A SOFT-SPOKEN man with tact and grace is how the late Senior Counsel and Guyana National Rifle Association (GuyanaNRA) Executive Richard `Dickie’ Berkeley Fields will be remembered.

His funeral service took place at Christ Church on Waterloo Street yesterday.
The former rifle-shooter, who was a lawyer by profession as well as the Honorary Consul to Finland and Italy, was also an avid lover of Jazz, according to one of his eulogists Nigel Hughes.

Meanwhile, president of the Guyana NRA Mahendra Persaud contended that the loss of such a wise and fierce competitor will surely have a gigantic impact.
“He was one of the few Guyanese to have made the Queen’s Final (at Bisley). He is the only Guyanese out of three West Indian shooters to shoot 150 out of 150 in the Benson and Hedges short range Cup.”

The former life member of the Surrey Rifle Club and one-time vice-president of the British Commonwealth Rifle Club was known affectionately as ‘Dickie’ Fields and was the runner-up Sportsman-of-the-Year in 1999.
Persaud continued, “He was a soft-spoken person. You could go to him at any time for advice and the advice was very short, to the point and with a legal interpretation behind it.”

He was a wonderful friend, a wonderful team mate and one of the best team shooters I knew, and I knew a lot of people and he was an exceptionally good guy, both on and off the ranges,” Persaud said.
Fields started his shooting career in early 1950s at the rifle range at Thomas Lands with his uncle. After being in Queen’s College Scouts he joined the Queen’s College Cadet Corps where he continued to excel.

He then went on to be a member of the British Guiana Volunteer Force (BGVF) where he attained the rank of 2nd Lieutenant before he left to study Law in England in 1961.
On his return in 1967, Richard Fields was admitted to the Bar. In 1974, he joined the Guyana National Rifle Association where he soon became one of the top riflemen in Guyana and the Caribbean.