Many Jamaicans, unfortunately, would not have known of Oliver Foot, except maybe in the anecdote about the late cricket broadcaster seeing Sir Hugh Foot, the last colonial governor of Jamaica, entering Sabina Park with his children and declaring: "There goes Sir Hugh Foot and the little feet."

Oliver Foot, 61, who died in London recently, was fond of that story and his Jamaican roots. This scion of an outstanding British family - one of his uncles, Michael Foot, was leader of the Labour Party and another, Dingle Foot, served in the Commons, worked tirelessly in the promotion of Jamaica and its culture.

He used his enormous connections in the British press to get journalists to come to Jamaica to do serious stories about the island and would put Jamaicans in touch with key people in the United Kingdom Establishment.