By Anesta Henry
On Thursday November 3,1955, 16 girls left Barbados on Trans-Canada Airlines (TCA) flight enroute to Canada to seek employment as domestic workers.
Twenty-three-year-old Loleta Kirton-Johnson was among that group of young women who left their families behind to go in search of better opportunities.
Kirton-Johnson, now 90, told Barbados TODAY her decision to leave was to chase after a dream.
“We went and we made it. That is why I would tell young people that if they have a dream of something to go after it. At that time the airport was called Seawell Airport, one day I was outside and each time a plane passed I would say ‘one day I have to travel in one of those planes to see what a plane is like’.
“My dream came through, so I can tell any person, if they have a dream, go after it. My dream was to travel and I did travel abroad. I am happy I followed my dream and I sent for all of my family, my brothers and sisters. I was the eldest child, my mother had five and I decided to have five,” Kirton-Johnson said.
She recalled that following the 13-hour flight which also stopped in other islands and collected other young passengers on a similar mission, they were greeted at the airport by former Prime Minister of Canada Louis Stephen St Laurent and other dignitaries.
The migration of the group which comprised nurses and teachers was a major achievement for Barbados.
“It was the first of its kind from Barbados to Canada and we paved the way for many persons from all walks of life to follow us and gain opportunities for themselves and their families and to contribute significantly to the advancement of Barbados.
Canada wanted 75 from Barbados and 100 from Jamaica.
“The choice was between Canada or England and I chose Canada because I heard there were many opportunities there.
“So they were going to get 25 from Barbados, but only 16 were ready at that time. Remember, that year, we had Hurricane Janet on September 22 and Barbados was almost flat and I knew that when I went abroad I had to send back money to help my country.”
The young women were granted permanent residence and placed on a one-year work contract, after which they were allowed to choose their own paths in the country.
Sitting on the patio of her niece’s Christ Church home, Kirton-Johnson, who is currently on one of her many visits to the island, explained that at that time the members of the group worked for $15 Canadian a week.
“We did our year’s contract with the Canadian government and after that we were on our own so we could have gone to school, work, or do whatever we wanted to do. I chose to work in a hospital and I worked there as a patient attendant until I retired. While working we had to do crash courses on our off days,” the elderly lady said.
In an effort to contribute to the development of her family and country, Kirton-Johnson whose family originated in Pegwell, Christ Church, said she dutifully sent home as much money as possible.
And like many other Barbadians who migrated but were determined to own a piece of the rock, Kirton-Johnson built a house at Warners Park, Christ Church, which she has since sold. She explained that she sold the property because her five children, majority of whom are university graduates, are based in various parts of Canada and are not seeking to come to Barbados to live at this time.
“I helped my family and I helped others. I am a Barbadian. I was born here, my navel string is buried here, and that’s why I come. I had a home here but I sold it in 2019. So now I come and stay with family. I am married, my husband died in 2007.
Kirton-Johnson recalled that memorable moment when Barbados High Commission to Ottawa Glyne Murray honoured the group, on the 50th anniversary of their arrival in Canada.
“I became friends with three of the women whom I met before we left Barbados when we participated in a course to learn how to cook Canadian meals. Two of the women passed away but I am still in contact with their families, and one is still alive and is 98 years old but she has a bit of dementia but I am in contact with her family too. Actually, the one who is 98, was the oldest girl in the group when we left here.”
Boasting that she has never regretted taking up the opportunity in 1955, the grandmother of four and great grandmother of three, said she will forever grateful to former Prime Minister of Barbados and National Hero Sir Grantley Adams who played an instrumental role in forming the partnership with the Canadian and Jamaican governments to create the work opportunity for young women.
