Myton legacy continues with donations to Old Harbour schools

The Old Harbour Bay Road Race, the brainchild of two-time Olympian Neville Myton, made donations to schools in the area last week. The donations to Old Harbour Bay Primary School, Prophecy Basic School and Baptist Bay Basic School are part of ongoing assistance provided by the organisers of the event.

The contributions were presented last week by Dennis May, one of the event’s organisers and Myton’s cousin, Shane Senior, who lives in the area as Myton once did. The donations were made even though the COVID-19 pandemic has made it impossible to stage the road race since 2019.

“It is part of our mandate that, whenever we have the road race, that we would also make a donation to the three schools in the area”, May advised.

“Even though we didn’t have the road race, we still have that commitment,” he said.

“We’ll be eternally grateful to him because, as you know, it’s the non-government organisations that actually help to sponsor the schools, because the ministry does provide but there are times when a friend can come in to help and they have been very helpful and we’re happy for it,” said Sandra Clarke-Morrison, headmistress at the primary school. Kerry-Ann Desouza, who accepted the donation on behalf of Prophecy Basic School, sang the praises of the man who died of cancer last year. “We lost a great person in Mr Myton. For the past years, as a member of the community, he organised the road race and all of that. I mean, people come out to support it and it’s good that, even though he went away, he still remembered his community,” she said.

At Baptist Bay Basic School, the funds will be deployed to improve conditions at the institution. “Around the back, it is a little messy when it rains. So we are going to use a part of this cheque to buy some sand and cement to fix around the back for the children to have a better walkway to go to the bottom class,” said Principal Yvonne Bartley. “He has been a tower of strength for Old Harbour Bay,” she said of Myton.

With COVID-19 restrictions gradually being eased, May is hopeful that the event can return this year at its usual December slot.

Myton, who attended Old Harbour Bay Primary, set a World Junior record in the 800m during his days at Excelsior High School and ran in the 1964 and 1968 Olympics. He is widely known for his support of athletes, including two-time Olympic champion Veronica Campbell-Brown and 2009 World Championships 200m finalist Simone Facey, who also won a 4x100m gold in 2009.

- Hubert Lawrence