Long live PH Veira & Co

Dis week is PH Veira & Co Ltd’s 75th/Diamond Anniversary. There is good Diamond, and dey rest is Die-man like de Die-man Stay-dum Sports Complex, ah still birth baby. Lie-Z, ah sort of ah Nurse says dat ah Still birth Baby is one born 24 weeks after pregnancy. If she is correct, den de ruling regime needs an Anti-still birth Pregnancy Mid-wife to rest-yuh-wreck de still birth Cross Country road, de Call Centres, de Die-all-assist Centre at Georgetown, de Turn-ill thru Cane Garden, de Carnival Mas Camp at Arnos Vale, Cess Mock-he Sin-tek-it Track at Arnos Vale to name a few. But heckle as much as ah want to, Love covers ah multitude of Failures, de Argyle Inter-nah-shun-all Airport, de Labour Love Baby- is no still birth.

Now foh my two-cents bit to P.H. Veira & Co’s Diamond Anniversary. “PH”was ah great pioneer whose business wings at one time covered Bequia, Arnos Vale, Richmond Hill, factories in Calliaqua and Campden Park; Rice Field in Guyana. Probably de only businessman who reclaimed lands along de shoreline in Kingstown to protect his property from de seasonal ground-swells and to expand his Empire.

“PH”, de patriot himself, was born and bred poor like a church mice in Rich-man Hill, but lived to become rich, in keeping wid his village name. He and my mom were de same age, villagers and classmates. Whenever she spoke about him, ah uses to see Puppy Love twinkling in her eyes. She remembered him as de lickle youth, de eldest of his siblings; times were hard, and at 13 he had to discontinue his academic education and to go wuk. Shortly after his dad died and “PH” rose to de occasion to manage the family’s small market shop. He did rise ah second time to Queen Elizabeth, when he became Sir Phillip Veira.

But “PH” was undoubtedly ah man wid ah Vision, and de Guts and belly to pursue his dreams. He was not afraid to testify of his faith in God, one ah his fame-most quotation was: “My knees never failed me yet,” de only time he missed going on his knees to pray, was when he had too much to drink; Lie-Za say in dat case he would ah miss many prayers.

But where “PH” fell short in de academics, de woman behind his success, his dear wife “Lady Clara” made up foh any shortfall. She stands tall among ah list of prominent wives who played significant roles in successful family businesses: Leila Greaves, Eugena Bonadie, Ruby (Singer) Veira; Clara Layne, Carteel Trotman, Mrs Ira Young, Mrs Ferdinand (Best Mauby) and many others.

But Lady Veira had a secondary education and after giving birth (no still birth) to seven beautiful girls and one and only mama-boy, Ken, “de blessed art thou amongst (seven) women; Lady Clara weaned de kids and joined her husband full time in de late 1940s. “PH” took care of de sales and she managed or wo-managed de cash. When Sir Philip unfortunately passed on in 1991, Lady Clara den showed her true leadership skills. Not only did she become managing director of P.H. Veirs & Co, but Chairman of de ECGC Board of Directors. De Veiras got to be good people, look how dey adopted Brian “Paper” Black-Veira Alexander. Ha! Ha! Long Live P.H. Veira & Co Ltd.

SKINNY WAS FABULOUS

I must congratulate the Faculty, Staff and Students including the ‘Just in Time (faculty) Band’ for a job well done. “Skinny’s Address to the Graduates was Fabulous; one ah de best Feature Addresses at any Graduation Ceremony. My son and his peers graduated and ah was happy dat Skinny was dey to tell dem “ah ting ah two” about de way forward. Thanks Skinny and wid dat is gone ah gone again.

One Love Bassy