Afotimber
I LAST saw Aldwyn “Midget” McGill on Morvant Avenue behind the Catholic church. I also saw him at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. I met him at a CONCACAF Gold Cup and several international matches in the United States, all involving the Trinidad and Tobago senior men’s national football team, who he religiously celebrates in his Caribbean All Stars Magazine.
McGill is a world traveller. More importantly, he is a “Morvant Man”.
Having migrated to Canada in 1972, McGill has held on tight to his Morvant and Trinidad and Tobago roots. Publisher of the Caribbean All Stars Magazine out of Canada, he also produced the Morvant Love magazine, highlighting the high achievers that have come out of the Morvant community like Olympian and athletics administrator Ephraim Serrette, athlete PG Wilson, artistes Singing Sandra and Mavis John and football people Gwenwyn Cust, Anthony Streete, Dennis Lawrence, Pat Small, Jamaal Shabazz, Nevick Denoon and Devorn Jorsling, just to name a few among them. McGill knows that Morvant was not always the hot spot it is sometimes stigmatised as.
On October 30, he was among some prominent contributors to the area who were recognised by the Ministry of Sport and Community Development.
McGill was recognised for the extensive community service he renders in the Morvant area, including sponsoring and running a youth league, supporting the veterans’ foundation, and providing donations of equipment to youngsters.
At the formal opening of the Morvant Community Centre, Adrian Leonce, the Member of Parliament for Laventille East/Morvant was on hand to present McGill with the deserved award. Also present was Shamfa Cudjoe-Lewis, Minister of Sport and Community Development.
A former Morvant United and Colts footballer, Mc Gill has been prominent in the development of football in the Morvant area.
“I’ve been in the trenches in Morvant doing the work,” McGill stated.
“Always supporting the Morvant veterans with gears over the years. Always supporting Morvant Football Academy with anything I can throughout the years,” he said, ”and just being a Morvant man with international ties.”
Among McGill’s successes was the establishment of a football programme at the Russell Latapy Secondary School, and being part of the team which re-established the Morvant Primary School Football League, and also running a youth league in the area.
“I came back and re-established the Morvant Primary School Football League with the approval of the Ministry of Education,” he recalled, “That we did, Val Sebro, Yvonne Constantine, Victor Mc Gill and myself, and we had help from referees and a host of others.”