I came to the Grand to see Pantomime when I was a kid. Years ago, wherever my father worked, the employers would put on a big bus for the children and we didn’t have to pay anything. They gave us a big bag of goodies as we were getting on the bus. That’s the first memory I have of the Grand. The Pantomimes were amazing in those days, the costumes were just beautiful.
But the first time I started working in the Grand was in 1989. I was here for a couple of years and then I went to do another job. But I came back in 2002, it’s nearly 19 years now.
The Grand is an amazing place, everybody I know who’s ever worked here has always loved this place and they’ve worked here for a long time. I know some of the usherettes also had family here and some of their families are still here. They have worked here for years and years up until retirement because the Grand is such a nice place. And it’s such a lovely old building, the auditorium and everything’s lovely.
There is a photograph of all the cleaners from years ago hanging in the Grand, my mother is in that photo. She was here before me. A lot of the cleaners in that photo are from Saint Thomas, they all lived in the same area. It was handy because when they used to work on a Sunday they all used to share the same taxis coming in.
To be honest with you, I didn’t use to look at the photograph that much until my mother passed away. Every time I walked past it now I stop and look at it.
