EXCLUSIVE: Elcedo Richards hearing & speech impaired but talented!
Employed over the last 20 years as a heavy equipment operator, truck driver and mechanic, Richards is a wonder to behold when he is in his work space.
When this news site arrived at the water front development work ongoing at Fat Hogs Bay yesterday March 9, 2016, Richards was operating a Caterpillar excavator which he used to load a large dump truck in order to move earth farther down the beach area.
His handling of the machine was so dexterous it was amazing to witness. Within a matter of minutes he filled the truck to capacity and sent it to deposit its load some 200 metres away before it came back to repeat the process.
One of the most talented on Tortola
Richards' employer, Dion K. Crabbe, Managing Director of Autland Heavy Equipment, spoke glowingly of Richards whom he said he could send to any worksite unsupervised and would be assured that everything will be done as per expectations and instructions.
“I think he is one of the most talented guys in Tortola because he literally operates every piece of equipment that we have. Try to understand, this is somebody that you can't tell them how to operate, you can't explain to him how to drive and where the gears are. I am mind-boggled how he figured out how to operate the equipment, because there is no way for you to explain to him how the equipment works,” said Crabbe.
According to Crabbe, Richards drives all of the big trucks and operates all of the earth moving equipment in the company's fleet.
“He grew up in the community with us so everyone knows how to deal with him. I could literally send him on job sites by himself and people can communicate with him and get the job done.
Crabbe said Rciahrds has been working with the company for over 20 years. “I mean, he is the best guy that we have at fixing tyres. Yo, that dude is something special. We would go on job sites with equipment...he finds out what is wrong with the equipment before anyone else. I don't know if his eyesight is enhanced. If I have a bolt loose on one of the trucks that you can't see and you have to go and look for it, he comes in the morning and 'tells' us exactly what's wrong with all of the equipment. He has a serious attention to detail,” said Crabbe.
He said too on work sites, Richards has the uncanny ability to “hear” trucks approaching from a distance when others can't. “I don't know whether it is his vibration senses which are enhanced,” he said.
Crabbe said Richards is not trained in sign language but he could go to the restaurant and order food using innovative methods of getting his message across.
Crabbe further said that growing up, it was just known by everyone around that Richards could drive and operate heavy equipment. “We knew it. It was never that we questioned it,” he said. “When I came on the scene he was already operating trucks and backhoes. When I left primary school he was operating these machines. So it's more along the lines of 30 years he has been operating them,” said Crabbe.
Richards is an inspiration - H. Diego Penn
Another contractor who has to work along with Richards on an almost daily basis on the beach front project in East End, H. Diego Penn of D&R Heavy Equipment, had nothing but praise and admiration for Richards.
“This guy is someone that is hearing impaired and speech impaired but that does not stop him from being someone who is filled with many talents. The guy drives trucks, operate Hymacs, I see the guy working all of these equipment and it is amazing that his impairments haven't slowed him down to the point where he can't make a living for himself.”
Penn said he and Richards went to school in the early seventies at the then Long Look Primary School. “He didn't do many years at that institution because of his impairment. But it is amazing to see this guy buys a newspaper everyday – a Daily News – and he can come and tell you what happened in St Thomas in his kind of way,” he said.
Penn lamented the fact that there are some young men who have no impairment but who choose to sit and not find something to do. “This guy should be an inspiration to many of them, I mean with all of his challenges he still going out there and make a decent living for himself,” he said.
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24 Responses to “EXCLUSIVE: Elcedo Richards hearing & speech impaired but talented!”
Excellent profile VINO!
A lot of the young men in the VI- All VI USVO too. They sit around on their asses and want to beg for a dollar everyday and not look for work or learn a darn skill. Agree with this comment totally, but some want to lime all day, roam at night getting into mischief then want to blame "other" people for their misfortunes. Keep working hard Rich.
Yes, it is amazing to see how Sukie has fared over the years with the various challenges compared to some of his former schoolmates who didn't have these challenges.
I second and support everything that Dion and Diego have said.
But I think that his foundation was to be enlighting within this story. Growing up in Fat Hogs Bay, I spent a great deal of my time in my grandparents yard Mr. &Mrs Crabbe.There home was just above of Lanford Lettsome previous residence in Fat Hog's Bay.. He would religously come in the yard to practice on the heavy equipments there. He worked with the Lettsomes for many years.He was the first to enter the yard and the last to leave. He was very determined, because of his love for heavy equipments. His hard work has truly paid off.
Richards. Very hard,ommitted and Excellent worker..
Yes I can attest that he is well taken care of by his employers; The Crabbe's ,.Penn's, Pickering's and many others
God bless you " suckie" keep smiling. We love you!