Did you know that the third fastest runner in the junior category in the world is an exceptional young man named Zonell Hughes? If exceptionalism is the condition of being exceptional or unique, then we have quite a few exceptional and unique athletes here in Anguilla. You’ll never know who they are if you have to wait for our government to celebrate and promote them. Last summer, just about everyone watched and cheered for our very own Olympian Shara Proctor as she competed for Great Britain in the 2012 Olympics. Though she did not medal, her qualifying round made Anguilla proud and she should have received her accolades much sooner. An excellent opportunity was wasted by our government to capitalize on Shara’s celebrity.
Though she competed for Great Britain, our people should have been on hand to make sure that the world knew who Shara Proctor was and where she came from. Her story would have been of great human interest. There were lots of athlete’s stories being told. Who could forget the blade runner? My point here is that we missed a great opportunity to promote our island and highlight Shara’s amazing talents. It became very frustrating scouring the cable and TV channels trying to find out when she would perform. As a small island, we have to seize the opportunities when they present themselves.
In Jamaica. for example, they gave Usain Bolt his very own parade. They celebrated as only the Jamaicans can. They showed their appreciation for their athletes. What have we done for ours? Is it that we hate to see our fellowman move forward? That we’d rather pass up a promotion because it would mean that the next person would then move up too. I know that this sounds ridiculous, but think about it for a moment. We are so green with envy that we’d just as soon hold ourselves back just to ensure that our fellow workers are also held back. It’s that crab mentality that keeps us all down. A few weeks ago, on the Mayor Show on KOOL FM we were discussing why it is that we as Anguillians don’t support our own. We’d rather patronize a complete stranger’s enterprise than support one of our very own. Why is that? We have to divorce ourselves from all the bad habits that we, as a nation which wants to branch out on its own, currently practice. Can you imagine what will happen without a grown up in the room? We have to let our own know that we’ve got their backs.
It’s not just about Shara Proctor. We have many young athletes who have competed in different sporting competitions. What about our young cyclists and runners? We only find out about their exceptional feats after the fact, and it’s in a two paragraph story in a story buried on the web. As I’ve said, we have many young and promising athletes, but we never know who they are because no one bothers to take the time to promote them. It’s not just our young athletes. What about our outstanding culinary team that won the gold in Miami earlier this year, in spite of losing one of the team members to an act of violence? We remember the young men who went to the BVI and demolished a very competitive field of competitors in the Premier Youth Regatta. Kudos to Captain Kendall “Kenny” Richardson, Ethan “Rumple” Lloyd, Kadeen Joseph, Romero “Butcher” Gumbs, Derrick “Fritz” Carty and Omaris Hamilton. A special shout out goes out to Harris Richardson and Alexander Fedee.
I think it’s high time that the Ministry of Tourism or Culture, or whoever is responsible for such things, to take an interest in our young and talented people and promote them. And while we’re on the subject, we would do ourselves a world of good to initiate programs, such as more competitive sports, as a way of keeping our young people actively engaged and interested in something that they might really enjoy. A lot of island nations are fielding their own teams because they have established their own Olympic committees. I can hear the naysayers asking who is going to pay for it? I’m sure lining up sponsors would be the least of our worries.
During the Beijing Olympics, Team Great Britain stunk up the joint. The London games saw an entirely different British team. What happened, you ask? Great Britain decided to subsidize their teams and what we saw was a team that was ready to compete and, as a result, did exceptionally well. Let’s start to put an emphasis on sports for our young people. We’re an island, and why should anyone have a monopoly on swimming/ Some of us learned to swim before we learned to walk (at least in Island Harbour). By looking at the other Caribbean islands that fielded teams for the Olympics, we can learn a few things. We have to dare to be bold as the saying goes. Why not take it to the next plateau?
We tend to be a very selfish people. If it does not directly affect us, we want no part of it. We only recognize our brothers at the moment and as soon as the moment has passed we start looking for that new phenomenon to latch on to. Well, we can start by recognizing those who have contributed to the development of this great rock by remembering our young flyers, past and present. I was thrilled to read in The Anguillian that Mr. Edgar Richardson is planning to do just that later on this month. Unfortunately, this tribute has come much too late for some of our young men. Beavan Hodge, Kenneth Fleming, Lunsford Richardson, Roy Illidge, Levette Webster, Ken Webster, Cardie Hodge and, more recently, his brother Kirby. Gentlemen, I’d like to offer you my own tribute. To my brother Beavan, my friend Kenneth, my cousins Levette and Ken, the guys I grew up with, Lunsford, Roy, and especially the Hodge brothers, Cardie and Kirby, this one’s for you. In the immortal words of Michael Jackson, “Gone Too Soon.”
Like a comet blazing ‘cross the evening sky, gone too soon.
Like a rainbow fading in the twinkling of an eye, gone too soon.
Shiny and sparkly, and splendidly bright, here one day, gone one night
Like the loss of sunlight, on a cloudy afternoon gone too soon.
Like a castle, built upon a sandy beach, gone too soon
Like a perfect flower, that is just beyond your reach, gone too soon
Born to amuse, to inspire, to delight, here one day gone one night
Gone too soon.
Gone too soon.
Kirby, as my niece Natalie so eloquently wrote, in her glowing tribute to you in “Night Flight,” pretty much says it all. “Here one day, gone one night. Gone too soon, Gone Too Soon.”
We want you all to know that you never will be forgotten, and that’s for sure. The system by which we choose those whom we wish to recognize and honor is quite flawed in that there are no standards by which to operate. I make this assertion simply because I know that a person’s politics comes into play. That seems to be the bedrock of whether a person who has contributed above and beyond to the rock, but at one time or another opposed those in power or on the selecting committee, is passed up for the honor.
When we were up against the tyranny of Robert L. Bradshaw, we came together despite the fact that there were those among us who were very much against such a move – the very same ones who now enjoy the fruits of our labor. We are different from you as a people and we are here for the greater good, but as soon as we start to disagree with the direction in which we’re heading, and the type of incompetent governance that’s being practiced, we become ostracized and consequently we’re done. In Anguilla, we’re still suffering from a crab mentality and until we eliminate that mindset, we’ll never get out of the barrel. We’ll continue to pull each other down and, in so doing, none of us will ever get out of the barrel.
I reiterate that the system is flawed, because I know that if I, as an Anguillian, did not have a personal interest in some form of recognition for our young flyers, and said as much on KOOL FM a while back, Mr. Richardson would probably never have stepped up to the plate. I would like to know why it took almost 40 years for the committee, whoever you are, to recognize my father Walter G. Hodge and my brother Cardigan Hodge both of whom were very instrumental in running the government. Walter Hodge, who was the de facto leader and the CFO of Anguilla, the leader of the peace keeping committee on the island, and the leader of the Barbados delegation who had the smarts to maintain a level head during a very volatile period in our islands history, who wrote and read the declaration of independence, who bluntly refused to meet with the Brits until they had agreed to the condition that regardless of what the delegation did, that the final say belonged to the Anguillian people. Of course, we know what happened in Barbados. The delegation went to Barbados and tried to get the very best possible deal for Anguilla. The people of Anguilla were led to believe that the delegation had not acted in their best interests. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Mr. Webster who was part of the delegation, after refusing to sign the agreement, returned to Anguilla ahead of the delegation and gave his version of what transpired, consequently, the returning delegation came home to a very hostile reception. This is not a piece on the Anguilla revolution, but does recognize some of the players.
To this day, John Webster has received no recognition for his contributions to the cause. He sacrificed his career for the good of the rock. John Webster left a lucrative paying job in St. Thomas to go back home to help run the government. To ignore him is a gross injustice. It’s been far too long to continue to ignore John Webster for his contribution. Hopefully we can put aside petty politics and do the right thing.
While Mr. Richardson is celebrating the pilots, let us not forget why we’re celebrating them. People like Beavan, Kenneth, Maurice and Clayton flew the missions, brought in the reporters, the medical supplies and at times with little regard for their safety or reward. All have contributed greatly but none more than the four I just mentioned and, as a nation, we must be eternally grateful to them. This is not to slight the younger set. They’ve done their share too.
As a nation, we possess the greatest number of airline pilots per capita anywhere in the world. I’d like to see some permanent museum to their permanent memory. I’d also like to see our rich maritime tradition and our boat building also housed alongside our pilots.
Why do we not cherish who we are and what we’ve done as a people? Is it because there is no immediate gratification in the undertaking or is it simply a lack of leadership? You decide.
We are truly a unique and exceptional people, but we are a selfish people. If it does not affect us directly, or benefit us, we want no part of it. Somewhere along the way, someone has to step up and say enough. We have to do better than this. Let us put aside all the petty bickering and start behaving like erudite people that we are. Let’s start looking out for each other like we did when we had jollification in high gear – back when everyone looked out for his neighbor and was more than willing to lend a helping hand. Ah, to see the good old days again. Let’s show the world what Anguillian exceptionalism really is and get this rock rolling again. Until then, may God bless us all and may God bless Anguilla.
