Members of the Sunshine Boys are pictured in this photo posted by Alexia Coakley during the early years of the investment group. From left to right: Bradley Roberts, Franklyn Wilson, Julian Maynard, George Bethell, Alfred Jarrett, Philip Pinder, Stanley Wilson and A. Bismark Coakley.
By OSWALD T. BROWN
WASHINGTON, D.C., October 26, 2018 — Alexia Coakley, daughter of the late A. Bismark Coakley, posted an historic photograph on Facebook that definitely should be enlarged and used as the backdrop for a history lesson in our public schools. Far too many Bahamian young men are currently making a wrong turn at the crossroad on the highway of their lives by resorting to a life of crime, and they surely can benefit from the experiences of the young men in this photo posted by Alexia.
The fact that the “young men” in the photo could have used a similar template growing up as some of today’s young men during that crucial turning point in their lives when making the right decision was critically important certainly represents a “history lesson” that should be taught in our schools.
When you consider the fact that Sir Franklyn Wilson, his late brother Stanley Wilson and the late A. Bismark Coakley grew up in the bowels of Over-the-Hill, clearly this gives credence to the sage observation by Andrew Carnegie, who established himself as one of America’s greatest steelmakers and leading businessmen, when he noted that no man’s success “is limited except by his own mental attitude and his own desires.”
What’s more, although they did not grow up Over-the-Hill, Bradley Roberts, George Bethel and Alfred Jarrett likewise faced similar challenges growing up as those that confronted young men Over-the-Hill, but they overcame those challenges because they were imbued with a similar “mental attitude” as the Wilson brothers and A. Bismark Coakley.
Of course, the pathway for the monumental success these young men achieved in their lives was opened by the historic election victory by the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) on January 10, 1967, which ushered in The Bahamas’ first Majority Rule government.
In the aftermath of that victory, business opportunities were created for young black men, and women, that previously were not available, and they took advantage of those opportunities by pooling their resources to make investments collectively as the Sunshine Boys, as they were commonly known at the time.
I happen to know that one or two of the original Sunshine Boys became impatient with the “growth” of their original investments and pulled out, but those that remained saw their wealth expand exponentially over the years as a result of prudent and wise investments.
Today, Sir Franklyn Wilson, who grew up in a clapboard house through Ross Corner Over-the-Hill and is said to be the mastermind behind the success of the Sunshine Boys, is arguably one of the richest men in The Bahamas, black or white. When he died on Thursday, October 25, Bradley Roberts unquestionably also left a multi-million-dollar estate to his heirs.
