Eric Ardon Daisley 29 Sep 1930 – 11 Feb 2004
by
Lennox E.A. Daisley
This is not a time for crying,
weeping, or sobbing. Neither is it a time for prolonged grieving and
being sad, Instead, it is a time for thanksgiving, reflecting,
celebrating and honouring the life and
times of the man we called Comic, Panner, Teach
or Dad.
Eric Ardon
Daisley was born in the village
of South Rivers on the 29th September 1930. His
mother. Charlotte Williams, was a quiet, reserved,
pleasant and humble young lady; while his father, Hubert Daisley, was the active head teacher of the primary school. From
all reports, Ardon inherited many of his
mother's qualities and characteristics which apparently served him in
good stead throughout his lifetime, but, more particularly, towards
the end when he became ill with difficult and trying times.
Eric, as he was then known, was
taken at age five to live with his paternal grandparents on their
estate, called "Daisville", at Stubbs. Daisville contained a piano and was a household where
strict adherence to Christian principles, ethics and moral rectitude
was routinely monitored and accordingly enforced. Part of this estate
is now the site of the Carapan Secondary
School. Eric's early formal education
was at the Stubbs Primary School, where he created history by being
first among a group of three students - St. Clair Dacon,
Earle Falby and himself - to win scholarships
to the Grammar school in 1942. In those days, scholarship winners
only came from town.
Eric entered Grammar school
and was an instant hit, apparently because: He came over as a natural comedian
that seemed always to draw a crowd and make people laugh - hence his nickname
"Comic". He was exceptionally talented musically
- He played the piano, guitar, violin, quatro, drum
and many other instruments with equal dexterity and a high degree
of skill -the school's piano was his toy during breaks; He was a
gifted sportsman - a general all-round athlete, skilled at football
and table tennis, but stood out at cricket. He represented the
Grammar School in most sports, and made the touring team
while still a junior in short pants; He was the scout
troop leader; and he was good academically.
While still at school, Ardon engaged himself in a
host of extra-curricular activities - all of which he seemed to put
in 100% effort and ensured that they were done to
perfection. Upon leaving school, he followed in his father
and grandfather's footsteps by embarking upon a teaching profession.
He taught at the Kingstown Methodist, Evesham
and Gomea Schools, before
he took up an assignment to lecture in mathematics, sports and
music, at the Teachers College. His contribution to the teaching
profession is legendary and a matter of record. Many of his
students affectionately characterize him as a meticulous, but
strict disciplinarian, with an exceptional skill to
impart knowledge. And, once he taught you, you stayed taught. Incidentally,
I am advised that, at home, he preferred the subtler forms of
punishment, such as the withdrawal of privileges, rather than utilize the
rod, or the strap. That was quite a difference from the options
available to his students at school.
Music
Ardon
was a pioneer of the steelband and its
development in St. Vincent. He was the first person
to make, tune and play a pan in St. Vincent. He
started the steelband, which he called "Syncopators", in a friend's backyard at middle
street, Kingstown. This band primarily played classical music
and was the first steel band to play in a church in St.
Vincent and the Grenadines, when it
played for a service at the Anglican cathedral in Kingstown. Of
course, "Syncopators" played calypsos
and other types of music. Friends of the band insist that, during Carnival,
the band always seemed to win everything - the best playing band,
best dressed steelband, best historical, best j'ouvert, etc. etc. It is reported that Ardon and Lance Collymore
would accomplish the remarkable feat of listening to the steelband competition from Trinidad on 610 radio,
write out the scores for the top performing steelbands,
then rush them to Syncopators' band members to play
on the road, a matter of hours later, for J'ouvert:
truly amazing, when you realize that tape recorders were not available
to them in those days.
Further, it should also be
noted that all Syncopators' members read
music, and each would practice his part by himself and not as a
group; for fear that another band 'would snoop by and steal their
music'. For this reason, the first time that the band would play a
song together, as a unit, was when the band was
actually performing, or competing. And, how good they
sounded! Need I remind you that all of this occurred at a time
when the steelband was anathema and looked
down upon with righteous anger by society - even by his school and
perhaps family? So, he had to constantly hide and everything was
done in utmost secrecy. For example, Syl Mclntosh related to me how Ardon
would ride his bicycle, along the back roads, from Kingstown
to Evesham to collect Lance Collymore
and take him to the pan yard at Middle
Street for practice then back to Evesham, before Collymore's
parents could suspect, or realize, anything. Ardon
is credited for his contribution in gaining the acceptance of the Steel
Pan as a legitimate form of our nation's cultural heritage.
He is clearly a national
treasure. In addition, Ardon was very
active in many other spheres of music: He played tenor horn for the
Philharmonic Orchestra; he sang and played bass for the Kingstown Chorale;
he sang with the Methodist and Anglican Church choirs; he was part of the
group that provided musical accompaniment for the two musical
classics - the Gondoliers and the Mikado; he was a foundation member of
the Blue Rhythm Orchestra, in which he played a range of instruments;
and, he was instrumental in reviving the "Cavite
Chorale" at UWI, Barbados, in the mid 70' s, after many years of
the group's dormancy.
Cricket Ardon made
the national cricket team while he was still at school. He was a
brilliant, but patient batsman who made several centuries and
could occupy the crease for Weeks. Eddie Sealy and Molly
Arthur suggest that his 121 not out, in St.
Lucia, as a schoolboy, is one of the
best innings they have seen. He was an excellent gully fielder, team
player and off-spinner.
He was a member of "Malverns" for years, but left it to form a team,
which he called "Lancastrans". It
was believed that he only formed a team in order that he
could captain his own team. He easily made the Windward
Islands cricket team and was the first player to make a
century in each of the countries where the tournament was held. He
was a key player on the first Windward Islands team
that went to St Lucia
to play against Pakistan.
That game was played around Carnival time and the team
was stranded in St Lucia
as the boat in which they had to travel was unavailable. The
team members grasped
the opportunity to demonstrate to St Lucians
how to jump on the streets for Carnival.
Previously, the St Lucians merely drove around on the backs of trucks
with music. So talented was Ardon, as a
batsman, that Frank Worrell journeyed from Barbados
to St Vincent to look at him play in order to consider him
for selection on the West Indies team. However, Ardon
advised me that shortly after he began to bat and had made only
16 beautiful runs, the skies darkened and it began to
rain; thus, the game had to be abandoned and, he lost
his chance. He soon left the game.
Incredibly, many years after
he had stopped playing competitive cricket, he went to the UW1 campus
at Cavehill, Barbados
to study mathematics. Having nothing else to do on afternoons
at campus, he would join the cricketers at their
practice sessions on the field just outside his dormitory. Soon, he
was to walk on to the Cavehill
cricket team. He was easily selected on the combined UW1 team
to play against the touring New Zealand
team, in Jamaica.
In that game, he made 40 odd, not out, which prompted
many observers to suggest that he should be on the West Indies team.
He was also highly rated by the New Zealanders, who claimed that they
had never seen a batsman, his age that was so technically correct.
At that time, he was fast approaching his
fiftieth birthday.
Ardon
married his former student and fellow teacher, Eileen George, on the 17th February 1962. That
union produced five children - three boys and two girls. But, like
so many good Christian sinners, his numbers were in excess
of those. I suspect Ardon might well argue
the mathematical (or medical) concept - synergism? Despite all
his remarkable achievements, there was little or no recognition, save
from his friends and family who were very proud of him. Through
it all, he remained a calm, reserved, humble man. Even when most
people felt that he was blatantly wronged and even sought to spur
him into action, he remained calm and showed no
outwardly visible signs of disgust, anger or hatred, nor took
any unpleasant reaction; He seemed oddly to take everything in
stride. Many of his friends are of the opinion that his staunch
membership of Solomon's Cloister Lodge #1, since 1960, might
have further contributed to his innate meekness and modesty.
Ardon
passed on to the great beyond on the
11th February 2004. He leaves to mourn his wife,
children, brothers, sisters, other family members and
friends. All who knew him would miss him dearly. What a
man!
He was indeed a man
of infinite resources, sagacity, pulchritude, tenacity and
talent. May God have mercy upon his soul? And... May
he rest in peace.
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