‘My father and my friend’ - Youngster saved by Trench Town hero has undying love for him

Friday, September 8, 2017 is a date that will forever stand tall in the minds of Tremayne Brown and Renardo Reynolds. It was the day when the two, previously strangers, started to develop an unbreakable bond following one heroic act.

Brown, 27, had jump into a gully that runs through Collie Smith Drive in Trench Town, St Andrew, in order to save Renardo, who was being washed away by raging waters. Renardo was 12 years old at the time.

"Mi love him!" Renardo, who is now 16 and attending Charlie Smith High School, told THE WEEKEND STAR.

"Mi feel happy say him save mi. Mi have him as mi brother, mi father and mi friend. He is like everything to me because him save my life," added Renardo, who aspires to become a soldier.

Brown, who received a Badge of Honour for Gallantry at the National Honours and Awards ceremony on Heroes Day, almost a month after his heroics, said that the bond between himself and Renardo became even closer after his mother, Kareen Duggon, died last year of heart disease.

"I looked at his mother like she was my own mother. She showed me love so mi love her for that. So after she died, we got even closer because I was always around before she passed away. Renardo is a really cool kid, he is a genuine person and he shows a lot of respect," said Brown. The young Renardo, a ninth-grader, said that Brown is always there for him.

"When mi waah something him ensure say mi get it. That is how him show mi love every day. Mi learn a lot of things from him; mi learn kindness, mi learn respect and him always tell mi fi keep focus. There is a lot of love between us, mi just cyah wait fi mek it so mi can show him how much mi appreciate weh him do fi me," he said.

Currently unemployed

Brown, the father of an eight-year-old, is currently unemployed. He spends most of his time volunteering with a charity, Kino Life In Jamaica. He expressed disappointment that many promises that were made to him in the aftermath of his heroics have not been kept. He said that he was even promised a tour of the Caribbean by a representative of the Government of Jamaica.

"I was promised so much, but to tell you the truth, I never received anything. I am still waiting on those promises, it seems like they have forgotten me. Mi feel kind of confuse because I am here trying to help others. When you are in the media spotlight, people will promise you the world. You will get a lot of promises but not all of them will fulfil it," he said.

Brown received employment at Lasco, where he worked in promotions. But when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, he was among the employees sent home. Brown said that since losing his job things have become very difficult.

"The other day I went back to the ministry (Labour and Social Security) to tell them that I am currently not working and the bills are piling up, but they told me that they cannot help me at the moment. I am very employable. I am loyal and always willing to work, so that shouldn't be a problem," he said.

Brown, who said he holds a diploma in health and social care, was trained in construction in England where he migrated to at age six. He was deported to Jamaica six months before his heroic deeds saved Renardo from what appeared to have been certain death.