Frances-Marie Coke, in her recollections on The Spirit of Clovelly Park, has captured beautifully the dual nature of our reactions to the fire which engulfed the North Street campus off Kingston College on May 19, 1977, almost 50 years ago.

Cross Roads

On the first level, we were all traumatized.  I remember hearing the news of the fire on Big J Radio (JBC) at about 9:30 p.m.  Richard Dyche, a fellow denizen of the Lower 6th, and I rushed off to school from far away Havendale and Meadowbrook.  At Cross Roads, the night sky was illuminated by KC flames.  At KC, Principal Reverend John McNab stood distraught in his short pants.  He noted sadly that we had “all lost a bit of home,” as the fire tore through beloved parts of the Main Building and Hardie House.  Even the firefighters were dejected.

The following day, dejection turned to resolution.  Principal McNab marshalled our energies using to strong effect his father's dictum combined with the school’s motto: “The brave may fall but never yield.  Fire burns wood but tempers steel”.

There was a historic staff meeting which included some 6th Formers. Staff members committed funds and then worked with students to clean furniture, rearrange classroom facilities, dispose of burnt material, and generally to bring the undamaged parts of the school back to order. Reverend McNab, working tirelessly with teachers including Wally Johnson, Rev. J.A.H. Ramsay, Carlton Bruce, Helen Douglas, F.L. Anderson, Peter Maxwell, Frances Coke, the Reids, Mr. S. Been, and numerous others, led the way.  Meanwhile, Cambridge Examinations loomed in the background.

Tag Drive

Then there was the Tag Drive.  We received donations from many schools: Alpha, Holy Childhood, Andrews, Immaculate, St. Hughes, Queens and others.  Nor were boys or co-ed schools omitted from the list: St. Georges, XLCR, Kingston Tech, STATHS, St. Jago, Calabar, Camperdown, JC and so on.  Schools and other institutions came forward to give generously to save KC.  Prime Minister Michael Manley visited Clovelly Park and contributed the then generous sum of $200 as Member of Parliament for Central Kingston.

Principal McNab was accompanied in his red VW bug by teachers and students to accept contributions from, among countless others, His Excellency the Governor-General Sir Florizel Glasspole, the Leader of the Opposition Edward Seaga, as well as Minister of Education Eric Bell.  Others received contributions in the ubiquitous tin cans from representatives of the public and private sectors, Old Boys, rural citizens, Jamaica Omnibus (JOS) workers, prison warders et al, all fully onboard a truly national effort towards redemption.

The financial damage to the school was estimated at $100,000 but in a few weeks the tag drive had already gathered $12,000, as reported in the national news. We were on the way.  The phoenix was rising from the ashes.

Tempers Steel

Two quick points in closing.  Reverend McNab, the inspirational captain of the firefighting team, was reportedly contemplating resignation from the principalship of Kingston College in the days preceding the fire.  We owe him a great debt of gratitude for his decision to stay on to guide the school through one of our most pronounced crises.

And finally, I recall the bittersweet reflections of the beloved Principal Douglas Forrest as he looked across at the restored Main Building at North Street a year or so following the fire. His smile suggested satisfaction for victory over a major challenge for the school at 50 years.  But his words and the discernible sadness in his eyes noted his regret that the fire had deprived KC and Jamaica of “the most impressive shingle-roofed construction in the country, if not the entire Caribbean.”

Fire burns wood but tempers steel.

Stephen Vasciannie was Head Boy-Elect at the time of the fire.  Leighton “Johnny” Dawes was the Head Boy.