Out of the shadows

Jayron “Rawkus” Remy wears a few hats: he is a host on TTT’s Now Morning show, an audio technician at the National Academy of the Performing Arts (NAPA) and a DJ. - Mark Lyndersay
Jayron “Rawkus” Remy wears a few hats: he is a host on TTT’s Now Morning show, an audio technician at the National Academy of the Performing Arts (NAPA) and a DJ. - Mark Lyndersay

AS TOLD TO BC PIRES

My name is Jayron “Rawkus” Remy and I am the communications officer of the St Mary’s College Past Students Union.

I also have day jobs. I’m on TTT’s Now Morning show and an audio technician at the National Academy of the Performing Arts.

I also DJ and do sequencing for 3canal and Freetown Collective. And play bass for Freetown.

I went to Boston for school for two years and lived by my aunt in Cascade for a couple months but, other than that, it’s been Simeon Road, Petit Valley, my whole life.

I agree with BC Pires that Simeon Road has connotations of music, through Sparrow, but also connotations of “potow-pow.”

Luckily, my parents always kept me busy with after-school activities, so I was too tired to lime on the corner.

My dad, John Remy, didn’t live with us, so it was just me and my mom, Allison Eckstein, in the house after my grandmother passed.

But one of my cousins lived right next door. And the daughter of the lady in front was around the same age, so I never felt like what Trinis call a “lonely” child.

My wife, Jadelle Holder-Remy, and I have a five-year-old daughter, Jaleia.

If more come, I will not be opposed. But I’m cool with one child.

Primary school was Holy Name Prep, but that certainly does not mean I’m a Catholic. It means I know a lot about Catholicism.

I was actually baptised Anglican ‘cause both my parents were at the time. I think my mom got baptised as a Baptist or a born-again Christian or something like that.

I started DJing in form four. My father told me, if I was going to do something, I should study it properly. I got accepted into a marketing course and an audio production course. My dad made the sound engineering decision easy because he could only afford one.

University fees! All that I studying when BC Pires talk about having more children!

I don’t believe in religion but I do believe in God. Religion is a control mechanism for society.

People who say they have a deep personal relationship with God scare me a little bit. I find it difficult to believe there’s a man in the sky controlling everything.

I don’t know if it’s because I’m a Pisces that I love water so much.

One of the first things I did after entering CIC in 1997 was join First Trinidad Sea Scouts because I loved swimming.

If BC Pires says what people might call “the cream of Trinidad society” isn’t going to CIC now, but to the American or Canadian or British school, I say, “What makes them the cream?” And that there is still a network of movers and shakers at CIC. People in the “one per cent,” if you call them.

But the more interesting ones for me are the ones who got up and got things for themselves – even if their parents had things. Being leaders or even just being noteworthy in their field.

The guys I went to CIC with who worked hard to make a difference matter to me.

Bassel De Graf, one of my best friends from school and my best man at my wedding, is in France.

(Soca parang exponent) Rome has been internationally recognised by VH1 on their reality show Girls Cruise. That’s a big deal, whether it’s your cup of coffee or not. Not many in Trinidad end up on a show like that. To have people like Kenny J and Scrunter endorse him signifies how he has achieved something and grown his soca parang.

(CIC PSU President) Gregg Mannette is a pretty big deal in Guardian Life and has his own agency.

I only recently joined the PSU. I never knew what they did, never saw the value in it. I was kinda busy being a 20-something-year-old trying to build a career. I was nominated to be on the management committee and accepted it in March 2021.

In the past, the role of communications or public relations officer of an old boys’ association would have been organising the communication and marketing for Feteing or Dining with the Saints.

We’re not having that kind of fundraiser, due to the pandemic, so I’ve been trying to build the awareness of the past students’ union and grow the membership by ramping up the social media presence.

Jayron “Rawkus” Remy is communications officer of the St Mary’s College Past Students Union.
- Mark Lyndersay

My intention for 2022 is to recognise past students who have contributed positively to the landscape in the PSU Hall of Fame.

I want to make past students feel they can be part of helping the school. You went there, and CIC did contribute something to your existence and so you should pay it forward to the future.

I want past students to know how bad we need their help. The school is funded by a government subvention that has not changed for however many years and the cost of everything has gone up.

Ian De Souza, current Chamber of Commerce president, is leading the charge to direct fundraising from old boys.

So far, I will admit that the best thing about being on the PSU has not been anything that I have done but to be able to be part of certain initiatives.

James Walker has done three Rethink installations targeted at students doing exams before they go to university. To kinda give them an idea of the headspace they need to be in, (supply) a wider scope of what is possible for their future.

A lot of students, eg, think that university is (a choice of) the US or UWI. James put together a panel of St Mary’s College past students who went to university in Holland, Brazil, Germany, all sorts of places.

The drawback of being communications officer is trying to find the time to do the things I want to do. Or the resources.

I’m a little bit worried and a little bit optimistic about Trinidad and Tobago. I have hope that we can get to a better place.

How, I don’t know, when 45 per cent of the country is classed as anti-vaxxers.

People tend to look for hope in the creative industry. But the people I talk to in the industry now, they are lacking hope. So how can they give it to other people?

My role in all of this is, how do I help to make it better?

I don’t take for granted the platform I have (as TV personality). Even if it’s only 20 people watching the show, that’s 20 people I can talk to or influence.

(Same thing with) the CIC PSU: if there are ten people following on Instagram, that’s ten people we can get a message to.

A Trini is an oxymoron. A Trini is wanting the best of everything without giving the best of yourself.

Trinidad and Tobago to me means balance, a dread balance we have to find. Balancing good and evil, right and wrong, the culture and the people.

We’ve been working at it throughout the years. Hemming and hawing and yinging-and-yanging and PNM-ing and UNC-ing. Everything has been a part of the search for balance. Trinidad
and Tobago. The good
and the bad. The balance. Then we’re there.

Read the full version of this feature on Friday evening at www.BCPires.com

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"Out of the shadows"

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