Even with his troubles, a smile was never far from Richard Austin's face.
 
It's ironic, that he would die a day or so, after Bob Marley's birthday. Because like Bob Marley encouraged, 'Danny Germs' was one, quick to forget his troubles. And one, quick to dance.
 
To see 'Germs' at the New Kingston nightclub Epiphany in the days of old, was to see 'Germs' in his element. Austin relished having a good time. Some now, will be quick to say, "too quick." But that was Danny. And a leopard does not easily change his spots. And spots, Danny had many.
 
Born on the wrong side of town - Jones Town; schooled at St. Andrew Technical High School, also on the wrong side of town, Danny in Jamaica's eyes, committed the unpardonable sin. He went to South Africa with Lawrence Rowe. But of all those who went, he of them all, should have gone. Because, even before Austin became an untouchable, in his native Jamaica, he was an untouchable.
 
Who was ever going to give him a job? And if they did, he might not have been able to have kept it. But we should always do, what we know what we should do. And not do it necessarily, because the outcome we so desire, is a long-shot odd. And in that sense, 'Germs' brought out the worst in us.
 
At our worst, we do not, as a society, carry life-rafts. Once you're overboard in our Jamaica society, then that's it. For the most part, you're left to sink or swim on your own. And 'Danny Germs', God bless his dearly departed soul, could not swim.
 
I'll always remember 'Danny' though. Because, he was my opening batsman.
 
"Viv will be here." And that's all I needed to say. Because in Packer cricket, "Viv was up and down with him," Michael Holding once told me. And somehow, 'Germs' made his way down to the Kirkvine Sports Club, and on his own, to play for my invitational XI.
 
People would always admonish, (quote); "Don't give him any money. He's only going to use it to buy drugs." So what? He played for me. And played for me, for free.
 
And he so enjoyed himself that day, rapping with Viv, and bowling some mean seamers. That's 'Germs'. His car had no brakes.
 
And talk about fighting for his country. There was none like him. "Dem haffi gu bus-up mi mout," I heard him once say, as he prepared to face Guyana and the venomous Colin Croft in a Shell Shield match.
 
Richard 'Danny Germs' Arkwright Austin, was one who gave to his country, more than he took.
 
He for sure, for one, is in a better place.
 
May his soul now rest in peace.      

Full Story

How does this writer come up with all this garbage?

I know quite a few people with similar background and not for once were they ever deemed 'untouchables'. Somehow, despite being from Jones Town and graduating from STATHS, they were all able to get and keep jobs without regard to the circumstances of their birth.

One of those, my very good friend, a tenured professor emerged from the same circumstances as Germs-Jones Town; STATHS team mate of Germs; and was ambitious enough to become a productive member of society without using his background as a crutch or as an excuse for debilitating life choices.

My cousin was also a teammate of his at Grantham College prior to him going to STATHS.

It was unfortunate how Germs ended up but if anyone was familiar with the arrogant,crude, disrespectful, boastful, pre-Packer, pre-bloodmoney tour of South Africa version of him will also understand why he elicited so little sympathy in some quarters. The blood-money tour probably hastened his decline but even before that he was also on a self-destructive path and had alienated many who knew him.

May his soul Rest in Peace.

Richard Austin needed help but a man must also be willing to help himself and must be humble enough to accept help when it is offered.

In reply to jacksprat

You are a facking bitter idiotic jackAss!!

In reply to Cuter

Go and .....Yourself asshole!!

I see you are not too bright because you see constantly try to engage me even though I have done my best to ignore you. Are you so desperate for validation?

GET LOST!!!

You must be a damn stalker- haven't I ignored you long enough you Piece of....?

You are back on ignore!

In reply to jacksprat

dude wake up!!

It's been a long time now since I've been ignoring your bitter sckunt


but this one takes the cake

In reply to jacksprat

Hehehhehehe

From watching him dance a EPIPHANY (PIPH). Epiphany caught my eyes instantly and wasn't surprised at that wrong side of town comment.

Piph was the ultimate uptown club...uptown meaning the society boys...and a drug pushing den...period.



Had many conversations with him. Yes, he was cocky and arrogant but all that was acquired from being around others. He was cricket star and a Kensington boy who hung out with Kingston and Melbourne guys. They accepted him and he played his part. Hope yuh get what mi saying here.

Remember now, even friggin Junior Cup cricketers back then were "tests"...boastie as hell.

Still, Danny Germs was good peoples. He loved the game of cricket and never shied from helping others to become better. Saw that first hand many many times.

So long Danny Germs...may you RIP...

In reply to jacksprat

Stop the cyber violence

In reply to 4more

the man just died

this was profoundly inappropriate from that jackass

In reply to Lenks

This character trait pre-dated him even playing Senior Cup or Shell Shield.
As far back as his days at Grantham when he used to get into fights with girls he was showing this same arrogant and anti-social behaviour.

As to the question of him being not being able to get a job because he was supposedly from the "wrong side of town".....

I recall him being offered the chance to coach my high School Sunlight Cup team-after he had started playing Shell Shield-and I do not remember him turning up even once. Guess he thought that was beneath him!

my fav cricketer just for his allround talent he was never out the game truly gifted sportsman

There is no need to talk ill of the dead. He was who he was, and may he rest in peace

True, but death does not invest people with virtues they never had in life.History is what it is. Saddam Hussein did not become Mother Theresa just by dying.

Better we remain silent than lie about the dead, just so we might have a salve to our conscience.

In reply to jacksprat

Not sure about this blood money business....

I visited South Africa after the end of Apartheid. during my 1st visit I was on a tour around Johannesburg and was video taping for posterity. I saw a dead body lying on the side of the road. People were walking around it casually without batting an eyelid. Not even a dead dog would be expect to be treated with such callous disregard.


On my 2nd visit I had a meeting at an office building. During a break I took a stroll around the complex to get some fresh air. I happened to notice a plaque on the ground with a name and what appeared to be year of birth and year of death. The year of death was the previous year. I asked about it and was told that the plaque was in memory of a Zimbabwean employee who was on a short term assignment and was 7 months pregnant. She was brutally butchered ini her apartment on the 3rd day of her assignment..


My paradigm shifted because if these perpetrators are the mudafacters that Danny Germs is being pilloried for then the jury long returned a not guilty verdict....RIP Germs.

In reply to jacksprat

That is also true. But I do not think Richard Austin was quite in the same class as Saddam. I think we sometimes forget that our sports Heros were really just humans.

I remember a Barbadian wicketkeeper (Murray?) who got messed up. I feel for him and those who loved him.

Perhaps we can agree to let Richard Austin find the peace in death that he never did in live.

My respects to you

In reply to FanAttick

Interesting story but I am not sure of its relevance to my assertion.

In reply to mitch44

I felt sorry for Germs which is why I never hesitated to buy him something to eat, or give him some money, whenever I ran into him and saw him begging. Unlike some those who are spewing uninformed nonsense from the safety of their computers, and never lifted a finger to help him, I was among a long list of people who tried to help him in our own little way. But he was ultimately his own worst enemy.

That said, no amount of compassion will divert from the that the man made some unfortunate life choices. This does not even include him going to apartheid South Africa. Many of those choices were long before that.

In reply to jacksprat

can u show a little compassion, u with your uppity self

In reply to jacksprat

I lazily borrowed your statement above...to draw attention to this perpetuation of this notion of blood money...

My point is that the people who were "freed" from the tyranny of apartheid are now themselves tyrants ..callous, corrupt and hardly deserving of the shame that Danny Germs was expected to bear until the moment of his sad demise..

In reply to mitch44

Murray fell on hard times but he is never shunned by the cricket fraternity.

In reply to FuzzyWuzzy

good to know, met him in 73 while a team was touring NY

In reply to FanAttick

You are making a bigger deal of the SA connection than I ever did but I am not sure I understand your reasoning. The example you cited has left me baffled

Are you suggesting, for example, that the fight for Civil Rights in the USA, led by Dr. King and others, was less worthwhile because a Black man shot and killed his family the other day in Queens, NY?

Danny Germs has received more help than you would imagine. When he was struggling in NY who rallied to send him back to Jamaica?

How many times has he been cleaned up and taken off the streets?

Are you aware of how much assistance his family and the cricket fraternity have rendered to him over the years?

When people talk about these "honorary whites" being abandoned, let us not forget the immeasurable assistance the cricket fraternity extended to one of them while he was in immigration detention a few years ago, by raising funds and standing by him throughout his ordeal. Said individual has subsequently made some positive life choices to improve his circumstances.

Some can sit on their asses and talk about 'compassion' but this compassion never seem to extend beyond loud, empty talk and meaningless pontification.

There are number of struggling former cricketers who could use some compassion and care right now. What have many of you done to help any of them except to shed crocodile tears when they are no longer around?

Let us change talk into action and extend some help while they are still alive to appreciate it. Put your money where your mouth is and contribute to a benevolent fund.

In reply to jacksprat

Let us change talk into action and extend some help while they are still alive to appreciate it.

definitely totally support this statement.

How do we go about it? I think that's the rub

In reply to mitch44

I am sure WIPA must have some sort of fund for retired cricketers. We could start there. Or we could demonstrate our 'compassion' by starting our own!

In reply to jacksprat

Is this Hartley Alleyne ?

In reply to uton

No, this one is Jamaican.

In reply to jacksprat

The end of apartheid was a commendable achievement....but I will tell you that most black South Africans did not see the so- called rebel tour as a betrayal of the movement...in fact from my own empirical sampling many were proud to see their West Indian cousins held in high esteem and this helped them to see a light at the end of the tunnel...

If the South Africans don't hold the tour against them..why should we?

So my point is that many are quick to point to the tour as though it was the beginning and end of Danny Germs..his issues in my mind had little if anything to do with the tour...

In reply to jacksprat
You know, from your first post I though you were a bitter person.....as this thread has unfolded, I have come to realize that that is so far from the truth.

As I said before...respect

In reply to Cuter

NO he just wrote what allyuh cyan tek - di truth.

In reply to jacksprat

Very well said and unlike most folks here you walk di walk

"Danny Germs" was not perfect and some of his imperfections are magnified in Jacksprat initial post. But "Germs" was also a caring individual, he may not have taken up the Sunlight coaching responsibility but I know he volunteered his services as a coach and showed up. I know he urged youngsters to exercise caution (yea he should have heeded his own words) on the field of play and in school. I saw this first hand not via word of mouth. Yea, "Germs" seemingly was more bad than good, and 'Sprat, his good needs to be said as well especially at the man's passing.

Like you, I have assisted "Germs". Unlike his fellow Staths teammate who you say went on to professorship, if you really knew "Germs" his failings had nothing to do with Staths or Jones Town, it had to do with closer to home, yea closer than Jones Town. We don't make choices in a vacuum.
He without sin, let him (her) cast the first stone.

Good insight into the being of the man Richard Austin beyond the boundary. These sort of details is what drew my attention to CC more than the rum shop gamesmanship and jackassery that has become common fare.

My memory of Austin is of a spectacular catch he took at the QPO. I think it was his debut or second test. He was fielding at short leg, square short leg, somewhere there...long sleeves buttoned down, tall slim lithe looking. Ball came in his direction and he bent backwards like a gymnast and clutched that ball, made a catch out of nothing.....needless to say the oval exploded and he was mobbed by his teammates.

I read of his misfortunes over the years and it is unfortunate that this happened to him and many others who have been 'loyal..unselfish...dedicated...committed..etc" to West Indies cricket over the years.

RIP Richard Austin.

You guys need to give it a rest.. danny lived his life, and made a few mistakes, a verification of him being human....

R.I.P Danny.

In reply to FuzzyWuzzy

Saw him last night in de Gap.