The Tribune

By LYNAIRE MUNNINGS 

Tribune Staff Reporter 

lmunnings@tribunemedia.net

THE leader of the original Valley Boys group yesterday accused the breakaway group of trying to sabotage it through public attacks and urged that group to “find another name”.

Brian Adderley, chairman of the original group, broke his silence yesterday on the split that has raised questions about the future of the iconic Junkanoo participant.

The extent of the division was apparent during last month’s Labour Day parade when two groups participated under the Valley Boys name, both showcasing robust support. 

Trevor Davis, the leader of the breakaway group, has said the division centres around concerns about how the organisation had been running over the years, including the lack of an election.

But Mr Adderley accused the breakaway group yesterday of being “very critical” of his membership team and engaging in character assassination, which has made it challenging to discuss unifying.

“There’s been a tradition in Junkanoo that when a group breaks away from a Junkanoo group, they start a new Junkanoo group and so we invite those that have broken away, to do just that, to go and start a new Junkanoo group, find another name for it, and whenever they are registered to participate in Boxing Day and New Year’s parades, we’d be happy to compete against them,” he said.

He insisted his group fully complies with all requirements of the Junkanoo Corporation of New Providence. He also apologised to supporters and sponsors, insisting the group is preparing as necessary for the Boxing Day and New Year’s Day parade. 

Mr Davis registered his group as a non-profit organisation under the Valley Boys name after discovering that the original group was not registered as an NPO. He told The Tribune that after he did this, Mr Adderly’s group registered itself as an NPO named World Famous Valley Boys.

Mr Adderley said his group had sought legal advice.

“There’s been a lot of talk about NPOs and this sort of stuff, right, but we are a Junkanoo organisation,” he said yesterday. “We are here to participate in Junkanoo. Our members are here to participate in Junkanoo. 

“They enjoy what they do, and as of today, when we finish with you today, we’re going to be focusing on Junkanoo, making improvements to our product, making preparations for the upcoming parades and all that entails.

“That’s where our focus should be and that’s where the focus of my colleagues will be going forward. Everything else is a distraction, and if it continues, it’s not just a distraction, it’s sabotage.”

He said his group has 350 members prepared to participate in upcoming parades. 

“Over the course of the Junkanoo season, there are always persons that leave, and there are always persons that want to join our organisation,” he said.

“Without fear of contradiction, without sounding arrogant or offending some of my fellow Junkanoo leaders and other Junkanoo groups, everybody wants to be a part of the Valley Boys, so if one person leaves, five more want to come and join. So, we have no difficulty in finding persons to support us. We have no difficulty in putting a competitive group on Bay Street.”