On
June 18, 1924, Redvers Denton Simons was born to Virgil and Wilhelmina Simons
in Whithorn, Westmoreland. His mother passed away when he was only six years
old and he was placed in the care of his grandmother who was a Methodist. She
took him to church on Sundays and this had a formative influence on young Simons. Later,
he went to live with a cousin, Miss Foster, who died when Redvers was about 10
years old. At this stage, he went to live with his father and stepmother at
Mile Town in Hanover. His father was a builder and contractor.
Simons attended the Mount Ward school but faced many challenges because of his circumstances. He was forced to drop out of school at the age of thirteen. He decided to become a farmer, and one of his teachers encouraged him to apply to Knockalva Agricultural School. Assigned the responsibility to manage a project at the Roehampton Farm, Simons excelled and won the prize for the best laid out farm. Meanwhile, he took correspondence courses to help with his intellectual development. He also joined the cadets which assisted his rounded development.
After successfully completing the course at Knockalva, he gained employment at the Jamaica Milk Products’ cooling plant in Montpelier in St James. He was hired as a relief sales clerk. This was the start of a journey that would take him to the highest position in the organization. On the way, he served as a farm inspector; he worked in the laboratory at Montpelier, where he conducted tests to ascertain milk quality. His supervisors detected that he had a flair for figures. This led to his working in the finance office at Montpelier. After this, he was promoted to serve as acting head of the Mandeville cooling station. In 1953, he was appointed assistant accountant at the Bybrook Condensery in Bog Walk, and later as administrative head at Bybrook, a post he occupied for fifteen years.
Simons never ceased grasping opportunity for self-development. Between 1964 and 1969, Simons benefited from several specialized courses – in management accountancy in Switzerland and in England. These helped accelerate his progress in the management stream of his Company.
In 1975, he received yet another promotion. He became Financial Controller of the Company, which required him to work from the Company’s local headquarters office in New Kingston.
Four
years later, he was appointed Managing Director of Nestle
Jamaica Ltd. and Jamaica Milk Products Ltd., the twin companies which were
subsidiaries of Nestle of Switzerland, one of the world’s largest
food-producing companies. He was the first Jamaican to hold such a post in the global
Company. He was the only person of African descent present when Nestle’s
managing directors gathered for meetings in Switzerland. Simons fulfilled his
responsibilities with competence, while providing a model of true humility.
Nestle and Betty remained the “flagship” condensed milk products of the company, which also introduced other popular products, such as Gloria unsweetened evaporated milk and Suppligen. The Company sold its products locally, but also exported them to seventeen countries, including those in CARICOM, the United States and Canada. Jamaica Exporters Association awarded the company the honour of Champion Exporter.
As he drew near the time when he would demit office at the Company, Simons developed plans to expand the Company to increase its export potential. Such was Simon’s performance that, when he was to retire in 1983, the Company asked him to remain on the job. When he finally retired in 1989, Redvers Simons had given 41 years of service to Nestles Jamaica. Many sang his praises as a competent manager, knowledgeable accountant, outstanding visionary and gifted leader, who remained a humble and self-effacing person throughout his career.
While making strides at his workplace, Simons reserved a special place in his life for God and the Church. In St. James, he was a member of the Mt. Carey Baptist Church, where he sang on the choir, served as a lay preacher and was set apart as a deacon. It was at the Mt. Carey Church that he met and married Margaret Martin, an educator, who was to become his cherished life partner. The union produced three children – Norma, Joy and Dwight. Their parents provided them with the sort of home Mr. Simons would have wished for when he was a child.
While working at the Condensery in the farming community of Bog Walk, Mr. Simons shared his farming skills and techniques with the farmers in the area. In his spare time, he operated a forty-acre farm. He and his wife were also active church members at Linstead Baptist church, where he was elected treasurer and sang bass on the choir. In the community, he sang in the Linstead Choral Group and was an active member of the Lion’s club.
When the Simons moved to Kingston, they joined the Bethel Baptist Church, where Mr. Simons served as a lay preacher, a member of the choir, a deacon and treasurer of the church. One of his fellow deacons who served with him said this of him, “Mr. Simons was a patient, pleasant and calm person, Never agitated, always unrushed, he accomplished a lot in a short space of time.”
Meanwhile, he made his gifts available to Jamaica Baptist Union (JBU), which he served as Treasurer from 1971-89. He distinguished himself not only by his competence in the role, his spirit of cooperation, his ability to work on a team, but also by the evidence of his sincerity, dedication and thoughtfulness. He understood the evolution of the financial operation of the Union –from its days of unstructured operation, through the start of the “Sustentation Fund,” the adoption of a “Central Fund” and the introduction of “Global Financing Scheme” in 1978. Following a long line of JBU treasurers, such as Stephen James, John Bee, and Leslie Lawrence, Simons brought to the position many years of active participation in the life of several churches, which equipped him to communicate effectively with the national Baptist constituency. As the person who succeeded him as JBU Treasurer, I can attest to the fact that even though he faced a major health challenge late in life, he was ever ready to offer expert guidance and invaluable help when requested.
In 1988, one year before his planned retirement from Nestle
Jamaica, Redvers Simons was diagnosed as having Parkinson’s disease. He spent
several years courageously battling the disease. He died on February 6, 2003, ending a life during which he cared for many people,
achieved much, and was Christlike and humble to the end. He left
to mourn his wife and their three children. Mrs. Simons followed him to glory
on September 17, 2016, at the age of 92.
Mr. Simon is remembered for his calm demeanour, utter selflessness, gracious disposition and enviable prowess in finance and management. What a gift he was to all who knew him!
Comments
Post a Comment