Dear Editor,
I was truly saddened by news of the death of Mr. Cecil (Pub) Norman Murray A.A. recently. My acquaintance with this gentleman occurred around 1965 when I joined the Probation Service of which he was then Chief. Our country was on its way to achieving notoriety as the capital of ‘choke and rob’ in the English-speaking Caribbean, and a high percentage of the offenders were juveniles and young offenders. Mr. Murray set about getting the members of the Bench and Bar to recognise that Probation could play a significant role addressing the retributive and rehabilitative aspects of sentencing.
He sought every opportunity to better equip his staff to deal with their increased caseloads by seeking various forms of inservice and overseas training. Through his contacts with the British Council, he arranged a lecture tour by Prof. Howard Jones which led to the latter’s research project and publication, ‘Crime in Guyana’, on which Dr.Tara Singh and I worked.
Under the auspices of the United Nations, he secured the services of Prof. Robert Landor, who not only helped to reorganize the Probation Service but participated in the establishment of UG’s Social Work Unit. From this development, the entire field has become more professionally recognized.
Mr. Murray encouraged his staff to seek self-improvement, and facilitated their efforts at doing so, even in instances where this meant that they would be leaving the department. Off-hand I think of Dr. James Rose, Ms. Noreen Ally, the late Dr. Dennis Bassier, Attorney-at-Law Hookumchand, Bursar Norman Joseph. He himself was among the first batch of students who successfully completed the Diploma of Public Administration.
Very importantly, he sought to popularize discussion on criminal justice policy through bodies like the then fledgling Adult Education Association, headed by the late Mr. Harold Davis, MA (Criminology), and his membership in the Lions’ Club. His contribution to the First National Conference on ‘Crime and the Penal System In Guyana’ in 1973 was outstanding.
Undoubtedly, knowledgeable persons shared his disappointment when his services were not nationally acknowledged at his retirement, and like him, were gratified when this oversight was corrected.
Similarly, there was great relief when, in 2008, he repelled an attack by burglars at his home.
That he gratefully escaped very serious injuries, he would ascribe to his ‘faith in the Good Maker’, and his lifelong commitment to a rigorous exercise regimen, ‘’necessarily in that order”, in keeping with his strong religious attachment.
I was pleased to read where Ms.Ann Greene, retired Chief Probation and Social Service Officer, made recommendations concerning remuneration for her erstwhile staff and I reflected that this was the sort of support which Mr. Murray, her predecessor, would have done. Seems he has left his mark on the Probation and Welfare Service.
May He Rest In Peace and His Memory Evoke Pleasant Thoughts!
Respectfully,
Michael Parris
