The original “postman”, Elridge Winston Latchman, outstanding BEC left wing of the latter 1960’s, stopped by Amandala this afternoon to chat about “old times” and to inform us of his concerns and plans for the future in Belize.
Lachi, as some fans of that era also called him, played with the BEC team for four seasons (66/67, 67/68, 68/69 and 69/70) before migrating to Los Angeles, where he is presently a building contractor. Landivar was the dominant team in Belize during that period, and Lachi recalls a heartbreaking 1-nil loss to Landivar for the title in his last season here. Like a number of athletes of that era, Lachi was multi-talented, playing cricket and also baseball. In football, the BEC team he recalls (probably the 66/67 team) included himself on left wing; Denton “Sharkie” Fairweather, inside left; Claude “Razor” Nelson, inside right; Russel “Bullet Bob” Saldano, right wing; Gilbert “Chico” Ellis, Jr., left half-way; Malcolm “Buddha” Hemmans, right half-way; Randolph “Tiempo” Barrow, left defense; Wallace “Rungu” Glynn, right defense; Gillian Smith, roaming back; “Hitler” Gentle, the sweeper or standing back; and “Bouza” Stallard in goal. (Rungu played a number of years with Landivar, but our sources have not confirmed his tenure with BEC). To our question, Lachi unhesitatingly expressed his opinion that the best goalkeeper he ever faced was Wilfred “Palmer” Davis. Palmer was not as flashy as others, he said, because he positioned himself well to make everything look easy for him, but extremely difficult for strikers.
Lachi fondly recalls his youthful days when, at 14 years, he was lured back to primary school, after dropping out for three years, by an elder sportsman, Gilmore Hinkson, Sr., who used his love for football to convince him to re-enter school and become a part of the school team, while at the same time encouraging him to make good his second try at an education. Lachi went on to finish primary school and then won a scholarship to high school at St. Michael’s College, where he was a school mate of the present Prime Minister, Hon. Dean Barrow.
After graduating from St. Michael’s College in 1965, having played in the junior competition, Lachi joined the United Belizeans football team in his first venture into senior football, but a 12-nil drubbing by defending champions Landivar convinced him to seek a more dedicated group of players who were serious about competition. He had a tally clerk job at BEC and soon joined both their football and cricket teams, staying with the football team for his remaining years in Belize. But it was after his first year with BEC that he was informed of an opening at the Belize Post Office for a postman, a job he kept until his departure for Los Angeles in 1970. As his fame on the football field grew, naturally, fans preferred to describe the goals he scored, as a case of the “postman” delivering the goods; thus his other nickname.
As one of the early pioneers, along with the late Errol Clarke, Roy Clarke and Anthony Robinson, who first started the reclamation of the swamp that eventually became the Berger football field, Lachi sees the plight of the youngsters who are going astray in Belize, and is committed to do what he can to help guide them to a more positive path in life. “I want the kids to enjoy themselves,” says Lachi. “We need to do all we can to give them places where they can play and have fun in a healthy, safe environment.” As a building contractor, Lachi says his priority is to rebuild the infrastructure of our sporting facilities, to make new ones available wherever possible, and to see that each facility has an assigned custodian to maintain it, and concerned adults to help supervise the youths. “Our kids are not happy,” observes Lachi, “that’s why they are behaving like this.”
Mr. Lachman is on an extended visit to the old home town until July, and hopes to meet with the Prime Minister to discuss his ideas before returning to the States. But he says he plans to return next year along with his family, this time to stay. Welcome back, Lachi.