GUYANA Chronicle Chief Court Reporter, Mr. George Barclay yesterday remained in a stable condition at the Davis Memorial Hospital and he is thanking God for sparing his life.

He is communicating with persons around him and can now sit up in bed. Last Saturday he was rushed to the hospital after complaining of difficulty breathing, along with pains in the chest and back.

Since being hospitalised, Barclay has been placed on oxygen, has had two X-rays done and a minor corrective surgery.

The most recent X-ray done on Monday showed that there was an improvement in his condition, but doctors are monitoring his condition closely and will continue to update the family.

Barclay last reported for duty at the Guyana Chronicle last Friday and worked as usual, with the same zest and enthusiasm characteristic of him. He returned home Friday afternoon and never showed any signs of illness or discomfort, relatives said.

However, around 05:00 hrs Saturday morning he woke up complaining of pains in the chest and back and difficulty breathing. But within minutes his condition worsened and his family was forced to rush him to the Davis Memorial Hospital where he was promptly attended to.

George Barclay, 78, has given decades of dedicated service to the Guyana Chronicle, formerly the Guiana Graphic.

He joined the reporting field in the 1950s as a cub reporter at the Guiana Graphic, headed by Editor, Mr. M. Alfred Thorne. He served initially for four years then joined the B.G. Consolidated Goldfields Ltd. Tumatumari as an Assistant Secretary to the General Manager, Mr. C.J. Park of Britain.

About five years later he resumed working with the Guiana Graphic, covering all aspects of news including Courts, Sports, Parliament, Chamber of Commerce, Town Council, Harbor Calls, Hotels, Press Conferences and interviews. He was at the Graphic when it was taken over by the then government and renamed the Chronicle.
Having served with distinction, Barclay was nominated as Workers’ Representative at the system of Workers Participation in Management and became a Member of the Board of Directors, a position he held until the time of his retirement at the age of 60.
Following his retirement, he was hired by management on a freelance basis to cover certain court cases at the Supreme and Appellate Courts.
During his sojourn at the Guiana Graphic-Chronicle, he had the opportunity of working with several editors – local and foreign, and thus gained a wealth of experience.
Barclay was also granted the privilege of attending a number of seminars and courses – both overseas and local, which included Cuba, Colombia and Iraq. He also had the honour of attending the Royal Wedding of Prince Charles to Princess Diana.
In the ensuing years, Barclay continued to cover without fail all the top cases in the courts in the country. Apart from daily coverage, he has a special Sunday column in which he features prominent cases through the years.

(By Shirley Thomas)