Jeff Broomes’ journey revealed

THE journey of retired Principal and Educator Jeff Broomes has been penned for all to read.

Featured in the biography written by Tyson Herbert is an expansive and interesting life of achievement, conflict, innovation, and pursuit of excellence and self-actualization. “The Jeff Broomes Journey: From the Pond through the Presidency to the Principalship” is intended to be an inspiration for others with self-belief and a vision to contribute to life around them.

The book was officially launched on Saturday evening at Broomes’ stomping ground ‘Kings and Queens Bar and Restaurant’ at Bow Road, St. Michael, in the presence of his family, friends, past colleagues, and students.

“How does he do it?… A question that I have been asking myself over the last 30 years,” close friend Walter Harper stated, as he spoke of Broomes’ achievements during his 40-year career as an educator – providing free lessons, documentaries, and books, all to achieve the best student learning outcomes.

“I really think that you should be told by me that you are my hero,” Harper expressed to his friend.

“You ensured that children received free lessons for the last 25 years. Lessons in the north, lessons at the National Union of Public Workers, and the list goes on and on about the contribution that you would have made to this country. Yet, still they found it fit to try to prosecute and persecute you.”

Walters therefore took the opportunity to make a call for Broomes to be recognised for his continuous, and significant contribution to education in Barbados.

“I believe that when they give out knighthoods that you should be honoured and I will call you ‘Sir Jeff’.

“No other teacher in Barbados has done what you have done. We must write and keep some noise. Jeff should be knighted, knight Jeff Broomes,” Walters declared.

Danny Babb, a former student of Alexandra School where Broomes held the post of Principal, believes that he always had students’ best interest at heart.

He recalled, “The one thing at Alexandra School that stood out for me with Jeff Broomes is when the prosecution started. And we had a Speech Day and he stood up and he quoted Mother Teresa ‘Do It Anyway’ and that describes the man.

“Because as Principal, if he made a decision and the teachers were against it, he did it anyway. If the students thought that something needed to happen for their benefit and he saw it right, and others saw it wrong, he did it anyway.

“So, this is a man that I can tell anybody is my hero... I don’t believe that he is deserving of a knighthood, I believe he deserves more. I think he needs a statue somewhere showing that he is one that has contributed generously to the education system,” he said.

Babb also reflected that while at the Alexandra School, the opportunities afforded to him by his principal was beyond anything he could have ever imagined. He highlighted, “I can tell people that I went to the Emerging Global Leaders Retreat in May 2004. There were six of us from Alexandra School who attended that Retreat in Canada free of cost, because he saw that we were the ones who were the next leaders in the school and in life.

“Now I am older and involved in many things, politics but not elective as yet, but being involved I found that the teachings of Jeff Broomes continue to be with me. And one of the things that stuck out is that you must always associate yourself with good people. So I am happy, proud and glad to be here to associate myself with Mr. Jeffrey Broomes.”

Broomes shared that it was the former Prime Minister, Professor, the Rt. Hon. Owen Arthur that told him that if he ever got bored during his retirement to start writing his memoirs.

He recalled that the late Mr. Arthur said, “You might think you don’t have a story, but you have a story to tell. And you only know if you have a story to tell, when you start telling it.”

Broomes said that the conversation stuck with him and then he was approached about the book, which took just over two months to write.

“The book includes why Jeff Broomes will never ever get involved in politics. It goes into my teaching career; leadership roles as deputy principal and principal; sports, trade unionism; and the hurtful deaths in my family.

“However, the chapter I suspect will capture the most attention is Chapter 11 called ‘The Controversies’ – I address each and every one step by step. And Chapter 12 talks about my retirement journey,” he revealed. (TL)