The Swimming Pool

· · · August 12, 2011 at 10:07pm

- DaBlue Legacians This was where the pool was. On the first day of swim class I witness my classmate who shall remain nameless, violently splashing around drowning. We finally got him to stand up and the water was actually below his chest. One of the funniest moments of my school life.
  August 12, 2011 at 11:40pm · · 1
- Donald O'meally one member of the track team drowned here in 1983-84 i think,was recovered by garrick edwards and christopher chin if my memory serves me right one evening after training
  August 16, 2011 at 7:56am ·
- DaBlue Legacians Wow!!! I did not know that anyone drowned in our swimming pool. R.I.P my brother...Thx for that infoDonald O'meally. Is that why they closed it or do you know the reason why they dumped it up with dirt?
  August 16, 2011 at 8:15am ·
- Donald O'meally it was never used after that? his pet name was ziggy member of the track team
  August 16, 2011 at 8:16am ·
- DaBlue Legacians Thx Donald.
  August 16, 2011 at 8:18am ·
- Bobby Austin Tego If my memory serves me correct, a yute from standpipe died after diving into an almost empty pool one nite. That was in the 80's. Correct me if am wrong gents eighties crew.
  August 16, 2011 at 9:00am via mobile ·
- Barrington Bonitto That was in the 70's bro, I remember that story during my time. Also a kid got chopped to death by a caretaker one night. He ran away from home & was looking for a spot to spend the nite. The caretaker thought he was a burglar & took his life. Tales from the 70's.
  August 16, 2011 at 9:11am via mobile · · 1
- Bobby Austin Tego Thanx Barrington Bonitto. Fervet
  August 16, 2011 at 11:29am ·
- Howie Wray Yeah man Ziggy Fr. Forrest Hills Gardens, RIP mi bredrin..still remember yuh laugh and smile..cool yute..Eddie ( Stanford Edwards) pulled him out of the pool..very sad day for the track team and all of JC.
  February 8 at 8:14am · · 2
- Robert Taylor We actually had a Tappin Cup cricket match that day and I was fielding near the boundary by the Spanish Bldg. Nuff man a watch the game as usual but I recalled Ziggy walking by. I would not have recalled that - except for the unfortunate events later. I did not know him well, but as a fellow athlete (yes, cricketers are athletes) we would see each other all the time while at practice. We lost the match and coach Dawes had us in a classroom in Geography block dissecting the loss. Then we heard a ruckus outside about someone having drowned in the pool. Rushing up there I remember thinking ‘a hope a no somebody mi know’ – as if that mattered. Police were already there and he was covered. Someone blurted out to the cop to lift the covers. That’s when I realized it was Ziggy. I recall just staring at him and while there were no tears, I felt a physiological change inside. His look was such a shock it has stuck with me all these years, but I don’t think it’s appropriate to recall in this forum. I remember thinking how was this possible? How could someone so athletic & full of life an hour before, now be gone forever? It didn’t make sense. This could have been anyone of us because different groups were given access to the pool. The joyous confines of our beloved school had its demonic side after all. I recall Major Bryan was at the scene and very distraught. He kept repeating something like “what I am I going to tell his mother?” Many years later in the early ‘90’s I went to a Drax Day event when a bredrin pointed out a JC kid and asked me who him remind me of. The kid turned out to be Ziggy’s little brother and he looked exactly like him, square jaw and all! Such strength from his mom to send her other son to JC considering…I always admired that. I wish her, Ziggy’s little brother and the rest of the family all the best.
  February 9 at 7:42pm · · 2
- Ricardo Johnson true ting Robert Taylor; I was a "Pool shark" and was actually in the pool at the time..one youth kept saying that something touched him up by the deep end and no one believed him, but when the session was up he kept saying it so a prefect went to check it out and sure enough Ziggy was down there. When they brought him up I was just hoping that all the foam coming out of his mouth meant that he still had a chance but unfortunately it was too late....I think the pool was still used after that not too sure though. I heard the other incidences and believe a diving board was involved in Tego's story.
  February 9 at 10:03pm · · 1
- Wraylando Salmon I was also in the pool that fateful day. The pool had just been refilled after awhile of inactivity for our cadet camp in January. By February, there was a rotating schedule of the various clubs/teams to use the pool. At this time, cadets were to use the pool, vacate and then track team members were allowed to use the pool. I vividly remember having muscle contract near the deep end, and decided that I would get out of the pool. At the time, the track team guys started arriving, and as was the custom, we counted off the cadets as they left, and counted how many track team guys entered. I returned to the cadet HQ and was in the process of changing, when I heard a sargeant saying they need a sheet up by the pool,and also called major Bryan. I asked if someone was hurt by the pool, and he said, the worst thing that can happen to a person ina pool. By this time Major Byan had given ud orders to stay put...but since everyone followed him, I went too......I reached in time to see him fainting and being held up by the sargeants. I went and we counted again, and got the same number of track team members as when we left...16.....no one saw when Ziggy entered the pool. I ministered at his funeral, as a member of thr school choir....but in death Ziggy ministered to me....that Tuesday night the 29th of February 1984, I went to a Pentecostal Church and surrendered my life to God......I will never forget that day, nor Ziggy...RIP
  February 9 at 11:11pm · · 4
- Richard Patterson Wray, a sad day indeed but your life was saved that day. God is so awesome.
  February 9 at 11:32pm via mobile · · 1
- Wraylando Salmon That's true my friend
  February 9 at 11:33pm · · 1
- Mark C. Hamilton What goes into the fabric of our lives? The strings of events. The good and bad, the right and the wrong, the complex and the simple, as well as the tragic and the joyous. All woven together to produce something inexplicably beautiful. I remember that day. The eerie stillness that followed was beyond belief. Losing a school mate in such close proximity was dreadful. A reminder of how fleeting life is--a reminder I could have done without.
  February 10 at 12:34am · · 2
- Tony Smith I am deeply touched as we reflect on the life and times of Ziggy,i never knew him personally however i recall the sadness on hearing the news that we had lost a brother.RIP Ziggy gone but not forgotten.
  February 10 at 1:09am · · 2
- Kirk Dyer I was there. Still can't believe he drowned while there were that many of us in the pool. Never forgot that day. 28 years later and the memories of Garrick Edwards pulling his body out of the pool that evening are still very clear. Easily the most frightening thing I've ever witnessed.
  February 10 at 3:11am ·
- Donald O'meally oh yes i too remember Garrick edwards was on the swimmimg team 1 hardie and christopher chin from chambers house was also on the swimming team.
  February 10 at 3:34am ·
- Donald O'meally Ziggy was on the track team,this event happened one evening after track training
  February 10 at 3:35am ·
- Ricardo Henry So true Kirk ,just like yesterday
  February 10 at 9:55pm ·
- Aston Allen If memory serves me right, Ziggy's real name was Paul Davis. I was in 3rd Form at the time when he drowned, and I can still remember being in disbelief when I heard the news the following morning. I don't recall the pool being used after that tragedy.
  10 hours ago ·
  
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The Swimming Pool

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