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FOLLOW THE BEACON
T
he lights of many beacons guided 15
year old Aziz Hadeed as he left Syria in
search of his brother, who had gone
before him to Brazil.
THE JOURNEY TO ‘BRAZIL’
He boarded a ship to this faraway land, but
his money took him only as far as Marseilles
in the South of France. Lost and alone, he met
a cobbler on the dock and asked if he could
carry his box in exchange for enough money to
buy food. This kind man began teaching young
Aziz the trade, and in the next year and a half
not only did he become a fine young cobbler,
sell
o
n
their behalf.
So he became a
peddler & merchant
and travelled all around
Trinidad with bundles of cloth
doing what he did best offering
great service.
Many of his Customers became his
friends because he was always personable
and respectful. He started offering credit to
those who couldn’t afford to buy shirts and
pants, or even khaki pants for their children
to go to school. He
would go back the
Punctuality; truthfulness and
following week to
collect, thus giving
honesty; and if you make a promise,
them a chance to
keep it. Mr Hadeed ingrained these
put the money aside.
They expected him at
principles into his son, Gerald.
a certain time and he
never disappointed
he was always punctual.
but he also gained a reputation as the best
In the years that followed Aziz became a
shoeshine boy in all of Marseilles. His service
hugely respected businessman in
was second to none.
Trinidad and Tobago, and
Aziz diligently saved enough money to
in 1972 he founded
continue his journey. This time it took him as
the Caribbean
far as Grenada in the West Indies. Thinking
Insurance
he had arrived in Brazil, he sought out the
Company
tiny Arab population to find his brother. They
advised him to travel to Trinidad where there
was a bigger Syrian community living there.
He hitched a ride on a local Schooner and,
after a violently seasick journey, Aziz arrived
on the docks of Port of Spain, Trinidad as a
penniless teenager.
WHAT THE PEDDLER BECAME
He soon met with the “Sabga” family who
were and still are, a prominent Syrian family
in Trinidad, who agreed to give him cloth to
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“
“
Gerald Hadeed
CEO Beacon Insurance
www.businessgrenada.com
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