Do you know?

Collis was born on June 14, 1908, at St Andrew’s Parish, Barbados, and spent the first few years of his life there, along with my eldest sister Mabel, who was born a year later, until our father was appointed Headmaster of Southborough Boys’ Primary School, Clifton Hill, St Thomas, where three more of us, the children, were born.

Collis received his primary education at South Borough Boys’; and his secondary education at Combermere Boys’ School in Bridgetown.

He grew up to be as eccentric a character as one could ever come across, but people generally found him likeable, and listened with rapt attention to the weird stories he often told.

He swore, for example, that he used to hear organ music being played while he was in his mother’s womb. Does the fact that he was a gifted musician from early in his life, and that he was considered to be one of the five best organists in the West Indies lend any possible element of credence to his story?

There never was a time in my life when there was not a piano in our home, but I understand that my mother, enterprising woman that she was, taught Collis piano fingering on her scrubbing-board.

Not only was he a gifted musician from early, but he was also a talented artist. He began with water colours, but later concentrated on oil paintings, and usually had scores of pictures in his home at one time. He hated to dispose of them, he loved each of them so much. He took part in several exhibitions held in Barbados.

When my father became the Headmaster of St John’s Boys’ Primary School, Collis became a member of the teaching staff, and remained there until his retirement. He had also been the organist at St John’s Church.

Life in Barbados had entailed marriage, six children and a subsequent separation. After his retirement from teaching, he came to Trinidad to spend two weeks’ holiday with me. After the sixth week and no signs of his leaving, I asked him his intentions. He informed me that he had no plans for returning to Barbados. Trinidad was too free and uninhibited a place!

He found his own lodgings and eventually became a citizen of Trinidad and Tobago. Then a fresh saga began. There came a stage in his life which involved the story of his meeting with a mermaid, best told, perhaps, by Juliet. Others tended to describe it, in local parlance, as — “a pile!”

He taught for several years at Trinity Junior School, and was well-loved there. He was a table tennis enthusiast and trained the then-young boys Lionel Darceuil and Stephen Wade who became champions in the sport. He played the organ at Good Shepherd Church, Tunapuna, for 34 years, and many confessed to going to church to hear the organ played rather than the sermon preached.

He died on October 6th, 2000. His funeral service took place at the church which he had served for so many long years.

That was our mistake, and involves another story which shall remain untold.