by Jean Lowrie-Chin
As the tributes poured in on the passing of Merrick Needham, it took me back to those intense days and nights preparing for Carifesta 76. The top players had some funny nicknames but the one I remember for Merrick was true and respectful: 'Merrick, the collarless cleric'. Merrick Needham who had responsibility for Logistics and Communications for the Festival featuring 40 Caribbean countries, still had time to mentor us younger ones. I remember one team member who was framed by wrongdoers and when she tearfully related her story to Merrick, he comforted her in his signature style saying, "Chin up, be brave now – we will support you." He gave us the day off to accompany her to the trial in a rural area and celebrated with us when she was vindicated.
To hear Merrick coordinating the transportation and accommodation of hundreds of participants, to observe how he prepared notes to ensure that we all understood our duties, to hear him address others firmly but respectfully was an education.
It was at Carifesta that Merrick forged a close friendship with netball legend Vilma McDonald who was on secondment from a Government Ministry to oversee the Festival's budget. They were of one mind when it came to the stewardship of taxpayer's funds. Vilma noted, "Since Carifesta, whenever Merrick was asked by the Government to manage a conference, he would insist that I was seconded to handle the budget."
Their families became close and it was only last year that Vilma's daughter, Michelle, who worked with Merrick Needham & Associates, wrote a tribute to her former boss in honour of his 88th birthday. She wrote, "One could not pass through Merrick's hands without understanding what it meant to be meticulous, to always have a contingency plan, and be excellent in every way."
Merrick cared deeply about his country; he was born in England but returned to Jamaica with his English father and Jamaican mother to escape the dangers of World War II. Merrick told me what a joy it was to ride his bicycle to St. Andrew Prep from their home on Trafalgar Road without any worry and how concerned he was that Jamaica's children could not enjoy the same peaceful environment.
After Carifesta, Merrick recommended me to serve on the Board of the Jamaica Family Planning Association (FamPlan) where co-founder Beth Jacobs leaned on him for guidance. Our trips to the meetings in St Ann with then President Peter Myers at the steering wheel were replete with stories from Merrick's and Peter's schooldays at Priory High School and side-splitting humour from fellow members Joyce Gordon-Martin and Fay Harrison. I can just imagine the stories they are now swapping in their heavenly home.
During Carifesta, Merrick was dating the fabulous Camille Needham and the two married a few years later, a power couple for excellence in Jamaican protocol and hospitality. They were both so busy in their areas of responsibility that you rarely saw them together, and so it was a special delight that Hubie and I spent some lively evenings with them.
Camille recalls that there were murmurs about their age difference, "But anyone who knew Merrick well would know that I was the one trying to keep up with his pace." I remember the love and care they had for each other and in his later years when he went through a series of illnesses, he would say, "I don't know how I would manage if it weren't for my dear Camille."
Merrick loved his children Christopher, Fiona (from his first marriage to Erica Allen) and Dominic. Yes, like most fathers he was a 'girl-dad' and appreciated Fiona's care and attention. But I also remember how touched he was when Dominic wrote him from England after he saw 'The King's Speech'. Merrick treasured that letter in which Dominic told him that it brought back memories of Merrick's coaching of prominent Jamaicans who held their own on the podium thanks to his gifted father.
Merrick was so passionate about standards that any conference handled by his company impressed overseas participants and in Camille's words, "This is why Jamaica became so popular as the go-to location for international conferences."
In the Jamaica Observer's first report on Merrick's passing, Camille is quoted as saying, "Jamaica and the world have lost a most wonderful human being, a decent and generous man." Merrick was the personification of decency, a man of his word and generosity: he would take calls from anyone who needed assistance with matters of protocol and never asked for payment. I would argue with him a lot about that, but he just couldn't help himself when it came to spreading the gospel of correct form.
We felt very much like Prime Minister Andrew Holness when he stated in a tweet, "What a tremendous loss we must now live with as we learn of the passing of protocol expert and passionate Jamaican nationalist Colonel Merrick Needham."
Merrick also had a special place in his heart for the Sisters of Mercy as his maternal aunt and late Mother Superior at Alpha was Sister Marie Therese Watson. When the then Alpha Boys School had a fire in the 80s it was Merrick who rallied a group of us to fund raise for the replacement of the building. There are still so many stories of his kindness left untold.
After his years of selfless service to the Jamaica Defence Force, Merrick Needham became the first Jamaican civilian to be commissioned as an Honorary Colonel. The Jamaica Observer reported: "The citation, read before the presentation of the commission on November 22, 2018 at the JDF's Up Park Camp headquarters in St Andrew, noted that Needham had been a dedicated supporter of the JDF for four decades and had participated in numerous military activities by freely offering his services in the production of the JDF's Alert magazine over many years, the Change of Command parades as a narrator, and the Military Tattoos in 1983 and 2012."
Merrick Needham touched countless lives. These were some of the many comments from my social media post on his passing:
Oliver Watt: "Thanks for the lessons Mr Needham. I've never again read out post nominals as you've advised."
Ambassador Aloun Assamba: "I remember being in the first Seminar he gave on Protocol for Corporate leaders in the early 1990s. What I learnt then from him has served me well over the years. When I was appointed to the Court of St James we spoke about what I should expect when I went to 'Buck House'."
Terry-Ann McDonald Tomlinson: "Merrick was the emcee at my wedding reception. He made it a night to remember. Happy memories."
On her last visit to Jamaica, Queen Elizabeth said to Merrick Needham before departing, "You have worked hard. I hope you get some rest."
Rest in peace my unforgettable brother-friend Merrick Needham. May your legacy give us the courage to make our Jamaica a banner for excellence in this New Year and beyond.
Photo caption
Merrick and Camille Needham
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