Tributes pour in for Observer journalist Carl Joseph
By Machela Osagboro
A voice that resonated wisdom and intellect, Carl Adrian Joseph was a man undaunted by life and the surprises it brings. He charged forward into every battle like a minotaur but his easy-going disposition put all who encountered him at ease.
Joseph was born on August 9 1980 and died Saturday March 28 2020. He was born to well-known businessman Carl Joseph, from Potters village, and attended Antigua Grammar School. He later lived in the Bronx, New York, where he attended Baruch College.
It was at the Grammar school where Joseph met future colleague, sports reporter Neto Baptiste.
“He was a hard worker who was dedicated to his craft, and most importantly he was passionate about what he did,” Baptiste said.
“He will definitely be missed from the sports fraternity and news fraternity. Carl was an all-rounder; he is really going to be missed.”
Another Grammarian and friend of Joseph described him as a go-getter, who loved sports and knew how to have a good time.
“He was a man’s man, we could go to him for advice at any time, but you could never win an argument with him; he seemed to know every angle. He was a truly down to earth guy,” he added.
Joseph leaves behind six-year-old daughter, Alyssa, and mother of his child, business partner and best friend, Elisabeth Watkins.
She told Observer she didn’t know how to move forward without Joseph by her side. The pair owned the Marlin Swim Club together and also served on the Antigua and Barbuda Swimming Federation for 10 years as executive members.
Watkins told Observer that she has many fond memories of Joseph as he was her partner in business and life for many years and the pair enjoyed a shared love of swimming from an early age.
“The kids looked up to him; he was an excellent coach and he assisted everyone. If he saw that you were faltering, he just always knew what to do,” she said.
“He represented Antigua well when we travelled to the regional countries and he always got the kids to reap results. He never came back empty-handed. He pushed everyone to do their best.”
Watkins said that on Saturday night their young daughter asked for her daddy. She admitted she was finding it difficult to make Alyssa understand he would not be coming back.
Tributes have also poured in from parents at the swim club. Colleague and friend, radio show host Daren Matthew-Ward, is among them.
“He taught my children and great-aunt to be a human fish and for that I am especially grateful. I will miss Carl; we will never understand why he left us so soon,” Matthew-Ward said.
A mother of one of his students said, “Carl had a way with kids; the most difficult and faint heart of child he could mold and make them strong. He was king of the water and loved teaching the kids, just loved seeing them reach their potential.
“He had a way with them like that, he saw what they could achieve without them seeing it first. They will miss his infectious laugh and love. My heart goes out to his daughter,” she added.
Fellow media colleague and close friend, Angelica O’Donoghue, said she was hit by the news and still shaken.
“Carl was the most honest, straightforward, caring person I knew. I don’t have many friends who drop what they are doing to come help me. That was Carl, I appreciated his frankness,” she said.
Another colleague who worked with Joseph at ZDK Liberty Radio, where he served as station manager in 2019, said, “He is a people’s politician in his own right, a warrior against injustice, a man who gets the truth for the people. Boss, you will be missed.
“Carl was one of those people in who you had a friend for life because he always had your back. He just knew how to deal with any situation and draw people together.”
Joseph’s light shone bright and he has left an indelible mark on the hearts of many.
UPP political leader, Harold Lovell, was also among those who paid tribute to Joseph, describing him as a “bright young star, gone too soon”.
He added, “He was passionate and fearless in his pursuit of truth and he epitomised the mantra of the Observer media group, ‘let there be light’.”