In reply to ponderiver
Yes Sir. St Mary born and bred..the places you were all part of the stomping ground mainly through cricket as a youth..Hamilton Mountain
was THE iconic rivalry.I was born in Retreat same house ,same room as MLC Foster, different month, in Content, the build up (capital ) part of the district which stretched far across the Rio Nuevo
river into to the country part that one accessed then with a swing bridge that located just across from the Anglican Church which was nearly a mile
from the Central part,Content. That was the home of my mother.But we grew up in my Father's inherited large plantation of bananas in
Maiden Hall, three miles south of Pembroke Hall and less than two miles south also of Jeffrey Town and two miles north of Guy's Hill on the St. Mary side of that town.
The Gray family's home was |Maiden Hall back in the of the patriarch after slavery and the district eventually took that name.Property stretched from River to River, i.e White River
which began on the St.Mary side of Guy's Hill and flowed east toward Dillon Town which is St.Ann, and flowed by Blackstonege forming tghe border with St. Ann to end near
Ocho Rios.
I could regale you with Tales of the Parish, but I had to laugh loudly about the duppy stories. Head grew big when they were told and boy fraid to go outside.
Electricity was not available and nights were black except for the moon shine time.
It was fun boarding the trucks loaded with bananas to the Oracabessa to either the Industry whart or Standard wharft where my old man was head
banana checker before the fruits were loaded to canoes/small boats to go offshore to the two waiting ships as the waters were shallow, unlike Port Antonio or
Bowden in St. Thomas.
The biggest banana planters were the Delissers, Champagnie,Marsh and the Grays in Western St.Mary and the guys that own such in Geddes Town/Free Hill and other districts
in what became Central St.Mary with the addition of a Third Constituency etc going back to Port Maria Islington with Frontier
Property both being significant and historic too by the role in Tacky's deeds back in the day.
Yet Tacky High School is located in Gayle,the de facto capital of Western S.Mary ////
St.Mary was a boy's delight ..for fun...with riverside cooking after nabbing huge cray fish from the White River for the cook out there and the plentifu Janga which
we called Black hog from the Rio Sambre of which quite a few rivers of that name can be found in different and far apart districts in St. Mary.
We called ours Sambo and the Rio Tigre which flowed through Pembroke Hall (Wood Park), Derry,towards Dressikie(Dress to Kill)and beyond the valleys of Gayle,we called Tiger. Those all formed
the many tributaries behind Carron hall,Donnington and which are the headwaters of Rio Nuevo.
Wonderful Parish Then...the Ian Fleming Airport based in Boscobel was the horse race course and entertainment area on the then Emancipation day August 1st when
even donkeys would race against thoroughbred horses and sometimes win..
Between the Jacks River factory road and the river mentioned was one of the best little cricket fields you could find too and the ambience was great with sweet orange groves
beyond the boundary at both ends.
St.Mary in my time was the best rural cricket parish for many year dating back to visits from British teams in early 20th century and which some English cricketers claimed to have the
best cricket field apart from Bourda. That was Palmer's Park which went kaput and replaced by a good buy inferior field called Clemetson Park. Clemetson being one of if not the biggest
banana producer back in the day and who was very generous by donating a scholarhip to the then Jamaica School of Agriculture then situation near Central Village. It was worth 60 Pounds a year but only for a St. Mary boy. I won it in 1961 after it was not claimed for about 10 years,But being still a teen,parents hoofed me off to Mico instead,no if and or but or question.
At that time it was worth about 105 Pounds a year with half going to student in cash. Who said I was a winner ???
Ten pounds then could get you more than 2 acres of good land anywhere but unlimited amount of distilled product of white variety for many days.
Those were the days when a PNP voter was a thought except for my family, one person in Wallingford and the McFarlane family from which sprang Uton Dowe in Jeffery Town
and one or two in Decoy. A Champagnie and Claude Stewart and a Robinson were the only sure PNP votes then in Pembroke Hall,better known as Wood Park after the cricket club of that name.
I was a numerator at 16,poll clerk at 16 and Presiding Officer in the illfated election called by NWM before independence following his huge loss in the Referendum. Set the Party and Country back
decades and we have not achieved our True Independence even now.There is hardly a place I have not been to in the entire Parish.
Hopefully the party of the Head,...Busta used the Hand symbol in early days and the illiterate especially in my part of the Woods would point it out when they come to vote.
'I want the Hand'. If you dare question them which we could not do, they would be quick to respond..'me have to labour with mi hand...I will follow Buta till I die.''
Hopefully, Golding's PNP can enthuse the young under 25 people to vote as the Head was the symbol for Education,wisdom,intelligence and discernment among other things.
Now that Sept 3 is near, the PNP task will be tough but 70 years after PNP's Claude Stewart won PNP's first seat in Western St. Mary, the party will now sweep all three.
I can only hope. If the young ones turn out for them and plurality goes over 55 per cent then it will be done,other than that I see a dishonest and mostly ill equipped party
remaining in power.
Imagine Desmond McKenzie who I knew from his wearing baggy days, is OJ. ??? And Lecky is not a National Hero.
What can go so ? Sorry for the diatribe's length.
Walk good.
