Yesterday was Father's Day and I am hoping my editor allows me to write a piece on the importance of fathers rather than focus on a sporting opinion or two. Like countless others through the ages, I was blessed with a wonderful father for whom I am eternally grateful especially when I listen to stories of those who live in unhappy homes. I never heard my Dad raise his voice; he never hit me; I never saw him touch a cigarette or mix a drink; never heard him use an obscene word and he adored my mother never failing to kiss her each time he left the house and when he returned.He was a top class sportsman and was always there to see us play whatever sport was in season. He was a stickler for honesty, integrity, good manners, punctuality, sportsmanship and dress code and a mere look kept us all in place.
Dad was such an influence in my life that I clearly remember when I was in my 40's, a group of friends was sitting on his patio when he told a joke at which everyone but me laughed because it included a word beginning with "s" and ending in "t" and I simply could not believe that word had fallen from my dad's lips! That could not be my father speaking! Such was my respect for him. With the above in mind, God has given me the privilege of working with young people for many decades, several of whom had horrible parental experiences to endure. How would you react if you were told any of the following? "I never knew my father; he was in jail all my life"; "every day of my life my father told me how much he hated me, how ashamed he was of me, how I was a waste of time and how he wished I was never born";" I could no longer take the abuse so I had to end it"; "we lived in the same house but my father never said a word to me- he just blamed me for everything and it was constant blows"; "my father never hugged me or told me he loved me-in fact he said it was only my sister he loved"; " I have two sisters from my mother but my father has children all over the place"; "I don't know what the word 'daddy' means". "I never brought my friends home because my father was always drunk and cussing". Those are just samples that make me choke up every time I talk about them.
Last year at a Father's day function which very few fathers attended, a teenager came up to me as I was leaving and gave me an envelope. When I asked what it was, he told me with tears streaming down his cheeks "it is a card I made for my dad but as usual he did not turn up so I am giving it to you." When I got home, opened it and read the words "Dear Daddy, I am hoping to see you today to tell you that you are my best friend and my hero. I will love you forever. (name)" I sat down and wept quietly wondering how do you heal such a broken heart and with such a father? One more story-about three years ago I was watching some youngsters playing football and mentioned that one of them looked a good player. I was told he was ten years old with a cocaine addict for a father who used to send him to beg on the streets to feed his addiction and then beat him every night if he did not bring home enough money.
Can you imagine being that child? Maybe now we understand why crime is where it is in T&T and why every Sunday when I spend the morning with the lads at Youth Training Centre some of them come and ask for a hug and to hear they are special, cared for and loved no matter what crime they committed. Hate the sin but love the sinner! Last Thursday was a good day for sporting fathers and sons. I was in San Fernando RBC Royal Bank Gulf City branch to attend the presentation of the bank's cheque to Daren Ganga for his Foundation's scholarship programme. It was wonderful to see all the customers crowd around Daren and listen to their comments on what a role model he is. I overheard one lady whisper to a friend: "it is because he was lucky to have a father who was a school teacher and made him study." Then it was the turn of young Adrian Barath returning to the West Indies team after an absence of several months due to injury. His Dad must have been overjoyed as Adrian has often referred to the role his father played in developing his cricket.
In the evening a race fan said to me "You always praise jockey Brian Boodramsingh but it is his father who makes sure he behaves himself and does the right thing." What a super compliment! I know a dad who after his day's work collects his son at his workplace and then goes to where his teenage daughter is practicing football to wait to take her home. He never complains because he knows that is the sort of thing a great dad does to make his children feel important and worthwhile. I happened to read recently that "a dad is someone who wants to keep you from making mistakes but instead lets you find your own way even though his heart breaks in silence when you get hurt." I prefer: "a dad is one who is prepared to hold your hand no matter how old you are to ensure you do not fall into quicksand." The local sports scene is not exactly flourishing. The FIFA saga continues and it is hard to remember who is who and what their status is on any given day. I will survive if Jack Warner decides to leave FIFA but I cannot do without Jack as Minister of Works and Transport.
How many ministers are not earning their salary? Do we need Sir Richard Branson to suggest that we market Carnival? Is anything positive happening in the Ministry of Tourism for example? How long have we had a TDA and with what result? In cricket we do not know if T&T has qualified for the Champions League in September, if we have to be involved in a play-off or if Dwayne Bravo and Pollard can play for T&T. The players keep training hopefully with a positive mind-set. West Indies won ODIs number four and five which promises well, except that it probably means that Darren Sammy will remain captain for the next how many years- perish the thought! The Stone brothers Shane and Troy will not be on the T&T Davis Cup tennis team apparently for cost reasons. Our rugby team gave up their regional title to Guyana. The horse racing scenario is still unsettled due to ongoing personality clashes-what else is new?
I am wondering if five months is long enough to plan in detail all necessary to stage the $4 million race day in December and who is approving expenditure with no Betting Levy Board yet appointed? Luckily, to save the day, golfer Stephen Ames finished 8th in last week's St.Jude Classic in Memphis, his best finish in a long time. It was interesting to read that FIFA president Sepp Blatter had invited famous opera tenor Placido Domingo and Henry Kissenger to join his "Wisdom team" in trying to put FIFA back on an even keel. Placido is not only a great singer but also a world renowned orchestra conductor. When one thinks of what management is all about, there is no better example than the conductor whose job it is to ensure that every musician plays the music written for his/her instrument with exact timing so that the composer's work is produced to perfection.
Would it not be money well spent for Jack Warner to bring Placido here for a month to conduct retreats about how to make everyone play and sing from the same page-for example, how about Trinidad AND Tobago as opposed to Trinidad OR Tobago? Would it not be nice to have the THA and Central Government play the same notes in tune on any given song? Just thinking aloud because in the meantime, the country is going nowhere regardless of who wins the COP election.