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Find out more about your fellow Combermerian |
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Combermerians in Memory |
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Mike Owen |
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Farewell To Mike Owen On Tuesday, May 31, at 9.30 a.m., Combermerians will come together at the St George Parish Church to pay their last respects and give thanks for the life of an outstanding Combermerian, the Late Mike Owen. As a youngster, I remember Mike as the gravelly voice of the Billy Goat on the then School’s Audio Visual Aids Productions. It was a role which I believed he enjoyed. In a way, it was through this that he brought his passion for the arts to the wider Barbadian audience. This was my first encounter with Mike and when I eventually met him in person and heard his voice in the flesh so to speak, I said to myself, he truly fitted the part. Once I became an Old Scholar, I frequently met Mike on the street, in the work environment and more often than not at Combermere. On these occasions , he always took time to enquire how things were going, especially so, since by that time I was working with the Government Information Service, a close relative some would say of the then AVA. After his retirement, I often met Mike along with a past president of the CSOSA, Ian Sinckler who came together on work related projects, joining their expertise for the benefit of clients. Mike remained a quiet, easy going, and respectful individual to the end, qualities of the man which stood out to the very end. Yes, he contributed greatly to the development of hockey in Barbados, embraced art, photography and music. However, for me, Mike will always remain a communicator, as personified in the gravelly voice of the Billy Goat. That Combermere has lost a stalwart, there is no doubt. On behalf of the CSOSA, I extend sincerest condolences to his wife, Angela, sons , Mark and Neil and the wider Owen and Edwards family. Rest In Peace Mike. Up and On!
Ian Inniss
President CSOSA **************** To add your personal message & pictures *****************
Mike left us last Saturday 21 May around 6.30 p.m. at the QEH after a fairly long battle with Alzheimer's. I remember when he came to Barbados and joined Combermere as I was leaving Waterford in 1960. He was very instrumental in developing hockey in Barbados working alongside the famous Jack Adams. Mike married Angela Edwards the dear sister of my very close school buddy Gregg Edwards and it is little wonder that Gregg supported Mike in the sport and he too became a hockey star. The game of hockey expanded to the point where Combermerians also joined other sports clubs and found themselves playing against their own Combermere Old Scholars. Somehow Mike managed to maintain a cadre of players who were always able to defeat their colleagues from the other clubs and Combermere stood head and shoulders above all others on the field of hockey all through the strategies of Mike Owen. His other interests as I recall them were extended to football, art, the theatre, music and dancing. When he left the teaching practice at Combermere he worked with the Ministry of Education as the head of their Audio Visual Department preparing loads of educational material used in our schools. He was not only a very hard worker but a man who could be approached for any assistance. As a photographer he took upon himself to record many events on his own steam. His family is richer in history for Mike's documentation and so is the country. He had many interest of which music, both classical and jazz, were all part of his collection. I had the previledge of sitting with him on a very special Committtee which was formed to pilot the career of Sean Jack the young organist when he was leaving school and in need of assistance to go through University. We had many lengthy meetings at Combermere and elsewhere and each of us took on the mantle of a surrogate father and mother of Sean in a effort to ensure that he secured a Scholarship and that he had the necessary funds to see his way through the various Universities. Mike Owen supported me when I contrived to introduce the first wide screen projection at aclassical concert with Sean at St. Patricks Cathedral. The rest is histroy and after that success it became an expected feature in Sean's concerts and those of other organists too. the audience had a better appreciation of the footwork in plaing the grand instrument and wanted to see it everytime. The late Erskine Callender was a tower of strength on the technical aspects of the venture while Mike was with us all the way in lending his support. He leaves to mourn his loving wife Angela and sons Mark and Neil and grandchildren His funeral will be held on Tuesday 31 May at 9.30 a.m. at the St George Parish Church followed by the interment at Coral Ridge Memorial Gardens. Lena joins me in extending our deepest sympathy to the Owen, Edwards and their extended families on this sad occasion. MAY HE REAST IN PEACE Mike A. Williams The Communicator **************** To add your personal message & pictures *****************
Notes on Mike Owen I met Mike while I was still a schoolboy and he joined the staff at Combermere in the 60s, and I recall playing football and hockey with him on the school teams. We subsequently became close colleagues and partners in various hockey administration projects while we both served the Barbados Men’s Hockey Association (now the Barbados Hockey Federation), of which he served as President for a time. In the course of these associations we also became good friends and I can say for sure you will not meet a nicer, warmer, more affable and loyal man. I am proud to call him friend. Of course Mike, Tony Cozier and Winsmore Humphrey are frequently linked together in hockey circles as the founders of the Barbados International Hockey Festival, but I think there is no disputing that if one can determine the moment when the first germ of an idea about creating a Festival was born, it must have come from Mike. Personally I have always regarded him as the true founder, and he certainly worked as hard as anyone to make it happen. All of which leads me to an interesting character trait of my friend, for he was the humblest of men who, though he won many well deserved accolades as a highly respected and accomplished administrator, was never averse to rolling up his sleeves and doing the ‘dirty work’ which I have seen many in similar positions avoid. Mike loved hockey and was driven and totally committed in anything to do with furthering the sport. For this I have the deepest respect and admiration for the man. Most of all though, Mike was a people’s person who got on well with everyone. For sure, even though we must have disagreed on issues from time to time in our long years of association, I cannot ever remember Mike being disagreeable when he disagreed, and personally I don’t recall our ever having hard words with each other. I liked that guy! Mike had an encyclopaedic recall of all things and persons hockey, and I can tell you of many times over the years when he would bring me greetings from someone with whom we had interacted (he seemed to keep in touch with everyone), and I would struggle to recall about whom he was talking. Given the nature of his illness this strikes me as grimly ironic, but that’s life, isn’t it? Mike Owen was an all round good guy and I am blessed to call him friend. I pray that Angela, Mark, Neil and the rest of the family may know the comfort of God’s gracious loving embrace at this trying time and going forward. Blessings Winsmore S. Humphrey May 27, 2011
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In 1962-3, I spent my last year at Southampton University, UK, studying for a teaching certificate in science, which, together with my BSc in chemistry would set me up for teaching chemistry. It so happened that also on the course was a teacher from Combermere - Elon “Ben” Browne - on a one year Commonwealth scholarship in maths.
In 1963 the West Indies cricket team under Sir Frank Worrell were in England and the Combermere Headmaster Stanton Gittens was on leave to watch them play. Elon’s descriptions of Barbados, the Caribbean and Combermere got my imagination and when Stanton stated that his school needed a teacher of A-level chemistry – that was it!
And so on August 23rd I was on the deck of a banana boat with nine other passengers, all watching the Welsh port of Newport disappearing slowly into the distance. Two other passengers were also heading for Barbados - the husband to a post in Combermere’s geography department - and the wife to another school.
Ten days later the ten passengers were back on the deck watching Barbados’ new Deep-Water Harbour gradually come into view. Two Barbadians – Combermere’s Deputy Head (C DeV “Bumpy” Moore) and a Board Member – came on to welcome us and introduce us to Barbadian rum punch.
We quickly got to know the rest of the staff and places of interest in Barbados, including the new Barbados UWI Campus, initially set up on temporary surroundings by the Deep Water Harbour. I was asked to help with the instruction of the chemistry degree programme. The Campus moved to its permanent location in 1967. I was also involved in teaching in the UWI’s Extra Mural Department and setting up a Schools radio broadcasting programme.
I was involved in several activities at Combermere as well as chemistry teaching. I helped Deighton Maynard with the scout troop. This included a two week camp in Dominica. I also assisted Aurie Smith on taking the school cricket team on a tour to Trinidad and Tobago and playing for the school football team which, together with Harrison College and Lodge School, had places in the country’s top football league. I also picked up the sport of hockey which Combermere “brought to Barbados” and which is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year. I have been on the committee highlighting this.
There were many more activities in the school in which I was involved and I could hardly believe it when my three year contract ended in 1966 and I had to return to the UK – and I took a six week trip - through Columbia and then by boat through the Panama Canal to Chile and then by train and bus over the Andes to Argentina. After a few days there I took a boat that stopped in Uruguay and Brazil and then went across the Atlantic to the South of France, from which I took a train to London.
I got an appointment in a school in South London teaching chemistry. The school was a good one – but it was not Combermere, nor Barbados! And one day in February 1967 I was waiting for a train on a cold and frosty morning and I said to myself “You don’t have to live like this”. And that evening when I got home I wrote to Combermere and asked if I can return. The answer was “Yes”.
I returned to Barbados in September 1967 by a roundabout route just as I had done to get to England ten months earlier– but this time via Iceland to Boston USA and after a week in Boston by bus to Mexico and after a week in Mexico by bus through Central America to Panama and then by boat to Venezuela and plane to Barbados – and to be greeted at Seawell by several Combermere staff in a Barbados that was different in one very significant way – it now sung its own National Anthem rather than God Save the Queen on important occasions since Barbados was now independent.
Another important difference was that the UWI had its own campus and it could expand and turn out its own graduates in an increasing number of areas including graduate teachers for the schools and the need for importing them was reduced.
One significant sign of Barbados’ Independence was in the performing arts. Whereas up until then cultural performances in the areas of drama, music or dance tended to be of British works, the first ones offered after Independence were by Barbados Theatre Workshop, Barbados Dance Theatre and the Stories of Timothy Callendar – all offering themes relevant to the nation and I was very much involved in all of these – with the help of Karl Broodhagen. In fact I met my wife-to-be in the first production of the Barbados Theatre Workshop.
My second period at Combermere was from 1967 to 1970, and then I joined the Ministry of Education to produce science TV programmes. I have tried to keep in touch with Combermere during my period in Barbados, especially the Combermere Week in October. I would hate to miss the get-together in the hall – and especially the one in 1995, celebrating 300 years of the school, when I was very proud to receive an award. No other school in Barbados can count on such loyalty from past and present students.
My elder son Mark went to Combermere and I was on the PTA during that period. He was very glad to have been to the school too.
On the games side I played other sports as well – in addition to hockey at Combermere. I played football at Empire and then managed to re-introduce hockey at that distinguished club. As well as men’s second division hockey, a connection was formed at Empire with teachers at Springer Memorial School to play hockey and netball. Some of them played by entering the ladies’ competition under the name of Empire. That was a big plus for not just Springer but for Empire (a men’s club) who for years have been talking about widening the activities so that they could have ladies as members. This has been very successful since Springer has had some very talented teachers in the physical education dept – some of whom are still there. This has been a plus/plus for Springer and Empire
The last item would be the Banks Hockey Festival which was created through a committee of three persons – Tony Cozier, Whitmore Humphrey and yours truly. That was started in 1986. That achieved the status of the biggest and best hockey tournament in the region and was still going up to last August. It is still widely regarded as one of the leading sports tourism events in Barbados
Mike Owen |
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In Mike’s Own Words … Written in October 2008 on being presented an award during Combermere Week |