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‘You’d have to go far to find his equal’ - Fennell fondly recalls four decades of friendship with Clarke

Published:Monday | May 18, 2020 | 12:06 AMAndrÈ Lowe/Sports Editor

Very few knew the late media and business magnate Oliver Clarke as well as former Jamaica Olympic Association President Mike Fennell.

With more than four decades of friendship and jocular exchanges, Clarke’s passing on Saturday night, after a prolonged battle with cancer, has left a huge personal void for Fennell. As far as he is concerned, it also represents a massive loss for the media and business landscapes.

Fennell said that Clarke was “one of the finest individuals I have ever come across”.

“I know many people would not know the extent to which he helped others and his deep conviction to ensure that others could also benefit from things that are happening. This was a deep, solid commitment of his,” Fennell told The Gleaner yesterday.

“Certainly in terms of his business acumen, his intellect, and, above all, his integrity, you would have to go very far to find his equal,” added Fennell, who also expressed his own challenges in coming to grips with Clarke’s passing.

The two became friendly in the mid-to-late 1970s, and as their relationship deepened over the years, Fennell was given an opportunity to get to see beyond Clarke’s public persona.

It is an insight that he does not take for granted.

COMMON GROUND

Fennell, who himself remains highly regarded in the business and sports administration fraternities, worked in the background as Clarke laid the first blocks in the establishment of the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica (PSOJ) and was with him near the end while Clarke continued his service to the Anglican Church, advising on business arrangements and acquisitions.

The sports administrator remembers well how his bond with Clarke was forged in the incipient days of the PSOJ in 1976. But it is the last 10-15 years that brought them closer as they both got more involved in the Anglican Church, said Fennell, adding that Clarke’s late grandfather had been a canon.

“We have really lost a leader that was truly outstanding in so many different areas. He has left a huge legacy,” he added.

Given Fennell’s background in sports, it is only natural that he and Clarke – an avid tennis fan – would share common ground on that score.

“I don’t think him being a good tennis player would be on the front line of his achievements,” Fennell managed in a witty response that he’s certain Clarke would appreciate. “But he recognised, and we discussed this quite often, he knew its contribution to business and its contribution to the development of people.”

andre.lowe@gleanerjm.com