Oh, for those old glory days of St. John's Sports!!

As my boyhood friend, Hollis "Melo" Welsh-Benjamin, would testify, back in those days Gouyave fielded some truly outstanding football players. Long before Ligaroo, the Marquez brothers, and Hugh "Meehawk" Commissiong, there were ball players like my Std. 1V teacher, Ambrose Crowe, whose left foot shot was a nightmare for goalkeepers; Peter "Perry" Pounder regarded as perhaps Grenada's greatest footballer, and of course the two famous brothers.
Gouyave people used to actually argue over which of those two brothers was the better. Seon "Beginner" Francis was the natural ball wizard, but his brother Gordon "GurGur" Glean was no less a wizard too. I guess my bias was showing as I felt that GurGur was the better. After all, as he reminded me many years later, he used to let me walk with him to Windsor Park! What greater joy could a little boy back then have, than to walk with his hero!!

To my surprise if events had followed the course they were going, GurGur and I would have been related through marriage. On vacation some time ago, I was taking my usual early morning stroll when an elderly man sitting in the verandah of his Mt. Granby home said "hi" and began chatting with me. Within no time we recognized each other. The joy of meeting one of Gouyave's famous football star, Gordon "GurGur" Glean, one more time after all those long years, was simply overwhelming.
Added to that I was caught totally off-guard when he shouted "Lorna, come and meet your nephew-in-law." That was his wife who was the "Aunty Lorna in England" I did not know, but used to hear so much about.

Last week I was on the phone with George "DoBoot" Glean to express my sympathy on the passing of his sister, Mrs. Nora Glean Boney, when he told me that after leaving Grenada where he was for the funeral, he would be flying to London to attend his brother's funeral as well. I should have known I guess, but it just never occurred to me that GurGur was George's older half-brother.

As it is the nature of life, sooner or later we all have to depart for the great beyond. I thank God for letting me be on that road to accidentally re-connect with my childhood football hero, GurGur and his lovely wife Aunty Lorna, that memorable day in Mt. Granby. That's the last I saw of him.

My sincere condolences go out to "Aunty Lorna," George and the rest of the Glean family and all those connected to Gordon "GurGur" Glean. May he rest in peace.