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HOME	JANUARY 29th, 2005

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Editor of the Grenadian Voice newspaper, Leslie Pierre says that veteran journalist Dr. Alister Hughes is responsible for him being alive today since he was the one who negotiated his release from the Richmond Hill Prisons where he was incarcerated for opposing the 1979-83 leftist People's Revolutionary Government (PRG).

Pierre made the comment last Friday at the home of Dr. Hughes in Springs, St. George's at a function organised by the Media Workers Association of Grenada (MWAG) to mark the veteran's 87th birthday.

The Editor of the Voice along with current Opposition Leader Tillman Thomas, Barrister at-Law Lloyd Noel, journalist Jerry Romain and political activists Winston Whyte were among several political detainees of the PRG. Although being confined to bed and unable to speak properly, Dr. Hughes recognised some of the faces that were in attendance.

In brief remarks made, Pierre spoke of how pleased he was to be associated with Alister and how proud he felt to be in a profession that was graced over the years by someone of such stature. Secretary of MWAG, Ray Roberts encouraged young persons in the profession to strive for excellence like Dr. Hughes did.

Roberts told the brief ceremony that the veteran journalist always ensured he did professional work since he was aware that his audience was not only the Grenadian community but the wider world.

Born in St George's on January 21, 1919, Dr. Hughes attended St George's Anglican Boys' Primary School until 1931 when, at the age of 11, he won one of the two scholarships to the Grenada Boys' Secondary School (GBSS). Before entering journalism, Hughes spent 36 years working in the island's private sector working as a salesman, auctioneer, sewing machine serviceman and travel agent.

He also ran a bakery, mattress factory, toilet tissue factory, and for 28 years worked in the family business, A. Norris Hughes and Sons. Dr. Hughes is best remembered for his bravery and standing up against what some people viewed as dictatorial regimes in Grenada; one led by Sir Eric Gairy (Grenada United Labour Party) and the other (PRG) by Maurice Bishop.

In 1973, Hughes was beaten up at Pearl's Airport while waiting for Gairy's return from discussions with the British government on Independence. The journalist was dragged from his taxi, beaten by the Mongoose Gang, and kicked out of the airport.

A complaint to the Chief of Police resulted in a search for arms and ammunition at Hughes' home the next morning. He was working for 610 Radio in Trinidad and called and told the radio station about the development.

The other incident occurred on his 54th birthday and could have ended his fledgling career in journalism were it not for the intervention of a policeman. On January 21, 1974, one of the numerous public protests under the Gairy regime took place outside Otway House, headquarters of the Seamen and Waterfront Workers Union (SWWU) on the Carenage.

About 6,000 people were under attack from the Mongoose Gang, a group described as Sir. Eric's secret police. The demonstrators were, beaten, tear gassed and fired upon by the Mongoose Gang.

Despite the violence and the danger to his life, Hughes brought a live broadcast of the happenings around him from inside Otway House. His coverage of the events propelled him to the top among journalists not only in Grenada but the Caribbean.

Later that year, Dr. Hughes was awarded by the Caribbean Publishers and Broadcasters Association (CPBA) for personal courage and professional persistence during the period of Grenada's independence. Hughes was also the only independent journalist who spoke with the late marxist leader, Maurice Bishop when a group of supporters freed him from under house arrest at Mt. Wheldale on October 19, 1983 during a bitter battle among hardliners and moderates for control of the Grenada Revolution.

The journalists reported Bishop as uttering the words "the masses" as he was led away to Fort Rupert (George) where he was later captured and executed by opponents. Hughes has built up an impressive list of awards for his services to journalism and broadcasting.

One of them includes The Maria Moors Cabot prize Award, which he received together with his late wife Cynthia, from Columbia University, for "distinguished journalistic service".