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AS PIRES PK
My name is Noel Simeon and I’m the same age as Trinidad and Tobago.
Everyone calls me Si-oh. I’ll tell you why: in the early days, when people saw the spelling, they pronounced my last name as “Simon,” and I keep telling them, “Isn’t that Simon, that’s Sim-e-on! “ But they keep saying Simon.
And then, briefly, they start saying Si-oh.
And I’m comfortable with Si-oh. A lot of people don’t like their nicknames, but I like their nicknames.
I am from Maraval. From the age of seven I went to the village of Boissiere to live with my grandmother.
I am from a big family. Two sisters, five brothers.
My wife is Helen and my three sons are Marvin, Shawn and Joel.
What do you mean? Of course I remember the TV series “My Three Sons”.
We used to go to Maraval River as boys. Back then, across the river from me was the old St Andrew’s golf course. You could say I grew up there. I’ve used caddy and all sorts of things. All the great players that came through Trinidad, I saw.
Maraval has changed a lot since I lived there. Yes!
I would say I was a follower of West Indies cricket since birth. My dad used to say when we went to the Oval: “We’ve got to see the first bowl!”
So yeah, I saw some of our big teams. I see Lawrence Rowe, Sobers, Joey Carew, all those guys.
I went to Boissiere Primary. I loved school, but I didn’t go to high school because of certain circumstances. There was a period in my life when I regretted it, but not now.
In my early days, my father sent me to learn the trade, which was carpentry, and that’s how I ended up getting the job in 1979, which I still hold today.
Not in carpentry but in TTT.
At that time, my father had known a guy who worked at TTT and, during the conversation, he said that he had a son who did carpentry. And TTT wanted a carpenter.
When I came to interview for the carpentry job, they told me I was too young. But they had other things I could do and I said yes.
And that’s how I ended up in television. I was 17 years old.
Over the years, over a period of time I was trained as a cameraman. I was an assistant in carpentry.
And after a year, when I came of age, I went inside as a prop. I used to set scenes for local TV shows. 12 and under. Rikki Tikki. Community date.
I have worked all my life as a cameraman since 1986. You can say all the programs on TTT, any name and I have worked on it. At Home with Sylvia Hunte. TNT Tonight. Many others.
Apart from rushing home from school to get a sweat, the house party was the one at Maraval. Spiritual music! Love it, man!
But Bob Marley was my favorite. Bob Marley, Bob Marley, Bob Marley.
Little Al Green.
I listen to modern soca. The good ones.
The best calypso ever written was Mighty Sparrow, Good Citizen.
The biggest change I’ve seen in Trinidad in my 60 years?
Hmmm. The government is changing ever so regularly, but nothing is really changing. Sometimes, I don’t even feel like voting! I vote, nothing has changed. I vote again. Nothing will change again. I have to vote four times and nothing changes.
So I’m a little slow.
Of course I believe in God, first of all!
I was the youngest hostage held at TTT during the 1990 coup attempt.
I leave the house on Friday July 27, going to the stadium to watch football, and then something says to me: “Look, let me go to work.”
And within half an hour of arriving at work, this happened.
I mean, I survived.
At the time, I thought I had to be tough, right? I was with all these college boys, but I never went to college! So I was rude!
But for me, it felt like I was more scared than anyone else at TTT! It was a very scary thing.
I was there, all in one room, with Raoul Pantin, Jones P (Madeira), Dominic (Kalipersad), for five days.
We all lined up to shoot.
It doesn’t bother me much now. Not all the time like it used to be. Now it has slowed down. But every now and then, yeah, it still bothers me.
It was a difficult time. At any moment, you expect to die.
Yes, yes, yes, I said my prayers a good few times.
Especially on Saturday evening when (Jamat al-Muslimeen and coup leader Yasin Abu) Mr. Copper comes through the door.
He said: “Guys, the soldiers are coming in! If you’ve all lived well, we’ll see you all in Heaven.”
Those are words I will never forget. I just bow my head and wait for whatever happens.
After the Muslim surrendered, when we walked out the front door and onto the street and I knew we were safe, it was the happiest day of my life!
Not only that, they made me cry. Crying like a baby!
And then, right after that, you saw faces that would remind you of what happened. So I stayed inside for a good while after that.
When I hear gunshots now, I go the other way once. Does not hold?
Right now, Trinidad is in the worst shape I’ve ever seen.
I will never forget the Saturday when Mr. Bakr told us that he would see us in Heaven, he said that soon, everyone in this country would have a gun. And this is what we see now!
I feel that today’s music is also a part of this. all the violent gangster music.
Oh god! They don’t dance with him! They bend more. I can’t figure out how to dance to this!
What is a Trinity? Trinis are very friendly people. I hear people say they went here, they went there, but nothing can beat a Trinity.
From nothing, something can start pretty-well-well! At that time we drank wine on the boat. It used to leave his mouth red-red-red. Everyone puts in $2 and it’s beauty. A man comes and he contributes, but he ends up drunker than all of us.
that is a Trinity.
When there was the Calypso Independence Pageant, Shadow sang a song: Trinidad and Tobago, My King and My Queen.
Do you see that? This is what TT means to me: my king and my queen! I’m not going anywhere! You are not?
Read the full version of this feature Friday evening at www.BCPires.com
