Margaret Cutting cried tears of joy on Sunday afternoon.
Tricked into believing the function she was attending at Sunbury Plantation House was for someone else, she had no idea what was awaiting her when she arrived.
When bugler Dwayne Burke played the fanfare, Cutting looked up, saw many familiar faces smiling and cheering, and promptly burst into tears as it dawned that she was the guest of honour.
Members of her family; children Bryant and Brianna; Bryan Holder; Father Mark Harewood; George and Maureen Shepherd; Winston Carter of the Barbados Tourism Authority; other close friends, and of course the Pine Hill St Barnabas Netball Club were all present to celebrate their love for “Coach” with tributes.
Under the theme This One Is For You, one by one, they spoke of a selfless, loving person who went beyond the call of duty, persevering against the odds to help others.
A former national netball player, now coach, Cutting is honing the skills of the next generation of players, many of whom have themselves worn the national colours at the Under-16, Under-21 and senior levels.
“I want to thank you all for the opportunity to be here and share this great moment with you. I see a lot of faces here that started way back in netball with me in my playing and also coaching.
“I didn’t plan for this. I am still a bit nervous. I want to thank all of you. You will still remain my friends despite what you did to me,” she said to laughter.
Overjoyed
“I am really, really pleased. I am really, really overjoyed. These are tears of joy. ”
Cutting wasn’t the only one reduced to tears. Her brother Mark, who spoke on behalf of a family not financially rich, but rich in values, said: “I am glad this was done while she can see, hear and appreciate it. She was outstanding not only as a club member, but as a member of the family.”
As he wiped his tears, he urged his sister to keep doing what she was doing, and also encouraged the netballers to worship at St Barnabas Church, recognising the pivotal role the church played in providing a court and lighting for the club.
Tributes followed by national players Samantha Browne (in dance) and by Shakira Shaki-K Boxill (in song) as well as Monique James, all of whom are coached by Cutting. Former Lodge School student Shemar Gollop also did a beautiful rendition of Eric Clapton’s Tears In Heaven, on alto sax.
As master of ceremonies Holder kept proceedings moving along with lively anecdotes; he was one of several who apologised to Cutting for the many white lies they had told her in the previous weeks in an attempt to keep the secret.
In a trip down memory lane, Denise Alleyne recalled how she and several players camped out in the verandah at Cutting’s house in 2000, pleading with her to coach the team after Anna Shepherd had departed. Alleyne, like Nisha Cummings, Stacy Forde and several others, thanked Cutting for the role she played in their development.
On the projection screen, former club president Merle Jordan, Maureen Bourne, Forde, her children, Anna Shepherd and her first coach, Aubrey Grant, also spoke of Cutting in glowing terms. Shepherd urged Cutting, a former Under-21 coach, to take the next step and return to coaching at the national level.
Marvalene Neblett played alongside Cutting for several years at St Barnabas and the national level. Now president of the St Barnabas Netball Club, she outlined the successes over the years with Cutting at the helm and reported another good season for the club which won trophies across most of the divisions.
