Although it was widely known that Dame Olga Lopes-Seale was both elderly and unwell, the news of her death still came as a shock to many of us who love and admire her.
I am 50 years her junior and first met her in the 1970s just prior to her retirement from Rediffusion, and at that time I thought of her as a “lovely old lady”.
It is fascinating that as the years passed, Auntie Olga appeared to be frozen in time. Hence, as I aged, it appeared as though this lovely old lady did not get any older, and as such, the thought of her passing away was really never contemplated by me.
I recall meeting Auntie Olga in the 1970s when she hosted the original Children’s Party Pageant Of Youth and I, like many other children, was one of her young artistes who forgot the words to his poem.
“Let’s have a round of applause,” she said, realising what had happened and, of course, I received a hug and the reassurance that I “could finish it next week”. At that time I remember thinking she was such a lovely lady. And as time has passed, that love and admiration have grown and matured as I too have seen and experienced more of what this world has to offer.
The difference between the way in which I view Auntie Olga and the way she is viewed by most other Barbadians is worthy of discussion, since I get a sense that most people loved her because she was always so willing to give and this is a quality we admire.
I too admired this quality, but I was also touched by the way in which she appeared to manifest what I refer to as a Mother Theresa-type quality, which means that she demonstrated the true meaning of Christianity by her “work” and not just her “words”. Certainly we were all aware of her beliefs, but she never preached and moreover gave advice through her columns which spoke to real-life situations that affected real people.
One cannot help but be impressed by the fact that her faith, Like Mother Theresa’s, seemed to motivate her to rise each morning and focus on whom she could help and how much she could help them, instead of being concerned about the need to convert us along the way.
Auntie Olga’s life was therefore one of service which started in broadcasting, and through this medium she realised how much she touched the lives of individuals, which is an important lesson to those of us who have been given similar access to the airwaves. She once remarked that her charity work started when she arranged a Christmas party and some children could not come because they did not have party dresses.
She knew that children outgrew clothes every day; so she started to collect appropriate dresses for the children and revelled in the happiness this relatively simple act influenced. Her simple lesson here is that charity need not be expensive or complicated, and it did not require input from any Government. Certainly there is a place for the more sophisticated approach to both charity and welfare, but in the meantime there are simple things that simple folk can do to make the lives of others happy.
One cannot help but be moved by the fact that even after she injured herself late last year and was hospitalised, her thoughts were not focused on her own suffering, but on the needs of people at Christmas time.
There were also several other important lessons of Auntie’s Olga’s life worth noting, one being the way in which she aged. Clearly, she interpreted retirement differently and saw this as an opportunity to increase the time spent in public service. One assumes that she did take some time for herself, but it appeared to the vast majority of us that her primary concern as she lived out her golden years was the plight of those less fortunate.
It is also noteworthy that Auntie Olga was a naturalised Barbadian who gave selflessly to her adopted home. She was not ashamed of her birthplace and spoke of it with some affection when relevant questions were asked. At the same time, however, she did not see that her place of birth should impose limitations on her as she moved and worked in Barbados.
Auntie Olga was Guyanese by birth, but her contribution to this country surpassed that of several among us who happened to have been born here. Thankfully, she was accorded this country’s highest honour, which she accepted with humility as she delightfully reminded us that she might be a Dame, but she will always be our Auntie Olga.
Farewell, Auntie, you have laboured long and hard in this vineyard of life; you have contributed and taught us much by your words and actions, and we will surely miss you.
