San F'do street named in honour of pan icon Achaiba

IT was an emotional moment for his family on Wednesday as a street in San Fernando was named in honour of panman Steve Achaiba.

Achaiba was one of the first pannists to win a national Panorama both as a player and arranger. He played for Panorama champions Guinness Cavaliers under the captaincy of Lennox “Bobby” Mohammed in 1968 and, as leader and arranger of then Maritime Life Hatters Steel Orchestra in 1975.

Hatters was the last south steelband to win a national Panorama title, with Achaiba’s arrangement of Lord Kitchener’s Tribute to Spree Simon.

His widow, Candace, said she was honoured that her husband, whose career spanned over three decades as an arranger, was finally acknowledged for the work he did in the pan industry.

Streets in the city have also been named in tribute to steelband giants Bobby Mohammed and the late Ken “Professor Philmore.

At the unveiling ceremony, Candace recalled that from his youth, Steve, who died in July 2018, dedicated his entire life to the pan fraternity.

“In those days everything was done for the love of music. There was no reward in that.”

Candace, a music teacher, and two of their children, Jonathan and Adriana, are continuing his legacy through the House of Music School he established.

Achaiba was also a pan tutor at a university in Ontario, Canada, and Adriana, who has a master’s degree in steelband from the Berklee College of Music, also teaches music at Iere High School, Siparia. Jonathan teaches at St Joseph’s Convent where he also arranges for the convent combined steel orchestra for junior panorama.

Both Jonathan and Adriana thanked San Fernando mayor Junia Regrello and the city corporation for the gesture.

“Words cannot express just how grateful we are that my dad’s hard work is not being left unseen or unspoken. I feel honoured to be a citizen of TT, for my dad’s name to be on a street and for people to ask why so a story could be told,” Adriana said. “This is a way of carrying on his legacy where people who were not in his generation or era would be able to ask how this street got its name.

“This is very emotional and really a beautiful moment for us.”

Regrello, explaining the rationale for naming the street – stretching from Independence Avenue to Lady Hailes Avenue – said most of the city streets are named after politicians.

“But there are other people who shaped the landscape of the city,” he said, including people who contributed to the culture.

He said the compensation for arranging a winning steelband could never compensate for the amazing contribution and sacrifice Achaiba would have made over the past decades.

“We have to find ways to celebrate that.”

Regrello said he was happy the Achaiba family accepted the proposal, considering that the street named after him leads to Hatters panyard and also to the Roodal Cemetery, which his grandfather, former mayor Timothy Roodal, donated to the city to bury the poor.

At the time of the donation, Paradise was the only cemetery in San Fernando, but was reserved for the burial of the more affluent citizens.

“There are so many positives here and other areas that connect Steve with this achievement and the significance of naming the street after him,” Regrello said.