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Caribbean Nationals Energise Queensland (Australia): How sweet it is!

Posted by Hume Johnson PhD on September 28, 2009 at 9:40am
"That dude with the Rasta head band is Trini", the operator of Jamaica Joes restuarant and pub in the North Queensland city of Townsville Australia, American Christopher Haddad, shouted to me in a packed pub of Australians out in numbers to watch the Townsville Air show put on by the Australian Defence Force (Townsville hosts the largest army barracks in Australia).I saw the head band with the signature Rastafarian colours - red, green and cold - but it was draping the head of a young scrawny looking 'white dude' with shaggy blond hair. Chris beckoned to him to come over to meet me and as he walked up to me, I imagined I would hear bellowing from his lips that quintessential Steve Irwin type Australian drawl. Naah.. was not to be. Jesse (as he turned out to be )walked up to me with a big grin and out came that awesome Trinidadian accent, and guess what it said: "Townsville people say my accent is more authentic"!. "You are too learned, he continued with his introductory jabs, so your voice is too cultivated and too polished".

Jesse, Trinidadian living on The Sunshine Coast, AustraliaCan you imagine the audacity, the gall, the total lack of tact and restraint. His behaviour would be frowned upon by the average Australian as rude but I laughed loudly. I loved that - going for the jugglar!; he was without a doubt a Caribbean national. 'Excuse me!?" I said more in delight than in annoyance. Jesse was of course referring to several radio commercials I voice for Jamaica Joes restaurant. (Click here for a listen or cut and paste link ). Jesse had been the voice behind the commercials before I arrived in Australia. An authentic Jamaican had arrive so poor Jesse was naturally ditched!Caribbean Nationals set up Business in QueenslandJesse is a 24 year old and arrived in Australia only two years ago (2007). He moved to Australia's Sunshine Coast (Brisbane, Queensland) with his parents. An older sister had moved to Australia ten years before and had managed to convince the family to take the long voyage south of the Equator to set up a business and begin a new life. The family had operated a furniture business in Trinidad supplying equipment to educational institutions, among them the Vocational Training College, COSTATT. Frustration to crime and corruption in Trinidad was part of the reason for migrating Jesse tells me. His parents sold their business in Port of Spain, and is now busy setting up a similar establishment on Australia's Sunshine Coast.They are not alone. A Jamaican restaurant is already on the Sunshine Coast and from all reports quite a popular spot. Jesse reports that during the severe Australian winter, there was a signed scrawled on crocos bag at the windows which jokingly read "Enjoy the winter, I gone to Jamaica where there is sun". Priceless. These Trinis as enjoying Australia. Jesse is studying international business at Griffith University but does not feel he will end up in corporate Australia. He is helping his parents ti run the family business and spends the rest of his time hanging with his mate Christopher Haddad and helps out at Jamaica Joes, and his cousin, another Trini, Dwayne - born in Singapore to Trinidadian parents. With Dwayne you can't tell that he is Trinidadian at first glance. he is white and speaks with a perfect Australian accent. Dwayne is Christopher's business partner in the Jamaica Joes franschise. (I will tell the amazing story of this popular restaurant in a separate blog).Jamaica Joes, the backdrop of Caribbean vibes in TownsvilleSuffice to say however, Jamaica Joes has provided a backdrop for Caribbean people to meet and greet each other every weekend. On Sunday last, the mood was great. We sat on the deck watching the US airwing fighter jets, The Thunderbirds, help the Australian airwing race through the sky over Townsville to the delight of residents. Man, they moved so fast, I could only capture a couple helicopters that were flying low towards the end of the show.

UK Deejay called David and his sound system called "Cry Tough" played the best and latest reggae -from Sizzler to Movado, from Tony Rebel and Queen Ifrica to Shabba Ranks and the awesome sounds of Lymie Murray. People ate and watched a DVD of Rebel Salute on a big screen. I supplied the DVD as it added to the immensely Jamaican atmosphere in the place. Australians bopped their heads to the music and soaked up the generally positive vibrations and energy that Caribbean people imbue.New Yorker of Jamaican parents - Star player for Townsville Crocodiles (basketball team)Hugging the sound system and dancing up a storm was none other than Corey Williams, star player for Townsville's basket ball team, The Crocodiles. Sporting his signature mohawk hair style, Corey Williams is a celebrity in Townsville. he moved to Australia on contract some three years from New York to play basketball. He says it was a 'great opportunity' that he did not want to pass up. Born in New York of Jamaican parents, Corey is a New Yorker through and through but Jamaican blood runs through his veins. His personality is extraordinary and with him around the pub, Chris Hadd reports that Jamaica Joes requires no 'PR".

Townsville Crocodiles player, Corey 'Homicide' WilliamsCorey's family hails from the ghetto community of Mongoose Town located south of Payne Land in St. Andrew. Theirs was a life of poverty and material deprivation. The family escaped poverty by moving to New York. Moving to Australia is part of that continued search for opportunity. His fun and charming nature belies the seriousness with which he takes his career. Success means a lot to him. he says he contributes by sending his family in Jamaica what he can and by identifying always with his Jamaican ness. That is not hard to tell. He alone occupies the dance floor. He loves Jamaican music and cares not whether he has to dance alone. As he hugs the sound system, we laugh loudly, but you can tell that the rhythms of the reggae beat runs deep in him.Curacao footballer plays for North Qld Fury (Townsville Football Club).Sitting at the corner table of Jamaica Joes is David, a very tall handsome brown-skinned guy who could pass as a basketball player. But he is a footballer (not to be confused with 'footy' - the Australian bame for rugby). Unlike Corey's extraverted personality, David is quiet and extraordinarily reserved. He hails from the Dutch Antilles, the island of Curacao, a popular destination for Jamaican higglers who go there to buy goods for resale in the arcades around Jamaica.David sat reading the couple DUO Magazines (Townsville's premier lifestyle mag)srewn across the table. I went to rest my dancing feet at his table. "I hear you are in here", he turns to me and smiled. "Yes, I am", I said as we both flipped to the page in the September edition with an article of me and a pic. We chatted for a while about Townsville and its otherwise lack of fun and vibrancy - the Australian way really (smile). "This (the vibes at Jamaica Joes) makes up for the low keyed week here", David said. I could not agree more.Townsville is an industrial town, its vibrancy lies in its very attractive employment culture. In short, people come to Townsville from around Australia and overseas for work and job opportunities. It uses a lot of skilled labour - plumbing, carpentry, masonry etc. Construction is booming in this regional city, and with the Mines in close proximity and the army barracks, jobs are a plenty.David says he basically moves anywhere there is the opportunity to play football. He was a central player in the Scottish Premier League team of Aberdeen. He speaks with a noticeable Scottish accent. His parents moved from Curacao to the Netherlands a few years ago. His sojourn to Australia is a good opportunity to improve his game and earn an income. Footballers on international contracts are paid handsomely. His team mate is former star player for Liverpool, Robbie Fowler, who now plays lives in Townsville and plays with the North Queensland Fury. Go figure.

The blokes and I went to watch them in action on the weekend. Although the team lost 2-0 to Adelaide United, David - who came on in the second half, was instrumental. His height make shim tower over the other players and a beautiful header from him just missed the goal towards the end of the 90 minutes. I was proud to sit with Trinis and watch and supporter a national from the Dutch Antilles play for an Australian team.

A few weeks before, I met another Jamaican in Townsville at Jamaica Joes. He is an older man in the mid- to late 50s. He had lived in New Zealand for more than a decade with his kiwi wife before moving to Townsville. He has been in Townsville for close to ten years. I promise to call and catch up with him and his family before I head off to Jamaica for Christmas. But for all of us, meeting each other and hanging out was already like Christmas. The Caribbean spirit is alive in each of us and seeing ecah other allowed it to rise to the surface. The depth of joy it brings to encounter your own people in a far away land is indescribable. So until next time, hope you enjoyed the tale.

________________________________Hume Johnson can be contacted at humejohnson@gmail.com. Visit my blogs at http://thecommunicationexperts.blogspot.com and Talking Politics - http://humejohnson.wordpress.com

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