Cliff Bertrand – another great athlete of Arima

ASHTON FORD

ARIMIANS ARE today mourning the demise of outstanding athlete and educationist Dr Cliff Bertrand, who passed away on Saturday at age 84 in the US. The royal borough has now lost two of its outstanding sons in the sporting arena within two and a half months with the September 15 death of former national and West Indies cricketer Sheldon Gomes in Las Vegas, USA.

Just as Sheldon’s death brought back pleasant and glorious cricketing and football memories, Bertrand’s departure has Arimians discussing the glory days of track and field in the only royal chartered borough in the Western Hemisphere.

Bertrand – Cliff as he is affectionately called in Arima – spearheaded the formation of the Abilene Athletic Club in 1963 after his days of representing TT at various international sporting events, including two Olympics – in Rome in 1960 and Tokyo in 1964.

His early days at Arima Boys RC School under the tutelage of Johnny Brooks, Sulan Assue and Roderick Reece inspired him and ignited his interest in sports.

Later, as a student of Ideal and Progressive Secondary Schools in Port of Spain, this son of the soil from the foothills of Calvary went on to compete against the then best track and field stars from the North and often emerged victorious. It was not long before he was one of the most popular sportsmen from Arima.

But Bertrand did not rest only on his athletic laurels. He became a much-liked teacher at the Tunapuna Government Secondary School and subsequently pursued post-graduate studies in the US. He rose to become head coach at New York University, where he used his influence to secure scholarships for countless Caribbean athletes.

As head coach at Abilene, he had already overseen the development and emergence of many track and field stars who would go on to represent TT at international games, including the Olympics. Among them were Laura Pierre, the first female athlete to represent TT at the Olympics; Michael Paul, Ronald Affoon, Charlie Joseph, Ainsley Armstrong, Carlyle Bernard, Andrew Bruce, Deon Lendore, Dr Hilary Bernard, among several others.

Bertrand’s genuine love for Arimians meant that he kept in constant touch with the athletes who were under his programme. Amazingly, many of them would tell you, he even remembered their birthdays.

He also maintained contact with the successive mayors of Arima through the years, regardless of their political colour.

As chairman of the Sports and Cultural Committee of the Arima Borough Council, I remember the night in 1979 when he came close to shedding public tears. On that memorable Friday night, the first all-weather athletic track was opened at the Arima Municipal Stadium. The evening also featured football and cycling under floodlights.

Fighting back the tears, Cliff confessed that he had never thought he would live to see the day when that would happen in TT. And for it to happen in Arima was more than a lagniappe.

When the lights were switched on for the spectacular triple treat, it marked the beginning of night sport in TT, a historic Arima achievement.

From that moment, Arima became the mecca of sporting activities featuring national, regional and international stars in football, cycling and track and field.

In cycling, the country’s outstanding cyclists like Roger Gibbon, Fitz Hoyte, Leslie King, Leslie Rawlins and Ian Atherly were among the great stars who carried the TT flag with distinction.

Hasely Crawford headed a list of athletes who, along with the Arima group mentioned earlier, brought thousands of spectators to their feet in some of the most exhilarating races at the municipal stadium.

In football, it was the era when Memphis from Cocorite Road, Arima, dominated national football, winning the prestigious FA and League Cups and losing the league title by one point to the Defence Force. Arima United also made its mark at the national level in football, winning several titles.

It is for this reason that Arimians are talking and discussing how sportsmen like Sheldon Gomes and Cliff Bertrand can make incredible sacrifices in the sporting arena which prompted the then powers that be to recognise their outstanding achievements by providing the world-class facilities in Arima.

But alas both Bertrand and Gomes left us with the very sad and unfortunate situation where the first all-weather athletic track and the cricket ground at the Larry Gomes enclosure are nothing more than a memory.

We no longer have the privilege of witnessing any local, national, regional or international sporting events in Arima because our beloved royal chartered borough is seen as a glorified village that do not even cater for an inter-club game at any level.

We in Arima, like Bertrand and Gomes, still love and cherish our home town even if the name is mentioned only once in a national budget.

Like Shelly, let’s all sing our praises in memory of another great native of Arima, Dr Cliff Bertrand, trusting that his death will not be forgotten but instead bring about a rebirth of sports in the only royal chartered borough in TT.

After 132 years we deserve noting less.

Farewell my mentor, we will always cherish your excellence in sports and education.

Rest in peace.

Ashton Ford is a former mayor and MP of Arima