We all have our callings in life and for local businessman Augustus Justin caring for the elderly
and the poor is his mission. Being a businessman and overcoming the many hurdles that
come
with this territory is small drop in the bucket for Mr. Justin.
According to him, “making money is the least of my worries. I am concerned about people who
are less fortunate and caring for the elderly is my primary purpose in life, it is what I live for.”
Mr. Justin, affectionately known as “Gus,” is the founder of the Adelaide & Frances Memorial
Home for the Elderly. His concern for the elderly stems from the love that he had and still
maintains for his now deceased mother. The compassion he feels for them has on occasion
caused him to take some of them from the street into the home. “They are my children and I
feel they deserve to be cared for.”
When asked how he manages his business together with a geriatric home, Mr. Justin said he
makes time for the elderly people at the Home “I am there at their beck and call. The business
can wait.”
A sense of warmth emanates from Mr. Justin when he describes his love and dedication
towards the elderly. He does not only cater for the elderly at the institution, but also gives
coffee and sandwich to those on the streets on the first Friday of every month. He does this
with the help of other humanitarians, Jones Jn. Baptiste, Elizabeth Bristol, Delphinus Edwin
and Marie Daniel.
This reporter visited the Home and observed the attitude of Mr. Justin as it relates to the
elderly there. The people there were very familiar with him and they were like a bunch of
happy kids at camp seeing their parents on a visit.
The relationship between this humanitarian and those he cares for is something to be
admired. All the folk had something pleasant to say about him and he spoke to and about
them with much affection. It is safe to say that there could be no other place more suitable for
these people.
Apart from assisting the seniors with food and shelter, Mr. Justin caters for their spiritual
needs. There is a chapel in the Home where they pray and commune with God. One ninety-
five-year-old lady said, “I pray every day and every time I can. What else is there for me to
do, I have to thank God for life and for small mercies.”
Every year, there is a visiting team from the island of Martinique and it is reciprocated by
seniors who live at the Home. They usually have a wonderful time and are always very excited
when this event comes up.
There will be a grand day’s outing for the residents of the Adelaide and Frances Memorial
Home on Tuesday October 1, 1996, and the public has been invited to support this event. It
would be great for members of the public to see what the lord has been doing for the
destitute and the elderly via Augustus Justin.
However much some of us may scoff at the idea of attending a celebration for the elderly and
poor, one thing is for sure, there are those among us who are compassionate and can feel
the pain and suffering of others.
Some of us are able to do something about the misfortune of others, to accept them into our
lives and to recognize that they too exist and need love; some of us are willing and able to
give love to and to live by the maxim, “love thy neighbour as thyself.”
According to Mr. Justin, one would have to have love within them; one would have to be born
with the purpose, to be dedicated to such a cause. He does not seek praise for what he does,
but rather, thank God that he is being used as an instrument to help the poor and those
weaker than himself.
It would do this country well, if more people would take some time off to help one another,
rather than seeking and living for the riches this world has to offer. The good book teaches,
“For what doth it profit a man if he gains the whole world and suffer the loss of his soul?”
It is something for us to think about.
One Caribbean August 24, 1996
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