There he lay on his bed terminally ill and in pain during one of my frequent visits but the glow, pleasantness and peace that characterised his thinning face overwhelmed me.

“That’s you, Nat?” he opened his eyes.

“Yes, Watko,” I replied. “I have come to see you and to say keep the faith.”

“My boy, that’s all I can do,” a smile parted his lips. He closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.

The late Mr. Watkin Hodge, MBE

I never felt so helpless and forlorn for a long time. My thoughts wandered to the days of Jesus of Nazareth when he said to the sick man: “Arise, take up thy bed and walk.” And then I felt so utterly miserable. I did not possess the power to utter the same command to Watko, a gentleman so beloved, kind and in need of a Balm in Gilead.

I eventually took control of my emotions as I realised I was not alone in wishing to see Watkins Emmanuel Hodge, MBE, on his feet again. Indeed, this was the wish of all those who know him well and crossed his paths in the journey of life.

I am indebted to him for the brother-like relationship we shared and enjoyed over many years. In particular, I am grateful to him, on behalf of my siblings, for the kind love and assistance he had been to our departed brother, Johnson, whom he nurtured and kept in his employment during challenging difficulties at times.

Watko is clearly one of the kindest human beings I have ever met and, again, I am not alone in this claim. There are thousands in Anguilla and elsewhere who can testify to this.

He had no special privileges than anyone else, either in his earlier or later life, except those which he earned through ambition, vision, hard work, commitment and honesty. He is a product of the old Anguilla, steeped in the best traditions of family virtues and good manners and, like many of us, he had to go abroad in search of employment for his personal development and to contribute to the island’s remittance economy.

He was around 15 years old when he migrated to St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands, where he worked at the airport as a Time Keeper. After some time he returned to Anguilla. His first exposure to running a merchandise business was when he undertook to work at a small shop owned by his uncle, Jimmy Rogers, on the Stoney Ground Road, where the structure still stands today.

The Curacao boom came on and Watko was among many of his peers who journeyed to that Southern Dutch Caribbean island which offered better job opportunities. He was then 20 years old in 1948 and quickly found very gainful employment at the Shell Oil Refinery located in the shipping area called Caracasbaai. Note the name. Watko obviously enjoyed life and the working atmosphere there for two reasons. One is that he remained there for some 13 years. The second reason is that on his permanent return to his homeland in 1961, he established a most welcomed and growing business and named it “Caracasbaai Supermarket & Hardware Department”.

The choice of name for his business, though foreign, bespoke his gratitude to Curacao both for his self-development and for enabling him to have the money to establish an enterprise to contribute to the economic development of Anguilla and the enrichment of the lives of his fellow Anguillians. His closest business associate over the years has been, his faithful brother, Walwyn, who worked in St. Thomas for many years and on his return to Anguilla assisted him with running the Grocery & Hardware establishment.

When Watko returned to Anguilla he was accompanied by his beloved and soft-spoken wife, Melonie, whom he married in Curacao in 1959 and their daughter, the priceless Jewelle. Later the family was increased by two more children – Watson and Jasmine (Jah), born this time in Anguilla.

As indicated before, his business was a Godsend to the people of Anguilla at a time when there were very few shopping places on the island. It was in this establishment that the true nature of his kindness and love manifested itself and his name became a household one everywhere. Everybody began calling him “Watko” with the greatest respect and affection and his winsome smile was inviting and genuine.

He freely gave credit to many persons – particularly in the area of building supplies to construct their homes. Some of them had the ability to repay him later and others hardly the means to do so but he showed no discrimination. Sadly, and for the record, not everybody was trustworthy to pay their debts. Yet Watko’s forbearance and love for his fellowmen urged him to continue his acts of kindness and goodwill to all.

There is a truism that a man’s deeds follow him through life, on his sick bed and even to his death. One could not enter or leave his supermarket without him gently saying – “Get a cool drink, nuh.” Even as he lay on his bed at the hospital or at home, he habitually told visitors: “Take a drink before you leave.” One could only shake the head in admiration.

Watko was a Philanthropist Extraordinary, a man with a big and noble heart, full of love and compassion, a role model in a fast-becoming greedy and selfish Anguillian society.

There was another side of Watko which must be mentioned: His humility and his disinterest in power and authority. Ask Revolutionary Leader, James Ronald Webster. In 1980 Mr. Webster was desperate to find a man of respect and popularity to run for election in the Valley North Constituency. He fixed his hopes on Watko, but had it difficult to influence him. He sent some of Watko’s loyal friends, like the late Jeremiah Gumbs, to persuade him to enter the political arena. But nobody could easily get him to move and even worse, to attend a public meeting and to speak on the podium.

One day Webster personally visited him and urged him to agree to run for the seat. Tired of what may have been harassment, Watko sent Webster to his mother whom he idolised.

“Ask Titter,” he told the persistent and revolutionary leader. “If she says yes, I will run.”

Mr. Webster drove to Titter’s house, hugged and kissed her and then made his request. She told him she did not want her son to get involved in the confusion of politics, “but since it is you, Mr. Webster, I will let him run.”

Watko trusted his mother’s judgment and finally agreed. A public meeting was taken to the doorstep of his hardware department to make it easier and accommodating for him. Jeremiah Gumbs handed him a short script. Watko ascended the flatbed truck, approached the microphone and read for a few seconds promising, if elected, to serve the people diligently. A thunderous applause erupted from the large crowd.

Watko was now an election candidate. Not many days after, he won the seat and became an Elected Member of the House of Assembly. Perhaps to his relief, the Government was short-lived and another election was called in 1981 which he did not contest.

He wanted to remain a humble man, contributing in his own small and simple way to Anguilla and his people. Her Majesty’s Queen Elizabeth the Second honoured his contributions to the community by appointing him a Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire some years ago. He may not have known where to readily find his medal, but the honour, respect and love that he earned among his compatriots in Anguilla and many people far and near, now stand as testimonies to the life and work of this humble giant, a true and noble Anguillian.

For him, he has run his course on earth well. May he win the Crown of Life in the hereafter to which we all must aspire.

Nat Hodge

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