ONE year has passed since the untimely passing of the Lion hearted Keith “Sheppy” Shepherd.

God has placed him in the eternal bed of comfort.

I am sure he is looking down at us and must be gravely worried about the dire state of our beloved country.

It was Sheppy who first opened the window for dissemination of my cricket knowledge through the media.

Sometime in early 1998, I approached him to write articles on Great Moments In West Indian Cricket.

I knew he was a football fan but understood the unifying force of West Indian cricket.

He accepted my proposal and printed my first article on January 18, 1998 titled Reach out for the Lord’s helping Hand that welcomed Brian Lara’s ascendancy to the West Indies captaincy.

For the next five years or so I was very pleased to submit memorable full-page articles like Sonny Ramadhin makes Mas in Britain (August 10, 2003),  Gavaskar vs ‘Maco’ Marshall  (July 13, 2003) and many others.

Sheppy was the one who chose the titles and he really had a pulse for exciting journalism.

Once I asked him if there was any room for improvement, to which he replied cooly: “Just keep on writing”.

This remark really boosted my confidence and spurred me on to greater heights.

Since 2000, I have done work with radio stations, scripted Scotiabank’s 2003 cricket calendar and have been invited to be a feature speaker at cricket events.

On March 21, 2006, it was indeed an honour for me to be invited by CNC3 Sportscaster Roger Sant to discuss the New Zealand tour with former WI fast bowler Tony Gray and Guardian Sports Editor Valentino Singh.

I am eternally grateful to Sheppy for opening these doors of opportunity for me.

He was a man of impeccable integrity -- a man who was totally colour blind and saw no race except the human race.

I remember a learned man who once said: “You cannot control the length of your life but you can control its breadth, depth and height.” Sheppy’s life encapsulated this saying ... gone, but certainly not forgotten.

May his soul rest in peace.