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Tribute to Darnley Ashby / SECKO
03-Dec-1931 – 08-Apr-2020
A quiet, soft-spoken man, Darnley was the epitome of the ‘Still waters run deep’ expression. Able to discuss with equal aplomb the vicissitudes of modern governments (being an avid armchair politician) or to trace the history of the Steelpan, because he grew up witnessing first-hand its development. He loved Pan, and was particularly proud of the fact that it was invented in the land of his birth, Trinidad and Tobago.
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Calypso was the other twin love, also a creation of Trinidad and Tobago. As a composer, performer and exponent of the art, he spent most of his adult life involved in, and promoting the genre. So despite living for many years in his adopted land, Canada, (he embraced Canada), he remained ‘Trini to the bone’ –not even losing the sing-song Trini twang, as so many other migrants do in order to be assimilated.
A teetotaller, (juuuust kidding), Darnley held his own at the bar, without ever becoming boorish, always maintaining his composure like the true gentleman that he was.
I miss him. I miss the thrust and counter-arguments, whether it was the horrid history of power-hungry invaders of indigenous peoples, the gross ingrained racism of the privileged, or to laugh heartily at the conspiracy theorists who still believe that the 1969 moon landing was all camera tricks, foisted on an unsuspecting populace.
A career engineer, he had tools! Whenever I needed a special Thingamajig to fix a broken Whatchamacallit, Darnley had it in at least three sizes- small, medium & large.
My life was definitely enriched from knowing him, and being exposed to his positive, upbeat, can-do approach to just about everything. He also left me with his saying:
“If you can imagine it, it’s possible”.
DARNLEY MY FRIEND
by John Mendes.
Newspaper article:
https://thecaribbeancamera.com/composer-of-jamming-in-d-party-dies-in-kitchener-at-88/
Darnley Ashby, Obituary:
https://www.arbormemorial.ca/scott-westtoronto/obituaries/darnley-ashby/48002
You can watch his music in his youtube channels:
https://www.youtube.com/user/seckomusic
https://www.youtube.com/user/darnleyashby
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