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It was a bittersweet walk down memory lane for Austin Griffiths on his son's graduation day from St Catherine High School recently.

While proud of his 17-year-old son, Jamonie Griffiths, he rued being expelled from the institution when he was in grade 9.

"Mi carry mi family dem go show them the last class weh mi did inna at St Catherine High. The graduation was near the ninth grade block. Mi a look back and a say mi never get fi see senior and my son went through it and graduated, I am so proud of him," Griffiths shared proudly.

But later that day, Jamonie took off his graduation gown and helped to put it on his father, leaving Griffiths speechless.

"I never knew nothing like that was going to happen. I was just there to celebrate him for reaching so far and he decided to honour me like that," said Griffiths. For Jamonie, who lives with his father, it was a gesture straight from the heart.

"I just wanted to honour him for all that he did for me. It wasn't really planned because I remember him telling me the story of how he got expelled from St Catherine High so I just remembered and feel to honour him," Jamonie said.

Griffiths knows the pain of unfinished dreams and in his words, "mi never want what reach me reach him".

"I got expelled because me did young a do rudeness and the school is strict. My parents never push for me to go back and I just took the blame. I was very good at sports but just bad choices," he confessed. Instead of giving up, he turned to trade work to build a life and support his son. He stressed that he was never an idler and always wanted to be a tradesman and his own boss.

"I used to do construction first, but I changed it to upholstery work. Because construction took a toll on my back but I still have the skill, still have it in my brain. Upholstery work me a survive [on] and take care of him," he explained. Now that Jamonie wants to go to sixth form, Griffiths is ready to sacrifice even more.

"Mi haffi go dig deep again. If it's even to wear one shoes, mi just want know him alright. Mi nuh want him haffi short of anything and go make trouble for it. Mi teach him how to survive and satisfy. Sometimes coffee, sometimes tea," he said. Griffiths, who never stopped valuing education despite his own setbacks, kept reminding Jamonie of what could happen if he strayed.

"Mi tell him fi humble and be a leader and not follow any company. Mi tell him seh mi never want what reach me reach him and see it work out for the better," he added. Looking back, Jamonie knows just how much his father's presence changed his path.

"I remember one time I got suspended for three days for a small matter in grade 9. And he looked disappointed because I think he felt like I would be expelled too and he didn't want that. He wanted me to graduate and be successful, so he encouraged me to ensure that I did what he didn't," Jamonie recalled.

He said that he would like to become a marketing director or manager, or anything to do with graphic design.

"I want to go to sixth form so I can get the qualifications to go to university." Jamonie underscored that good fathers help the growth of children.

"Without a father moving you in the direction of being a good person, you could become a gangster or what Jamaicans would call it a 'cruff'. Having a great father figure in your life really changes your life in a society where males are exposed to crime and violence, especially an emotionally intelligent father," he said, adding that his father was one of those.

"Yes, he might not have completed school, but the things he has taught me, he is very good, and in the future I want to be a father like him," he said.