Quality father time pays off

Garfene Grandison, Assistant Lifestyle Coordinator

Back when I was a child

Before life removed all the innocence

My father would lift me high

And dance with my mother and me and then

Spin me around till I fell asleep

Then up the stairs he would carry me

And I knew for sure

I was loved.

From 'Dance with My Father' by Luther Vandross

Father's day isn't often celebrated as much as Mother's Day. However, this year, Outlook
is changing the paradigm and highlighting a few men in the Jamaican
business sector that not only dominate their professions, but also make
it their priority to spend quality time with their children.

• Robert Russell and Johnny Gourzong

Two of Reggae Sumfest's founding fathers are today celebrating their triumphs as biological fathers and as musical fathers of Jamaica's most successful reggae festival.

In the cut and thrust of the entertainment business, family is easily tossed aside to make way for the glorious highs and the depressing lows that accompany the industry.

Robert Russell is a father of four, who, because of his overwhelming influence, all chose similar careers in the food and entertainment business.

He told Outlook of the trying years in Sumfest's infancy and the tough choices he had to make about his time. "The sacrifices meant that you had to dedicate a lot of time and energy into producing the show. The weeks leading up to the show were hectic and, when the actual show started, you were working 21 hours per day."

However, he explains that his children were understanding as they were accustomed to the lifestyle, but spending time away from them made him uneasy. In fact, Russell points out that they were all a part of the festival in its early stages.

The limited time scenario is one another founding father of the festival, Johnny Gourzong, knows well. Gourzong spoke about the mistakes that he has seen fathers make in the industry while pursuing success.

"You have to find a way to balance fatherhood and the work, because it can consume you. You're going to have to try and find the time to spend with them, because time goes quickly and this time can't be regained when they are adults."

Gourzong explains that fatherhood takes work.

Similar to their biological role, both have played a fatherly role in mentoring, monitoring, and managing some of Jamaica's most talented artistes who have graced the Reggae Sumfest stage.

"My rewards have more to do with the development of the music," explains Russell.

"I have seen a number of artistes develop under the Reggae Sumfest banner and have gone on to become really big stars. People like Beenie Man, Tarrus Riley, and Bounty Killer, who started out early on Sumfest and who rose to fame."

Gourzong agrees that, as a director, he has played a fatherly role to several of these acts, taking them on at a very early stage in their careers, giving guidance and assistance, and like a proud parent, seeing them now able to hold their own.

"It has been very rewarding just to watch people like Beenie Man, Tarrus Riley, Queen Ifrica and others develop over the years. I remember seeing them in their early years and watching them mature enough to close shows. This is one of the good things."

He advises others in the industry to not miss out.

"Create time for your family and your children, especially the young ones. A lot of fathers neglect their children to their detriment and then try to reconnect when they are adults, but by that time they have gone their separate ways. Find a balance."

• Ann-Merita and Bruce Golding

Both Sagittarians, Ann-Merita
Golding and her father, former Prime Minister Bruce Golding, share many
similarities, from their love for family to their strange dislike for
raisins. But even though the duo shares such uncanny similarities in
personality traits, Ann-Merita is quite proud to have him as a father.


She told Outlook, "I've been blessed to have such an
amazing example of what a true father, husband and leader ought to be.
His number-one priority in life is, and has always been, his family."
She continued, "One of my greatest memories of my dad is him rushing
down the stairs to leave for some political meeting when I needed help
with my math homework. And instead of telling me he couldn't at that
moment, he turned around, came up the stairs, and spent 20 minutes
showing me how to work out the equation."

She grew to appreciate
the time her father always took to be a great dad, from laying in bed
chatting with her as she got ready to hit the town or simply just
travelling to visit her in Brown's Town where she attended boarding
school for two years.

"He may not be perfect; he has
made his own mistakes, but he has taught me the meaning of dignity,
honour and resilience. I love my father very much, and this Father's
Day, I salute him for being this little girl's greatest
example."

• Carlo
  Redwood

Carlo Redwood, LIME's vice-president of
marketing, is another busy father who knows how important family time
is. A self-professed 'big kid' at heart, he tells
Outlook that he stays close to his son by reassuring
him that he's always there for him, no matter what.

"I
have to ensure that I plan my time with family in as much detail as I
plan my work. Every day, it becomes more difficult to keep this balance,
but I have no choice but to make it happen." Redwood says his
relationship with his family comes second only to that of his
relationship with God. "Family is what keeps me grounded and they are
always there for me, no matter what. Through the most difficult times in
my life, it was family that allowed me to survive and be
happy."

Admitting that he never truly understood what
real love meant until the birth of his son Zaine six years ago, Redwood
tells us that the most important role that he plays in his son's life is
teaching him how to live life the right way - believing and trusting in
God, respecting everyone, being true to his word, having confidence in
himself, and striving to be happy in life.

Happy
Father's Day, all!