‘Gleaner Man’ takes pride in serving his community

His birth name is Lloyd Davis, but 90 per cent of the people in his community doesn’t know it, and even if they did, they prefer to call him ‘Gleaner Man’.

Davis who has been selling Gleaner since 1980 in Crofts Hill, Northern Clarendon said the job saw him transitioning into the taxi business.

After collecting The Gleaner and riding his bike to make the deliveries and sales, he said by 7 a.m., he was finished with the deliveries and had the whole day with nothing to do.

To supplement his income, he said he bought a car and got into the taxi business.

He was among the over 30 recipients of community awards from One Connection Group last month.

Reflecting on the taxi business which has seen him having to be a father, counsellor, friend and security officer at times, even putting himself in harm’s way, he said one of the reasons he stayed for more than 40 years is the opportunity to offer guidance and play the father role.

Davis was awarded for his commitment to the community in his capacity as a taxi operator and the great care he has taken of his passengers.

He was lauded for going ‘above and beyond’ his role to ensure his passengers were well taken care of.

Davis told The Gleaner, during his early days of operating, it was just about three taxis on the road and he used to play the Crofts Hill to Lluidasvale route.

STOOD OUT

One memory stood out for him where there was an accident and a man from the community was badly hurt.

“I had to take him to the Linstead Hospital, very unusual at that time, because taxis never went that far. It takes me the whole day to get the one man there and then he died about when we reach Lluidasvale, but I still had to take him then get the doctor to pronounce him dead, then when I returned to the community I had to call that a day,” he said, adding that he didn’t have the heart to collect money.

There were times he said when ‘father role’ had to kick in as he would pick up young girls and after communicating with them, he realised they were going into harm;s way.

“After finding out who dem a go tuh, sometimes you even have to turn back girls who going into danger because who dem a go tuh you know it’s dangerous so you affi turn dem back,” he said.

Davis said there are other times when girls takes his vehicle and they don’t have the fare and further investigation reveals that they are “going to look it” and not being comfortable with the way they intend to, he said he did the fatherly thing and turn them back as he quipped “cause she just a go fi guh look a ting whey nutten nuh deh, mi affi deal wid it like a father, mi nuh too rough still,” he said.

In late 2000, he said he was held up at his home and abducted by gunmen. He is thankful that they were not heartless as he was not harmed, just driven to a section away from the community and let out of the car.

He eventually got back his vehicle which was recovered from Portland.

Now age 64, Davis said he is slow making his way out of the taxi business as he said he is leaving it to the young people.

These days, Davis coincides his taxi work with his Gleaner pick-up and delivers after that he is done for the day.