A tribute by Sharonne Taitt to Aunt Elsie Tudor Burrowes, the only female founding member of the DLP.
A tribute is “something given, done or said as a mark of respect or admiration; something that shows the merits of a particular quality of a person.”
To pay real tribute to our beloved Aunt Elsie Tudor Burrowes is to sit here for the next week, for the vast majority of us have that many memories to share.
Let me take you back a few years and describe briefly how Aunt Elsie came to be in Black Rock. Many of you know that the Democratic Labour Party (DLP) was formed in 1955 right at Glenhurst, which was the Land’s End home of Aunt Elsie and her husband Will Burrowes.
She, along with such luminaries as Sir Frederick “Sleepy” Smith, the late Right Excellent Errol Barrow, the late Sir James Tudor, the late Joseph Milton Bonnett (Grace Ifill’s beloved father,) the late J.B. Springer and 20 others, formed this remarkable institution.
Aunt Elsie’s presence there was historical. She was not there to serve food or tend to the men who were present. She was at the table, making her own significant contribution, back in 1955 – a remarkable feat. She was the only woman present and the only female founder . . . . She was an unintentional trailblazer, and a true example of feminism.
Aunt Elsie was a humble woman, and as the party grew and blossomed, she chose to remain in the background, working on the early financial matters of the DLP and tirelessly advancing the role of women in the party with her involvement of the Democratic League of Women.
As years went on she counselled everyone from the late Carmeta Fraser to Irene Sandiford-Garner, but was still loath to owning her piece in the history of the party, for she was just that kind of woman.
One was not to take that kindness for weakness, however, for if she saw anyone operating in a way that was contrary to the party’s philosophy, she was quick to tell them exactly what they needed to know – whether it was the way in which they conducted themselves, or the way they dealt with the common man, or even the need to increase the number of women who were candidate material.
And let me tell you, Uncle Errol, Uncle Cam, dad were all formidable men, world class political giants; but when Aunt Elsie came into the room and began to speak, they became lambs. And they listened.
It was remarkable to witness.
When Aunt Elsie left Stanmore, Stanmore Crescent lost some of its essence. The colours seemed not so bright, the sun not so blinding. And today as we gather to honour her 90 years of life, I continue to smile as I remember her. And mourn.
She was, to me, a gift from God. A gentle giant of a woman, a trailblazer, a loyalist, a chef, a wife, a mother, a sister, a friend. All of us will miss her.
She was an undeniable presence in our lives and helped to shape, whether we were conscious of itor not, us into the adults we’ve become. Her beloved essence remains with all of us as she soars free.
Aunt Elsie made all of us feel very, very special.
And we will miss her. May she rest in peace, and rise in glory.