‘Darkie’ gets the limelight at FOSH gala dinner

DAVID “DARKIE” WILLIAMS, last Saturday, became the third recipient of the Friends Of Sion Hill (FOSH) Inc. Lifetime Achievement Award, at the organisation’s Black Tie event held at the Friends of Crown Heights, 67i Prospect Place in Brooklyn, New York.

Considered the consummate culture man, Darkie is an actor, drummer, poet, composer, mas man, pan man, story teller, narrator, disc jockey and more.

But all of his traits come from his late father Isaac Williams, who was known as “Compay Isek”.

The elder Williams was a leader of a bom drum band which serenaded Sion Hill Village during Christmas time in the 1940s to late 1960s and early 1970s.

Darkie, though, mapped out a life of his own.

After teaching for two years, he went to work as a customs broker with Coreas/ Hazells Inc.

Darkie’ s leadership role in the Sion Hill community began in 1969, when he became president of the Nightengale Sports Club, which participated in national netball, football and track and field competitions.

Nightengale then became Blackhawks, with Darkie still at the helm.

Then in 1975, all sporting organisations in Sion Hill, namely Blackhawks, Somerset and Mc Winter merged to form the Sion Hill Sports Club.

Darkie was installed as the first president of the Sion Hill Sports Club.

Spreading his talent, Darkie became a fulcrum in the New Artiste Movement (NAM), helped steered the setting up of the Sion Hill Euphonium Steel Orchestra, assisted in the Dragons Cultural Organisation and other community-based groups within Sion Hill.

Nationally, Darkie is the current President of the Garifuna Heritage Foundation.

Darkie’s award comes after the first Lifetime Achievement recipient Elliot “Morie” Millington in 2016 and Cyril “Scorcher” Thomas, last year.

Other Awardees

Also recognised at last Saturday night’s ceremony was former national footballer Raymond “Bally” Ballantyne, who received the community service award.

The powerfully-built Ballantyne was a mean defender, who represented St Vincent and the Grenadines at both the youth and senior levels.

Ballantyne was a key member of the famed 1979 team which placed second in the Caribbean Football Union’s competition; a feat the team repeated in the final in Puerto Rico, two years later.

Taking the Spirit of the Community Award was Wilfred Miller, with the Diaspora Award recipient being Wesley Millington and the Trailblazer Award, Get Nice Crew.

Oxterol “Oxley” Lowman was presented with a plague by his fellow members for his “Exemplary Leadership”.

The featured speaker at last Saturday’s gala event was Curlina Edwardst.

York

DAVID ‘DARKIE’ WILLIAMS (left) with Howie Prince Consul General to SVG’s Consulate in New

COMMUNITY SERVICE AWARDEE Raymond Ballantyne

COMMUNITY SPIRIT AWARDEE Wilfred Miller