The Tribune

IF ANYONE appreciated Benjamin Franklin’s belief that “an investment in knowledge pays the best interest‚” it was Albert Joel Miller who worked his way up from the small Grant-in-Aid school in McKann’s, Long Island, to become president and then co-chairman of the Grand Bahama Port Authority. In 2002, Her Majesty the Queen made him a Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George (KCMG). His friends were drawn from all walks of life and crossed all political boundaries.

It says much for this outstanding man when the proprietor of this newspaper and controversial politician Fred Mitchell – whose philosophies are world’s apart – can call Sir Albert “best friend”.

Funeral services for Sir Albert, who died at his Freeport home on Tuesday at the age of 89, will be held at Christ the King Anglican Church at 11am on Saturday, August 29.

Earlier this month, Education Minister Jerome Fitzgerald claimed to be “encouraged” by the results of this year’s BGCSE exam results when the majority of those sitting the exams had an E average in mathematics and a D+ average in English. These students — unless they realise that this lack of education condemns them to a life of menial labour — will remain a restless underclass in our nation. Their lack of education is nothing to induce a feeling of encouragement in anyone — it’s a blot on the nation.

It is with them in mind that we write this article today in the hope that Sir Albert’s thirst for education will inspire them to aim for the stars, knowing that they might only hit the tree tops, but at least that will be higher than remaining in life’s gutter to which, at present, they are doomed.

Encouraged by his cousin, the late Conrad Knowles, who with his brother, George, had joined the Police Force, young Albert came to Nassau in 1943 and also joined the force. He was only 17. But he had ambition, and that burning ambition was one day to take him to the post of Deputy Police Commissioner. He acted as Commissioner of Police on five different occasions, which would have totalled one year in the post he had coveted.

Shortly after joining the force, young Albert enrolled in night school to upgrade his minimal education. From his first day in the force, he learned the importance, not only of education, but of self discipline, which was daily ground into every fibre of his being. Then came the police training courses that took him to England – sergeant’s training course in Hendon in 1953; a six months Junior Officers course in Ryton-on-Dunsmore, 1958: six months Senior Staff course in Bramshill, 1965; and administrative Security Training Course at M-15, 1969. He was then stationed at London’s Heathrow Airport to study the security system there.

In Nassau, he was quickly making strides to the top. He served for ten years in the Criminal Investigation Department — this is where we first met him when we were The Tribune’s cub reporter. He commanded a police division, was later staff officer to the Commissioner of Police and still later Honorary ADC to the Governor General, where his dashing good looks and military bearing stood him in good stead. He later commanded a Police Division, composed of five divisions on New Providence. He was later transferred to Grand Bahama to reorganise and set up a police district for the city of Freeport.

As Deputy Commissioner of Police Headquarters back in Nassau he had full responsibility for making and implementing police decisions. He also administered the budget for the Force, preparing the annual estimates and taking control of the accounts.

He could never have done all of this without a superior education. He had already upgraded his grant-in-aid school by taking night classes in Nassau. However, he knew that even that was not enough if he was ever to be Commissioner of Police.

The late Sir Etienne Dupuch, former editor of this newspaper, was very close to many Long Island families. In Nassau, he had taken young Albert and his cousins, the Knowles brothers under his wing. And so Sir Albert spent much time talking to him about his ambition and his need for education. Sir Etienne understood this cry of the heart. He too suffered the same pain until he was taken under the wing of the late Fr Chrysostom Schreiner, OSB, who established the Catholic Church in The Bahamas, and trained him to build this newspaper.

Sir Albert thirsted for more education. And so, Sir Etienne visited his good friend, Fr Frederic Fry, OSB, headmaster of St Augustine’s College and Prior of the Monastery. It was arranged that early every morning Fr Frederic would personally give the ambitious young police officer special classes before he had to report for duty back at headquarters.

And so, at the crack of dawn every morning Albert Joel Miller mounted his bicycle and cycled from his barracks at Police Headquarters on East Street to St Augustine’s Monastery in Fox Hill. Fr Frederic was assisted by Rev Fr. Bartholomew Sayles, OSB. He then cycled back to police headquarters on time for his police duties.

He had the discipline and determination needed to get to the top. In the end he climbed a higher mountain than that to which he had first aspired.

While in Freeport, the late Edward St George, who with his partner Sir Jack Hayward developed Freeport, spotted Deputy Commissioner Miller as the very man that they wanted to head their Amusement Company. Mr St George did everything to try to woo the Deputy Commissioner to join their Freeport company. “No,” was always the answer. Sir Albert explained that his aim was to be the first Bahamian Commissioner of Police, and he was staying right where the was until that day.

However, he soon realised that although by now he was fully qualified for the post, he would never get it. And he would never get it because he was too liberal in his friendships. The PLP was now the government, and they were suspicious of anyone who was friendly with a white Bahamian, especially one who was a member of the UBP. Not only did Mr Miller have white friends, but sin of all sins, his closest friend was the late Roy Solomon, a UBP minister and the first minister in charge of the police force when ministerial government was introduced.

Sir Albert’s son, Russell, recalls that when they were children and his parents had to go out on official duties in the evening, they were often left at the Solomon home. Russell particularly remembers the swimming pool – he believes it was the island’s first salt water pool, in which the Miller children splashed about while their parents chatted.

When Sir Albert, in 1971, realised he would never be appointed Commissioner of Police, he resigned from the Police Force, joined the Port Authority and was appointed vice-president, and then president of Bahamas Amusements Ltd. By 1976 he was president of the Grand Bahama Port Authority and by 1998 co-chairman with Sir Jack Hayward, and Edward St George. Of the triumvirate, he is the last to go.

We often called him to put the world — especially the Bahamas— to rights, first at the Port, and then when he moved into his own offices at Modalena and then finally in retirement in his favourite chair near his telephone at home. In our last conversation a few weeks ago, he was weak, he was tired and he was ready to embark on a new and happier journey. We wished each other well, and said “goodbye.”

And now the day has come to say: “Good night, dear friend, our prayers go with you.”