Featured

This Month's featured family member George Haynes
.... .....	George "Bobsey" Haynes was born on September 17, 1932 in Sanguinetti, Clarendon. He is quick to point out that his actual birth date is sometime in July instead of September according to his parents but he was registered in September so that's his official date according to the records. Bobsey is the second of six children for his mother (Sister Minnie) and the third for his father. He went to school in 1939 at age seven and left in 1947 at age fifteen. After graduating he went to learn the carpenter trade for the next five years but was lured away by farming and in 1950 joined his mother selling food items at the Mandeville, Lacovia and Santa Cruz markets. He then went to live in May Pen but returned home shortly and went back straight into farming planting tomatoes, yam, cabbage and ginger and also raised pigs, cows and goats.
Bobsey then left for Mandeville in 1952 where he continued his carpenter trade. While in Mandeville he met Eta Richards and soon after had his first child Jossett with Eta in 1955. He lived and worked in Mandeville for five years then left for Barbican in Kingston in 1957. He left shortly to live in Grant's Pen then to Jones Town in 1960. All this time he was perfecting his carpenter skills and was making quite a name for himself in and around Jones Town. It was while at Jones Town that he met and fell in love with Winnifred and one year later in 1961 had the first on seven children together who they named Courtney. It was not long afterwards that Winnie got pregnant again with Karlene and Bobsey proposed and got married to her while she was still pregnant in 1962. Their third child Maurice was born in 1963 followed in Andrew in 1966, Georgia (Bee) in 1967, Margaret in 1972 and the last one Kayon in 1973. Bobsey recalls how closely knitted the family was and how he was glad to accomodate the extended family members who came from the country to Kingston from the 1950's to 1990's. He was one of the first member of the family to live in Kingston so almost everyone coming from the country either passed through or stopped with him during their stay in Kingston. Many family members can testify to the warm treatment and tasty meals served by Miss Courine and Freda and the wonderful memories experienced at Jones Town and Langard Avenue. At times his house was like a hotel filled with anyone and everyone. Bobsey also recalls the hard decision he had to take in 1966 when he had to leave his family to work in Discovery Bay for six months and the relieve he felt when the project was finally over. Bobsey's reputation as a reliable and excellent worksman did not go un-noticed and soon he was one of the most sought after craftsman in Kingston. He moved to Langard Avenue in 1975 and quickly became one of it's most reputable citizen. He helped the youths in the community and employed many of them as apprentices. A lot of carpenters and masons will tell you to this day that they owe their livelihood to "Fatta" as they called him then. He took them on many projects and a lot of the major building structures in Kingston were built with his help. As time went on and the children begin to grow he started doing less work and went in live in Havendale in the 1990's. Bobsey unfortunately suffered a stroke in 2000 which has kept him away from work since. While the illness has slowed him down physically he still is mentally alert and had even been baptised in 2003. When asked to recall some of the most memorable moments in his life he said: Happy - The birth of all eight children Sad - The death of Mother Sister Minnie in 1981 Childhood - Going farming with parents and siblings Adult - Helping the youths to learn a trade Family - Assisting many of them to get a start George "Bobsey" Haynes has been a tower of strength to the entire family and has a living example of how people should exist by helping others along the way. Big up Uncle Bobsey, Fatta, Daddy, Mr. Haynes.....love always.