Reverend Wayne Ramsay is a jack of all trades. He is not the average man of God. He is a trained chef, a basket weaver, he does ceramic pottery and also sugar craft, but above all he is an outstanding floral designer, having a plethora of local and international medals in the bag.
Ramsay said that as a young boy he aspired to be a chef and floral art was his hobby. He would decorate his church for special events and for regular services. Yet, he ended up working in different government agencies. For several years, he worked in the National Insurance Scheme (NIS) and the Customs and Excise Department. However, his passion for floral art grew deeper and after retirement his hobby took root.
The retired NIS social security inspector participated in the Chelsea Flower Show in 2006 for the first time. He and his friend Jennifer Weetch entered through the Barbados Horticulture Society (BHS). Some may call it beginner’s luck but for Ramsay winning his first individual prize at the flower show was more than just mere good fortune.
“I enjoyed it very much but it was challenging. When I arrived in England the day before the competition I worked from 9 p.m. until 6 a.m. the next day. The arrangement was 7ft tall,” he said.
Although the florists were tired from the 8-hour trip, they were hungry for gold and pushed themselves to the limit. They gathered the material they brought with them and began arranging their showpiece.
Ramsay explained how he and Weetch visualised and put together the arrangement.
“The theme was subtle alchemist. I understood it to mean turning base metal into gold. I looked at the materials that would give me gold. I brought the bark from the palm trees at home. After travelling through the island, we got poppagun leaves that curl up when they drop from the tree and we brought them with us. They are brownish and goldish in colour and they are brittle when they drop. But I sprayed them gold and strand out a brass pot scrubber to connect the leaves.
“To represent fire, we used red heliconias at the bottom of the arrangement. Then we used helani tulip torch gingers. So after the red flame, you get a darker colour then with the gold you get a little orange colour. So we used yellow-orange vanda orchids to complete the arrangement. We tried to replicate flames using the flowers.”
“A member of the BHS, Margaret Walcott who has now passed, made a stand for us. We concealed the stand so that it was not visible when we decorated it with flowers,” he said.
After the big win in 2006, Ramsay was thirsty for more glory at international competitions. In 2007 he went for another individual prize at Chelsea, this time with Trevor Inniss. Unfortunately he and Inniss got silver. He received another silver last year when he entered with Jacqueline Ferdinand. Ramsay is also a part of the national team that represents Barbados at the flower show. As recent as last year and May of this year he was with the floristry squad when they captured gold. He explained that when he enters the flower show for an individual prize he enters with the BHS but when he enters with the national team, the exploit is through the Barbados Association of Flower Arrangers (BAFA). His work with both organisations has been placed in such high regard that next year June he would be the 12th World Show Chairman for the World Flower Show being in Barbados at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre.
Ramsay has turned his house into a floral museum. His basketry is on display in his veranda; while they’re dried plants he uses to make dried floral arrangements also adorning that area.
His ceramic sculptures bring life to many a room, each having its own story and portraying a different culture depending on the room. He captures the cultural depiction of an Asian elephant dressed in pretty fabrics and painted designs on its body in the living room.
Hidden in his backyard is an enchanting garden. Ramsay describes it as a sanctuary. The sounds, fragrance and sight of his beautiful plants and flowers leave you in a daze, you forget about your worries, you feel calm and relaxed. Am I in the Garden of Eden? You ask yourself.
Ramsay talks to his plants and flowers. Watching them bloom and nurturing them sparks a conversation. The plant whisperer said each plant and flower has its own personality. One may require more water a day. Others like more sunshine or shade or do better amongst grits and stone instead of in the lush soft soil.
The florist added that he drinks a glass of wine and watches his koi in his garden to de-stress himself. He has 25 of them in a variety of colours. The largest one is over a foot long. The reverend also frequents his garden to speak to God and prepare for his sermons.
The Enterprise Christ Church resident, who has a love for hats, also enjoys catering for weddings, parties and church functions.
In 2000 he earned a degree in Food and Beverage management from the Pomarine Hospitality Institute but he was making magic in the kitchen from the time he was a teenager. He said the first meal he prepared was “1 2 3”, corn beef and macaroni with English potatoes and Eclipse biscuit.
The guy who is also known for his first prizes in NIFCA for creating outstanding sugar craft art said he puts his all into preparing dishes.
“I aim for perfection and quality when I cook. It must be satisfying and nutritious because people eat with their eyes first, their nose and then their taste buds,” he said.
Ramsay confessed that his talent was derived from both of his parents. He said he watched his mother platting his sisters’ hair and watched his dad, a wood carver, sculpting mahogany pieces. He said he believes both of their craftsmanship passed onto him, which is why he is able to weave baskets and make ceramic pottery.
This minister in the Sons Of God Apostolic Spiritual Baptist Church also has a grape vine growing in his sanctuary which he takes pride in watching it bloom.
He said, “they say it could not have been done but I proved them wrong.” (SB)
