On July 25, Sr Monica Tywang and I attended the funeral of our friend Oswald Noblemunn in London. Ossie, as he was affectionately called, was a true T&T patriot and a respected member of the community in London. His coffin was draped in the T&T flag and many members of his family wore either scarves or ties that reflected our T&T flag.
St Ignatius Jesuit Parish Church in Stamford Hill, London, was packed with friends and relatives who came to bid farewell to a man who had lived a purposeful life. His daughter, Davina (one of four children), described him in her eulogy as a “warrior, a political activist, a philosopher, a community leader; a husband, father, grandfather and friend”.
As I watched Ruby, his wife of 55 years, his children and grandchildren, I thought how sad it is that so many of the stalwarts in the diaspora are dying and we have not recorded their sterling contribution to T&T and to the countries in which they lived.
Ossie’s mother died when he was 13 years old and he was brought up by his maternal grandmother. He attended Rosary Boys’ School and became a master tradesman in the Gonzales/Belmont area. He was involved with a few steelband groups in that area. He also ‘tried his hand’ as a boxer. When he was 22 years old he went to the US, later returned to T&T, and in the mid-1950s he went to England. He experienced racism first-hand and decided to join forces with others to combat this evil.
Ossie was a member of the West Indian Standing Conference and throughout the 1960s, 70s and 80s, he played his part in combatting racism in Britain and promoting a more just society. Inter alia, he was a residential social worker in Hertfordshire and a Probation Officer. He ran Mixiefriend Youth Club and later a residential hostel for at-risk children in Hackney.
At a time when many fathers are absent from their children’s lives, I commend Ossie for his commitment/devotion to his family. He loved to cook and had established a practice of inviting only his grandchildren to share a meal with his wife and him. He would engage them in discussions and tell them about Black History – just as he did with his children when they were growing up. He always urged them to try to achieve their potential. Even when he was hospitalised after he suffered another stroke, he asked for paper and pen and wrote three words: “Family, Offspring, Success.”
I first met Ossie in 1984 when the late Cardinal Hume established an Advisory Group to evaluate the Catholic Church’s Commitment to the Black Community in the Diocese of Westminster and to make recommendations to him.
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Ossie, like all those on this Group, was committed to promoting equality and equity for all, and to ensuring that systems were put in place to create conditions that would allow each person to have a place at the table of life.
Some of the recommendations contained in the report we produced were implemented, e.g. the establishment of The Cardinal’s Continuing Committee for the Caribbean Community (C5). The Cardinal was the Chair of C5 and I was the Vice-Chair (1986-1997).
Ossie, as Fr Michael said at your funeral, may Christ, the Good Shepherd, carry you home to be with the Father.
After the funeral, we went to visit T&T-born Bernadette Bascombe who, together with her husband Reg Bascombe, has played their part over the years in building a better society in Britain and in sharing T&T’s culture with others. Please remember Bernadette in your prayers as she is gravely ill.
It was at the Bascombes’ home that I met Winnie Greer, whose parents are from T&T.Over the past 20 years Winnie has taught at St Thomas More Catholic Secondary School in Haringey. She has just taken a break in her career as Deputy Head of that school and will be in T&T for a few months. I hope to organise a seminar in September to allow her to share her experience of working with a team to improve teaching and learning.
(Read Ofsted’s 2013 inspection report on St Thomas More School at http://www.haringey.gov.uk/st_thomas_more_catholic_inspection_report.pdf ).
