WOMEN activist, Magda Pollard, AA, CCH was laid to rest following a moving service at the Smith Memorial Congregational Church on Brickdam, Georgetown.

In attendance were President David Granger; First Lady, Mrs. Sandra Granger; Minister of Public Health, Ms. Volda Lawrence and Minister of Public Telecommunications, Mrs.

Catherine Hughes. Also in attendance were: former Prime Minister and Mayor of Georgetown, Mr. Hamilton Green and Chief Justice (ag) Mrs. Roxane George -Wiltshire.
A former principal of the Carnegie School of Home Economics from 1957 to 1978 and Women’s Affairs Officer at the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretariat between 1980 and 1991, Pollard died last week Thursday. The honoree of the fourth CARICOM Triennial Award for Women was born in 1931in Buxton, East Coast Demerara (EDC), to parents Fitzgerald and Muriel Pollard, both of whom were teachers.

In her teenage years, she attended The Bishops’ High School where she excelled academically, actively participating in music, drama and community service. Before leaving school, she was awarded the Fidele Collier Medal for her significant contribution to the school’s ethos. Pollard later moved on to write the Oxford and Cambridge Examinations in 5th form and the London Higher School Certificate. She then decided to enter the field of teaching. Four years later, she left for London to attend the Glasgow and West of Scotland College of Domestic Science where she received training as a Grade One teacher.

She eventually went on to gain a distinction in her Postgraduate Certificate Course at the Queen Elizabeth College, London University, in Home Economics in relation to Community Development. Pollard later returned to Guyana, worked in the public education system, and eventually became the principal of Carnegie School of Home Economics in 1962 where she promoted an increased emphasis on specialised training in food preparation. This led her, some 16 years later, to be invited by CARICOM to help formulate a regional food and nutrition project. Her eventual appointment as the first Women’s Affairs Officer (WAO) at the CARICOM Secretariat led her to play a greater role in the representation of women’s rights in Guyana and the Region. She lobbied for the governments in the Caribbean to sign on to and ratify the International Bill Of Rights for Women.

Her invaluable contributions over the years led to her receiving two national awards in Guyana: The Cacique Crown of Honour and the Arrow of Achievement. She also received the 1992 CARIFESTA Award for Women and the special award of the Caribbean Association of Home Economists of which she was a founding member. Pollard served as the Chairperson of the Guyana National Commission on Women and, during her tenure, organised for the creation of Women’s Bureaus in the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OCES). Her active engagement towards the well-being and representation of women’s rights have garnered her much respect and gratitude.

In paying tribute to Pollard last week, President Granger said during her tenure at CARICOM, she strived for the creation of Women’s Bureaus in the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) and spearheaded a three-year programme, ‘Management for Development: Effecting Change’ whose target included senior women administrators. He also mentioned that she has to be credited also, for two publications on Home Economics which she has co-authored. Over the years, Ms. Pollard served in many capacities, including as President of the Guyana Girl Guides Association, Director at Republic Bank Guyana, Secretary to the Anne Blue Scholarship Programme, the Women and Gender Equality Commission and as Chairperson of the National Commission for Women and Chairperson of the National Task Force on Domestic Violence.