De Secret is mode-ray-shun

Ah doh think he played any big set ah Cricket or Soccer, bat’n’ball maybe, but like ah true Bequia-man, from South-side, he coudah swim de nine miles channel and back. Ah few years before ah got into Grammar School in 1955, Aquatic Sports was ah competitive sporting event.

Actually de swimming competition took place at Harbour Club, way de Cruise Ship Berth is now located. It was built and owned by Syl De Freitas, ah popular middle class beach club in Kingstown back den. Ah was told dat at those events one Syd Hazell, ah youth-man from Bequia uses to walk-way wid de most prizes foh swimming. But when it came to high diving, spring board jumping, back-flipping, jack-knife and so on, Syd was too safety conscious to participate. No wonder when he left Grammar School Syd went straight into selling Insurance, and has remained ah humble, genuine and successful Insurance I-con , no pun intended. De talk was dat Syd uses to scout every Government Department foh the new recruits, dem former BGS and GHS students just out ah school, and before dey received dey first pay cheque, he had dem all signed up foh insurance, and why not? Lie-Za says not only would he be de Elder Statesman of Insurance Salesmen in SVG, but de eldest survivor. Lots ah Insurance Companies came, gathered and garnered poor people pennies, and disappeared, Syd and de companies he represents are alive and well. Ley we leave CLICO and British American out ah dis article. Having spent all his working life with de same establishment, so much so, Lie-Za say Syd owns Sagicor, true or false ah clain de Fifth!!.

Just ah week ago, ah met Syd and his beautiful daughter, (she took all her mother’s good looks) at ah birthday party foh ah mutual friend, and just out ah wit ah ask him when foh his 75th birthday party. He thanked me foh reminding him dat on Wednesday de 4 th, (dis week) he will be celebrating his, Big Day,” four score and ten,” so he inviting me to his surprise party.

He gave me date, time and place (No men-shun of gifts). Syd is ah very private person and ah really wanted to heckle him in De Love Vine, but “bright’n’early” on Wednesday morning, Erica and de Racquet-ears beat me to it and fixed him on Dug-he’s NICE Radio Birthday Greetings Programme.

On ah more flattering note, Lie-Za thinks he has bin an excellent Role Model, ah true professional, always smartly dressed on all occasion. Ah reminded her dat he would have spent over sixty years wid Confed/Life/Sagicor Insurance Companies, in addition has acted as dis country’s Governor General (Deputy). Oh, she wouldn’t stop commenting on his loyalty and pay-thru-it-is-him. Ah does still address him as “Your Excellency” whenever we meet, he is too darn modest to even respond . In her estimation he has not aged ah day since his 50th Birthday. He is ah Windsurfer, ah late comer to ball-sports, in particular, Lawn Tennis who fancies himself of becoming ah Nadal or ah Federer. He happens to be one of my son’s Hero who speaks fondly of “Uncle Syd” and his 90 year young physical fitness on de Tennis Court. Den he would say: “Daddy, Uncle Syd is all Insurance to de bone, he takes no risks! And his fair-foh-it word is Mode-ray-shun! So we giving Syd his flowers now, and reminding him dat he has scored 90 runs wid ten to go foh de 100, ah six and ah four will bring up de century, but ones and twos will do just de same. De secret however is

Mode-ray-shun! “ Your Excellency” Happy Birthday. And wid dat is gone ah gone again.

One Love Bassy

• Bassy Alexander is a land surveyor, folklorist and social commentator.