By Neto Baptiste
A number of the country’s most influential sporting figures have supported a nomination of knighthood for community activist and sports administrator, Stanfield “Shipwreck” Joseph.
This is according to former president of the Empire Football Club and the individual primarily responsible for the nomination, Anthony Stuart, who said he has officially submitted the request to the National Honours Committee.
“So when you have persons like Sir Vivian Richards, the president of the West Indies cricket board [Ricky Skeritt], persons like Mr. Hugh Gore, Mervyn Richards, and you have persons he would have touched because one of the points I made in the submission is that Mr. ‘Shipwreck’ Stanfield Joseph and his contribution to humanity would have been of such that he would have developed young persons and would have prevented persons from becoming criminals, from becoming school dropouts and from living a life in 1735 [prison],” he said.
Joseph, who is heralded for the once popular Shipwreck Youth Development League played at the King Gorge V Grounds during the early 80’s to early 2000, hails from the Grays Green community.
He has also worked with the West Indies Cricket Board as a “caretaker” and liaison for many international teams and or officials visiting Antigua on official duty.
Stuart, in an interview with Observer media said he is confident, that based on the level of his submissions, that the request will find favour with the committee.
“I was also able to submit to the committee, writings from international cricketers in international magazines on behalf of Mr. Stanfield Joseph. He would have received awards from clubs in the diaspora because his work has touched so many people. I am very confident because when you have a person like Sir Vivian Richards and we provided a submission from him too, and as a matter of a fact, we didn’t even bother to ask him because he would have said something that was in the newspaper so we used the newspaper clipping from the Daily Observer,” he said.
A former president of the Empire Football Club, Stuart added that he also submitted many supporting documentation to the committee.
“Many persons who got wind that a nomination would have gone in for Mr. Stanfield ‘Shipwreck’ Joseph to the national honours committee, wanted to write letters of support on his behalf. The form calls for [at least] a letter of support and there were spaces for four but I had to submit five. We also were able to provide the committee with supporting documentary evidence of his contribution,” Stuart said.
Joseph, during an interview on the Good Morning Jojo Sports Show, said he was fueled by his love for both community and country.