Annette Newman Clarendon’s own Mother Teresa

SOME people were born to serve in oval offices, some to travel the world. Others, like Annette Newman was born to help and minister to the poor, sick, orphaned, and dying. In her is what many in northwest Clarendon can identify as their own Mother Teresa.

For the past two years Newman has a set schedule – to build houses for the homeless, ensure that children are educated, the indigent are nursed and the shut-ins fed, bathed and clothed.

For her it is a job that goes way beyond the call of duty – this is her life.

“You can call upon her at 11:00 at night and she will come running,” Janet Brown who has been helping Newman on her many treks told all woman. “Once she hears about someone who is in need, you don’t have to tell her twice.”

The fact that all woman had to track down Newman on one of her many rounds was testament to the passion that she feels for helping others. We found her in the deep rural district of Good Middle, a short distance away from Thompson Town in Clarendon. She was unaware of our visit, yet when we entered the dilapidated building of the elderly gentleman she was nursing, you could almost see the tears in her eyes and hear the anger in her voice as she told of the condition the man was in when she first met him the day before.

“He has been lying here for months, when we found him he had not eaten for four days. When you look between his toes ants had made nest there,” she said as the placed a spoonful of rice, macaroni and mackerel into the mouth of the half paralysed man lying on a dirty bed. Newman, along with the help of Brown and Noel Rhoomes (whom she later referred to as her right hand man) had already cleaned the room, the bed and the man as best they could.

And this was only one of many such cases.

There was the case of the mother of four – ages six, nine, 11 and 13 – none of whom had gone to school for over two years. The mother had not been able to get a job for years and her husband was crippled. Newman took it upon herself to get the children registered, purchased school supplies and uniforms and escorted them to school in September.

“You can’t imagine the look on those children’s faces when they entered the school. I tell you it was something else,” she said.

Newman explained that she couldn’t do much for the crippled father. However, she ensures that he sees a doctor every two weeks, that his prescription is filled and that he has diapers and other supplies.

“I can’t do much but I try,” she said humbly.

Even as she tried to evade the lenses of our cameras, she was quick to inform us that even though she is in the field doing the hands-on work, the credit is due to the member of parliament for north west Clarendon, Michael Stern. He is the one, she says, who provides money to make her work possible. “I am a good beggar!” she said without hesitation. “For example, if I go to a hardware to buy 10 sheets of board. I will pay for five and beg five.”

But while her job is fulfilling, there are also the sad moments.

One of her saddest experiences she recounts, was that of a lady in one community who kept going to a doctor in the parish for a year after being diagnosed and treated for arthritis. Since she seemed to be getting worse, she was encouraged to visit a doctor in Kingston, and it was there that they found out that she not only had cancer in her foot, but the cancer had spread to her breast.

Helping others is nothing new for Newman who was born in Chapelton, Clarendon and had worked for the Rehabilitation Children’s Home for abandoned children in Cow Park, Caymanas, St Catherine for 10 years.

“I still keep in touch with them,” Newman said with pride. “Many of them have gotten big and even now some still send me Christmas cards while others come to visit me. My greatest reward is to see the children turn out well.”

She added: “Some have gone on to be police officers, some own their own business and so on. I don’t know what will happen to me later in life so I just try to do the best I can.”

Newman had been married for 24 years to a husband who supports her cause.

“Sometimes when the phone rings in the middle of the night for me to go out, he tells me to be very careful. He has gotten used to it by now,” she smiled.

Working from Monday to Sunday is no easy feat, but her passion for her work has made it all seem simple.

“I never get tired. I love what I am doing. I am comfortable with my job.”

And that, Newman said, is what makes the difference.

From Monday to Thursday she has offices in Belcaries, Frankfield, Thompson Town and Wansted between 9:00 am and 2:00 pm, where persons will come in and talk one and one with her. Then on Fridays and Saturdays she drives around the communities distributing food. On Sundays she takes box lunches to the mentally challenged on the streets.

“She is very dedicated. Any little problem you can call on her. If anyone is sick you just let her know and she is sure to do the best she can. She has helped a lot of people, even in the middle of the night – anywhere, anytime she is there,” Brown said.

-husseyd@jamaicaobserver.com