprise!' or to pay tribute in words and song to the patriarch of the Patterson family, who has guided the spiritual lives of 43 nieces and nephews and other relatives and friends.

A former preacher of the Church of God Holiness Church and treasurer for that denomination's annual convention, he is is well known in the church circle for his ability to stir members of the congregation and the community of Williamsfield, in Westmoreland, to volunteer their time and donate cash and kind to feed the hundreds who would attend the one-week parley at the Venture High School grounds in the district.

Following dinner and the cutting of a huge birthday cake, Rev Patterson thanked the planners and attendees for honouring him in such a wonderful way, while a prayer blessing for his continued strength was offered by Rev Enroy Clarke.

Other Guests

Among the guests were Oral and Christine McCook; Stephanie McCook; Albert and Icilda Lewis and daughter Michelle Smellie; Levi and Iris Salmon; Trevor and Daphne Campbell; Fitzroy and Merlene Kerr; Cornelius and Pat McPherson; Irenia Patterson; David Patterson; David Braithwaite; Caseta 'Dimples' Anderson; Bruna Pennycooke; Betty Cockrane; Ivylyn Donalds ; Lloyd Campbell; Carmen Patterson; Donald Patterson; Everod, Shereen and Zachary Davis; Everton Patterson; Merle Patterson; Andriene Patterson; Andrew Patterson; Precious Campbell; Keith Patterson; Monica Clarke; Lloyd Clarke; Ivor Patterson; Madge Patterson; Shibion Patterson and Eugene Patterson.

Vedalyn Mingo has a warm hug for her father, Rev Hustin Patterson.

Keith Patterson (left) from Texas greets his cousin, Ivor Patterson, who travelled with his family from the United Kingdom to attend Rev Hustin Patterson's dinner party.