AFTER making a massive impact on the local media community, veteran journalist and former Guyana Chronicle Editor, Ms. Claudette Earle was on Thursday laid to rest, bringing to an abrupt end the fascinating story of a life that was well lived.

Ms. Earle died on December 21, 2021 at a city hospital, one day after suffering a stroke. She was 75.

A career journalist who cut her teeth in the industry at the then Guiana Graphic newspaper, back in the days of media giants like Carl Blackman, Frank Campbell, and Rickey Singh, Ms. Earle made a name for herself as not just a feature writer par excellence, but also for her invaluable contributions to molding the lives of young reporters at the State newspaper.

Outside of her work as a journalist, Ms. Earle invested heavily in the lives of her only child, Johann, and her grandchildren Darius, Rahshea, and Joaquim.

During the funeral service on Thursday at the Central Assembly of God Church on East and Church Streets, where she worshipped, granddaughter, Rahshea recalled the joy with which she spoke as she told them stories of how her work as a journalist had impacted the lives of persons she’d interacted with.

Rahshea said her grandmother had a passion for highlighting women’s successes, as she felt it necessary to showcase the limitless potential of women in every sector of society.

“She wrote features about women in business and entrepreneurship; women in agriculture and similarly-themed pieces. We could tell from her stories that she always had a deep passion for the development of rural communities, and her work demonstrated this,” young Rahshea said.

Ms. Earle, who retired in 2005, had served the Guyana Chronicle as not just Sunday Editor and Assistant Editor, but also as Editor, and on occasion as Editor-in-Chief. She was well known for managing the women’s page, the Sunday Magazine, in the earlier days, and writing features specifically about women and development.

Rahshea recalled special conversations she’d had with her grandmother on her many travels as a journalist, where she would describe to them, in vivid detail, the feel and atmosphere of far-flung communities and places she’d gone to, which spoke to just how dedicated she was to her craft to take the journey.

“My grandmother spent her time on this earth in service to the profession of journalism, which she executed with professionalism, dignity, and humility,” Rahshea said.

Calling her grandmother “one of the most inspirational persons” in her life, Rahshea said that she and her siblings look up to the example set by their grandmother in the pursuit of their dreams, regardless of any obstacles that may come their way.

She said that although Ms. Earle would have received little formal secondary education, she was an avid reader, and a lover of books, and worked hard to pursue a tertiary education to achieve her goals; efforts that landed her a place at the University of Guyana, the University of the West Indies (Mona), and Cambridge University in the United Kingdom.

LEGACY
The legacy of Ms. Earle can be seen as unquantifiable; from her teachings, to her advocacy for journalism training, and the contributions of her pen, she has left a major impact on the local media.

Local journalist and President of the Guyana Press Association (GPA) Nazima Raghubir thanked the late media veteran for her sterling contribution to the field of journalism, noting that she helped build a blueprint for the local media. She stated that Ms. Earle’s principles and ethics as a journalist were noteworthy, and should be emulated by every member of the media today.

“Many of us can take pages out of that particular book; her principles and ethics are commendable… And for that I would like to thank her for leaving those pieces; those journalistic pieces that guided us on writing on particular issues,” Raghubir said.

After maturing in journalism and moving on to more managerial duties in the newsroom, Ms. Earle guided young journalists in their craft, and wrote editorials mainly on development issues, drawing from her vast practical experience as a journalist in the field earlier in her career.

Raghubir spoke at length of Ms. Earle’s humility, noting that while her contributions are far-reaching, she never “fussed” for recognition. She stated that the GPA, over the past five years has engaged Ms. Earle on the possibility of getting her nominated for a National Award, which she always shied away from.

“We felt that her contribution was something that was noteworthy, and worthy of a national award; I am going to commit, as President of the GPA, to honouring Claudette in whatever way that we can, even if it means trying to see if we can get her work acknowledged posthumously,” Raghubir said.

(Photos below courtesy Johann Earle, only child of the late Ms. Claudette Earle)