WHAT AH WHAPPA

Dis week ah have more dan nuff to write bout, deys de passing of Renwick Rose,GBHS (God bless his soul), very progressive, versed, vocal and totally committed to voluntary, non-profit, non-governmental organ-i-say- shuns. Ah lickle man wid ah huge image within civil society.

It was Renwick ah columnist and foundation member of Searchlight who suggested de name Searchlight. Already he is missed.

Ah wish to recognized de kind assistance of my eye specialist doctor Grant-Ledger, in getting my “lef-i” (rasta) examined and treated. We doh hear bout de good things going on at Milton Cato Memorial Hospital (MCMH), so ah start ah panic wid cold-feet when ah got de message, instructing me to attend Dr Mc Cade’s Clinic. Mc Cade is ah one-dah-full lady) appointment is at 8:00 a.m. sharp, so get to the clinic before 6:00 a.m. Me sugar and pressure jump sky-high, and de pulse mek ah dive. Ah does be late foh just about every fung-shun- church, funeral, as foh wedding. Ah missed de time foh my own wedding, and when ah arrived at church, de bride was calmly waiting, all de people outside having ah good laugh at me, except de bride. Dat was ah good shake-up, because after 30 years we still dey to-get-her!
Now Sunday morning bright’n’ early ah reach MCMH at 5:30 a.m. Ah was late but early enough to get ticket no 44, someone told me to play lotto wid no 44. It was only when ah got dey ah realize dat de treasured Lions Club of SVG was not only alive and doing well but after five decades (51 years) still organ-eye-sing “de annual free eye clinics” , yes annual. Every year ah team of medical experts from de USA- volun-tears actually- would forego, (choose to do wid-out) dey vacare-shun, to come to SVG to do free clinics to who-so-ever-will, no dis-creamy-nay-shun: “ brown or yellow black or white, all are precious to receive again God’s given sight.

Dat’s not all, dey bring dey own equipment, medi-care-shun, regular glasses, sunshades, lenses. Doh talk bout service, if yuh see how dem beautiful ladies rushing to “tuk me in” preparing foh procedure, unbelievable! Ah want to big-up one ah we locals, Nurse Charles-Richards fo being very professional; ah would eat in dat wash-room upstairs. Alyo stop bad-talking MCMH. But everything has ah beginning, if my memory still wuking, dat “ Lions eye project” started when Vincent-shun born, de late Dr. Freddy Ballantyne, GBHS(God bless his soul) and our self-less local lions (so good to see lionesses Bev Reddock and Sylvia De Freitas still around), teaming-up wid doctors from de USA talking bout numbers. De visiting medical team dis year is comprised of 36 of all ranks. lion’s annual clinic has always been massive. Thirty yeas ago, ah tried widout success getting treatment. Anyhow, about 20 years ago ah was going to Bequia to work, ah team of doctors was on board, going to Bequia. Ah spoke wid ah young doctor and he took me to de clinic in Port Elizabeth and fixed me up. How come we doh hear much about these great projects worth millions. Maybe no votes involved. All joke aside, ah looked at de USA doctors at work, take people in de theatre, operate on dem, send dem home immediately after, to return de next day.to discover dey have regained dey sight. Read de book of John chapter 9. What ah whappa!” And wid dat is gone ah gone again.

One Love Bassy

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