The Rev. Allan Ross

ALLAN BONAPARTE Ross has lived a full life as a minister of the gospel, lay magistrate, politician, justice of the peace and chair of several community and school boards. He led an even fuller life as mayor of Morant Bay between 1974 and 1977. Today, his life seems empty. He does not receive a pension and relies on charitable neighbours in the Mountpelier Housing Scheme in Yallahs, St. Thomas, where he lives, to survive.

"Hello!" he greeted The Sunday Gleaner team in a strong, firm voice. Feeling his way around the room for his chair, he eventually sat by the window in the small living room cluttered with old newspapers, religious books, and beer bottles. He was obviously pleased to have visitors.

"I can't really make out your faces, but I can see the figures," he said. He invited us to sit, without even asking for names. We explained what the visit was about, and the 87-year-old retiree smiled and started talking.

"I don't get no pension, you know sir. All I get is food stamp. The money come every other month $1,060 ... That's all I get. Nothing more. I go to the parish council until I am sick because I hear some money was to go to the parish council for me and nobody can't tell me nothing," he related.

"When the pension business started with the Government, the PNP (People's National Party) was in power and they started it when I was no longer mayor," he explained.

Ross entered politics with the encouragement of the former Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) Member of Parliament Robert Lightbourne in 1960. He served as councillor for the Llandewey division for 17 years.

"I became mayor when the late Ralph Brown was member of the (Kingston and St. Andrew) Corporation, followed by Madame Rose Leon," he said.

NEVER HAD A STRIKE

"I can tell you, when, I was mayor I never had a strike. I live peaceable with all politicians, with all the different people representing the workers. The only problem I had was in the almshouse. The workers wouldn't measure up," he recounted.

Ross not only served the public sector, he was a devout community leader. He became a minister of religion, which was his very first job, when he moved from the bustling capital, Morant Bay, to the pastoral provinces of Grants Pen in 1953. There, for 50 years, he ministered at the local Baptist Church. However, like his offspring, the church seems to have forgotten him.

Ross claims his offspring do not contribute much to his daily living. He has one son with his wife, who is now deceased, and five others. He gets $1,000 and a few pieces of clothing from a son who lives in the United States each time he comes to the island, but that's about it.

In fact, he shares his small house with another of his sons and his granddaughter, but Reverend Ross claims that his son barely looks after him.

A neighbour qualified his comments. "Him would be stronger if he was getting a little more care," she told our news team. The neighbour said during the passage of Hurricane Dean, Ross was left alone in the house and even during Christmas, he had no visitors.

Without her help and that of another kind neighbour, he would rarely eat.

"I don't have it to give him every day because I not working now. I give him dinner, especially on Sundays. But if him feel sick, him call me," she says. "It would be nice if you could get some help for him," she appealed to The Sunday Gleaner team.

A man of firsts, Ross was one of the first to own a home in the Mountpelier Housing Scheme where he still lives, and the first to receive electricity there.

However, it seems memories are his most valuable assets now.

"I live a good life. I can tell you I am proud of the life I am living, though I am on the back burner now because hardly anybody pay me mind," he said.

"Lightbourne is dead; L.G. Newland is dead. The only person who would remember me now in Parliament is Pearnel Charles. Try you best to get in touch with him for me, you see, sir."

- G.M.