"Homecoming" celebrations are in the news every day in Jamaica, and these range from the very high profile "St. Bess" annual event, to small family gatherings in little districts not mentioned on the Jamaican map. Trelawny was not to be outdone, and after years of informal chatter and thinking it was a good idea, a group of Trelawnyians made all the talk a reality.
The itinerary showed seven days of activities, combined with the National Emancipation and Independence Holidays. In between the scheduled activities, homecomers would have an opportunity to meet with family and friends, and just to hang around their hometown, reminisce about times past and have some good old fun.
The development of the parish and of Falmouth in particular, is also at the forefront of the minds of the main organizers, Hands Across Trelawny . Individual members of the group had visited Jamaica in recent times, and were concerned, and rightly so, about the urban decay, as well as the seeming lack of economic and social development in Falmouth.
On the last day of July, Trelawny Homecoming began, with the National Emancipation Vigil at the Falmouth Town Hall. There was a low turn out for this event, indicative perhaps of a lack of interest in history, perhaps an avoidance of the "same old, same old" that local civic ceremonies have to offer. The format is the same year after year, in fact, it seems the same order of events is used for every civic occasion, be it Labour Day, Christmas, Independence, National Heroes Day or Emancipation. The same faces, the same long winded speeches, the same cultural pieces. Seen one…seen them all.
Emancipation Day was another matter all together, as the homecoming crew, the Trelawny 'who is who' and all others made their way to Roi's Villas for the oldies session. This was the event to die for, in the words of my favourite newspaper columnist:
"dovecakes and dahlings, it was absolutely fabulous and then some" Old friends and new, some wicked memories in the music, and a nostalgic taste of the spirit of Hampden made this party swing till the wee hours of the morning. Dinosaurs, young turks and the rest, had a party to remember!
Saturday was Sports Day at the Elletson-Wakeland Centre, the homecoming die-hards were there, but somewhere in the planning, something fell through the cracks, and the organized sports did not happen as expected. The spirit of homecoming was not lost, and if even in a few 'six-love' at the domino table, a good time was had by all.
Family Fun Day at Rafter's Rest was the Sunday activity, after the Independence
Church Service at the William Knibb Church., and a quick viewing of the art exhibition by Olga Hammond at the Anglican Church Hall. For most of the afternoon, Rafters was scantily attended, but as the day grew older those who were there took full advantage of the relaxing atmosphere, excellent music and once again, the spirits. A rafting trip or two was quite in order, a chance to enjoy the offerings of the parish.
Monday was Public Forum Day. The public forum was probably the least successful of the events, it was poorly attended and not very well organized….but hey, this was the first attempt! No one needs to beat up on themselves …it can only get better ….and it will.
The special guest from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, cleared up some issues for the visitors, and the returning residents present got a great opportunity to express their concerns about returning to Jamaica to live. There was a bit of friction between the moderator of the event and one leading 'homecomer' which dampened the mood. Misunderstandings and bruised feelings notwithstanding, the aim of the event was to express ideas for the improvement the town and the parish, and we can't express them often enough. The main items in the discussion were the amenities in the town of Falmouth, the eternal drainage problem, economic development and investment possibilities.
Tuesday was the trip day, and one happy group sang their way to St. Elizabeth and back, the melodies interrupted only by the memories of Trelawny long ago. Some missed the trip preferring to spend the day at Burwood Beach, a day filled with sentiment, if not with singing…as well as Crico trying to relive his days of football glory with a game on the beach…and the famous soup.
Independence Wednesday was an easy day, including the Civic Ceremony and the
traditional street dance, complete with the "tear up sheet" soup which from the big pot in
Water Square.
Homecoming week came to a close with a memorial service for Keith Foulds, followed
by a gathering at Ancil Rodney's home in New Haven Heights. The spirit of Trelawny
flowed, by whatever name…. Cow cod soup, Red Label, Red Face, Hampden Wine or
the famous fruit punch blended by Bull-bull. The stories got more and more incredible as
the evening proceeded but it was all in good fun.
Friday morning and the party done! People started to move out of holiday mode, and all of a sudden there are flights to catch, deadlines to meet and work to be done.
The journey has begun…and the path and direction is all up to us.
We all have our own perceptions of the Homecoming event, some are disheartened, some are encouraged…and some will always be detractors, it's just their way. We need to regroup, rethink, retool and move right along. We all still love Trelawny and Falmouth and I believe we all want to do something to help. Maybe we had too high expectations of what the town should be, maybe we had too high expectations of what an overseas-based group can achieve, maybe the expectations are just fine, but need time and thought and cooperation.
The town is still dirty, the drains are still blocked, the amenities are still lacking and the politicians, both elected and verandah-based like myself, are still talking. We are still yearning for the improvements in the town and parish.
It is likely that when we gather next year, not much, if anything will have changed. Maybe we can take on one small project, plan and execute it well, and from that achievement, move on.
Maybe we should leave it alone, identify our main concerns and make our suggestions to the powers that be, leave the development activities to them and make Trelawny Homecoming into a social event. There are indirect benefits to the town from having our friends and family home for a holiday. There is no rule that says a homecoming has to be a public philanthropic exercise…it's just a nice thing to do.
Another consideration is money. What are we willing to spend to make Homecoming happen? Will the funds come from our pockets or from fundraising activities? How much do we need? Who will administer funds and will this be done in Jamaica or abroad. Which agencies, if any, are willing to participate in the venture? Does Trelawny have enough attractions to offer to make it a viable event where people in and out of parish will attend and feel their dollar has been well spent? Since the business community has not yet "bought in" to the idea, should we change our marketing strategy? Do we need to have a homecoming with fewer planned events, and leave more time for individual pursuits? Do we mass-market Trelawny Homecoming and seek corporate sponsorship, or do we keep the intimacy of a local party with a homegrown crowd? Can Trelawny, as it is now, sustain a mass marketed occasion?
Somehow I suspect there were days when people were just downright bored. Apart from in romanticized memories, there is really not a lot to see, if one is not a history buff or inclined to go hiking or cave hopping in the hinterland.
Who will make it happen?
