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Nov 2017
Trapped in Jamaica’s Blue Mountains
hours to live. By December 20, virtually out of food and with canteens almost dry, Roger Bates, Gordon Cooper, George Hussey, Cecil n December 16, 1967, I was one Ward and I, had set in motion the largest of five boys from Jamaica College, and most extensive air and land search one of the island’s elite high and rescue mission in memory on the island. On December 22, we enschools, who decided to chalcountered a fern patch, the only lenge the wilds of its rugged, one in the entire area of the bewitching but merciless Blue Mountains. We wanted to North Blue Mountain slopes, conquer the Peak (elev. 7402 with jungle terrain similar to that of Myanmar and the ft.) via a route that we had very jungle used by Canaonly heard about. We never dian and British forces for made it. A platoon of soltraining. Having watched diers dispatched to the area the aircraft (army and civilwhere it was believed that we began our hike along the ian planes and helicopters) search for us for over three Blue Mountain Ridge reported days, we made the life-saving that we were never there or had vanished into the jungle. The sol- Geoffrey B. Haddad decision not to leave ‘our miniscule opening in the jungle.’ We diers turned back. After almost ten days in heavily forested were ready to set the mountain on fire if we and inhospitable terrain, described as inac- had not been spotted by December 24, the cessible and where, perhaps, no man had ninth day of the journey - the day we were ever trodden, we found ourselves hopeless- rescued. Our harrowing journey made headlines ly lost, trapped and far from a living soul. Cold and starving, we probably had only and tested our characters as we faced death BY
Geoffrey Haddad
O
Dave, world traveller PARC resident
on our way to manhood. Using eyewitness accounts, maps, and never-before-seen photographs, our entire escapade has been comprehensively recorded from an innocent plan hatched during Christmas break to the dramatic, last-ditch effort to rescue us. If I’m Not Back by Wednesday, is a testimony to how life’s occurrences, for better or worse, are engineered by something
more than coincidence. Geoffrey B. Haddad is a Professional Engineer registered in Jamaica, Ontario and British Colombia. He was born in Kingston, Jamaica and resides, along with his family, including four grandchildren in West Vancouver. Personalized colour photo editions of his book are available at www.geoffreyhaddadbooks.com.
Photos provided Arrow indicating our last camp site on the mountain from where we watched aircraft searching for us.
L-R/ Gordon Cooper, Cecil Ward, Geoffrey Haddad, Roger Bates and George Hussey at the Jamaica Defence Force HQ
When not travelling overseas with his wife, Dave can be found playing cribbage with the group he started at the Westerleigh. The game has been a favourite in Dave’s family for generations, and next on his list is to challenge other PARC residences to a championship! “We’ve made long-lasting friendships with other Westerleigh travellers.” That’s how it is at Westerleigh PARC: it’s easy to keep up old interests, with new friends. And with PARC Retirement Living’s focus on maintaining a healthy body and mind through our Independent Living+ program, it’s easy to see how life’s just better here.
Call Gail at 604.922.9888 to reserve your tour and complimentary lunch.
Life’s better here 725 - 22nd Street, West Vancouver
parcliving.ca/westerleigh