A couple weeks ago, those who lived in the vicinity of No 50 Norfolk Street, Belmont, stood on the pavement and wondered if Wayne Camps and his crew would succeed in fitting a large container on the vacant site.
The people of Norfolk Street were most probably also wondering what was the purpose of the container. They were not left in any doubt for too long a period of time as last Saturday afternoon Sledge Hardware formally opened the doors of the now 'caterpillar yellow' container for business.
Actually says Camps, "we were forced to start selling a fortnight ago as people would be passing and ask for this or that, so I said look just start selling eh."
Now fifty years old, the road to Sledge Hardware has been filled with potholes, but Camps has managed to work around them all, yet this very humble individual insists: "I don't want anybody to think that I feel I have reached, there is still so much more to be done."
Barely 16 years old when his father passed away, leaving his wife with a family of nine youngsters - of which he was the eldest, the youngest, the late D.J. Sean Camps was just two, Wayne immediately assumed the mantle of father-figure to his eight younger siblings. And immediately left Progressive High School without sitting his O level examinations, and joined Neal & Massy Motors Limited so that he could help his mother.
"I left Massy and went to live in Toronto for about four years. Coming back I went back to Massy for a short while selling forklifts." The very same construction industry, now the focal point of his businesses, led to his transfer from a collar and tie job as a sales representative to the trucking business. The oil boom of the 80's had boosted the construction industry and a lot of transportation was needed to carry aggregate and other items, so with his mother standing security for him, Camps purchased his first three-ton truck - TAF 1444 - which he promises neither to part with nor to change the colour from blue.
"I got into trucking accidentally as a matter of survival, after living for four years in Toronto and with a wife and young family of three children, it was very hard." But survivor that he is, Wayne drove his own truck for 17 years, sleeping in it going on the boat to Tobago.
And although there were times when he felt to give up because of the pressure, like the time the truck was nearly repossessed, he soldiered on and with his three children grown and a second marriage under his belt, founded his own company Sledge Contracting Ltd, renting tools and construction equipment from No 5 Finland Street in St James. Always people-oriented, Camps had observed that there were a lot of skilled workers, like masons, plumbers, joiners, electricians, welders, tileman who couldn't get jobs. "I was getting involved in doing renovations for people and saw that I could find jobs for them."
With an increased workload in the renovation business, Camps started looking for a place to store extra gravel, sand and materials from contracting jobs. And an arrangement was struck between a long-standing friend whose father had left a property at No 50 Norfolk Street, so that he could use the site for storage.
Astutely, Camps realised that there was no hardware store in that particular Belmont area, held further discussions re No 50 Norfolk, a spot where his older Harvard Clubmates, like Pat Massy whose home it was, Hugo Day and George Pollard (all deceased), and the lone survivor Carlton Dore, had taught the younger members the art of drinking rum and mauby during the early formative years of the club, and installed the now famous bright yellow container to house Sledge Hardware Limited.
The entire Camps family came out to celebrate with their oldest brother of whom "we are so proud" said younger sister Cathy. "He has always taken care of us, and last year on the death of our youngest brother, he did it again." Although the Camps are now all grown, married , and looking after their own children, Wayne Camps still carefully watches over his seven remaining siblings.