From the time Wayne Norville knew himself he always loved animals.
At 57, Wayne still speaks of his passion and profession with a sparkle in his eye that he hopes will never fade.
For Wayne, animals have transformed him into a better person.
“Animals give me so much energy. They teach you about compassion, love, and they are not judgemental. They have made me better,” he says, reflecting on the years he has spent around his faithful friends.
It is a love that was moulded and shaped by his parents Sylvia and Leon, who were married for 66 years.
“My parents believed a house was not complete without a dog or a cat”.
Casting his mind back to his days at Combermere School, he recalls his headmaster – at the time Stanton Gittens – owning two German Shepherds.
“I befriended them. While others would run from the dogs, I remember going in through the gate and petting them. Mr Gittens was annoyed and my punishment was grooming them every Saturday,” he fondly remembers of his chastening.
He also recalled walking to and from school daily with animals as his companions. He laughed, remembering they would even wait for him while he was in school.
Growing up, Wayne had every type of animal, including turtles and even a monkey and a goose at his home sometimes to his mother’s annoyance.
“She would say, ‘don’t bring another one in this house. I can’t feed myself, you all and the animals too’. But the secret was to get the animal in. Once I got it in, I would tell her, ‘I can’t put it back out on the road because it might get hurt’.”
He started at Combermere at nine and half years from Wesley Hall. There was no orientation and the adjustment was sometimes difficult; he was on welfare and sometimes would get into trouble.
But then entered the saviour to Wayne and several others, “Mr Sealy”.
It was Mr Sealy who got him into volunteering at the RSPCA at the tender aged 13. This Chief Inspector at the Royal Society For the Prevention and Cruelty Against Animals (RSPCA) later started working there in 1971.
Wayne is on call 24 hours every day but admits that the calls have decreased in recent times. The 15 to 20 calls a day have dropped to about seven to eight.
He is happy to see more people taking better care of their animals but hastens to add that there is still room for improvement, mainly through legislation and policing.
While his work with animals consumes a huge part of his life, Wayne still finds time for his hobby of carpentry and for his wife of 13 years, Patricia.
He grins, admitting that some people are surprised to hear he is married.
“I am a noise maker and in your face person, while she is quiet”.
It is an ideal Wayne never thought he would enjoy since he only saw himself with dogs and cats.
He met Patricia while attending a Bajan dance while on vacation in England. When she walked in with her girlfriends he told his friend, “I would get married to that lady tomorrow.”
He recalls her outfit was brown and beige but she insists it was not.
“I went over and asked her for a dance. We had three dances and then she disappeared”.
Wayne attended another dance the following weekend and, lo and behold, Patricia was there. He didn’t allow her to slip away that easily again.
After dancing, he asked for her number and Patricia informed him she had three children. It was not a put-off.
When Wayne returned to Barbados, they courted for 13 months via letters and telephone calls before marrying in England.
For Wayne, part of life is a managing time and as president of the Brandon Paddle Ball Association he has successfully done that.
Twelve years ago though, he picked up on carpentry, a skill taught to him by his father but in which he showed no interest at the time. Today his handiwork includes the six-seater dining table, complete with the chairs he made just in time to surprise his wife on her return from a trip.
Other pieces include frames which bring out pictures of old barbados that he has taken over the years.
is most prized and coveted piece is his bed, which won him a Silver at the National Independence Festival Of Creative Arts back in 2003.
A contented Wayne says he enjoys kicking back at his Grazettes, St Michael home with his wife and dogs Sampson, Aimey and Chocolate, or Toffee, or any other name given by his granddaughter.
