Calabar Old Boys roll out suite of products for Champs and beyond
THE Calabar Old Boys’ Association has rolled out a suite of branded items as the association seeks to capitalise on the Boys’ and Girls’ Athletic Championships — now on at the National Stadium in Kingston — to raise enough funds to complete a museum now under construction on the grounds of the Red Hills Road-based all-boys school.
The products, with prices ranging from $300- $4,500, include, watches, button-down shirts, polo and T-shirts, jerseys, calendars, centenary books, ties, hats, thumb drives, and armbands and are diplayed at a store at the school.
The 103-year-old Calabar High School is the defending boys’ athletic champions. When completed, the museum will showcase its many trophies and medals for its achievements in the areas of sports, academics, art, history, architecture, culture and music.
There will also be portraits and paintings of prominent ‘old boys’, including, athletes Arthur Wint, Dennis Johnson and Herb McKenley, former Prime Minister PJ Patterson, and respected banker Peter Moses.
David Johnson, a member of the association, told the Jamaica Observer Monday that the museum is being built to preserve the school’s rich history and to educate the public, including past and present students, about its transition over the years.
“The school has a wide history and a lot of people don’t know about it, even some of the old boys. So, the museum is a place where they can learn everything about the school’s history and its pupils — from where we are coming from; how we got our name; from we were at Slipe Pen Road, everything,” Johnson shared.
“It’s a learning place for everyone and not just for information and it is to keep these guys’ memories alive,” he added.
As it pertains to the branded products, Johnson said the association plans to have the store open all-year round.
So far, he said, people have been coming in to make purchases, but he expects the traffic to significantly increase this week as a result of the Boys’ and Girls’ Athletic Championships.
“We expect a bumper crowd before the end of the week because most of the guys will be coming in for Champs,” Johnson said. “Couple weeks before Champs persons just trickle in but tomorrow, right down to Friday, Saturday it will be crazy.”
The Boys’ and Girls’ Athletic Championships, which opened with several preliminary events yesterday, will culminate on Saturday with a host of finals.
