Grammar School brother’s club of 70
AH WAS GRACIOUSLY invited by Bro Hayden “Marshy” Marshall to render ah musical item last Friday morning at 10. 00 a.m. at de Kingstown Gospel Hall Assembly.
He men-shuned dat “de Grammar School Boys 70” of which he is ah member, was having an Anniversary Church Service.
Seems like everybody got dey early, Man was like “Shock’n’ Awe!” when ah turned up. “Look Basseee!” de Boys shouted, ah doh know how dat lickle 6 ft by 6 ft teeny-weeny (entre) side porch at Gospel Hall held all (30) ah dem, but dey couldn’t care less. dey were going down Mem’ry lane, way back to 1965.
“Back to School in ah Bata shoes,” Bro Max Charles in his reflect-shuns touched on de “First Day of School” de tradition, wid de initiate- shun. And den dey was de long awaited promotion to Senior Form to be decked off, fuss time “officially” wearing grey (long) pants, white shirt and blazer and tie (if yuh please).
Except dat last Fry-dey was different. It was decades foh some who were seeing each other after donkey years.
Very interestingly, most ah de guys were able to scramble, purchase or borrow dat ole Green’n’Gold tie, Proud Emblem of our All-Me-Matter.
Dey was about three “Call to Order” but nobody moved until Musician/Organist Bro Brenton Bailey struck up Pat Prescod’s master piece of ah school Anthem: “Per Aspera Ad Astra”. Dat song raised goose pimples in every one ah we All-loom-High young-stars moving down de church aisle.
Curiosity and mischief was in my head, ah couldn’t wait to see dis “batch of 70” Scen-ah-Set-ah-sins, supposedly 10 years my junior. But when ah saw names like P.E. Instructor/ Coach “Mercy” Ollivierre who was once on “You-See-Him Bolt” coaching squad; former Nah-shun-all (coconut) Bat’n’Ball player, Keith Boyea, was also acting Senior Squash Champ foh over 20 years; dey’s former SVG Table Tennis Champ, Justice Adrian Saunders along wid Eggy Providence and de Iton Bro’s when School Boys ran de Table Tennis roost in SVG. Can’t forget retired Nah-shun-all sportsmen like Big Buddy Williams, John Anderson and others.
Dey were not “all play and no studies,” Justice Saunders, Will and Wayne Iton headed top regional institutions in Justice, UWI, and Finances respectively. Garfield Palmer lead vocalist. Excuse me if ah sound buy-us and omitted making Honurable meb-shun of all, look how easily ah leave our doctors Dug-he-Sleight-her and Run-he Child. Honestly ah was so proud ah dis batch of Alum-nice dat when ah was finished rendering my musical piece, ah quickly volunteerd to become an Honorary Member of de Group, an was accepted. All joke aside, de group is well organized, dey have Group Chat and are in touch.
Head Master Sam, brought greetings, but ah doh think he would ah like to have dem young men to deal wid. It was ah lovely Fellowship as Bishop Marshy and his Deacons, Max Charles and Joel Jack took care ah de spiritual things.
Kaisonian Kojah Anthony did ah good job wid de Praise and Worship.
B.T. Marksman was Congregation Music conductor, Bro Brenton Bailey did justice to musical side ah things accompanying us on piano. Respectful appreciation is extended to de beautiful spouses who accompanied dey husbands especially in de singing.
Thanks ladies. Tek-knowledge-he-was alive and well. Ah played ah sone dat very few knew, but wid-in seconds just about everybody went into dey phones, and de singing became thunderous. Bishop Marshy delivered ah short and spy-see message. I usually listen to de opening and closing sentences. It was an appeal foh his classmates to submit dey lives to God. His parting prayer foh all ah we: “Lord please take de Best and leave me wid de Rest.” Ah One-dah-full Fellowship last Friday.
And we give God de praise and thanks and Big-up de Mighty Sparrow: “School Days are Happy Happy days.”
And wid dat is gone ah gone again.
One Love Bassy l Bassy Alexander is a land surveyor, folklorist and social commentator.
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