The netball community has been thrown into mourning with the news of the passing of one of its most faithful servants, Everton Oakland Carter.
Rocky, as he was known by everyone around netball, returned home on Monday after a two-week stay in the hospital. The 74-year-old, who is originally from Long Gap, St Michael, suffered two strokes in as many months.
A tailor by profession, he wore many hats in the netball area. The former coach, manager, official and jack of all trades around the sport, was described by former Barbados Netball Association president Annette Beckett as “the bedrock of netball for over 40 years”.
“Rocky was a father figure, a counselor, a person who gave to the sport willingly without seeking payment or favour. When a request was made of Rocky he responded to the best of his ability. From the days when netball was played at Bay Street and the shift to the Netball Stadium, Rocky and netball were inseparable.
“He was often in charge of court three during my tenure and he would always remark, ‘Nuh foolishness, Madame President!’ That meant that he was taking full control to ensure the success of everything. That was Rocky,” said Beckett.
He taught the new officials to keep time and score and insisted on accuracy and tidiness on all score sheets.
Rocky was associated with Northern netball, in New Orleans and the Barbados Workers’ Union (BWU) Netball Tournament. In 2014, he went to St Lucia with the BWU team.
In an interview with The Nation in 2010, Rocky said he was drawn to the sport when the woman he was courting at the time invited him to watch her play.
“I love the game. That is the only game I support right now. I was never a lover of football and I’m fed up with cricket. I used to watch basketball, but I lost interest in it. Wherever netball is, from St Lucy to St John, I would watch it,” Carter said. “I think I love netball more than the girls. I just love the game.”
He did not remember who asked him to officiate, but it was a challenge he readily took up.
One of his dreams was to see netball become the No. 1 sport in Barbados, but he was of the view it does not get the support it deserves.
He leaves to mourn one son, a grandson and the netball community. (KB/SAT)
