News
Custos Edmund Parsons -The last Caymanian Head of State
Will Jackson is the first recipient of the Custos Parsons MemorialPaul Harris Fellowship Award
Custos EdmundParsons
On Thursday, July 4th, the Rotary Club ofGrand Cayman hosted its annual changeover dinner an eveningwhich witnessed the entrance of new group of club officers toreplace those who served during the past year. While such transitionis indeed the main event for the evening, it was by no means theonly happening worthy of mention.
Mr. WillJackson (left) Paul Harris Fellowship Award recipient, standingnext to Mr. Reggie Parsons and Mrs. Camilee Pierson.
Throughout the dinner, a number of awardswere distributed to those members deemed to have earned the recognitionof the club. Nine awards were given to those with records of perfectattendance (the club meets weekly, fifty-two times per year),for 2-9 years. Passing the 10-year mark were Harry McCoy, witheleven years, Benny Moore, with 12 years, Ray Whittaker- 14 years,Reggie Parsons 21 years, and David Foster with 23 years.
Mr. Percival(Will) Jackson and his wife Sybil at their wedding in 1965.
Outgoing President Chris Evans presentedthe Distinguished service citation to Michael Austin (MembershipDevelopment), Alan Brodie (Special Events), Lionel Downer (Attendance),Rob Imparato (Newsletter), Windield Kennedy (Camelot), Bill Smith(RI and District Awards), and Rodger Yeomans (Programme).
Directors' Plaques were distributed to RichardColes (Vocational), Christopher Bowring (Community Service), SophiaHarris (IPP), Sharon Hurlstone (Fellowship), Derek Serpell (PR),Ray Whittaker (International), Bryan Murphy (Fund Raising), DickRichardson (Vocational), and Harris Spence (Community Service).
Those receiving Officer's Plaques were AlanRoffey (Sergeant), Bruce Stirling (Treasurer), Jonathan Nicholson(Secretary), James Tibbetts (Vice President), and Nicholas Freeland(President-Elect).
A distinguished service award went to Mrs.Rosalie Jamieson, Rotarian of the Year was presented to DavidFoster, and Reggie Parsons was honored with the Outstanding RotarianAward.
While the above list of honors are awardedat each year's changeover dinner, this year, a new award, to beof interest to all Caymanians, emerged. This new symbol of recognition,the Custos Edmund Parsons Memorial Paul Harris Fellowship Award,carries with it such a wealth of history and long-forgotten factsthat it is to play the primary role in a three part series ofwhich this article is the first.
Paul Harris Fellowship Awards are well knownto Rotary Club members. Many contributions made to the RotaryFoundation, which is completely dependent on voluntary contributionsfrom both Rotarians and non-Rotarians around the world, are madeby Paul Harris Fellow recognitions. Such recognitions are grantedto those who donate a minimum sum of US$1,000 to the Foundation.The recognitions are awarded to Rotarians or non-Rotarians, whowill receive the said sum in their honor.
This year, Mr. Reggie Parsons, recipientof the 2002 Outstanding Rotarian of the Year Award, decided tocreate an award which holds a special meaning for him. In orderto perpetuate the memory of Edmund Parsons, his grandfather, Mr.Parsons has created an award to recognize those Caymanians whohave risen above the rest.
The award is meant for an Outstanding Caymanian,"in honor and with deep appreciation and recognition fortheir distinguished service, loyalty, and contribution to theculture, ideals, and heritage of the community and the peopleof Grand Cayman."
Edmund Parsons, the grandfather of ReginaldParsons, was the 'last Caymanian Custos', a title which has nowbeen replaced by the title 'governor'. While his years of servicewere from 1888-1898, Reginald, his grandson , has felt bound topreserve his life and legacy by the creation of this unique award.With it, he hopes not only to perpetuate the memory of his grandfather,but also to make Caymanians aware of one of their very own historicalheroic figures.
Gradually, he says, such reminiscing hasthe potential to enrich Caymanian culture, by refocusing on theforefathers who were so visionary and so determined in their questfor a bright future. Rather than let go of that vision, ReggieParsons hopes to build upon it, by letting the future unravelwith the memory of the past close to the hearts of all Caymanians.
The first recipient of the Custos EdmundParsons Paul Harris Fellowship was Mr. Percival (Will) Jackson,of East End. Mr. Jackson is a renowned Caymanian author. His accomplishmentsare numerous, as described by Reggie Parson:
"[Mr. Jackson] is a noted author, historianand raconteur of our Cayman heritage, former sailor, preacher,farmer, and East End store owner. Will was born at East End in1922 and was a seaman for 22 years. He and his wife Sybil havebeen married for 37 years. He is the author of two delightfuland informative books about his Caymanian heritage: 'Smoke PotDays', published in 1997, and 'Up from the Deep', published in1998. He currently writes a weekly column called 'Walking Back'for the Cayman Net News."
Mr. Jackson was chosen as the first recipientof this prestigious new award, because, according to the RotaryClub of Grand Cayman, it seemed the 'most logical choice.' Hisfirm commitment to sharing tales of times past has served to strengthenthe Islands' heritage.
In his books, Mr. Jackson has revived acultural awareness of what life used to be like in the CaymanIslands. His 'Smoke Pot Days' depicts a Cayman of another time,which seems almost like another place. During this period, noone could live comfortably without a 'smoke pot' a tin canused to ward off mosquitoes. The can would be filled with an aromaticblend of burning oils detested by mosquitoes. It may be difficultto imagine a place where everyone carried around a large tin canthroughout the day, but it is this exact amusing picture recapitulatedby Mr. Jackson.
"There were those may week-long rainydays when the smoke box had to be kept fixed up inside the houseall day and all night long. In those spells, wherever one wentthe smoke had to be taken along as a survival kit. You talkedabout Nehemiah in the Bible working with men on the walls of Jerusalemwith their tools in one hand and a sword in another? Well, thatis a picture of the old Grand Cayman workforce when it was timefor the mosquitoes to invade."
Mr. Jackson's life was not easy. When hewas only three, he lost his mother, and his father was away atsea for the first six years of his life. His father's absencedid not prevent the development of a close father son relationship,however, but it did mean that Will was forced to mature quickly.Preferring to keep to himself during the school years, Will occupiedhimself with books and Bible study. In all his years at school,not once did he fail an exam, despite all of the work and choresthat awaited him at the end of each day.
Will endured the hurricane of 1932, whenhe was just ten years old, and experienced firsthand the devastatingeffect it had on the Island. It was a difficult time; the onlytime he can recall the people of the Island having to endure therationing of food, and the eating of bulrush.
Mr. Jackson can also recount the sinkingof the Alistair in 1942, which had been hit by a German submarinetorpedo. This event is particularly salient to Will, because wereit not for a stroke of luck, his father, who worked on the shipas a steward, also would have gone down with the ship.
It is easy to forget, in modern times, howdifficult travel across the Island, despite its relatively smallsize, must have been before the roads of today had been built.On one occasion, when moving back to East End after a three monthperiod in Georgetown, Will and his stepmother had to travel onfoot, with all belongings in tow, from BoddenTown to East End.If that was not enough, the next day, a ten year old Will wassent back across the rough terrain with a donkey, to retrievethe remainder of their belongings.
By providing readers with a glimpse of theCayman of long ago, the extravagances of modern times seem allthe more luxurious. Today, Cayman is a tropical destination withan active financial industry, which beckons to the rich and famousto stroll along its sandy beaches.
The prevalence of wealth and affluence makesit easy to characterize Cayman as the Monaco of the Caribbean.
Large homes, fast cars, and booming developmentare now its identifying marks. But they are not the only ones.Lying beneath the surface there are stories to be told; storieswhich can impart the wisdom of lessons learned long ago, and whichshould never be forgotten.
Will Jackson has done a great service bysharing his many stories with the public. Through them, we areall just a little bit closer to unraveling the mysteries of Cayman,so that future generations may benefit from the lessons of theirforefathers.