HIGHGATE, St Mary — For Woodford Angus, being a father is a title that has to be earned — and it extends well beyond caring for his four biological children.

“I will always be the man who is a father of four and a father for many,” the soft-spoken farmer and butcher from Marlborough in St Mary, told the Jamaica Observer.

Among those who have benefitted from his wisdom over the years is his only son, Christaedo, who he has taught lessons he can use in both his professional and private lives.

“As a father I have to be the one who shows him the business side, and the other side — to choose and to treat women with respect as he has sisters, mother and nieces,” said Angus as he eased back in a chair at the farm store he operates with his eldest of three daughters, Rhajuante.

According to her, Angus has had a great influence on his son.

“Sometimes when my brother acts, and things he would say or do, I wonder if I’m actually speaking to him or my dad,” Rhajuante said.

Woodford Angus combs his granddaughter Kashiva Jones’ hair, a daily task he enjoys. Photo: Ingrid Henry

She praised her father for showing her and her siblings how to make a difference in other people’s lives.

“Daddy is our friend, confidant, teacher, role model. He works hard and that inspires us to work hard and [to] want to achieve more,” Rhajuante told the Sunday Observer.

“Growing up, our family didn’t have much, but anyone who comes to our house, daddy would welcome them and give them something to eat,” she said.

“He never turned his back on whoever needed a little help or said no to them. We were not a family that was financially stable; we were struggling to find food to put on the table, but with God’s grace there was always something on the table.

“I have never gone to bed hungry. Many times we would have eaten yam, dumplings, green bananas in coconut milk for dinner seven days a week, but we never complained,” she recounted.

Rhajuante has also personally been on the receiving end of her father’s grace. When she became pregnant at 17 years old, she felt she had let down the family but the support she got from her father reassured her otherwise.

“My dad was there right through, he brought all the things that I needed to give birth. My dad doesn’t like Kingston and he went downtown to shop. He brought everything for me to go to the hospital for my delivery,” she stated.

Rhajuante said there were complications during her delivery and her father continued to provide much-needed support afterwards.

“He did everything, got prescriptions, was up with the baby at nights, my daughter felt his presence more than her biological father,” she said, adding that Angus still plays a role in her daughter Kashiva Jones’ life.

Her mother Camille also spoke glowingly of the support Angus provided.

“When my daughter went back to college we were the ones who took our granddaughter to the clinic. Many people thought she was his child so when he went to the clinic he would get through fast,” Camille said with a laugh.

She described her husband as humble and determined, someone who always makes an effort to treat each person with respect.

“I appreciate him and a lot. Young people in the community love and respect him as he’s not afraid to talk to the young men on the corner in the community. [He is often] encouraging them to do something with their lives — and they do listen. Who don’t go into farming go out of the community and look for work. Sometimes they would come back and say thank you,” a proud Camille said of her husband’s impact.

Rhajuante Angus shares a moment with her dad Woodford Angus. Photo: Ingrid Henry