The picturesque parish of St John claims a view which stretches from St John’s Parish Church to Pico Teneriffe on the north-east coast of Barbados.
It also boasts of the final resting place of Ferdinando Paleologus, the last Christian emperor of Constantinople, who requested to be buried in a standing position, and the late Prime Minister David Thompson. It is also home to the only two sun dials left on the island.
One unique thing that sets St John apart from the other parishes is that Codrington College is the only theological parish in the Western Hemisphere. It is also home to the most impressive pulpit in the island which is built from six different types of wood: ebony, locust, Barbados mahogany, manchineel, oak and pine.
This year’s St John parish ambassadors, Teri-Ann Reid and Jeff Mullin, both originally from Moore’s Land, St John, are proud of the uniqueness within their home parish.
Reid, a 19-year-old biochemistry student at the University of the West Indies, enjoys watching wrestling, playing basketball and taking care of her animals, while Mullin, a 24-year-old officer at G4S Secure Solutions, enjoys motivational speaking, the beach, football, cricket and video games. He is also well versed in cabinet and furniture making, which he studied at the Samuel Jackman Prescod Polytechnic.
They told EASY magazine they got involved in this year’s parish ambassador programme by sheer determination.
“I like to speak to people and interact with different cultures. When I got the message on Facebook, I decided to use the opportunity to sell myself to the people of St John and, by extension, Barbados. I did the interview and when I passed, I then used that as my advantage and have been able to share with people what I know,” said Mullin.
As for Reid, she said, “I have always believed that patriotism is important in Barbados, so being born and raised in St John I’ve always had a love for home. Having done pageantry, I felt there was a need to be able to represent and to contribute to the parish’s development, not just typical development, but we have a lot more to offer than meets the eye, than what people believe makes us a ‘backward parish’.”
Centred on the theme Community-Based Tourism, their parish project is entitled Tingz Bajan: St John An Uncut Diamond which focuses on the history, heritage, uniqueness and environment within St John. One of the objectives is to create a product using local fruits and vegetables to be used as a marketing tool for community-based tourism.
There was a competition among the primary schools in St John to achieve this, and St John Primary school won with their drink Sunrise Quencher. Describing the experience, Mullin said it was “phenomenal”. “I was surprised what can be done with fruits and vegetables, and it was done to get away from the sweet drinks and create a drink that is more beneficial to the health.”
“The ingredients are here and we grow them here. It was nice to see primary school children so involved in such an activity. It is so sad when school children lose patriotism and the things we would have been growing up with, where we allow ourselves to become so Americanised and European oriented,” said Reid.
“There is nothing wrong in mixing with other cultures. That’s how you learn certain things. But you need to remember where you came from, where you’re going and how you got to where you are,” added Mullin.
There is one final objective out of four left for the duo to accomplish. “The fourth objective which is to encourage persons to participate in a major local activity, will be fulfilled at a local old time fair to be held at Codrington College on November 14,” explained Reid.
“We really want people to experience St John, experience how it really was before we moved into this modern era, let it be a true Bajan affair, and we want people to come out and see what the people of St John have to offer,” finished Mullin.
On the night of the Spirit Of The Nation show, both Reid and Mullin have promised their audience “something beyond description and imagination; an uncut diamond”.
“When we become [the winning] parish ambassadors this year, we intend to interact with the other parishes, because since inception I have learnt something about each parish I did not know before. It takes passion to be a parish ambassador and I think I have that passion to promote Barbados as a tourism package,” said Reid, explaining what she intends to do after she and her partner gain the crown later this month.
“First I must be humble and be willing to learn more. Each parish has something unique to offer and the best ways to know is to mingle with persons from each parish and learn what I know to enlighten those who don’t. Like the parable of the dove and the blackbird, I would not be the dove who says “I know, I know, I know”,” added Mullin.
They both have sclerosis, an abnormal curvature of the spine.
“We see this as a bonus which we use to encourage other people who may have any hindrances which may prevent them from going forward. Some of the greatest people now started at nothing. Oprah Winfrey and Les Brown never sold themselves short and we won’t,” said Mullin, smiling.
When asked to identify one thing that has stood out from February until now, and which they would carry with them, Reid said, “Even though I have a lot of passion for patriotism and community spirit, there are so many people in the community who have that same passion and a love for their individual communities. That is something that sticks with me because it gives me hope that there are those out there who love their parish as much as I love mine.”
“For me, I would be open to take advice, and mix and learn other cultures. There is always more than one way to learn and do something. If you remain in your own way, you can lose out on so many things. I will continue to be humble and take in what other persons have to offer so I can use what I learn to benefit others,” Mullin added.