The Tribune

By BERNARD MURPHY

Tribune Freeport Editor

FREEPORT - Oct 13, 1969 – Back home and surrounded by friends and well-wishers on Monday, Jack Hayward, vice-president of the Grand Bahama Port Authority, and established champion of the rights of its licensees, talked with The Tribune about the amazing welcome scenes on his return to Freeport airport.

“It was absolutely fantastic,” he said, “I didn’t know who was there because of the tears in my eyes: it was wonderful of them to turn out like that and on a Sunday night too.

“I suppose I ought to have suspected something like that was going to happen because the chap from the cockpit on the plane said: ‘The company is meeting you, Mr Hayward,’ and the stewardess said, ‘You better go off first, Mr Hayward.’

“At the time I couldn’t think why and I said…‘No — there are other passengers who want to get off before me,’ but she said: ‘You better go first.’ And then as I left the plane I saw that crowd. It was an incredible welcome and I was very deeply touched by all those people coming out like that to welcome me back. It was wonderful.

“The support I have received has been amazing. Cables, telegrams and letters have poured in to me in London saying ‘Bravo’ and ‘Well done’ and friends, licensees, some of them from the earliest days have rushed to let me know that they support my stand. I am tremendously encouraged and uplifted by the way everyone has rallied to the cause – and I intend to carry on.”

Crowds of well wishers went to Jack’s house on Monday and the Columbus Day celebration for many became a Jack Hayward Day festivity.

The quip came as Jack, surrounded by a mass of welcomers, kissed, hugged and handshook his way through one of the most amazing welcome home scenes young Freeport has ever seen.

They turned out late on Sunday night to greet him and for more than an hour before his BOAC flight from London was due, the car park at the airport was full, more cars were parked along the grass verges of the airport approach road and the roof and the airport courtyard were packed with people.

Some carried banners inscribed, “Hello Jack,” “Welcome Jack,” “Hurrah for Hayward,” “Freeport Loves Jack” “Welcome Home Hayward” and “Wake Up, Rake Up Freeport.”

Union Jacks were waved. Fred Schneider, wearing a typically British bowler hat blew a welcoming blast on a trumpet. The crowds sang “For He’s a Jolly Good Fellow,” and one man shouted “Sock it to ’em Jack.”

ONE REGRET

Any film star would have been proud of such a turnout and Jack thanking the crowd for its devotion in coming to the airport at 9.55pm on a Sunday night said he had only one regret – “that Wallace Groves wasn’t there too”.

The Players Guild was there in strength, but there were also many supporters of Jack Hayward from every walk of life.

There were a number of licensees of different nationalities, a Jamaican carrying a banner, a group from Barclays Bank, Jack Holland of the Running Mon, Mrs Pearl May Petterson Ledkiewicz, with her mother and daughter, Dawn, who carried two small Union Jacks, Joe MConville, another licensee, and many of Jack’s personal friends.

The plane was a little late and when it taxied up the runway its landing lights blazing there was a great cheer and Fred Schneider blew a rousing salute on his trumpet.

Then Jack appeared, walking from the plane, two suitcases in hand and a massive pile of newspapers under one arm. The crowd clapped, cheered, shouted and waved. The noise was deafening and smiling Jack could be seen calling back but it was impossible to hear what he said.

DENSE THRONG

Then the throng raced around to the exit to the Customs area. Small boys climbed up the fence to look over it and a policeman threatened one boy with his truncheon to get him down. A fairly long wait followed and there was false alarm after alarm as other passengers came out. They had a job getting through the dense throng that jammed the exit and some of them must have wondered what on earth was happening. Porters could hardly get through with their loads of baggage and there were appeals for room, with cries of “Gangway, gangway, please.”

Finally, bags in hand, Jack appeared. The flashguns popped, the cheers went up and Jack dropped his bags to kiss the girls and shout his thanks.

“Thank you all so much,” he shouted, “thanks for your cables: it’s wonderful of you to turn out like this and on a Sunday night too… I can only say that my one big disappointment is that Wallace isn’t here to meet me.’

“They’ve stamped my passport saying I mustn’t engage in gainful employment — so I can devote all my time to the Players Guild, a non-profit organisation.”

SURROUNDED

Estimates of the number of Freeporters who turned out on Sunday to welcome home Jack Hayward vary but there were probably not less than two hundred people cheering him when he walked from the plane.

He was so surrounded by welcomers that it was minutes before he was able to embrace his own daughter, Sue.

Jack had overlooked the fact that Monday was Discovery Day. When reminded that the next day was a holiday he said, “Good, I can have a lie in…no meetings…no rallies.’

He thanked the crowd for coming to meet him at such an hour and glancing at his watch, he said, “It’s prime television time: although by my watch it’s 4 o’clock.”

He was introduced to Frank Logan, the Englishman who has served writs on the Attorney-General of the Bahamas and the Director of Immigration asking that the acts and deeds of the Director of Immigration in purporting and pretending to deny him the right to work and in ordering him to leave the Bahama islands forthwith be declared illegal and contrary to public policy by virtue of the provisions of the Hawksbill Creek Act.

JOKES FOR ALL

In fact Jack joked with everyone, perhaps to cover up how deeply moved he was by this spontaneous show of friendship and support.

Jack was in the merriest of moods. He was asked if, now that he was home, he would continue to crusade to secure the rights of the licensees. Most definitely he would, he said, and to make his point he seized a friend in a rugby tackle and said: “This is the way we’ll tackle things…”

He chatted with his well wishers and close personal friends, and it was long past eleven o’clock before he was able to climb into a car and drive home.

It was a most jovial occasion, but as one licensee pointed out there was a serious purpose behind all this fun and games.

Mrs Edmund Worsick, who was among the first to greet Jack Hayward, said: “Underneath all this joviality there is a tremendously serious cause and we are looking forward to Mr Hayward acting as our commander-in-chief … and we will follow him.

“It is said that the British lose every battle until the last, when their backs are to the wall and that is how it is now. We are going to fight. We don’t want any privileges or concessions – we want justice.”