4 years | Holdman, Stevedoring Services Limited
Cannonier is a cricketer off the job, but credits his strength, patience and hand-eye coordination honed on-the-pitch for his on-the-job skill at safely catching, holding and guiding the multiton containers and cargo, as a Holdman. (a dock worker who works in a ship’s hold in loading or unloading a ship)
The teamwork and camaraderie that come to play in cricket, are likewise essential to the smooth running of the day-to-day operations. Cannonier explains the interdependence between the holdmen, the deckmen, the crane operators, top loaders and foremen and likens the relationships to the players within an orchestra.
Everyone needs to play and play well for the music to come out right. Ankoma knows that his job, that has him positioned atop, between or below an array of weighty containers, break bulk cargo and sometimes containers of hazardous chemicals, can be dangerous.
In response to how he deals with it, he answers, “always be careful, you read your deckman, and your surroundings at all times.” While the job is tough he reminds himself that his job is one “any man on the island would want, it is seen as a career…a life-job.” And continues, explaining why he chose to be a Stevedore, “I’m doing this to give my kids as good a life as possible. I’m a provider.”