Shaun Dominick Sarsfield is married to Grenadian beauty Jennifer Hosten, Miss World 1970. In an interview Shaun lets us in on his wife’s little secrets, through her Miss World adventure and beyond.

A small, cozy restaurant on Grenada’s coast acquired the name ‘The Turning Point’ as it is located at a place where everyone either turns onto or away from the beach. ‘Th e Turning Point’ was established to fulfi ll the need of stopping for a drink or to have a bite. It was at this little nook in beautiful Grenada that the Belle crew hooked up with Shaun Dominick Sarsfield, husband of the unforgettable Jennifer Hosten. Shaun and Jennifer are the owners of ‘Th e Turning Point’. Sitting on gorgeous rattan chairs, with lampshades swaying above, the sounds of waves crashing against the shore and feet nestled in pink periwinkles, Shaun lets us in on his fi rst meeting with Jennifer and some of his wife’s amazing qualities.

“My father met Jen when she was High Commissioner. She was doing a fund raising raffl e for a developing country, and ironically he won the prize. They have remained friends ever since. He introduced me to Jen in Ottowa, Canada, when she came to visit. I was absolutely bowled over when I saw her. I was besotted. I was living in Australia at the time and as soon as I returned home, I sent her a great bunch of fl owers. She asked if I would escort her to London to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Miss World at the Millennium Dome, and that I was happy to do.” Shaun smiled as he recounted the memory.

“I married Jen on May 18th 2002, two years after our fi rst meeting, at St. Mary’s Anglican Church in British Columbia, Canada. Th e reception was held at the Craig Bay Beach Club and refreshments were served riverside, on the lawn.”

“We had our honeymoon in Bali, on the way to Bangladesh, where Jen had to take up a two-year assignment with the Canadian government. At the time Jennifer was a program manager with CIDA (Canadian International Development Agency).

“Jennifer is an amazing individual, and some of the fondest memories I have are of us in Bangladesh, where she worked with CIDA in helping thousands of impoverished women across the territory. She was responsible for coordinating the entire eff ort. Some of the women were so poor that they ‘shopped around’ in garbage looking for food. Th e situation was horrible. Under the Rural Development Program, 40,000 destitute women were encouraged to work for small wages, but at the end of the day they emerged with some savings; they were then enrolled in courses after which they came out as self-employed business people.”

“In Bangladesh, Jen seemed to get along with all the women. Th ey were shy, but they took a liking to her, and she loved being with them; they got on terrifi cally well.”

“Jen went to various municipalities, and spoke at the town hall. Of particular interest to her was assisting the acid survivors. Th ese were women who had acid thrown on them as a form of punishment. In certain places this form of punishment was widespread.”

“I have to say that my wife is the kindest, most unselfi sh person that I know. Th e things I love most about her are her grace and charm, generosity, intelligence and beauty- not forgetting her height (laughs). And yet, there’s so much more.”

“I was at university (in Canada) and the students were talking about the controversies of the 1970 Miss World contest in London. Th e contest had been targeted by the Women’s Liberation Movement. Th ere were bomb threats. Even the results had not been popular. Because I had kept quiet during their discussions, they looked at me. I told them, yes, I was there. Th ey looked at me and said, ‘you were there’ and I said yes...” Th ere’s a twinkle in her eye and a smile playing at the corner of her mouth as she remembers their incredulity. At the time, she was a student of Political Science and International Relations at Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario.

She speaks softly, with great economy, choosing words carefully. Miss World of 1970—the fi rst woman of colour to hold the title at a time when not only women but blacks were asserting their rights—was born in Grenada, the youngest of a family of fi ve. Her paternal grandmother was an Afro-Tobagonian and her husband was Flemish, hence the French name Hosten. Her mother’s family was mixed Scottish, the Gunn- Monroes. Jennifer Josephine grew up rooted in a typically close-knit Caribbean family and community in Grenada.

Although she wanted to be a writer—her mother Phyllis wrote poetry—she joined BWIA which was then, in the absence of a federation, integrating the region.

That, and the opportunities which winning the Miss World title provided, formed the basis of much of her life’s work and philosophy.

Possibly the most important lesson from Miss World was “to make the most of an opportunity, to take advantage of whatever was offered, and then let it go when it was over; not to hold on.” In that year, among the appearances that were required of her around the world, she toured US overseas army camps with Bob Hope at Christmas, and also appeared with Liberace in Australia.

She married her first husband, David Craig, in 1972 and spent the next 30 years in Canada where her daughter Sophia and son Beau, were born. Then, in 1978, she was appointed Grenada’s High Commissioner to Canada.

For her Master’s thesis, Jennifer wrote a book titled, “The Effect of a North American Free Trade Agreement on the Commonwealth Caribbean” (published in 1992 by Edwin Mellen Press.) Th rough this, she had the unique perspective to see her Caribbean homeland with objectivity; and was well-positioned to collect fi rst-hand information.

Her conclusions showed the common heritage of Caribbean peoples, and she became an advocate for an integrated region. She believes that Dr. Eric Williams had the mathematics wrong when he said “one from ten leaves nought.” At that time, and even today, she says, no one considers the small islands except as ready markets. If Dr. Williams had only said, “OK Jamaica, take your time, we’ll organize the federation with Barbados, Antigua, Grenada, St Lucia... and all the other island states,” the Federation would have been a reality. She believes that the Caribbean will emerge as a cultural and economic force when there is the understanding and commitment to the free fl ow of people— a process that was underpinned by BWIA in its heyday—across the region.

Jennifer fondly remembers that when she despaired of writing the 25,000 words required for her thesis, her mother’s advice was “Don’t think of the words. Just write in your most productive time, every day, and keep writing until it is fi nished.” She wrote it all, she says, in one month, fulfi lling her thesis requirement and her secret ambition to be a writer.

She remained in Canada because she was comfortable there; “the Canadian melting pot ideal is very attractive especially when you see how committed they are as lawmakers and communities to make it work.” As a Canadian diplomat, under the auspices of CIDA, she was sent to the Ukraine, Pakistan and Bangladesh. By 2003, recently married to Shaun Sarsfield, she lived and worked in rural areas of Bangladesh for two years. She worked with women, and was so in tune with their life and aspirations that she was accepted like a local. “My grounding in Caribbean culture helped me to understand their systems,” she said. “I was particularly interested in working with the women. Th ey want education for diff erent reasons than men. Th eir education cannot be over-emphasised. While men typically want construction projects, women want water, basic facilities and education for their families.”

Over the years, life has deepened Jennifer’s basic outlook: “Change is one of the things we have to accept. It is most important to be psychologically strong, and able to go on. My parents had very diff erent experiences, but you survive by going on.” She said she learned this in a lot of ways, including dealing with a divorce, and remarrying her love, Shaun.

She said she might just as easily settle in Tobago where her son got married, if not for the Foreign Landholding Tax that applies. She is a frequent visitor to Trinidad where her sister and some of her dearest friends live. “I love the self-confidence of Trinis,” she said. “I always feel at home there.”

But for Jennifer, home is now the Caribbean.