Michael Gordon – the only man I shared a bed with

It was back in 1994, and star cricketer Brian Lara was in his element. Jamaica’s number one photographer Michael Gordon, who died suddenly last Wednesday, had been assigned with me to travel to Antigua as the West Indies prepared to take on England in a Test match that would rewrite history.

We left Jamaica hopeful that we could get rooms at Sandals Antigua, a sister company of the Jamaica Observer, as most hotels on the island were booked solid. But when we got to St John’s, the Antigua capital, on the eve of the start of the match in which Lara scored a historic 375, there were no rooms available at Sandals.

Luckily, we had a contact at the Antigua Red Cross, so we went there seeking accommodation. The place was set up as a temporary shelter for victims of disasters like hurricanes or earthquakes — cots to sleep on, hungry mosquitoes, a long water hose that extended from inside, and one had to wait until it was dark to go around the corner to bathe, using that same hose. It was too much. I told Michael that we should return to Sandals Antigua to see if something could be worked out. We did, and as we walked in, there was one Gordon “Butch” Stewart in the lobby chatting with guests. He looked over and saw us and soon walked over.

“You guys, OK?” he asked.

“No, Sir,” was my quick response, and informed him of the situation.

“Red Cross? No, man, you not staying at no Red Cross. There is no storm down here. Give me a second,” he said and walked off.

Less than three minutes later he was back. “Tell me something… you guys would share a room?”

I looked at Mikey, he looked back at me. “Yes, Sir,” I responded before Michael could have an input, and there marked the start of my spending the next six nights in a Sandals hotel room with Michael Gordon on the same bed.

We were not funny boys, so nothing hanky panky was expected. We had been friends before, but that event bonded us even more.

I heard later that Mr Stewart had given us the room that had been reserved for him, something I have always been grateful to the Jamaica Observer chairman for, because that Red Cross space was somewhere I would not want to end up even in a drunken state.

Michael was the ultimate professional. He spoke his mind — like people ought to — and sometimes was disliked for it. But he was a genuine soul.

Jamaica has produced some top-quality photographers, later called photojournalists, among them Junior Dowie, Bryan Cummings, Trevor Wilkinson, Don Bell, Melroy Sterling, Rudolph Brown, Herbie Gordon, Charles Kincaid, Norman Grindley, Errol Harvey, Joseph Wellington, Ricardo Makyn, and Garfield Robinson. But my vote for number one would go to Michael Gordon, especially when you consider how meticulous he was and how he paid attention to detail while snapping away.

This is one true friend I shall miss dearly.

Leslie Campbell is Cabinet material

While watching a sitting of the House of Representatives recently I was left truly amazed by the contribution of certain Members of Parliament who were debating a matter that focused heavily on the number of parcels of unused land across the island and the lack of titles for some of them.

During the debate, I was compelled to remain glued to the television set while Jamaica Labour Party Member for St Catherine North Eastern Leslie Campbell spoke. It was a presentation the like of which I cannot recall seeing in a long time. It had so much energy and was based on fact.

In his few minutes, Leslie spoke about the land revolution that was necessary in Jamaica, as there were over 360,000 parcels that remained unused and could be turned into productive ventures, whether through housing, business, or social activities.

It was the manner in which he articulated his points, though, that led me to ask the question: Why is Leslie Campbell not a member of the Cabinet?

This is someone I have known for years, as a highly competent lawyer, who has turned to politics but is seemingly being under-utilised.

And when I look at the Cabinet and see people like Marlene Malahoo Forte, J C Hutchinson, Shahine Robinson, and one or two others, all I can ask is: Why are they there? Why not Leslie Campbell, Pearnel Charles Jr [that one remains a mystery], Floyd Green, and Juliet Holness?

Now, people will say that the prime minister will be unwilling to appoint his wife to the Cabinet because of the personal connection, but that is nonsense. She is a highly competent individual and would outperform many of those who are there just occupying space.

Greater consideration ought to be placed on the real people who can make the kind of tangible changes that this country needs. Long-service awards should not feature in Cabinet selections.

That Chris Gayle outburst

The cover drives for sixes launched by Chris Gayle against Ramnaresh Sarwan took most of us off guard.

Maybe the Jamaica and West Indies cricketer, easily the most exciting batsman the shorter versions of the game have seen, was trying to show that he was tall and tallawah, but the way he chose to hit the former West Indies batsman and occasional legspinner out of the ground was not right for a man who has achieved so much and is close to exiting the game after a fantastic run.

Like him or not, Gayle is a crowd-puller, an entertainer par excellence. The impact that he has had on cricket is phenomenal. I will never forget being in India in 2013 and visiting Bangalore, the franchise he represented at the time in the Indian Premier League. Whenever anyone found out that I was from Jamaica, Chris Gayle’s name was called, even before Usain Bolt’s. A Chris Gayle discount was made available in local shops once my identity was revealed. It simply showed the impact of the man.

But Gayle flopped, big time, by trying to tear Sarwan apart. I have toured with both men and shared many a conversation with them. But I’ve always believed that the worst thing for any conscious individual to do is resort to a tracing match on social media of all places.

At this stage, a patching up of the fences seems almost impossible. But I have seen men [and women] say far worse things about each other and later smoked the peace pipe.

Those bars can be reopened

I can understand the calls being made for a gradual reopening of bars and places of amusement by voices from all over the island.

Even in Parliament last Tuesday, elected officials Everald Warmington, Horace Dalley, and others argued for the reopening along controllable lines, and it may be something that could be given serious consideration by the prime minister.

I do not visit bars regularly, because I can’t afford it, nor do I like smoke; so I don’t want it to be seen that I am this stark proponent for doors to be unlocked without ample consideration of the consequences. But what struck me was Dalley’s revelation that there were over 10,000 bars across Jamaica, with each employing a minimum two people, which would mean that 20,000 would be out of work.

Now, bartenders — or bar toughs if they are men — do not earn a lot of money, legitimately. So if a formula could be worked out to accommodate protocols similar to those being used islandwide for other projects, then I see no reason that our glasses cannot be raised to the reopening of this category of economic activity too.