Michael Goring Speaks on Hosay

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Staff Article
Interview Recorded: May 25, 2005
Posted: June 27, 2005

God has been good to me

Michael Goring

Let's watch at the Indian people. We are not being racial; we are just watching the Indian people. The Indian man makes five cents; he spends three cents. He puts aside a cent and he has traveling money ... he has a cent. He has what he wants because he sets his goals.

An African guy from a printery came here and he was very mad. He was not mad at himself; he was mad with the other Africans. He was mad about the fact that two Indians who came into the printery to work as sweepers. They would stand around the printing press every lunchtime and eat their piece of roti, and watch what is going on. Whereas, the Africans would go and sit in the room and when the bell rings, they are not coming out because they are playing some card game for match sticks or a cent. After three months, the sweeper stops sweeping and he is wiping down the machine. After three years he takes away the machine because the bosses have been watching him, and he is taking an interest in what they are doing. Whereas the other people know that at the end of the week or at the end of the month, a salary is there.

It happened in one of the banks. I was privileged to be in one of the banks and heard the managers talking. The girls and the boys who were training were being watched. At half past three they wash their hands. In the bank they watch to see who stays back to work. They will climb the ladder, whereas the rest of them will stay just as tellers.

The point I am making here is, that some people are not afraid of hard work when they want better. I am stressing here what the African guy came here and say. As far as he is concerned, the Indians are not well educated, and they are good with their hands, whereas the Africans relaxes on the job, and they are not looking to going forward on the job.

He was a supervisor at the time. He and I would always get away because he will not complain to them but he will come and complain to me. But I cannot help him. He was in a position to help them. He should not have come to talk to me. He should say to them, "Listen fellas, the people upstairs are watching and they would appreciate if you check the time, stop the card game and come in the work place." But they are not doing that. They are filtering in after the horn blows. I am saying what he told me. I tried to explain to him that I am not the one he should talk too. What he was really saying was that they have sufficient seniority to be going up the ladder, but nobody takes stock. Presently, it is like the school children now. When they leave school, they forget the book. We here will read everything and try to gather as much so that we can help ourselves. He was a supervisor; he had a responsibility to talk to the people.

I was born at Woodford Street in St. James and I lived all my life in St. James. I have been out of the country for a number of years. I went away and I studied for a year. I came back and I worked deep South. I worked for the oil company for one year and because of being rude, I started working for myself. I came back here as a Likened Welder, arc-welding. I was building some tanks and an ex-patriot came and put something on the ground. I had asked, "Kindly move that please." The response was, "No, I want to show you something." I said, "No, I do not want to see anything, I am doing something here." I sparked the rod and it caught afire and he started to get on. I told the boss, "The next time I come here, I am coming back for my salary."

I took three months salary, I opened my own workshop, and I have been doing it until I just recently retired in November 2004. I used to do motor bodywork, painting and so on. I first learned trade at Sixteen Quamina Street, then I went to Dengue Street, and then I worked at Thirty-five Angelina Street. At sixty-seven, I think it is time to stop.

My children are not into this trade. I have two sons. The big one is with the Plaza, and the other one is an artist in London. He is hoping to be able to go to France.

I have had a good run and God has been good to me. I got minor physical damage, and a friend took me to the clinic and that is how I started checking up on myself health-wise. They found that I had a problem with lead poisoning, and the doctor said I had a choice. To either stay in the workshop with three months to live, or I could come out of the workshop and live. I spoke to my wife and my two children, and I gave away every piece of tool. The painting contributed to the lead poisoning, and I have also been welding and fixing radiators and so on. All the new paints we have now are highly chemical. When you are finished painting the room is only spider web, and it is concrete and galvanize we are talking about, so you can imagine what happens inside of you. Regardless of what mask you use, the fumes still get in. Sometimes when you are finished painting certain interiors, when you come home you cannot sleep. Unfortunately we have lost a lot of people, and the doctor said they are not sure how to treat it. Because of who I am and the little knowledge I have, I am using charcoal. Some days I am one hundred percent and some days I am not; that is the price of it. I am very thankful for whenever I get up, and I am good. And even if I am not good, I am still grateful.

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