Turning wheels, turning heads - Renford rides great distances to meet and greet

Dave Lindo, Gleaner Writer

ROYAL FLAT, Manchester:

SIXTY-FOUR-YEAR-OLD RENFORD Allison has been turning heads wherever he goes, riding long distances on his bicycle. The man from Royal Flat, Manchester, travels on his beloved bicycle to visit family and friends, sometimes for many miles.

"I ride all over. Last month, I rode from Royal Flat to Old Harbour to look for my family," Renford said.

"I left out 4:30 a.m. and reached Old Harbour 8:30 a.m. I made a stop in Guinep Tree in May Pen and had a drink of gin, and I made another stop in Free Town and visited an old lady friend of mine. I also ride from Old Harbour to Mocho all the time."

The very talkative Renford was born in January 1948 in Mount Airy district in Mocho, Clarendon, where he grew up with his grandmother.

While attending the Mount Airy All-Age School, he was much taller than his peers and had a reputation for causing lots of mischief. He was seen as the embodiment of the popular folklore character 'Big Bwoy'.

His cousin, Hyacinth Bailey Messam, said, "He was a busy-body person and played a lot of pranks on people. However, he was also very helpful to both young and old as he was always willing to help in any way he could."

VENTURED INTO FARMING

After leaving school, Renford did farming for a living. While in his late teens, his grandmother died and he went to live with his mother in Old Harbour. There he worked in the cane fields at the Old Harbour Estate and was well loved by his employee and co-workers.

"When mi a bwoy, mi lift up all three bag a cassava one time and one bag a sugar," he said. "First time, one bag a sugar (weighed) 250lbs and mi alone lift that up. Dem used to tell me, 'Bwoy, yuh born strong'."

He also went to Florida on the farm-work programme twice in the 1970s.

"I wasn't afraid of any work, even now. When I was chopping cane, I used to do the work of two men in the amount I chopped," Renford disclosed.

"I did 13 years working with the (Jamaica) Railway Corporation, as a line or track man, where we used to fix the train line. A lot of young men run weh from dat work because it nuh easy."

Asked what he does to replenish his body after using up so much energy at times on his journeys, he said, "I mix up a lot of punch. One of my favourite is I mix Supligen with Dragon Stout and common fowl egg - things like those. I also drink a lot of different bush tea."

With his friendly personality, Renford - although not using social media such as Facebook or Twitter, which are popular among young and old today - has countless friends across the island.

Renford frequently attends wakes and also funerals "dressed to kill" and often leads the singing at both.

rural@gleanerjm.com