The new President ah the Teachers Union Utter-some real biting challenges to the Ministry ah Education, no doubt when Minister Mike Browne, ah former President of the Union and ah radical himself in the turbulent 1970’s, hears Utter-some, he must be asking himself if is his own ghost he hearing; and deep down inside he must be saying that “what goes around comes around” in truth. {{more}}The difference between the two men however, is that whereas Utter-Some could be described as ah Left-tenant of de Come-red, Mike belonged to the Left alright, but that group was openly opposed to Milton Cato’s Labour Party Guv-ah-mint that was very reactionary to the youths and the changes taking place at the time.
Interestingly though, when ever there is ah strong Guv-ah-mint in power, with ah leader like de Come-red that could ride rough when he find yoh gun-soft, yoh need strong Unions and Union Leaders. Utter-Some might just be the right anti-buy-or-takes foh the Doc. Utter-Some is in order with his over-due shake-up of the Administrative Staff ah that Ministry. Foh years ah been getting come-plane bout the lazy-fare as in laissez-faire manner in which the civil servants there, deal with the business ah teachers, things like application foh leave, sick leave, maternity leave, vacation etc, increments and other correspondences. Letters and other pieces ah correspondences from teachers and Principals sent to the ministry get buried, sometimes lost or tucked away at the desks of officers, even some ah the lickle junior Clerks. And so we hope that with Utter-Some shake-up and the recent reshuffle at the Ministry, the new placements of Laura and Susan, things will change down there.
And beg to differ with Utter-Some on two grounds when he object to the appointment of or the manner in which Mrs. Dougan was promoted as Chief. One, ah don’t think the Union Agreement allows foh the Ministry to consult with the Union on appointments of Administrative staff. And secondly is only someone who ain’t know the chain ah command in the Ministry, who is senior to whom and who has more ability than who, would querry the lady’s appointment. And of course the pal-ha-ticks in this one is good foh all the parties, nuff ah dat!
But where the Pal-ha-ticks is not good is with Madge Leacock’s transfer, and ah really think ah would ah hear Utter-Some speaking out on this one, but ah true Left-tenant knows when to be the Right-tenant! Ah raised my concern about Madge’s matter last week, and ah don’t think the good lady, with one year to go before retirement, should ah get transferred and subjected to this sort ah indignity. Yuh see all this talk bout we shouldn’t have ah woman Head-master at Grammar School? that is baloney, show-vain-ist as in Chauvinist; the ole, man-thing. What we need to change is the name ah the posts ah Headmaster Grammar School and Headmistress High School to Principal. Yoh see all ah these lickle acts of spite-wuk, cheap shots that ULP passing out to good and efficient public servants like Peggy De Freitas, Mrs. Jones, and now Mrs. Leacock, will come right back to haunt them. Nuff ah dat too.

CLASS AH 55
RE-UNION
Ah got to add-myth that ah does feel ah cents ah jell-as-he when ah hear bout all these Re-Unions, the Family Re-unions, Class Re-Unions and so on. Only Yes-today my former Science Master Dr. Bawl-win King was telling me that next year, the folks planning ah Re-Union of the Villagers of Prospect, Ratho Mill, Calliaqua, Villa and its surroundings, ah don’t want to go single-in-out any body in particular, but me mind run on names like the Arthurs, Dougans, Evans, Jacks, Haynes, Huggins, Jones, Stephens, Olivers, Cloudens and ah could go on and on. That will mek ah nice gathering that should have ah positive impact on the young people of East St George.
Any how come next year ah having me own Re-Union too, “Class ah 1955” ah bringing back all those of us who entered Secondary School in 1955, that’s fifty years ago. Most ah the Boys in my group are abroad, is only ah hand-full ah we at home: Carl Gloss-go, Rodway Fraser, Fuzzy Knights, Victor Hadley, Sam Commissiong, Wingley Jones, two Anglican Priests in the Group, Ulric Jones and Syl Regisford, so fuh sure we could have ah Church Service at St. Paul’s. And fuh those who abroad ah giving all yoh ah early invitation to start saving yoh passage to be home next year.
When ah say “Class ah 55” ah including them other schools Timmy and Doc. And of course the High School Girls of 1955. Ah want to relive ah few scenes like that “under the Java Plum tree lime” when every day before Assembly and during the Lunch break, ah number of us, Glad-Boys as we were called, uses to lime under the Java Plum tree, next to what is now NBC Radio compound and wait till them High School Girls pass-by, we got ah head just to call out to them. Sounds foolish, but that was the high-light ah we day, ah tell yoh we were Glad-Boys. But ah wonder how them girls uses to feel when they pass? my heart uses to skip ah beat when ah certain girl passed. All ah that will come up at next year’s “Class ah 55 Reunion”!
Before ah go remember Football Wednesday, score? SVG two, T’n’T one! Trust me.
And with that, ah gone again.
One Love Bassy.