Michael Jay Williams campaigns to fix broken public timepieces

THERE'S a saying that a broken clock is right twice a day, but to Michael Jay Williams, it serves no purpose.

The 92-year-old, who runs a business called Timekeeper TT, has been voicing his displeasure with what he calls "ghost clocks" throughout the country for several years. But more importantly, he has also been voicing his willingness to fix them once he is able to access them.

If his name sounds familiar, he was Senate President from 1986-1990 under the NAR (National Alliance for Reconstruction) government.

Williams has installed and restored many clocks in places that include the Beacon Lighthouse in Port of Spain, the Arima Arch, St Michael's Church in Maracas Valley and the Guardian Group clock in San Fernando.

As for restoration, he has worked on the Arima Dial, the RBC clock in Point Fortin, the clock at the Gerry Pantin CIC Grounds and even one in Jamaica, at Barnett Street in Montego Bay.

Williams said after retiring from Century Eslon Ltd in 2012, he began "looking for things to do with his time," and so he began tinkering with clocks.

Gradually, he also taught his grandson Zach Pantin and sent him to do courses to improve his skills.

Williams has identified four "ghost clocks": the four-sided John Donaldson clock tower on Wrightson Road, the Queen's Park Oval clock, the Industrial Court clock on St Vincent Street and the UWI, St Augustine campus clock.

"It's frustrating, and the clocks have become like ornaments," Williams told Sunday Newsday.

He said he and his team have given estimates of the cost of the necessary repair work to the respective buildings' facility managers: $3,915 for the UWI clock, $70,000 for the Industrial Court clock, around $30,000 for the Oval clock and $100,000 for the John Donaldson clock.

Pantin said for 2020 Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) matches, the organisers were embarrassed to have a non-functioning clock at the Oval.

"It stopped early in the year and we told them it stopped working, and only about a month before the games were they interested in having us come and fix it."

But what was made available for them to fix it was a brief lift to the clock, which did not last long enough for the repairs it needed.

"It's kind of like a mechanic and a car (and) giving them one shot to fix it in two-three hours. I mean, you have to come back for something. It can't be done in one go," Pantin explained.

When they said it could not be immediately fixed, the team was asked either to remove the hands or put a garbage bag over the entire clock.

Pantin asked, "Can you imagine international commentators coming here who are used to looking at the clocks at venues when doing their commentary, and they come here and realise it's not working?"

Instead of the garbage bag, they opted for removing the hands. The clock remains like that to this day.

As for the clock at UWI, Pantin recalled an April 2020 UWI Today publication which left Williams irritated.

He explained, "UWI had a publication titled A Time to Learn and it featured a photo of the clock – and that drove him nuts. This is a clock that hasn't worked in over 50 years – and they were promoting it on the cover of a magazine."

As for the Industrial Court, the architects told Williams their plan had included a catwalk to get to the clock, but they had not built the court, and those who did decided to omit that feature.

"Clocks are built, you cannot get to the clock, the clock stops and you just have to leave it like that," Williams said. "And until there's a problem with it, they don't give much thought."

Both men told Sunday Newsday the shortest time it has taken them to service a clock before was around ten minutes, and the longest was around a day.

They said the only excuse they're ever given when trying to highlight their willingness to fix the clocks is a lack of funding.

"Don't put up a clock for the public and it doesn't tell the correct time. It's as simple as that," said Williams.

They hope those responsible will soon begin to consider their offer of physical labour... and give them the time of day.