… ‘Reds’ makes noble contribution of his book
GUYANA and Caribbean veteran sports commentator Joseph ‘Reds’ Perreira, yesterday donated a quantity of his book ‘Living My Dreams’ to the Guyana National Library. The book, which chronicles the life of the man renowned by the alias ‘Reds’, focuses primarily on his prolonged coverage of cricket in and around the Caribbean.
Launched in Guyana at the Le Meridien Pegasus last June, the book according to Perreira, has been gaining significant strides around the Caribbean with several of the region’s top business entities in the various islands and it’s “only right that young people in Guyana get a chance to experience something that could be used as guidance in life”.
“Neal & Massy in Trinidad and Tobago and Courts in St Lucia have both bought 50 of my books for local distribution so today (yesterday) is very significant for youngsters not only in cricket but those who want something to look at as inspiration to say, ‘Well, if Reds can do something good with his life after coming from nothing, so can I’,” Perreira explained.
Apart from being one of the Caribbean’s leading sports Journalist/Broadcaster, ‘Reds’ served as Sports Director for the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) and it is this, he said, that youths by virtue of reading about his life, can see that the ‘Sky is the limit’.”
Petamber Persaud, Chairman of the Guyana National Library Board, lauded Perreira’s timely presentation of his books to Guyanese and spoke immensely of how inspirational the book can be to Guyana’s youths.
Meanwhile Perreira noted that he would seek an audience with Minister of Education Shaik Baksh and the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport, to have the book distributed to schools around the country.
Perreira’s career in radio began in 1968 with the Guyana Broadcasting Service (GBS) and he later worked as Adviser to the Minister of Sport in Guyana and was Chairman of the National Sports Council from 1973 to 1978.
Reds’ travels across the globe took him to England, India and Australia and put him in the company of outstanding voices of cricket like John Arlott, Alan McGilvery, Jim Maxwell and Christopher Martin-Jenkins and thrust him into the circle of such luminaries as Sir Alexander Bustamante, Fidel Castro, Dr Roger Bannister, Mohammed Ali and Sir Donald Bradman.
In 1984, Perreira was appointed Sports Director at the OECS Sports Desk in St Lucia where he served twelve years in developing the OECS sporting identity and a growing sustainable sports programme.
In 1996, Reds suffered a debilitating stroke whilst covering cricket in Australia from which he made a remarkable recovery. “That was really the most frightening period of my life,” said Reds, “I did not see how I would make a full recovery, but with the support of an amazing network of doctors, family, friends and sports-loving supporters I was able to confront the biggest challenge of my life.
Reds’ career did not end there. He continued broadcasting and took a position as Sports Consultant to the St Lucia Tourist Board, at the same time establishing a Sports Foundation in his native Guyana to give back to the community.
He was President of the St Lucia Amateur Boxing Association from 2004 to 2008 and is currently the Director of the Sports for Life Programme in St Lucia. “Since arriving I’ve always felt comfortable and accepted by the St Lucian public and decided to make it my home.”