True Story: Keith "Slick Bonadie - A Master Teacher

I cannot remember how old I was, however, I had already dropped out of secondary school. School had become a serious uphill struggle for me, ever since my mother died. I was seven years old when Mother passed away and my whole world turned upside down. I barely manage to scrape through primary school; and Secondary school was another struggle. I have been trying to drop out of school about a year before, but with my sister Clare’s persistence; I made it to form four.

After I dropped out of school, I did not do much. I looked for activities to keep myself occupied, in order to pass the day. Most of the guys in the neighborhood were stevedore, they work on the ships that docked in the wharf. Their responsibility was to loading and unloading the content of the ships. They worked once or twice a week and the pay was very good. Most of the guys worked with different agent and therefore worked different boats on different days. When they were not working, they will gather at the Victoria Park in the morning about 6:00 AM to play soccer until about 9:00 – 10:00 AM.

By this time, I have resigned myself to the fact that, I am just not good at soccer, and I will never be a good soccer player; I was happy being a spectator, which was quite easy. All that was required was: I attend the games, I support my friends, applaud good plays and participate in some nonsensical opinioned argument every now and then. At that time, I was tagging along with Desmond Mc Cauley, who was like my hero and big brother. I will sit in the grandstand, with the small group of onlookers who had assembled at the park to pass the time and the other players who were waiting patiently to replace the team that must leave the field in defeat.

Keith “Slick” Bonadie was among the many national footballers who assemble at Victoria Park to practice, in an effort to continue to master a craft; a craft, in my opinion he had already mastered and as his nickname suggest he was Slick. The name “Slick” was Keith’s soccer identification and represented the high quality of competitive skills he possessed on the field of play; he was much better at his craft than anyone that played the game. At this stage of Slick’s Soccer career, he was the tactical soccer master and he played for the most popular Tafar-I. Tafar-I a team that had its base in Shingle City, the large Victorian house that for many years housed “Daddy’s” Shop and later Benita’s shop. 

At that time, Tafar-I was made up of young men, most of whom were in their late teens or just out of their teens; all of whom had converted to Rastafarian practice of lock rearing and ganja smoking, hence the name. Tafar-I along with Super Stars the team from Paul’s Avenue; were literally responsible for revolutionizing soccer in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

I could remember it like it was yesterday, I was sitting in the grand stand, at Victoria park one morning; watching the guys play, as was my custom. On several occasion when they were short a player, they requested that I fill in, but I knew what that meant, I will be on the field of play and will be ignored. So I always declined to fill in, on such a situation.

One day and for some reason Desmond “Chow Ming” Mc Cauley, decided that he did not want to continue to play anymore, and left the field. Slick called me to fill in for Desmond; I did not want to be bothered, or to suffer the indignity of being on a field of play and not being a part of the game. So I waved off the master baller, indicating to him I don’t want to play. 

I don’t know why, but slick was adamant that I come and play, I did not know why it meant so much to slick that I take the field of play, that he left the field came into the stand and request that I join his team. At Slick’s prompting I went onto the field. Slick passed the ball to me and I went into my old mode of playing, trying to get to the goal, as a result I lose the ball in the process. Slick came up to me he said Palmer, you are rushing the game. It was then he told me what he expected from me. He said, "Palmer, I want you to slow down the game, when I pass the ball to you, first control the ball, look up, look for me then pass the ball back to me."

Slick instruction was clear and simple, he will tell me where on the field he wanted me and I followed his instruction. Then slick got the ball, he pass the ball to me, I controlled the ball, I looked up I saw Slick moving into a position where I can see him, he was clear of opposing players, without rushing it, I pass the ball back to slick, Slick in turn did the same thing, he controlled the ball, and he passed the ball to a third person who did the same thing and then I got the ball, again, I control the ball, I looked up and I pass the ball to slick, before I knew it, Slick had pulled together a series of seven plus passes, we were in the goal area of our opponent and I can hear the guys in the grand stand shouting Knock-ments, knowkment. When the ball went out of touch Slick come to me and say, that is how simple the game is, that is what we call knockment. I felt good, for the first time, I was actually involved in a game of soccer that meant something.

That felt good, for the first time I felt some level of control, with Slick’s help, I actually play some productive soccer. At the end of the game, Slick called me and say Palmer come back tomorrow, I want you on my side (team) tomorrow, I went back the next day and I was on slick’s side once again. Before the game started, Keith reminded me, not to rush the ball and to find the rhythm. form the day before, I understood what the rhythm was, because I felt the rhythm, of the game; it was like a dance. control, look up, see your team mate and pass the ball. Then he reminded me to first control the ball, look up, look for me, take your time and pass the ball to me he said. In those days I was into Kung fu movies and in my head, the park was the monastery, slick was the Shaolin Master, and I was the awkward pupil who he took under his wings to teach Shaolin Kung fu.

Slick was always there to real me back in, when I went back to my old uncontrollable style of playing. He will do so by cooly saying "Palmer don’t lose the rhythm remember knowkments." And I will get back into the simple mood of play, control, look up, find Slick and pass the ball to him. This went on for a few weeks well. I could feel my confidence growing, I became more comfortable on the soccer field and that was because Slick was always there to guide me and to correct any mistake I made. Keith Slick corrected my mistakes without making me feel like some idiot.

Every morning I wake up looking forward to going to Victoria Park, to play soccer, this continue for the greater part of a year, my soccer game had developed to the point where, the style of soccer became second nature for me, at this stage Slick was not talking as much, he allowed me to play my game. Slick had taught me about finding the rhythm of the game, the importance of controlling the ball, ensuring I know where everyone was on the field, and the greatest element in the sport was to share the ball with your teammates. He also told me that Jibbing the ball had its place, and should be used when your team mates are not in a position for you to pass the ball to; then you only jibble the ball to get a better position where you can incorporate your teammate in the game.

I was most contented in playing soccer with the guys before a small group of people, finally I have fitted into something. I fit in because I was able to contribute to the task at hand. Here I was actually involved in the game, and then, I no longer was required to pass the ball to slick. With Slick’s teaching and guidance, I developed to the stage where I learn to find the best position on the field, to be included in the game, even without Slick’s immediate direction and I had also learned to find and pass the ball to the person in the best position to advance the game. I came a long way and I was thankful. I never compared myself with any of the other players because I was the least of the players.

And then, one morning after we had played, Slick came to me and he say Palmer you are ready, I said to myself: "ready for what," I was lost so I asked Mr. Bonadie what do you mean I am ready. I was at a lost as to what he meant by that statement. it was then, Slick, with a straight face (Serious face), looked at me and said: "you are ready to play real and competitive soccer." I looked at Slick and I mockingly smiled at him like to say "Yeah Right". Then he said, we have a spot for you on Tafar I, if you want it. I was still smiling mockingly at Slick, I did not take Keith Slick serious. I knew my game had vastly improved, but I cannot be that good to get a place on one of the nation’s best soccer team.

Slick further said I am asking you before any other team asked you to play for them. When he said that, I said to my self: "this man is serious." It was then I realized that Slick was really serious, I was totally freaked out; could you imagine me wearing a Tafar-I T-shirt, even if I was sitting on the bench. That would have been the coolest thing ever, just to be a part.

However; I still did not believe it, I said to Slick that is a big responsibility, I further said you may think I am ready to play for Tafar-I, but I am not ready to for that level of soccer. I knew there were a certain level of mental perpetration that is required to play at that level and I just was not prepared for that and to be honest I was more than contented with playing in the morning session and holding my own. Slick then said to me: "remember, if you change your mind you have a place with us." those words spoken by slick on that morning meant the world to me, and change my state of thinking.

Slick may not have known what his intervention into my life did for me. I had resigned to the fact that I was not a good football player and would have never been. But when Keith “Slick” Bonadie, decided to take the time to teach me the game of soccer and single-handedly (on his own) transformed my game from a game from the worst player ever to a young man with a skill level to have been offered a spot in a team of the Caliber of Tafar-I.

It was then I realized that there is nothing that I cannot do, as long as I get someone who has an interest in teaching me, I can accomplish anything I set my mind to. Slick actually created a Frankenstein monster called Allan H. F. Palmer. Now it was time to tackle the biggest monster to date. A monster that have caused me many embarrassment, A monster that have caused me many heart aches. This Monster was my secondary education. I began to asked around about the teachers in the evening classes program.

I heard about Heather Heckbourn now Dr. Heather Williams. I learn of her love for teaching. I think Dr. Williams was born to teach people like me. Dr. Heather Williams made learning a walk in the park. I was so confident walking into the Human and Social Biology exam room; I knew there were no question on that syllabus, they could asked that I could not answer. That was how good teacher Heather is and how prepared I was.

I also heard of Mrs. Joseph; I never knew her first name, however she is the wife of Calypsion Alexis Joseph's. Her love for teaching especially English Language was tremendous; Mrs. Joseph built my confidence in a subject that I previously did poorly in. There was a few other tutors, I heard about; however these two were the cream of the crop. As a result, I enrolled in the Ministry of education evening classes program and I began to excel in the academics. like soccer, the same academics that kicked my ass, I became the master of. I passed every subject I sat in one sitting.

Yahweh used Keith "Slick" Bonadie to teach me that there is nothing I cannot do. That mentality has been my watch word up to this day. When I was writing this true Story, I contacted my friend Mikey Brown to find out if he sees Slick in New York City, and how he was doing. It was then Browne Mikey Errol told me, I guess you did not hear, but slick passed away about two years ago. Writing this story was a difficult one. Because a man who created the Monster that is Allan Palmer, never got the opportunity know, how much he impacted my life and how much I appreciated what he did for me. May Mr. Keith “Slick” Bonadie soul rest in the arms of Jesus’ and may it rest in peace.

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