Remarks by Junior Murray – former West Indies wicketkeeper
at the Annual Brunch of the Grenada Boys’ Secondary School in Brooklyn, NY
on Sunday May 19, 2013
Ladies and gentlemen, it is with humility and pleasure I receive this coveted honour from the New York chapter of the GBSS Alumni Association. The truth is I never expected this award to be bestowed on me, but I accept it graciously and I take the opportunity to thank the organisers for this wonderful gesture.
Playing for the West Indies was one of the greatest achievements in my life and I played during a period when it was about the passion for the sport and the honour of playing for the West Indies. I got the opportunity to travel around the world to see the difference in cultures and way of life of other people and I learned tremendously from the experience.
However, I must be quick to note that the opportunities I have had to play cricket internationally had its humble beginnings at the Grenada Boys’ Secondary School. It was at this noble institution that I developed the fundamentals of the game. My alma mater provided me with the opportunity to play cricket competitively against the best young players in Grenada, and it formed the launching pad for me to develop into an international cricketer.
Whenever I played for the Grenada Boys’ Secondary School I counted it a privilege. When I scored a fifty or took a catch behind the wicket or executed a stumping it was for the Grenada Boys’ Secondary School. The school was and still is precious to me. We played to win; we played to keep the GBSS flag flying high in the wind of success. We were not necessarily interested in having our names written in the record book – we just wanted to feature the Grenada Boys’ Secondary School and to bring glory to the institution. It brought such a great feeling to hear on the TV or radio, “GBSS continued its winning streak in the Secondary Schools Cricket competition, defeating Grenville Secondary by seven wickets in a one-sided affair.” We always played hard for our school.
It is important to note that the Grenada Boys’ Secondary School did not help me only in my sporting career – it impacted my life as a whole. As young GBSS boys we learned the value of respect, courtesy, hard work, dedication, neatness, etiquette and many other virtues of life. We had wonderful, mature passionate teachers who taught with great zeal and invested their time in the development of our lives. The quality of education was second to none.
The school provided us with the opportunity to develop into young men of steel, to be strong in adversity, to be versatile in awkward situations, to be positive in life and to aspire to reach the unreachable. And indeed, “When boyhood days are over our motto must still remain for only by earnest endeavour the highest we shall attain”. I am proud to be a product of this great prestigious institution which has served to inspire and educate thousands of nationals and hundreds of non-nationals to be who they are today, impacting the world as a whole.
More than a century and a quarter of continued service of the GBSS to Grenada and by extension, the Caribbean and the world, is no little achievement. Those of us who were impacted so distinctly by the school must therefore hold the mantle tightly and then pass it on to others in order for the sterling legacy of the GBSS to continue to succeeding generations.
I applaud the efforts of the New York chapter of the GBSS Alumni for its salient contribution to the life of the school over the years. I applaud everyone here not just for coming, but for supporting the GBSS in such a manner that could continue to uphold the alma mater’s name. Long Live the strong traditions of the GBSS, Long Live the strong vision of the school as it seeks to educate our young boys who will fit nicely into the future gaps of our country. May core values of the Grenada Boys’ Secondary School live on.
In conclusion I want to urge all of us to support the GBSS in whatever way possible. May every former student give back to the school in order for it to become stronger and stronger in the passage of time. Thanks again for bestowing me this award. I graciously accept it. God bless.
