Clarendon man peels coconuts with his teeth

Who needs a machete when they have teeth like Orville Reid?

THE STAR team caught up with him at his home in Simon, Rock River, Clarendon and watched in amazement as he went up the tall coconut tree, picked a few dried and green coconuts, descended upside town like a lizard and then proceeded to husk his goodies with his teeth.

They ripped through the thick exterior of the coconuts, making light work of the task with no effort. Reid said he has been climbing trees like that and husking coconuts with his teeth since he was 11 years old and has never had a problem with his teeth. He said that he actually acquired the skill after his grandmother sent him to the bush without a machete. While he was there quarrelling with himself, he decided to do something about it.

That 'something' was using his teeth to do the job - something he credits God for planting the idea in his mind. Now 37 years old and becoming a master at it, he said he has never suffered any repercussions from his strange hobby.

Never lost a tooth

"Mi never had a toothache or a headache, never lost a tooth, never feel no way, never have a problem wid it," he proudly stated.

Reid had dreams of being a professional footballer or making it in the Jamaica Defence Force, but said all of those aspirations were shattered when his mother died, making him an orphan at age 16. He had already lost his father. Unable to complete his education, as his mother was ailing for some time before she died, he dropped out of school. He said her death left him struggling and he had to depend on an uncle who tried to help, but could only offer him food but no shelter.

"So mi used to go between him and mi other uncle and one day mi odda uncle son tell a lie pon mi, so mi end up run whe and go live wid some stranger a May Pen, and from deh so mi start go odda community go live wid people working fi dem fi meck miself comfortable," he shared. Now living as a caretaker at the house in which he resides, Reid said that he still 'juggles' and tries to make an honest bread. But he would love to show his 'skills' to persons across Jamaica for a fee.

"Yeah mi woulda like fi get something out a mi talent coming out of the tree upside down," he said.