FAMILY IS IMPORTANT and seeing relatives after years apart, or even for the first time, can leave lasting memories.
This week, Street Beat takes a slightly different tack with the Watson/Clinton family reunion. It is the firstsuch event for the family, who hail from all over.
At 80 years old, Eurene Clinton-Coward was the oldest member of the family present at Folkestone Beach, St James, for the reunion picnic. She said she felt energised by seeing her family, including grandchildren, for the first time.
“I feel good to have them; it is the first time for me seeing some. The reunion is a good idea, they have to have it again,” she said.
So said, so will be done as local coordinator, Cecil Watson said they already had preliminary plans for another reunion in three years’ time. This get-together was truly a team effort as Watson worked with United States residents Janice Watson, based in Delaware, and Atley Clinton from Boston, to pull it all together.
“We have family in from Trinidad, Canada and the US. We talked about it last year and then put it into motion and we might do it every three years. So far it is going good,” he said.
The reunion started with a church service and the itinerary included island tours, limes and a dinner. Watson said the reason for it all was simple: “You want to get to know your family.”
For her part, Janice said coming together was something every family should do in order to make happy memories.
“I think we should get together for times such as this rather than when something happens and we have to get together on a sad note,” she said, adding it was challenging to organise but “everyone was on board”.
Janice said she too was looking forward to the next reunion as this one had gone so well. Her daughter, Joy Watson, said they were looking forward to acting like tourists as it had been almost a decade since they had last been home. She said Barbados had changed a lot and not all for the better as the traffic, bureaucracy and biting insects were not a lot of fun.
Clinton, the third coordinator, said the reunion was something which had been in their minds for a long time.
“This was something we always wanted to do, something to bring the family together to create unity. This is what family is all about,” he said.
Clinton said it was “difficult” to have family members and not know them and in this, the reunion was a success, although it there was room for improvement.
“I am happy with the numbers, even though I understand not everyone can participate at the same time. We can look now at some of the things we could have done and do it better next time. It will be bigger and better,” he said.
Athelston Clinton, who hails from Trinidad, said he was a “CARICOM man” and was half-Bajan.
“When you speak about family, you speak about the world and I would have met some of my family for the first time. We go a long way as a family and we tend to take strength from each other,” he said.
Alene Watson, 75 and Savinia Clinton, 77, are among the senior members of the family. They said it was worth the trip to be back home and they were looking forward to a “good sea bath” and learning about Barbados again.
“I have not been here for nine years so it was a beautiful trip for me,” said Savinia.
