The following is an edited statement from friend and colleague Sir Errol Walrond on the passing of Sir Richard Haynes:
RICHIE HAYNES WAS a Barbadian par excellence. After his distinguished career at school and then going off to study medicine at Edinburgh, Scotland, he came back to Barbados and contributed to the society in many different ways.
In medicine, his chosen profession, he developed both the private and public sectors in relation to his practice. As an individual, he gained the reputation especially as a great diagnostician.
Many Barbadians will remember him for his political contribution, controversial at times, but in fact very distinguished in my opinion.
Here was a doctor who, having gone into the field of politics, was recognized by one of the fathers of the country – Errol Barrow – for his expertise in economics, and as you remember, Errol Barrow made him his Minister of Finance.
But politics is a strange mistress and different issues led to his forming the National Democratic Party and in spite of epic struggles, as you know, that did not succeed.
But Sir Richard continued to develop the island of Barbados quietly even after he retired from politics and I have to pay tribute and say that he gave me excellent counselling and advice in the Arnott Cato Foundation, which I now have the honour to chair. I could always rely on him, getting him to the point, and whenever we were discussing an issue he would always want to know [if] this will help a young person develop in their career. He was always interested in whether this would help a person to develop and afterwards develop Barbados.
He showed tremendous courage through his illnesses and it is difficult when doctors become ill – it is a kind of folklore that whatever can go wrong, will go wrong. Nevertheless he fought and endured – in fact, I would say showed tremendous physical strength [with what] he had to go through.
I will certainly miss him as a dear friend. I will miss having to send him mangoes when my tree bears because that was one of the loves of his life. And those are things I will remember.
I hope that Barbados will remember him for the true Barbadian he was, sometimes controversial in the political field, but at all times he had the interest of Barbadians at heart – not a selfish “I need to get there”, but always, “is this the best thing for Barbados?” (SP)
