Thursday, March 28, 2024

Cherished time with City communities

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THE OCCASION of the coming together of the Emmerton Lane and Chapman Lane communities recently was indeed a glorious occasion for me and others who were present.

It was good to see the unification of one people living together for years. This also included the support of the surrounding areas.

As I entered St Mary’s Church on Sunday, November 28, 2016, a church that I had been associated with since 1957, and where I went to Sunday school and was schooled at both St Mary’s schools, where I sang in the St Mary’s Choir of 1963, the pleasure was mine as I placed myself alongside Anthony Bernard, the legendary tenor called “Co”.

The first thing “Co” said to me was: “It has been a long time since we sat this close in church.” He also asked me how I was keeping and I said: “Well, in the name of Jesus Christ.”

It was at this point that Richard Layne, folk singer, joined us. We shook hands; the occasion was one to share past experiences, so sometime during the conversation, the playing of the organist Victor Pilgrim was compared to that of the late Bentley B. Callender. “Co” pointed out what Bentley would have done.

When Gabby was about to sing the Lord’s Prayer, I said to “Co”: “Why did Gabby start so low a pitch?” But behold, when Gabby had finished singing, he ended up at such a high note that all ‘Co’ could have said to me was, “Yuh now see why?” This was a lesson from a professional singer.

I have said all this to say that for years, Emmerton and Chapman Lane had the legendary Chapman Lane Choir, and the leading community choir at the time, led by choirmaster Griffo. The community also had a steel pan village with the Elks Steel Orchestra. Chessie Morgan was the owner and he also owned the Spiritual Baptist Church on Murphy Pasture, and their candlelight ceremony at Christmas was a wonder to see.

So if the gathering at this time can say to Barbados that we want all the villages to be like this one, then the event was worth it.

– JERRY DAISLEY

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