Dear Editor,
AT long last, Joseph “Reds” Perreira, the man who did a tremendous job in broadcasting for Guyana and the Caribbean, will be honoured by Cricket West Indies (CWI) on September 3, the third day of the second Test match between India and the West Indies in Jamaica. Congratulatory messages are pouring in to the 80-year-old legend at his Castries home in St. Lucia. Notes are from former West Indies Vice-Captain, Deryck Murray; speedster Michael Holding; diplomat Sir Ronald Sanders; Guyanese Dave Martins; Desmond Roberts; and dozens of others. Like me, “Reds” came from humble beginnings, and he rose to the top in cricket broadcasting; from the hinterland of the Pomeroon to Lords cricket ground in London, the cricket headquarters of the world. He made his broadcasting debut at Bourda, in Georgetown, in 1971, and after then he never looked back, after overcoming his speech impediment.

The Diaspora, especially the cricket lovers, are very pleased that CWI (formerly the West Indies Cricket Board) has seen it fit to recognise a man who has made significant contribution to the summer game. “Reds” was born in Pomeroon on the Essequibo Coast, and moved to Georgetown when he was six. He had a serious problem, because of his inability to speak fluently and confidently, but with training and determination to move to the top, he made it, rubbing shoulders with world-renowned commentators like John Arlott, Freddie Trueman, Brian Johnson, Richie Benaud, Alan Mc Gilvary, and his mentor, Tony Cozier. “Reds” covered 147 test matches, and broadcast between 300 and 400 other matches, including ODIs and first-class games. He reported from all the cricketing nations of the world except Bangladesh. He covered the 1975 Prudential World Cup, and the controversial Kerry Packer series and games in South Africa during the apartheid days.
He wrote a book on his work, “Living my Dreams”.

I first met “Reds” in January 1966, the date my mother passed away. He went to Berbice with Derek Whitehead of the National Sports Council to launch the Berbice Sports Council. I became closely associated with him in 1968 when he joined GBS Action Radio as a sports commentator, while I served there as a reporter in the newsroom with Cecil Griffith. “Reds” was a “go getter”, and that was responsible for his tremendous success, despite his limitation. He can be described as an all-rounder, because he was a football and rugby coach, as well as a broadcaster. He even commentated on athletics, cycling, boxing and other sports. He was a man of tremendous initiative. I recall he was sent to Port-of-Spain to cover a world championship boxing match between Mohamed Ali and George Foreman, but “Reds” apparently could not get entry to the ringside to cover the match. He went to his hotel room and reported, blow-by-blow, from the television to GBS Radio, which was broadcast live on radio from Lodge, in Greater Georgetown. There was no television in Guyana in those days, and the listeners did not have a clue that “Reds” was not reporting from the ringside.

He did a tremendous job as Sports Organiser for the OECS, coordinating endless sporting events in the sub-region and elsewhere. He was excellent at getting sponsorship, and with his popularity, he was able to secure voluntary services from numerous coaches to conduct seminars and workshops. I hosted a few of his coaches while I was working in the Caribbean islands. Cricket was “Reds” favourite, and it was from his broadcasting he made his name. Thanks to Tony Cozier, who assisted him throughout his career which started at Bourda in Georgetown in 1971 in the test match West Indies against India, “Reds” rose to the top as a cricket broadcaster, but it was not easy; he had to make tremendous sacrifice in the early days to travel from country to country, because he had to bear the expenses because he was not in the original panels, but after he became a renowned commentator, it was smooth sailing.

“Reds” is a man to be admired; the young people should emulate his determination.

Regards,
Oscar Ramjeet.