1919: Bill W. [left, 1918]
received an honorable discharge from the U.S. Army at Army Camp Devens in
Massachusetts.
[right: late 1800s, c. 1965]. A weekly donation of $3 was given to the sexton for opening and closing
the church. Early members included Ed A., Tony V., Robert, Cyrus, and Bert
E.
Despite claiming to have brought A.A. to Barbados, Ed A. struggled to maintain sobriety. After umpiring a tennis match at Bachelors’ Hallin St. James, he went to the podium and drunkenly announced he was the President of A.A. in Barbados. Bert, a salesman, succeeded in getting sober but relapsed when his homing pigeons won a competition. He later sobered up again and became a dedicated A.A. member.
Over the new few years, according to Tony, discussions at meetings in the early days centered around “who could drink the most” and hardly anybody was staying sober. Tony himself attended meetings, drinking all the while. As Tony said, he would go to a meeting, go out after the meeting to listen to jazz, and his “head would go off.” Their main accomplishment was that the doors were kept open, and visitors from the U.S. and Canada brought some structure. A Canadian visitor to the island, Kenzie, apparently reported to G.S.O. in New York that A.A.s in Barbados were a “wild group.” Another visitor introduced the Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions.
Other significant events in March
(no specific date known)
(no specific date known)
1962: Accounts of Alcoholics Anonymous’s origins in Barbados are vague and
inconsistent. Sources identify the “founder” as either a Californian or
Canadian.
However, the most credible accounts indicate that in the early 1960s, Ed A., an American from San Diego, California, was living and working in Bridgetown, Barbados. Ed had previously been exposed to A.A. in the U.S. A former professional tennis player, he frequently umpired at local tournaments and belonged to the Barbados Yacht Club, an exclusive, whites-only club. Ed was struggling with sobriety, and his job was in jeopary.
In March, Ed visited Ian Gale, editor of The Advocate
[left: front page, December 1966], Barbados’s leading newspaper, in Bridgetown, the capital, to request a
notice or a column addressing alcohol abuse on the island, including
statistics on the effects and consequences of alcoholism. Ed asserted that
Barbados definitely needed an A.A. program.
Gale responded by saying, “I've got the right man for you,” and directed Ed to Tony V., a journalist known for his heavy drinking whom the [presumably non-alcoholic] Gale had previously advised to reduce his rum consumption and drink only beer.
During their initial conversation about the
proposed article, Ed shared with Tony his interest in starting an A.A.
meeting in Barbados. Subsequently, Mr. Smith, the Headmaster of St. Matthias
Boys School in Christ Church, was contacted and agreed to provide a meeting
space in the annex of St. Matthias Church
However, the most credible accounts indicate that in the early 1960s, Ed A., an American from San Diego, California, was living and working in Bridgetown, Barbados. Ed had previously been exposed to A.A. in the U.S. A former professional tennis player, he frequently umpired at local tournaments and belonged to the Barbados Yacht Club, an exclusive, whites-only club. Ed was struggling with sobriety, and his job was in jeopary.
In March, Ed visited Ian Gale, editor of The Advocate
[left: front page, December 1966], Barbados’s leading newspaper, in Bridgetown, the capital, to request a
notice or a column addressing alcohol abuse on the island, including
statistics on the effects and consequences of alcoholism. Ed asserted that
Barbados definitely needed an A.A. program.Gale responded by saying, “I've got the right man for you,” and directed Ed to Tony V., a journalist known for his heavy drinking whom the [presumably non-alcoholic] Gale had previously advised to reduce his rum consumption and drink only beer.
[right: late 1800s, c. 1965]. A weekly donation of $3 was given to the sexton for opening and closing
the church. Early members included Ed A., Tony V., Robert, Cyrus, and Bert
E.Despite claiming to have brought A.A. to Barbados, Ed A. struggled to maintain sobriety. After umpiring a tennis match at Bachelors’ Hallin St. James, he went to the podium and drunkenly announced he was the President of A.A. in Barbados. Bert, a salesman, succeeded in getting sober but relapsed when his homing pigeons won a competition. He later sobered up again and became a dedicated A.A. member.
Over the new few years, according to Tony, discussions at meetings in the early days centered around “who could drink the most” and hardly anybody was staying sober. Tony himself attended meetings, drinking all the while. As Tony said, he would go to a meeting, go out after the meeting to listen to jazz, and his “head would go off.” Their main accomplishment was that the doors were kept open, and visitors from the U.S. and Canada brought some structure. A Canadian visitor to the island, Kenzie, apparently reported to G.S.O. in New York that A.A.s in Barbados were a “wild group.” Another visitor introduced the Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions.
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