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Born in the
community of Tankfarm on 9th February 1924, Cyril
Rogers attended the Anglican Primary School which was at that
time situated in Newlands on the Main Road and ran by Mr.
Farrow, who was the then Headmaster.
The school
remained at that location until the War in1939 broke out, when
it was moved to the Perseverance Hall (a wooden structure which
formerly occupied the spot that now houses that 3-storied
building between the SDA Church and
Labourie’s Bar adjacent to the Republic Park.) The school
building was given to the government to house the Volunteers,
and was later rebuilt at its present location on School Road.
I began my
career as an office boy with UBOT and while I had a preference
to enter the Machine Shop or in the Garage, I took up a position
in the Administrative Office of the company, where there had
been a vacancy. I was told that the position was only temporary,
as the guy who was with the company had gone on three months
sick leave. The irony of this situation was that I was never
confirmed working with the company, up to the time I retired in
1979. After one year
I became a Junior Clerk, at age 18, having done short hand and
typing on my own, while working as an Office Boy.
In the 60`s I
filled a vacancy as a Stenographer and Confidential Secretary to
the Production and Manufacturing Managers. I was attracted
to the Village Council movement and became the secretary of the
Point Fortin Community Council and the St Patrick Association of
Village Councils. During my stint with the Point Fortin
Community Council, I was appointed chairman of the Carnival
Improvement Committee, a position I held up to the time that
Point Fortin became a Borough.
Following the
1970 Black Power upheaval, Mr. W D. Best who was the Company’s
Public Relations Manager and the writer of the internationally
famed Students’ Companion, wanted someone in Point Fortin who
would more or less put the Company in a good image. He felt
because of my involvement with the community that I would be a
suitable choice. He therefore offered me an opening in the
Public Relations Department, becoming the Public Relations
Officer (South) for the Company. As Public
Relations (South) it was necessary for me to travel into Port of
Spain fortnightly, in order to produce the company’s magazine -
Shell Topics. On one such occasion Errol Mahabir met me in the
corridor, (his office and Shell’s were in the same building –
Salvatori’s) There was a vacancy for two Senators in the
Government. I was offered one, being a member of the People’s
National Movement.
I entered the
Senate in November`74. When it came to `76 general elections, I
was nominated unopposed to contest the constituency of Point,
which I won. In addition to being the Parliamentary
Representative of Point Fortin, I held the position of Deputy
Speaker of the House of Representatives up to 1986.
I have always
had a commitment to Point Fortin, starting off as a Boy Scout. I
worked at the Village Council level all the time. During my
lifetime in Point Fortin I became involved with the Cedros
Fishing Co-operative, The Point Fortin Senior Citizens, as well
as the St. Anthony’s Taxi Cab Co-operative. The twelve houses
(semi-detached cottages), built at 11th Street in
Techier, and were constructed during my tenure in Parliament. It
was Mr.George Chambers the then Prime Minister, who made the
financing available. Support also came from the Company, Dunlop
and the Banks in Point Fortin.
I was part of
the group that pushed for the acquisition of Shell in 1974.
Since then, I have been part of the development of Point Fortin
into becoming a Borough, with a lively community that is now
fully integrated. As a consequence, I could well
appreciate where we have come from, having being born here and
seeing the community develop from almost secondary forest.
My general
concern is succession to people like myself. This is my greatest
worry about life in Point Fortin.
My
greatest wish is to impact on the lives of the people just as DI
Lynch impacted on mine, but in a more, positive and honest way. |
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