Giving is my joy

Long before he was commissioned as a justice of the peace (JP), Frank Samuel Cox was serving his country and people as an educator, helping hundreds of Jamaicans in and out of the classroom.

He has written more recommendation letters than he can remember. And he has counselled, advised, mentored, affirmed and steered many youth on the right path during his years as a teacher of mathematics, including at the Holy Childhood High School in St Andrew.

When not teaching, he worked on various programmes under the Social Development Commission – always with young people – as he sought to positively influence the next generation.

Although now retired after serving more than four decades in the education sector under every minister since 1965 and ending with Andrew Holness during his tenure as education minister, the passion to guide and assist those who call upon him still burns bright inside Cox’s heart and spirit.

Today in his capacity as a JP, the Westmoreland native said public service, to him, is as natural as breathing.

A few weeks ago when The Sunday Gleaner visited the Kingston 20 home of this Jamaican with a heart of gold, the team observed as he selflessly served those who came to him.

At one point, an elderly lady came with documents needing his signature and official stamp, but she had difficulty climbing the two sets of stairs to his residence.

Cox, not a young man himself, took his pouch containing the necessary tools, descended the stairs, and used a parked car as a desk to provide the service she sought.

“She came here already and it took her about 20 minutes to climb the stairs. You could see that she was suffering and in great discomfort. I don’t consider it a bother, I went to assist her so that she would not have to climb the stairs again,” the JP explained to The Sunday Gleaner.

A neighbour quipped that, “Mr Cox spoil them”, before adding that Cox often goes to people’s homes when they cannot visit him for the service they need.

Cox especially has a soft spot for retirees encountering difficulties with government agencies to get their pension.

A FAMILY OF NATION BUILDERS

“It’s a joy to serve people and my country,” Cox declared to The Sunday Gleaner.

Growing up in rural Jamaica, Cox comes from a family that was heavily invested in community development through farming, teaching and mentorship, so it was inevitable that he would inherit the family tradition of public service.

“I grew up in the country, where service was second nature. My mother was involved in the parent-teacher association. The community was so closely knit and everybody knew everybody. My brother was a soldier and then an insurance salesman, so the family has always been about building relationships,” he said.

He, too, was very active in his Westmorland community, noting that he derives as much satisfaction serving as a JP as he had as a teacher.

His experience with a village raising a child and how important it was to instil discipline and strong values in the younger generation is the reason why he worries about the trajectory of Jamaica via its human capital.

He rues that today’s children are being raised without standards, forcing the society to be called upon to clean up the mess when things go wrong.

Jamaica, Cox said, is no longer building good relationships at so many different levels, which has resulted in alienation.

It also pains him to know that while Jamaica was not short of good teachers, many are not prepared to deal with the abuse from students, parents and communities, so they opt to stay out of the classrooms.

GIVING IS NOT SEASONAL

For JP Cox, giving of himself is not seasonal. He gives all year round, and the knocks at his door can start as early as 6 a.m., although his working hours start at 8:30 a.m. And even though he shuts down at 5 p.m., that does not stop people from calling on him up to 9 p.m.

“Sometimes individuals come here late because they have to go to work early, and sometimes they come before going to work. I try to assist all the time,” he explained.

“The best part of helping is when I go somewhere, somebody is always calling me ‘Mr Cox! Mr Cox! Don’t you remember me? You helped me with this document for college or a job’,” he shared, admitting that most times he has completely forgotten the deed.

He recalled one occasion when he disembarked from a flight overseas and heard his name being called in the airport. That individual reminded him of his kindness back home.

Officials from some institutions, he said, save him as a contact, calling on him to offer service quite often.

ALWAYS HEAVY TRAFFIC

His kind demeanour and easy-going nature is perhaps why there is always heavy traffic to his door, among them members of uniformed groups, including police and soldiers. And the traffic has not slowed in the 14 years since he received the instrument of office officially commissioning him as a JP.

Cox said he has perhaps provided service to individuals across all sectors of the society. And word of mouth has spread far and wide about his good nature.

“Sometimes when some individuals show up who I don’t know or who weren’t recommended, I have to ask them if there aren’t any JPs near them when they tell me where they are coming from. They say the JPs say they don’t know them. I don’t know them either, so I have to carefully weigh the case and what service they need. If it’s to certify things such as a driver’s licence, passport, voter’s identification or anything with a photograph, then it’s hard to turn them away,” he explained.

Cox said he is often duty-bound to offer guidance and advice to some who seek his service.

“I have to walk within the ambit of the law. I have to sometimes say that I can’t do this or that, and advise them of the proper thing to do in order to get their documents certified,” he explained.

PITFALLS TO SERVICE

Cox sometimes work out of the Duhaney Park Police Station, but bemoaned that not even a beverage is available, and when it is, the officer in charge of the station has to acquire it elsewhere.

He noted, too, that a JP is required to be present on some police operations such as spot checks, but many, especially females, opt not to go as there are no sanitary conveniences available during the long hours they have to be there.

JPs have long complained that they face several costs in discharging their duties, such as for stationery. The spring in some seals have become worn, but they encounter difficulties securing new ones. Cox said he has had to improvise to keep his working.

“There is a case where a JP’s stamp was stolen and it took her two years to get a replacement. She couldn’t understand why new JPs could get their stamp, but hers could not be replaced,” he shared.

Nonetheless, for Cox, the rewards of public service far outweigh the drawbacks, and for as long as he remains on this earth, he will continue to serve his country and people.

“The most rewarding part is knowing that you have helped someone and they are doing well. It feels very good,” Cox told The Sunday Gleaner.

erica.virtue@gleanerjm.com

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF JUSTICES OF THE PEACE

• A justice of the peace must be an individual of unquestionable integrity who is governed by the Justices of the Peace Act, 2018, which seeks to promote the rights of citizens.

• A JP is a judicial public officer with limited powers, typically between the ages 20 and 70 years.

• Among their duties, JPs serve as justices in petty sessions courts; attend children’s court and drug court; serve at police stations; consider applications for bail; visit prisons/lock ups, children homes and homes for the aged; explain and authenticate documents; aid on licensing panels; and give counsel and advice.

• It is voluntary service and no payment should be requested or accepted for service provided.

• All JPs must pay an annual fee of $1,000 to join the Justice of the Peace Association in order to become a voting member.

• At the end of the calendar year, JPs are required to submit a report to the custos in the parish in which they serve.

• Over 9,000 JPs are now serving across Jamaica.