RODNEY SEBASTIAN WALTON was born at the Victoria Jubilee Hospital on September 12, 1982. He grew up knowing both parents although his mother died when he was in third form at high school. He has seen his father on occasions but he has never contributed significantly to his welfare. But how did Rodney come to be on the streets and end up in government care?
Young Rodney first came into care in 1984 when his mother had financial and other difficulties caring for him.
Rodney spent a year in a Place of Safety before being sent back home to his mother who continued to care for him until sometime in 1993 when Rodney came to the Children's Services Division office. He said that he was not being cared for adequately at home, and after being on the streets for about eighteen months he began thinking about his situation and the fact that he needed to do something and so he came to the Division to place himself back in care. He was taken to Homestead Place of Safety and things went relatively well for him. He attended Stony Hill All Age School where he took and passed the Common Entrance Exam in 1994, gaining a place at Jamaica College.
The division as well as the Kiwanis Club of Stony Hill assisted with school fees, lunch and pocket money.
In 1995 Rodney finally left the Place of Safety for home after repeated absences without permission and was subsequently placed Home-On-Trial by the agency with his maternal aunt.
Rodney however began giving behavioural problems and wouldn't listen to his aunt. He was later transferred to Summerfield Boys Home and Clarendon College respectively.
It was while he was here that he lost his mother. It was also here that he began to take stock of himself again and began to really focus on what he wanted to do with the rest of his life. It is reported that he began to settle down in school and worked consistently to the point where he was allowed to take two 'O' level subjects in 4th form which he passed. He later went on to take eight CXC subjects in 5th form and was successful in all of them.
Scholarship
He then went to 6th form at Clarendon College and after only a year was offered a scholarship by the Co-operative Association of States of Scholarships (CASS) to Broome Community College State University of New York in the United States. Rodney left Jamaica in August 2000 as required to live with a host family and to pursue a two-year Associate Degree in Radiological Technology.
At the time of the interview, Rodney said that he had very good memories of the persons who helped him along the way, especially those who took the time to take him to school and to show him in other ways that they really cared.
He's appreciative of the fact that he was sent away from Kingston for the rest of his schooling and gives special kudos to Mrs. Polly Bowes Howell who sometimes gave out of her own pocket and always kept in touch with him. He also mentioned Mr. Stamp and Mr. Plowright, two Superintendents, who have made positive impact on his young life and he also credits the Children's Services Division in general as having a good influence on him.
Rodney said that, "some people say that Government is not doing anything much to help children but I am living proof that the Government has touched lives and mine has been touched remarkably".
He continued by saying that, "I know I'm going to do well and come back to make a significant contribution to my country. There have been people in my life who have led by example though the rewards have been poor but they continue to give of themselves nonetheless and this I intend to follow".
