From school dropout to Business Executive… Reginald Matthews is a ‘Special Person’

Mar 01, 2020 News, Special Person

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“I love my country, I travelled a lot, but when It came to the natural beauty of this country, I desired to live nowhere else. I wanted to stay and continue serving my country.”

By Malisa Playter-Harry

Oftentimes we search the worldwide web for inspiration and motivation from a famous
figure whose life started with many struggles but then exploded into success. But if we
really think about it, sometimes we really don’t have to look very far to find persons with such stories.

Reginald Albert Matthews, who hails from Adventure on the Essequibo Coast but now lives in New Amsterdam, Berbice, is one success story that would resonate with you for many years to come.
Matthews, now 66 years old, came from humble beginnings in a household in Essequibo with his hardworking parents, Milton Matthews and Rajwanti Bessassar-Matthews (both deceased), and nine siblings. His father was a rice farmer and worked in transport while his mother took the path of being a housewife, taking care of him, his brothers and sisters. He is the fourth among the nine children who his parents procreated (5 boys and 4 girls).
Matthews attended Suddie Primary School, then St. John’s Anglican School, where he enjoyed learning to garden.
HARD TIMES
But at the tender age of 10, his life took a drastic turn. His beloved father, who was the sole breadwinner of the home, became ill. With no one working, he had to grow up quickly, since he was determined to help the family cope. This warranted that Matthews leave school to find a job to support his mom and siblings.
Reminiscing on the past, he remembered doing all sorts of odd jobs just to earn a few dollars to help in the home. Two years after he left school to work, his father died at the age of 46. Matthews was 12 years old at the time. He continued pushing forward even harder to secure a permanent job.
It was one of those odd jobs that helped him seal his place at Banks DIH Limited (formerly D’Aguiar Bros.), which is recognised today as a major food and beverage
manufacturing and distribution company.
Matthews said when there were events in Essequibo with Banks DIH staff working, he would venture out looking to grab a small job of picking up the bottles and packing them up after they ended. At age 14, he landed his first official job at the beverage company. He was hired to work as a bondman at Essequibo when a branch was opened there.
Determined to do well even without a secondary or tertiary education, Matthews eagerly worked his way to the top. This journey translated to him being promoted to a Class Three Clerk at the company a few years after joining, and Matthews recalled that at the age of 20, “I was celebrating my 20th birthday when I received a letter to be the Depot Manager of Banks DIH Essequibo”.
It was a feeling of accomplishment for him, since his hard work was paying off. As a result, he and his siblings were being well provided for, and he certainly was making himself and family proud.

“My sisters and brothers had to go to school, so my motivation was to look after my family. We had about eight acres of rice land, I planted rice by hand and did a lot of odd jobs to get by too,” he recalled.
But by 1976, Matthews decided he wanted a family of his own when be wedded Gaitree, the love of his life. Their union produced two children – a son, Alexander, and a daughter, Charmaine. His family currently resides overseas where he visits very often.
He mentioned being a grandfather to two children fathered by his son. The way his face glowed when he spoke of them made it clear that they help to bring much joy to his life.
Since family is especially important to him, Matthews continues to keep in close contact with his siblings and other family members on a daily basis.
As he stressed the importance of family, Matthews said he was hit with what he described as a “bombshell” when his daughter, whom he loves dearly, was diagnosed with cancer. To date, he continues to be a key support to her as she fights the tough battle. He visits her overseas every chance he gets and continues to support and encourage her in other ways when he is here.
BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS
Turning his attention back to his professional commitments, Matthews recalled that during his earlier years at Banks DIH Ltd, Essequibo, he was afforded the opportunity to complete many courses, mostly in the evenings after his day’s work. This allowed him to develop skills in bookkeeping and accounting.
“That helped me a great deal. For about six months, I used to go to classes 8:30 in the night after work. I rode my cycle for two and a half miles to get there,” he recalled. At that time, his weekly earning was twenty dollars and twenty-five cents to be exact but, according to Matthews, “the money had value then, you know.”
On April 26 1981, he was transferred to Berbice, and since then he has been managing the branch in New Amsterdam with astounding success, evident by the impressive revenues and profits earned annually.

He assumed leadership of the Ancient County branch when there were continuous strikes by staffers against his predecessors. When he assumed that position, he vowed to lead differently, and indeed, he kept his word.
When the strikes ended, he developed a relationship with his staff by listening, educating them, and guiding their path to catapult the branch, and by extension the company, to new heights.
“It is one of the things I told our late Chairman of the company, Peter D’Aguiar…while
working, he asked me to do an essay. I wrote 250 words and I told him there was a gap between management and workers, and because I worked the various areas, I saw what was right from what was wrong. So, I took what was good and discarded what was bad and he was very impressed with that,” Matthews recounted.
He recalled, too, one instance during his earlier years at the Berbice branch where the wife of a staff member was ill and hospitalised at the old New Amsterdam Hospital. His
compassionate side was aroused, and he decided to buy a bouquet of fresh flowers, and had his wife take it to the ill woman. It was the thought that counted, Matthews noted, adding that it was his choice to show humility in times when persons were experiencing the worst. It was such scenarios, which enabled him to build lasting bridges over the years.
Reminiscing even more, Matthews said that, since joining the company, he has had no regrets, as it has been a “beautiful experience coupled with some challenges, but no turning back”. It was really management’s interest to develop the human resources that encouraged him to stay all these years, he reflected.

He recalled there being many in-house training sessions to develop and improve skills in the working environment. Added to that, the opportunity to have the job he currently holds was one thing that “made me who I am today,” said Matthews.
Reflecting, our ‘Special Person’ said that from where he was to where he is today was only attained by him “grabbing onto a golden opportunity and never looking back”.
What is interesting to note, the struggles he endured while growing up had bestowed upon him an indescribable admiration and love for his country, and it was that which truly kept him grounded.
Despite the abundance of opportunities that could have compelled him to migrate, he chose to stay. “I love my country, I travelled a lot, but when it came to the natural beauty of this country, I desired to live nowhere else. I wanted to stay and continue serving my country,” he said.
VOLUNTARY WORK
Over the years, Matthews who is described by his staff as “principled”, also found time to give voluntary services. He served as the President for the Lions Club of New Amsterdam from 1990 – 1991. During that time, he made possible the implementation of several projects that benefited many. Among these, he spearheaded and executed the construction of a road leading to the Vryman’s Erven Secondary School.
“The road they had there was in a terrible state. It was a mud dam and it had a wooden bridge that was almost dilapidated, and I had a metal bridge built there and bitumen-sealed road (asphalt), as a project executed under the Lions Club,” Matthews shared. This major project, he recalled, was commissioned by the late President, Hugh Desmond Hoyte.
Prior to his post at the Lions Club, Matthews served as Chairman of the Building Committee at the National Psychiatric Hospital at Fort Canje, Berbice. He also served as a member of the Board of Trustees at the Good Samaritan Home in Stanleytown, New Amsterdam, and has been a member of the United Grand Lodge of England since 1991.
“THE COLLECTOR”
Aside from catapulting the Berbice branch to capturing several awards as an executive member of the company, Matthews, behind closed doors, developed an interest and love for collecting. From aged liquors from around the world to currency (notes and coins) from close to a hundred countries, his collection is astonishing, to say the least.
As I walked into his cosy home in New Amsterdam, adorned with plants, he directed me to his shelves of alcoholic and non-alcoholic liquor and beverages from around the world. For Matthews, collecting has grown into being more than just a hobby; it has become a passion.
Nestled neatly on the stained and varnished wooden shelves cocooning his living room, Matthews described every bottle he picked up and gave a history behind it and where it came from. There were hundreds to be seen.
Carefully grabbing a glass bottle of Coca-Cola affixed to a wooden frame, he revealed that it was among the first batch of Coca-Cola beverages produced by Banks DIH Ltd. It dated back to 1991. If that wasn’t intriguing enough, he pulled out a bottle with a preserved scorpion floating at the bottom of the alcohol. There were bottles dating back to the 60’s that were still sealed and on display.
He was not done there. The company executive was eager to display his collection of notes and coins from around the world, including currency from Guyana when it was under British rule. He brought out inches-thick currency collection albums. His collection of coins was also preserved and stored in albums, some of which he displayed. It wasn’t surprising at all when he said he collected stamps as well.
“The United States coin collection took 10 years, from 1999; each year five are released. The Euro coins I have are for different countries in Europe,” he disclosed.
Very few persons are afforded the opportunity to view his collections, which he takes much pride in. He said it’s an activity that he plans to continue long after he retires.
Meanwhile, when asked to share his thoughts about the young generation, Matthews implored that they stay focused and determined. He believes that even though a person
may not have all the education in the world, it is not the end of the road.
“If you have reached a stage where you can’t afford to go to UG and you feel as though your life is over, you must be determined to succeed, regardless. Always accept the challenge, and that is how I see myself.”
Moreover, Matthews is appealing to the youth of today to develop patience and dedication, which he says are two key elements needed for success. In fact, he lives by the principle “one’s beginning must never determine his destination”.
For being a true son of the soil, today we are happy to name Mr. Reginald Matthews our ‘Special Person’ of the week.

 

 

 

 

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