The Tribune

By Rev Canon S

Sebastian Campbell

BECAUSE of Dr Bernard J Nottage I have full appreciation of the oft sung hymn, "Count your many blessings; name them one by one…"

Bear with me as I count those blessings God manifested in me through Dr Nottage.

It was a blessing to have been rector of All Saints on Calvary Hill during the time he was the Member of Parliament for Garden Hills and later Kennedy.

He was a servant leader, never pretentious, a down to earth parliamentarian, touching you at the grassroots level. He was the Member of Parliament for the parish and most of my parishioners.

Unbelievably, he shows up at the parish office one day and says to me, "Father, I hear you were trying to get me, right?" I had placed a call to his office at the Ministry of Education earlier that day in an effort to secure an appointment with him.

"Father," he continued, "I will come to see you when you need me; you are not to come to me. Just let my office know whenever you need me." So said, so done. This became the established the modus of operandi for our relationship during our in those constituencies.

Contrast that with what the experience of meeting our elected officials today. Dodging and ducking, avoiding and ignoring constituents is the culture for which MPs are known and for which they pay dearly at the ballot box on election day. Most parliamentarians are guilty of ignoring a personal one-on-one contact with their local people. Even since our last election a simple telephone call is not being returned by MPs; many are guilty of this transcending, overarching attitude.

Dr Bernard J Nottage was a "commoner" amongst his people. You would see him at church services on ordinary days and ordinary events. Special occasions also never passed him by. I was most impressed with the simple way he built self-esteem and made one feel important. I requested him to advance our flooding problems to the appropriate authorities. South Beach became a flood zone ever since the environment was tampered with by those who should have been cautioned by the authorities.

Dr Nottage affirmed me as the local leader in the community and promised to steer me through some protocols and give me all the support I needed from the background. He urged me to have an audience with the prime minister, along with some of my parishioners. I thought he had lost it, but he insisted that I would have greater influence from my standpoint. It was a hard sell convincing me to do it, but now I see as through a glass clearly - he was teaching me how to fish.

Among my greatest achievements is the realisation of the Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) in the Bahamas, and indeed in the Caribbean region. Having received the training as a CPE supervisor, I needed to be pushed a little to make it a reality on our shores.

Dr. Nottage was now the Minister of Health and National Insurance. We met outside the church, under a coconut tree, and there discussed the holistic approach to healthcare delivery. There and then I introduced him to this element, unknown in the delivery of healthcare. Ministering to the spiritual dimension of persons has proven to vacate hospital beds more rapidly than when it is missing. He encouraged me to establish the course of study, promising his full support. Further, he promised to seek ways to have graduates entrenched in the system of healthcare delivery and thus catch up with progressive hospitals in the United States of America, Europe, Asia and elsewhere.

He was present and was the commencement speaker at the first graduation. Things had started to happen. Tragically, this was his only graduation with us, as he was not to be Minister of Health ever again. However, quite amazingly, about a year later, he quizzed me as to where I was in the programme. I asked if he could help even though his party was not in office. He responded, "I still have a little influence. I will try help you." The programme is well entrenched and because of our efforts has spread to the Caribbean. Pray with me that future Ministers of Health will help in the evolution of this dream that Dr Nottage assisted in birthing.

He was indeed a real man whom power did not destroy. He was ever so easy to talk with and one whose constant smile was not misleading. It was a joy to have sat on many platforms with him and see how easy it was for him to diffuse tension as he easily initiated "trash talk".

On one occasion I had just returned from an international trip, standing there at the Lynden Pindling International Airport, I was getting my bearings when I heard, "Father, you need a ride." I soon saw face behind the offer; it was Dr Nottage. I collected my bags and was driven to my door with Dr Nottage as my chauffeur.

I am blessed for having known him. I count my blessings and name him as a role model for servant leadership. He was indeed a gift to all who knew him and embraced him as a friend.

On the brink of me losing heart in the drive for the declaration of a National Heroes Day, he urged me to be patient. We were at the Mission Baptist Church, in a service aimed at keeping alive the fight for this holiday. Dr Nottage, and now Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis were there. I ranted and raved, expounding my point for the need to realise planks in our heroes campaign. Dr Nottage got up to speak: "Be patient with the Prime Minister", he said, "something must happen. The Prime Minister has promised it, be patient, it will happen." I was on the verge of giving up. Two days after, Fox Hill MP Fred Mitchell called, asking me to be present in Parliament the next day. I was there early. Dr Nottage came to me and whispered, "It's going to happen."

So said, so done.

I thank our great and gracious God for having known Dr Bernard J Nottage; for the great contributions made by his incorruptible nature to the advancement of our Bahamaland. I pray that our current leaders might learn and follow his servant leadership model, and thus elevate our national standard to a higher plane and help people as they make sense out of our common humanity and the all to often flaunted "one people united in love and service".