Barber, 89, recalls: 'I cut Manning, Abu Bakr's hair'

Being a barber for over 70 years comes with its achievements and a unique history from the beginning to date. Now you may be wondering where you can find this heavily experienced barber and if you guessed Marabella, you would be right.

From the age of 14, Basdeo Boney has been a barber. Back then, he was also a tailor, but he retired from that shortly after starting that business because it was too expensive for his customers at the time.

Speaking to Business Day at his barbershop at 21 Union Road, Marabella, Boney said, “Well, I was duncy-head to start with, so my father took me out of school and said, ‘Look, you go and learn tailoring.’ And after tailoring, he told me I have to learn barbering.”

Recalling his business from its inception to now, he said, “Although I was duncy-head, if I didn’t obey my father, I wouldn’t be here today enjoying the best of everything.”

On our visit, Boney had customers who have been with him for decades. He said they would have first begun paying him six cents for a haircut, and now pay $60.

Boney said, “We don’t give our customers any problems. Whether he have money or not, if he wants a trim, he is entitled to it.”

With his vast wealth of knowledge and experience, Boney said the only negative memory he has from when he began his business is being fined by Constable Phillip – a name he said he will never forget. He said back then a haircut would cost 25 cents and the fine was $15 or five years in jail, but with the help of his customers who were around at the time, he was able to pay off the fine.

“It hurt to know that as a young fella, this is what I had to face. If I wasn’t strong enough, I was going to leave barbering, because it hurt me to know I was willing to grow and a police came and charge me. That was one of the worst experiences. But otherwise, with my trade, customers and my people around me, I couldn’t expect a better society than where I am.”

Boney said his customers are like family to him and has a great love for them as they all joke around with each other and some have even grown up with him being their barber.

One of his customers who was getting his hair trimmed during Business Day’s visit said he remembered coming to the shop as a boy with his father. Burl Hosein said his father was strict and told Boney to give his son a short haircut, but Boney refused and asked Hosein what he wanted. Hosein said that was the first time he saw someone stand up to his father.

He said he asked Hosein, “Young boy, what do you want?”

Boney said it is about learning what your customers want and understanding them.

Aside from his usual clientele, Boney has done trims for people such as late prime minister Patrick Manning, late leader of the 1990 attempted coup Yasin Abu Bakr and the infamous drug trafficker and convicted killer Nankissoon Boodram, also known as Dole Chadee, among many others.

“I have met people from all over the world, from Russia go right back. I have a lot of experience with talking to foreigners, I got to learn about their cultures and their lives. It is so nice meeting people, talking to them, listening to them and doing my job. I’ll tell you, if I do come back in the next life, I want to be a barber.”

He fondly remembered joking with the late Manning and telling him he needed an appointment for his haircut.

Boney said he was and is still good at what he does, but does not take the recognition for his work because he feels as though it is not worth much after receiving. He was also invited to the 1996 Trooping the Colours for the late Queen Elizabeth II.

When asked if he ever thought about going back to school, he said being a barber has taught him everything he needed to know about the world because of the people he met and spoke to at his barbershop.

“If you’re observant, you learn everything because when people come in and they are talking and gossiping, you learn from them.”

Boney also sells barbering tools in his store next to his barbershop where he has a collection of machines, clippers, scissors and anything needed to complete a barber set.

When asked if he thought about passing on his skills, he said once the person is willing and has the time, he will teach them.

“People come here and they want to learn barbering and sometimes when I am showing them, they are on their phones. That’s why I become kind of cruel to some because I know how important it is to learn a trade. And when you come to my shop to learn a trade and you messing around with it, I don’t need you, I won’t force you to learn for your future.”

As for his children, he said they have all migrated and are on their own paths.

Boney said he is actually working on a book that will tell take readers through the development of Marabella from his point of view. He jots down anything he can remember and once he feels satisfied he has everything, he just needs someone to put all his notes in order.