RBDF Commodore Clifford Scavella

RBDF Commander - Hatchet Bay Native - Commodore Clifford W. Scavella

Clifford “Butch” Scavella, 51, born at Hatchet Bay Eleuthera is currently the highly regarded 5th Commodore and the third Bahamian to hold the post of Commander of the Royal Bahamas Defense Force. The headquarters and base at Coral Harbour is housed in an ex-hotel and marina facility which ceased operations in 1972, it is located on the Southwestern tip of New Providence. He has been serving as the head of the nation's Defense Force since November 2006, after succeeding Commodore, Davy F. Rolle, who had held the post for nine and a half years.

Commodore Scavella, welcomed The Eleutheran to his base and took time out of his schedule to sit and talk with us in a very candid, relaxed conversation on his life as a boy growing up in Eleuthera.

On his Career Path

"I had no original aspiration to be Commander of the Defense Force" said the Commodore, who sat with us in his Office overlooking the sprawling base harbour.

A young Scavella (22) joined the defense force as a Marine Recruit in 1979. He had the opportunity to be a commissioned officer and later traveled to the Royal Naval College in England as well as visited with the Royal Marines. As a senior officer he traveled to Haiti, to where he later returned as a Council General to the Embassy in Haiti for what he described as a "truly enjoyable experience". From there he was offered the Chief position at the Bahamas Passport Office to be followed by being afforded the opportunity to become the fifth Commodore of the Royal Bahamas Defense Force in 2006. In accepting his new position in 2006, he said he realized the grave duties and responsibilities that came along with it. He went on, "To take the oath of office of Commodore is always a solemn occasion. The responsibility of directing the affairs of this great nation is never to be taken lightly".

"Of course", he said looking back on how it all started, with a smile, "When I was younger, I wanted to be a movie star, like Sir Sidney Poitier. But I figured, I wasn't going to get to New York or California, so that was out. Then I thought I would be like Jeff Scavella in radio or television broadcast, and even had an interview with ZNS, but that didn't work out".


About Growing Up In Hatchet Bay - the people, the places, the community

Commodore Scavella was born on the 21st of March, 1957 to mother, Mrs. Lyda Cambridge Scavella of Hatchet Bay and father, Mr. Leroy Scavella of Gregory Town.

He credits where he is today, to be in great part due, to the influence he received from his parents and other older persons, throughout the Eleuthera community.

"I had a fantastic time! In the outdoors, hanging out in the bushes in a place we called 'the coppy', which is now the area between the ballpark and Cambridge St. I thought that was the largest jungle in the world. We got lost in that place, roaming for Pigeon plums, Darling plums and all sorts of sea grapes and more", he recalled.

The Commodore continued, "And we did some mischievous things in 'the coppy', stealing our Mom's food and taking it into the bushes to cook it… I loved the idea of going down to the seaside and going swimming and going to a place we called 'Sally bight' and jumping into the water" a place he recalls as being dangerous as it was deep and home to sharks. Somehow, the experiences seem well suited as a backdrop to where he sits today, confidently leading a revitalization of the Nation's Defense Force.

"The people I grew up with were fantastic" he said with a look of treasured fond memories. He continued, "I've always thought that I grew up with some of the prettiest girls in the world coming out of Hatchet Bay…and my teachers were spectacular, there was Glendamae Miller, Ethel Farrington, Theresa Burrows and my sister Levada Ingraham - who all had a tremendous influence on me".

He particularly pointed to his uncles, George and Hilton, Earl and Cliff as persons who affected him profoundly, all having great influence on him. He cited older men and women who taught him to read - "persons like Mrs. Merle Johnson and Mrs. Clara Dames, when I worked in the store downtown", he said describing a scene similar to what resonates from many in his generation from the then thriving Hatchet Bay community.

The Commodore continued, "I never wanted to leave Hatchet Bay during the summer. My Mom gave us carte blanche at Mrs. Eula's place and Mrs. Georgie's shop and we had a splendid time. People like Paula Kemp cooked for us in the summer when my parents and sisters traveled. My friends growing up like Larry Dean and Craig Kemp, Junior Roberts, Paul McCardy and Sammy McCardy - those were the persons. I know Paul when we were in school was the strongest man alive and still thinks of himself as being that today. Sammy was a bit more studious and focused, and I remember him telling me once - 'If you don't have a trade, you may as well be dead.' That stuck with me in life, so when I came to Nassau and attended the College of The Bahamas, I decided to have a trade and studied welding. I have no intention of using it, but Sammy said if you don't have a trade, you may as well be dead, so I have one".

He recalled the influence of his Mom, a strict lady, and him always being caught in innocent mischief. "I had lovely times; couldn't stay out late. With my Mom, you had to be in at a particular time. My mother was a very influential part of my life - with sibling rivalry and the mischief we got up to - I got lots of discipline - also from Mr. George Cambridge and Mr. Z. B. Johnson."

He remarked, "I always admired the way older folks in Hatchet Bay lived, while growing up we were given an allowance on Saturdays. Older persons then, for the most part worked at the Plantation, and those of us who were younger would dress up on a Saturday and go 'downtown'. Our parents would meet us there and give us allowances and they would buy so much grocery, the truck couldn't carry them back home. I worked on the grocery store delivery truck for a time and would help to load the bags on to the family trucks, and they were big families back in those days. The older persons, worked well - who didn't work at the plantation, farmed - and there were big farmers back then, like Mr. Bernice, Mr. Bridge and Mr. Teddy. I remember you had Mr. Rob Pinder, who owned the store, service station and guest house; up on the hill we had Ms. Annis who baked the potato bread and coconut cakes, Ms. Mamie and Ms. Sybil who baked as well. The hill was a fascinating place to be, with Ms. Hazel and the potato salad at her table, and all those good things on a Saturday".
It was truly apparent in talking with this leader in our Country, that community life has help to mold him into the man he is today. He spoke of his love for Hatchet Bay and its people. "People like Florence Scavella and Ms. Vera in the Methodist church who taught me recitation and I remember in school one year, I attempted to sing with the choir. Mr. P.A. Gibson threw all the boys out of the choir that year - because the choir was to compete in the Music Festival and historically Hatchet Bay did very well - Mr. Gibson would listen very carefully for anyone giving discords and trying to hide your bad singing was impossible, so all the boys were caught out" he added.

He remembers Mr. Danny Seymour, and Don Pratt, his boyhood friends as outstanding fishermen - while remarking that he (Scavella), was never that good saying "I remember once when we went fishing and my friends recommended we pool what was caught and share equally when we were done. I said, no, every man for himself and we went. Don and Danny just pulled in the fish, while I didn't catch very many. When we got back, they had mercy on me and gave me some to take home to my Mom. Life lessons!"
The island life memories on growing up in the 60's continued, "then visiting Gregory Town and James' Cistern - and going to Christian camp in Savannah Sound, which I looked forward to every summer. Back in the day when Savannah Sound didn't have lights and they talked about haunted houses. Persons like Rosie Gibson, Walter Gibson and Harry Ward had a strong influence on me there, making sure that you were taught strong principles of being decent and respectable people".

On How Things Have Changed

"Hatchet Bay may be having a down time now, but I believe that Hatchet Bay's time will come again".
The Commodore not unlike many of his generation is concerned about how much the value system in the society seems to have changed with, for example, fewer people attending churches and consequently the influence of church leaders, a once formidable force in society, fading.
"In the past, churches were rich with strong men and women, and currently we've seen fewer men taking up the mantle of strong leadership. The churches are still standing and some of today's women have done remarkably well in keeping the church going. However, the values young men and women hold today are very different. When I was younger, we were taught that manners and sense would take you through the world. Nowadays there are too many youngsters disrespecting older persons. There's also the struggle with drugs, alcohol, teen pregnancies and young people that drop out of the school system. Many persons in Hatchet Bay would like to see students doing better. It's important for us as individuals to be in control and to take responsibility for our own lives, rather than just following the crowd. We've also had a brain drain with persons that have moved out to other parts of Eleuthera , the Bahamas and around the world. There was definitely a sense of brilliance back then - the P.A. Gibson All Age School at the time, gave myself and my peers a solid foundation. Kids and parents need to go back to basics".

Plans For The Future Of The Defense Force

In addition to his life in Eleuthera we spent a few moments talking with the Hatchet Bay native, about his plans for the Defense Force, as its leader. He told us that he is currently implementing a plan to go back to the basics; in terms of standards, discipline, fitness and operational focus, with an emphasis on persons properly standing at attention. Under his leadership the Force is also looking at diversifying, taking into consideration that the Bahamas extends from Grand Bahama to Inagua. As a Family Islander, he said that he especially wants people in the Family Islands to have an appreciation and clear understanding of what the force does; giving them every opportunity to join the force and to experience what it has to offer.

For this reason, as we have seen at Homecomings in the North and South Eleuthera, the Force shares its Band and officers with Family Island communities. "They can have the assurance that even while they sleep, the Defense Force is out there watching over them".
During his brief tenure so far, the fleet of the entire Defense Force has been enhanced through Government acquiring new marine crafts and at least 3 airplanes for the Force's use. A base is also being established in Grand Bahama for the very first time. In the southern Bahamas they have increased marine crafts, and additional boats have been acquired from the US, improving joint cooperation. At the Coral Harbour Base, a memorial was established in honor of the men and women of the HMBS Flamingo crew (A Vessel sunk by Cuba in May 1980) and they are also looking at improving the infrastructure. "We've also embarked on a number of symposiums, looking to win the minds of our young men and women in this organization, by focusing on an introspective look at where we ought to be and what we ought to be doing".

"If at the end of my tenure we have won the mindset of our young men and women in the Force - with them walking like military men and women, standing at attention, saluting - having a mindset that is ready and prepared to protect the sovereignty of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, to defend this nation; to patrol it's waters and carry out the mandate as laid down by the government and people of The Bahamas. If we are able to fully achieve this that would be a fantastic legacy for me.


The Force as a Career for a Young Eleutheran / Bahamian

"It's an exciting career. One would definitely get the opportunity to see the entire Bahamas, some parts of the Caribbean - in addition to the possibility of traveling even further to North America and Great Britain. If you are looking for a diverse, adventurous career - then the Royal Bahamas Defense Force is a good place to be. One can learn many things - you can be a pilot, nurse, doctor, lawyer, engineer, accountant, seaman, stores clerk, landscaping engineer and many more - limitless possibilities are there. In our public relations department, you can be a journalist if you want to. However, at the end of the day, it comes back down to the basics; the Defense Force has been established for the defense of the nation, protection of the sovereignty, patrolling the waters of the Bahamas, assisting in times of disaster, and all other duties that might be given by the Security Council - operating throughout the Bahamas, from Grand Bahama straight down to Inagua. Therein lays the excitement. You can work on the ships, in the aircraft, on the base, in supplies dealing with the logistical operations, in the medical center, and the Commander of the Defense Force will always need legal advice, so attorneys work here as well.

The Defense Force also ties into the general public service and the government allows persons to be trained and to be given in service awards and scholarships as well. It looks at the areas that the Defense Force needs people in and provide the scholarships and in-service training accordingly. In some instances you can pay for your education, we will let you go with your salary. In other instances, we would also cover the tuition. So it fully depends on the needs of the Royal Bahamas Defense Force. Some persons may want to take leave to study something that they would like to do in particular, those cases can also be considered. It would also depend on if you are going overseas or studying locally. But we understand that it is necessary to improve in technology and computer training and so we want people to be well versed in all of these things.

The Defense Force is also looking to activate Reserves. Persons who already have a career but would also like to assist the uniformed services without giving up their professions - would be able to do that and hang out with us once a month or several times a year and go and do exercises and sail around the Bahamas with us, participating in the adventure.