Dear Editor,
I am beyond the boundaries of Guyana. I therefore have not been following the news from my country. However, the many messages and reports on Facebook and other platforms alerted me to the death of Dr. Colin Roach. The reports of his death were just as depressing as the manner in which he died. It is absurd that a young professional who was on the cusp of maturity in his profession should have his life snuffed out by two uncaring young men who “threw a pearl away richer than all their tribe.”
Dr. Roach was my Doctor for several years. He was an admirable professional whose intellectual interests went far beyond medicine. He had an insatiable interest in the foreign policy of Guyana and the direction of national politics. I used to enjoy going to his surgery. My medical exam was always preceded by Socratic questioning on the latest developments in the nation’s national ups and downs. This was always followed by what he believed to be the correct prescriptions for mistakes or problems he had identified. Yes, this was a fine professional and a decent man. I will miss his sense of humour, his sartorial elegance, the cultured voice and his curiosity about all that was happening in his country. Above all I will keep a permanent memory of his optimism that Guyana had a great and successful future.
I wish I could do more than merely tender my sincere condolences to his wife, children and the rest of his family friends.
Sincerely,
R M Austin
Ambassador
