Mr Augustus Edwin Justin; S.L.M.P
ONE CARIBBEAN is proud to be associated with Mr. Augustus Justin. For this man’s
contribution to humanity, particularly for the care and love he has given and continues to give
to the elderly among us, we choose Gus as our Man of the Year.
Mr. Justin is truly a humanitarian, a man who practices the teachings of the Son of God in
whom he believes strongly.
Coming from a humble Catholic family, he served as an acolyte and was given the
responsibility of caring for the three altars in the Castries Catholic church.
Added to this, he learned to love people from the love shown to him by his deceased mother,
Adelaide Justin. He was extremely close to her, and lived to a ripe old age.
It was when he visited, on numerous occasions, the Home for the Elderly in Soufriere, that he
first found himself donating groceries to the elderly people there. This was the beginning of a
life of service and dedication to the elderly. Mr. Justin in talking about his visits to Malgretoute,
Soufriere, said “I was moved at what I saw, the conditions there and the thought that any
one of these women could have been my mother. A voice in me told me that I had to do
something more than just delivering handouts to the destitute.”
That was when he was inspired to make plans that would fulfill his childhood dreams. Based
on his convictions, Christian virtues and charitable mannerisms he was further inspired to
purchase a building for the elderly in Sans Souci where he started the Adelaide’s Home.
He said sympathetically, “The whole thing is in memory of my mother who was a very
charitable individual, very loving and I decided to dedicate the first home to her memory.”
Six years later Mr. Justin built a second home and named it in memory of his sister Frances
who died six years later. To minimize administrative and operative costs both homes were
subsequently combined in one structure now located at Waterworks in Castries.
It is now called the Adelaide & Frances Memorial Complex and was officially opened on
January 30, 1994. At present the home now has sixteen (16) persons, all females, living
within its clean and comfortable quarters. The complex has its own chapel where prayers are
kept on a daily basis but mass is held every Tuesday, conducted by a local priest. The seniors
are also seen to after death.
Mr. Justin is proud of the fact that all his children who have died are given proper funerals
with the help of corporate citizens, most notably Crick’s Funeral Parlour.
While the spiritualization of these elderly folk is an ongoing thing Gus sees to it that they
enjoy their last days with as much fun as he possibly can provide.
Trips to Martinique have been organized on an annual basis and in the process the local home
has twined with a similar home in the French country, called Ki Ma Fouti, located in Lorrain,
Martinique. Special quarters are provided at the Home for their French counterparts.
Mr. Justin saw to it that the Day for the Elderly was celebrated in fine style, when on October
1, 1996 a grand cultural extravaganza was held at the Cultural Complex.
Visiting other homes is a regular feature undertaken by the home.
How did Mr. Justin find the funds to build this $300,000 complex and also to provide three
meals per day for sixteen elderly?
With pride in his voice he replied, “We get a small subvention from government and the rest
from charitable individuals. The building was all built from the profits of my business.”
Mr. Justin is the sole director of Lithographic Press located on Chaussee Road. He started this
business thirty years ago and spends his time between the Printery and the home, each
complementing the other.
But he has not stopped there. Not being satisfied with all he has done Gus still finds the time
to give and share coffee and sandwich to 150 destitute in the city of Castries.
With the help of Mr. Jones Jn Baptiste and Marie Daniel the goodies are prepared and dished
out every first Friday of the month. This activity has been going on for exactly one year now.
At 62, he has maintained good health and “With the grace of God,” he says he is thankful to
be alive. He says too that the home means everything to him now, more than the press even.
This humble servant says he spends so much time caring for the people that during his last
days he will want to actually live at the Complex.
“I find myself going to this home two or three times a day. I sit and talk to the residents, I rub
their aching bodies, I cut their toe nails, I joke with them……… and I see my mother in every
one of them.
“Even the things they say to me remind me of my mom. She was a wonderful individual and I
still carry her birth certificate with me.”
Mr. Justin feels more spiritually attuned, more sympathetic to others and their problems. He
knows, he says, that evil can infiltrate and work through people but he also knows that God
uses us as his instruments to do his work.
He acknowledges he would never have made it over the years unless God was working with
and through him. Now he feels he has fulfilled his purpose on earth and is ready.
One Caribbean (New Year’s Edition 1997)
back to top
|
