MEET the phenomenal Melissa Ann Robertson, who, with much inspiration from her godfather, Senior Counsel Peter Britton (now deceased), decided to become an attorney-at-law. Today, she is pushing some 25 years in the judiciary!
Ms. Robertson was heard of almost daily in the local press when she sat a few years ago as the Acting Chief Magistrate in Court One of the Georgetown Magistrate’s Court. On September 8, 2010, however, she was sworn in as Commissioner of Title (Land Court Judge).
The once quiet, reserved Robertson, who changed to a more outspoken, no-nonsense kind of woman over time, gave some of her best years in service to Guyana and ought to have been at the peak of her career by now.
Although it was easy for her to settle overseas and be in the company of almost all of her relatives, not to mention obtain top job offers, Melissa, a former part-time lecturer at the University of Guyana (UG), decided that she wanted to serve her country. In fact, her desire to become a lawyer has always been driven by a passion to assist the less fortunate.
A member of the Assemblies of God Church, Melissa, also a ‘Sunday School’ teacher, believes that God sees everything and in his due time would grant her all that she desires, and of course, deserves.
She worked hard to qualify herself academically in order to gain an advantage in her career. Little did she know that she would eventually become side-lined, while others with far less qualifications and experience would be celebrated above her.
“I had hoped that I would have been further up in my career already,” the former president of the Guyana Amateur Weightlifting Association told the Chronicle in an interview last week.
Explaining what it feels like to be side-lined, Melissa said: “You feel like giving up. Because of work, I would have done my Master’s so as to give me an advantage. You qualify yourself in the hope of being at an advantage. It’s not a good feeling. It’s only your faith in God that keeps you going because sometimes you feel like giving up and moving to another country where you will be celebrated; where you feel like your faithfulness would be rewarded.
“I could have left the country and [it’s] not like I would not have had offers, but the government sponsored me and helped me to qualify. Furthermore, I love Guyana. I want to serve, but you feel as though you are being pushed out.”
Nevertheless, the former Guyana Association of Women Lawyers’ Treasurer, believes that she will eventually be awarded what is due to her. “God is in charge and all is well.”

Academics

Melissa, now 51, and hardly looking it, was born on September 14, 1964, to Thomas and Shirley Robertson, who both served with distinguished records in Guyana’s education system.
Although being born in Georgetown at what used to be a hospital at Ptolemy Reid’s current location, Melissa grew up at Hope Town, West Coast Berbice. She shared her primary school days at Hope Town and Latchmansingh Primary Schools, and continued at St. Rose’s High once she would have written the Common Entrance Exams.
Following her admission to the Bar, she worked at the Attorney General’s Chambers for five years (1990 to 1995). “I was on a government scholarship so I had to serve as a requirement,” she explained.
Between 1995 and 1998, she took up work at Oliver Valz Chambers in Hadfield Street and later began practising privately at the Robertson Law Firm. In 1998, she was sworn in as a magistrate and in 2010 to date, as Land Court Judge.
After school, Melissa went to the Government Technical Institute (GTI) where she did the Ordinary Diploma in Commerce (ODC). She pressed on to UG where she did her pre-law and then completed her LLB (Bachelor of Laws) at the University of the West Indies. She was later awarded the Legal Education Certificate (LEC) at the Hugh Wooding Law School in Trinidad.
Among several other educational institutions she attended are Assemblies of God Bible Institute, Carnegie School of Home Economics, Languages Services Centre, and the Queen Mary University London (as an external student).
Melissa, former secretary/treasurer and then president of the Magistrates’ Association of Guyana, was awarded the Regional Magistrate’s Conference Certificate, Christian Workers Diploma (valedictorian and best all-rounder), International Olympic Committee Certificate, a Spanish Diploma and Masters-LLM – International Dispute Resolution.
Melissa’s style of dealing with the public has always been impressive. For instance, everyone appearing before her in court had a brief opportunity to express themselves; she was not just quick to pronounce judgements. No one was ever dealt with in a harsh manner and in many instances, she proved that she had a heart in the way she listened, advised, and even counselled those who were before her.
Melissa executed her job in a thorough and professional manner, and her unique style included making detailed notes of the individuals on the case dockets which proved her real interest in them.

Handwriting Gift

Melissa’s father, who taught at several schools along the West Coast Berbice, died of bone cancer in 1993. Her mom, who was also a head teacher, is still living in Berbice and is now 80 years old. Melissa’s twin sister is Maxine and her older sister is Charmayne.
Reflecting for a bit on the life of her father, Melissa said while he was studying at Howard’s University, he was invited to work at the United States White House because of his attractive handwriting.
He worked at a hospital on the sidelines to assist him financially and a member of the hospital board saw his handwriting and fell in love with it. He however declined the job offer because of his busy schedule at school.
Melissa further recalled how her dad once found an error in the Oxford Dictionary. “He wrote to Oxford, they corrected the error and then sent him a copy of the corrected version of the dictionary. Now who goes through a dictionary to find errors?” she laughed.
The handwriting episode made her remember the time in school she won a handwriting competition and was awarded a manger set for Christmas. “Maybe I got this from my father,” she observed, adding, “Now my handwriting is like crab marching.”

‘I Want Action’

Growing up, Melissa’s interests ranged from becoming a nurse, to a nun, to an attorney-at-law. An aunt of hers, now 85 years old, has been a nun all her life and is now a ‘Carmelite Sister’ based in Trinidad. Although this example provided inspiration for her, that which she got from her godfather won out and so she ended up in the field of law.
“There are no regrets professionally, but personally, sometimes I wonder if I should have been a nun,” she joked. Her marriage ended in divorce and Melissa, like any other woman, was a victim of all the issues associated with relationships, such as domestic violence.
“Generally, I am quiet, but I have changed with age and experiences. I have always been so quiet that my mom told me I never got into trouble as a child and she always wondered if something was wrong with me. I was so quiet and obedient.
“Over the years, because of my marriage…nowadays I am more vocal. I let it out. I have zero-tolerance for nonsense; I just speak my mind although I believe I am a very respectful, very loyal person; easy going and quiet.
Melissa, who would love to be married again, said she permitted herself to be taken advantage of in her past relationships. “Now, I just drop you like a hot cake. In life, experiences modify the way you deal with issues. I learnt to take things in hand and deal with them. My experiences have toughened me, made me more resilient. Promises alone don’t work. I am an action woman. Don’t promise me anything. I want to see the action. If you tell me you are going to do this, do it and let me see. And then I will believe you.”
Melissa has however acknowledged that everyone makes mistakes and ought to be forgiven. “You don’t always walk the straight and narrow path. We are all human beings and we make mistakes. You need to forgive because we all err.”

By Telesha Vidya Ramnarine