“All the world’s a stage,
And all the men and women merely players;
They have their exits and their entrances;
And one (wo)man in (her) his time plays many parts,” (Shakespeare: As you like it.)

On Wednesday 28th August, the curtains came down on the final act from Mrs Rita Frett-Georges MBE.  She was one of the old guards; A Virgin Islander who did her part in the building of the Territory; Another giant upon whose shoulders we stand.

She left with the recognition that a lot of work was done over the decades to create the BVI that the present generation inherited.  But she was also aware that BVI is now trying to find its rightful place in time and in the international community.  

She must have been somewhat disappointed about the high price we are paying for what we think is progress; The crime; The inhumanity; The avarice; The squalor; The failing infrastructure; The chaos; The divisiveness and disunity.

But she would have also seen the positives.  Increasing wages; Higher levels of education and exposure of the people; Better quality of housing; Healthcare; Electricity; Water; Transportation; Travel; Food:  None without challenges; All being signs of advancement.

Rita, however, who spent a great portion of her professional life listening and advising, knew the value of those skills and saw the dearth of them in modern day BVI public life.  She understood that without honest dialogue and a commitment to problem solving there can be no progress.

But who was she?  Who was Rita Frett- Georges?

Someone full of laughter and unusual sayings; and by accounts, a joyful person, in her youth.

She knew her community, its stories, its personalities and loved telling those stories. 

And if you had not read a book, when she reported, your intellectual stimulation in that regard was satisfied. 

As an adult, she was dignified.  Her presence was undeniable, commanding.  She was convincing; (manipulative would not be the correct word); But with her well dimpled smile, you felt bent to her will.  

And, although she was soft spoken, her words were more a directive than a suggestion.  They were packed with power.

She read widely.  She was driven, competitive, determined, deliberate, intensely curious which led her down strange paths at times.

She was a political animal and used her savvy to position BVI well in regional and international nursing organizations.

For she knew, early, that her calling was to Nursing. 

Psycho-Cybernetics written in 1960 by Maxwell Maltz deeply impacted her professional life.  It may have also helped with her bouts of depression.

She became interested in mental health and, ultimately, earned a master’s degree in psychology

She launched the mental health programme in the BVI and ensured its continuity by succession planning.

Her studies included courses in abnormal psychology which captivated her investigative mind.

As a doctor of psychiatry, Dr Jarecki was an able ally and mentor.  He helped to clear her path when it became muddied by her practice and the cares and demands of life; when the happiness that enveloped her as a youth threatened to slip away.

When she became known to me, she was already the Territory’s Chief Nursing Officer.  The words ‘elegance, sophistication and brilliance, surfaced.

That she was the wife of our longest serving Deputy Governor enhanced her stature.  That gave her an official and public role.  She dressed the part.  She made entertainment a science and put her cooking and organizational skills to use.

Of course, there was that incident at the Fisheries Complex when she was advised that a lovely fish she wanted for a dinner party would probably be poisonous.

She rejected the advice and she and her guests paid the price.

But Rita also loved and pursued things intellectual.  She was very good at reasoning from cause to effect.  She knew the outcome she wanted and worked backwards.  

She was an exceptional writer and published at least one book, multiple treatises and papers.  Her memoranda were voluminous and well-constructed.

I sat on Guana one evening at an occasion that marked a milestone for her husband and was not surprised at the simple brilliance of her remarks.

Rita was also a businesswoman.  At one point she owned 2 multi-story buildings in the Town.  Elton was her rock of Gibraltar.  He supported her every step of the way.

His demise would have affected her deeply for they were a Team and certainly what some would call a power couple in the heyday of their professional lives.

We do not know if she often had the opportunity to enjoy the fruits of her labour and to bask in the contributions she made to the development of the territory.

But the rise of the BVI could not be truthfully recounted if the name Rita Frett- Georges MBE was excised from the narrative.

A grateful BVI thanks her children, Noni and Kamau for sharing her with us over the decades.

May her soul know peace and may her immediate and extended family, in their bereavement, be comforted by the knowledge of her significance to BVIs growth and her prominence in this community.

On our Fridays, we must, at times, look back.  That, often, helps us to move forward.

Happy Friday!