Recently I learned of Reverend Herbert Redway’s passing and was asked to submit my thoughts to his son after making two unsuccessful attempts on the memorial website. Though frustrated with the technology and struggling daily with a range of illnesses, I felt compelled to share my views on this remarkable man who helped to shape my life before I was even aware. I was told by my mother that it was Parson Wint who baptized me. However, it was Reverend Redway who I had my first memories of as the minister for Brownsville Presbyterian Church in Cascade, Hanover, Jamaica back in the late 1960s to the early 1970s. I remember him most for his eloquence and his deportment during his sermons.

His leadership of the Boy’s Brigade and his wife’s leadership of the Girl’s Brigade are permanently cemented in my mind as I recall how on selected Sundays the Brigaders would march proudly and confidently behind their flags, lined up orderly at the rostrum, and then took their seats in the designated areas. The positive impression that the Brigaders left on me as a preschooler impacted me so much that I aspired to be a member from before I was old enough to join.

As I share my thoughts about Reverend Redway, I realize that it is not possible to celebrate his achievements without mentioning his wife, Miss Lynn. I will also never forget the Redways’ leadership during Christmas Rallies. Every year while I was as young as five years old, I would look forward to participating alongside senior members of the church, practicing Christmas carols and Nativity plays for several weeks. I even remember that we would get the scripts handed to us by Miss Lynn. I also have recollections of the Redways leading choir rehearsals, Sunday School, as well as preparing youngsters for the island wide performing arts competitions.

Looking back, I now know that the Redways were more than just church leaders. They were way ahead of the times in community development and youth development. It took me over forty years to learn about the theory and practice of “life skills” and “interpersonal communication” for youth, concepts that the Redways mastered while at Brownsville.

This brings me to the topic of prestige. Reverend Redway’s communication and diction set him apart from other ministers and pastors. I remember feeling like the Brownsville congregation was different from other churches and as a young child, I would try to emulate Reverend Redway’s style. I felt like I was a part of a prestigious church community even though we were located in deep rural Hanover. I believe Reverend Redway set the precedent for other ministers to follow when they came to Brownsville. I even heard of comparisons being made by parishioners between himself and other ministers who were not on par with his level of leadership. He and his wife filled the void of parenting that was not always present in many homes in Cascade and because of them, individual families, Brownville All Age School and the wider community learned how to be better citizens.