A National Hero

St. Vincent and the Grenadines celebrates National Heroes Day each year on March 14^th to remember Joseph Chatoyer, Chief of the Caribs. This national holiday used to be called “Columbus Day” until it was pointed out that Christopher Columbus did NOT discover St. Vincent, rather St. Vincent discovered Christopher Columbus! I welcomed the introduction of a National Heroes Day celebrating an important historical figure, but have kept a mental list of individuals who I feel also deserve hero status. People who served as life role models, those who were looked up to and admired for their contributions to the community are what I call “Unsung Heroes”, and their accomplishments should be remembered and celebrated too.

Picture courtesy of Kingsley Simmons

Sylvester “Pepe” Simmons is one of these “unsung heroes”, and a group of his closest friends (known as “The Beach Lovers”) decided to keep Pepe’s memory alive by forming a charitable foundation in his name. Sylvester’s unassuming yet monumental contributions to Bequia over the years were remarkable, from his work on the Bequia Tourist Committee, the Bequia Sailing Club and the Bequia Rotary Club to his success (along with his lovely, hard-working wife Joan) with businesses such as the S&W supermarket, De Reef bar and restaurant, De Reef apartments and, of course, Sandpiper Transport Company. Pepe’s quiet generosity to those less fortunate touched many lives, and when Nik and I were invited to join the Sylvester Ambrose Simmons Memorial Foundation we agreed without hesitation.

Pepe had a passion for sailing, and, with this in mind, the first annual event organized by the foundation to honour his memory was the Sylvester Ambrose Simmons Memorial Race, which I quickly dubbed the “SAS Race”.  This event was fittingly held on the weekend closest to Heroes Day, two fun-filled days of racing at Lower Bay in which youths from Mayreau, Canouan, Bequia and mainland St. Vincent competed with surprising skill for children so young! The event was incredibly well organized; the races began and ended in a timely manner, there was no bickering or animosity, reasonably priced cold drinks and delicious food could be easily purchased and the cheering spectators were happy campers. VERY happy campers.

Picture courtesy of Kingsley Simmons

Picture courtesy of Kingsley Simmons

The weather was beautiful, and the wind perfect for the tiny boats tacking with precision around the orange buoys. It was a pleasure to watch children from four different islands sailing with such passion, children sailing for the joy of sailing, and I knew that Pepe would have loved every minute of the event being held in his honour. I could almost feel him standing beside me on the beach with a smile on his face as the little sailboats, skillfully captained by young people representing the future of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, raced for the finish line.

The first SAS memorial race weekend was without a doubt one of the nicest local events I’ve ever witnessed – I’m already looking forward to next year’s sailing event! Impressive right down to the prize-giving ceremony, I bow to those who organized it all so beautifully. An award will be presented to the most outstanding young sailor at the next annual dinner hosted by the Sylvester Ambrose Simmons Memorial Foundation, a foundation that will endeavour to keep Pepe’s memory alive with events such as the SAS races.

Picture courtesy of Wilfred Dederer

Thank-you Beach Lovers for keeping one of my “unsung Heroes” alive in the hearts and minds of those who knew and admired him. Well done!

Picture courtesy of Kingsley Simmons