Age no deterent!

 Would you undertake a major construction project if you were lucky enough to live to your ninties?

I am 80 and would never dream of taking on the task of dealing with contractors and workmen as it would probably send me to an early grave!.

Not the Wallaces though!👍

Mrs. Nellie Wallace is a 95 year old retired educator and her husband Everald, a farmer.

Miss Nellie

They beleive that no challenge is too great or impossible nor is age as a deterent when the circumstances call for action. 

Mr. Everald 

Mrs Wallace is a graduate of Moneague Teachers College who spent more than 70 years in the teaching profession.

 Most of that time was teaching at Fyffes Pen Primary in Brompton, St. Elizabeth and later at Clapham Primary and Infant School in Brighton St. Elizabeth. (she did a few short stints at other schools over the years too).

When Hurricane Melissa struck, Teacher Wallace and Mr. Everald who should have been relaxing while enjoying their long years on earth, literally experienced hell on earth.

For the four bedroom home on the hills of Brighton where they had happily and quietly spent most of their lives, was totally destroyed within hours.

The remnants of their home.

Teacher Wallace told me the hurricane hit around 9am and the entire roof left in no time. So she and her husband spent the next 4 to 5 hours standing in a corner in one of the rooms. Her husband stood in front of her to try and shield her as much as he could, but they both got thoroughly soaked.

It was terrifying.

By the time it was all over (about 5pm) they realized they were homeless for the first time in their long lives. 

She said it was God who sent some men from the community, including former students, armed with machetes to see how they were.

As she has difficulty walking, the men put their hands together to make a chair so she could sit, then they carried her to a neighbor, friend and church sister, Mrs Judith Warren who graciously welcomed them.

That's where they have been living for the past 9 months.

But the Wallace's are proud, independent minded people and decided that they had to build a new home as they couldn't impose on a good neighbor forever.

While most of their family scoffed at the idea because of their age, as Mr. Wallace had level land in the flatter section of Brighton, they decided were going to build a new house, come hell or high water. 

And that's what they are doing with the assistance of Mr. Warren jr who is Mrs Wallace's godson. He is helping to supervise the project for them.

 The new home being built is smaller than the one they lost but it will be much sturdier.

Relatives and friends are now so sold on the project that they are also helping them as much as they can, to realize the dream of a new safe, sturdy home. 

You know what is the only tragedy in this story of good neighborliness, resilience, community, spirit, independence and courage?

The tardiness of the Jamaica Teachers Association (JTA) to assist. 

 You really only get a true impression of the usefulness of an organization by how it treats its professional associates.

Teacher Wallace paid dues and was a faithful member of that organization for almost seven decades.

After the hurricane, the JTA  announced that it had a fund to assist its members who had been affected by Melissa. So she filled in a pile of paperwork and applied.  A relative in Kingston has even followed up by telephone several times.

Would you beleive that nine months later, not even a cent has come from the JTA to assist this dedicated educator!

That is really shameful as the JTA is so strident when it wants something but  clearly falls short when it comes to helping educators who have done so much for the country. 

That is totally unacceptable.

On another note, Jamaica could easily win a prize for having the most potholes in the world.  The road to Brighton demonstrates perfectly what happens when potholes are ignored so long that they become huge monstrosities! 😡