Finding wings with Mr Stewart

It takes little or no reason for Mr Stewart to burst into song — a calypso or a spiritual, whichever captures the present mood best. Always upbeat and supportive, Mr Stewart cheered on every project I ever brought before him. More importantly, he turned my dreams into reality.

The day I met Mr Stewart, he was on the playing field of the Youth Training Centre (YTC) cheering on the rugby team.

Most people would not think of YTC as a stepping stone to work one’s way up to commissioner, but Mr Stewart moved to the beat of his own drum.

He held a special place in his heart for YTC. He loved those lads, and they had the utmost respect for him. They perceived him as strict, but fair. We all had respect for Mr Stewart’s stellar work ethic. I always admire the way he could vanquish fear, doubt and sadness. He is the epitome of inspiration.

There has never been a moment I have not been able to reach Mr Stewart. He answered the phone even if he was in one of his countless meetings. If he couldn’t talk long, he’d always returned my call. His willingness to be reached whenever I called had at least one shocking repercussion for me. When I phoned one day to express anger after the court sent my first YTC student to the Port-of-Spain Prison, I said quite angrily, “I wasn’t ready to give up on that boy.” “Oh, really,” Mr Stewart said.

“I can take care of that.” He sent a car to pick me up at school and took me to the prison where I got an English class before I knew what had happened to me.

There are many kind and supportive people I have met in the prisons because of Mr Stewart, but he will always be special to me. Because of him, I will have two books, Wishing for Wings, the story of my first CXC English class, and another very special book that involves the police. Mr Stewart made that happen.

He has been with me every step of my journey within the prison system. It has been difficult but meaningful because of his enthusiasm, his commitment to his job and his love for this country. His dedication was rare. He believed in restorative justice, and he applied it in creative ways.

I was most surprised when the Prisons “Programmes” Department announced the name of the new library that my NGO, The Wishing for Wings Foundation, had been working on for the past two years with the kind support of the NGO Children’s Ark. At the opening of the library, it was announced to everyone in attendance, including President Anthony Carmona, that the library would be called The Sterling Stewart Royal Reading Room. Mr Stewart gasped with surprise when he heard the name.

It turned out to be one of the best decisions the prisons authorities ever made. It is fitting that the commissioner should be honoured with a library named after him.

After all, Mr Stewart, who inspired all of my work, has wanted nothing more than for all of us to have wings.