When Basdeo Boney was 12 years old, his father removed him from school and sent him to train to become a tailor. Boney’s father, who was a barber, also taught him how to cut hair.
In an interview with News 19 TT at his Marabella barbershop on April 24, 91-year-old Boney laughed as he recounted what led his father to make that decision.
“I was duncyhead in school and he took me out of school at the age of 12, 13 years and send me to learn tailoring. And being a barber, he learn me how to cut hair,” he said.
For several years, Boney was a student of both trades. He practiced his barbering skills on his former schoolmates.
At that time, a haircut cost six cents.
When Boney decided he had enough practice cutting hair, he started to take on paying customers.
“I learn to trim on some friends called Malcolm Jones, Patrick Edwards and Reggie, those are three fellas I learned to trim on.”
This was over 70 years ago.
He said he cannot remember the first person who paid him for a haircut or how that day went.
“All I know is I get my six cents,” he said with a laugh.
He said although he would have earned more as a tailor, he chose to follow his father’s footsteps and join the family business. He says more money doesn’t always mean more money.
“Why I get to like barbering, to sew a pants at that time, it was 48 cents and to trim a head was six cents, but when I sew a pants and somebody come to collect,, they always have a short. But a head, it never had a short, I used to get my six cents.”
He recalls one occasion when practicing his trade landed him in trouble with police.
“But at that time now, you couldn’t trim on a Sunday, so I was cutting hair on a Sunday when the police came and charged me for working on a Sunday. So I paid in court about $7 or about five days in prison. So my father did pay the money for me.”
Boney said he did not think much about the fine because at that time, he did not know the value of money.
He said although he never wanted to be anything except a barber, he never expected to still be cutting hair over 70 years after he first started.
But he said his trade has brought him purpose.
“When I look at people, several people who trimming over 40, 50, 60 years, then I get to realise I worth something.”
Boney said he maintains his routine of opening and maintaining his shop, even at 91.
“Now I can’t stay home, 8 o’clock in the morning I am in my shop, cleaning up, having fun.”
In Part Two- Cutting through time: The Barber who never stopped, Boney shares why he kept working long after most people usually retire, the lessons he has learnt over the years, and his hope for his preserving his father’s legacy long after he is gone.