By Sean Devers
At the age of 84, most people would be happily retired and resting on their laurels. But Dr Joseph ‘Reds’ Perriera is not most people.
Despite being supported by a walking stick due to his weak knees, Reds has all of his faculties in tact and is a walking encyclopedia on Sports which he is still actively involved with.
The Pomeroon, Essequibo born son of a Farmer, Reds now lives in St Lucia with his wife Zandra and last Saturday the sports icon was conferred with an honorary Doctorate by the University of Guyana (UG) Campus at Tain in Corentyne Berbice for his hard work, passion and continued commitment to the development of Sports in Guyana through broadcasting.
The renowned international cricket commentator and sports Administrator in various Sports Associations including the Director of Sports for the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECIS), on his third trip home for the year, said he was humbled by the gesture by UG, at a press conference at the Pegasus Hotel yesterday.
On Wednesday and Friday last, at the Georgetown Cricket Club (GCC) Reds, who described the action for Radio in 152 Tests, held a commentator’s work shop while also launching the Berbice Wall of fame at UG’s Tain Campus.
Reds said as he leaves Guyana after a happy visit, he has some concerns with sports in Guyana.
“All my life sports in Guyana have been at the very top of my interest…as I drive around during my visits, I am seeing that the Sports Minister, Charles Ramson, is doing an excellent job with the infrastructure.
Very soon all the infrastructure will be completed and we will start seeing a higher standard of competition on the field. There is no doubt that more infrastructure will be built by the Minister of Sport. I think that earmarked is a hockey facility so that we can join the rest of the world in playing on the astro turf.
We are doing very well despite playing on grass and we must complement the Hockey Association…And maybe a Cycling Bela Drone.
The sport has been kept alive by road racing and we must compliment all the clubs and the Association for keeping the sport alive.
I am worried about the club structure. It became more on the line to me when I saw what happened when we were expected to take part in the Carifta Games in the Bahamas. That should not have happened.” lamented Reds. He stated that—
“All Sorts of arrangements had to be made by the people in the Bahamas to accommodate us, the technical committee to accommodate us and in the end, it worked out that the athletes got a chance to perform.
The point I am making is if the associations are strong that will not happen. How are the Association going to be strong? The Associations can only be strong by developing the club structure.
Teams do not make a strong Association… it is clubs that make strong Associations but unless there is collaboration between the Olympic Committee, the Sports Commission and the clubs themselves to ensure that all clubs…in Berbice, Demerara and Essequibo that make up the 83,000 square miles of Guyana that there is a campaign and Education programme to go with it to get little clubs to find a non-playing Executive within their community.
Let them find a President, Vice-President a secretary and so on. Let there be discipline, transparency, regular meetings and a vibrant club life.
Let the clubs be strong enough to interact with their community. The club structure has never really been tackled in Guyana”.
Reds has a club constitution template which he intends to submit to the powers that be.
He left for St Lucia yesterday
