Paying tribute

A “priceless” afternoon in the Court of Appeal today as glowing tributes were paid at a special sitting in recognition of five former attorneys-at-law, who will be missed at the Bar.

The late Sir Fred Gollop, QC; Dr Waldo Waldron-Ramsay, QC; Edmund Bayley, QC; Tracelyn Rollock-Dottin and Kathy-Anne Trotman were fondly remembered by members of the legal fraternity including Attorney General Dale Marshall, Chief Justice Sir Marston Gibson and former Chief Justice Sir David Simmons.

In his tribute, the AG reflected on the life and contribution of each of the five saying the Bar was “much the poorer for the lost of each one of them”.

Sir Fred Gollop, he described as an officer of the court and a gentleman. “Sir Fred has distinguished himself as an eminent attorney-at-law and an individual to whom one could always turn for advise.

“He was certainly an officer of the court as an attorney-at-law and he was a gentleman. Sir Fred’s quiet demeanor and spirit were always there as guidance. His business acumen was well known. There are many attorneys today who would not have the opportunity to learn from this humble student and teacher of the law.”

Marshall told the gathering which also included the Solicitor General, the Director of Public Prosecutions, the president of the Barbados Bar Association, Court of Appeal judges; judges of the High Court, magistrates, lawyers, family and friends, that Dr Waldo Waldron Ramsay “perhaps could be considered as a famous man among the practitioners of law”.

More affectionately known as simply Waldo, the AG said, his history and the story to be told would be that of when he was a diplomat serving Barbados at the United Nations.

“He was a person who was proud of his heritage . . . and is a person of whom we should be proud. Waldo, apart from his dress, was well known in the criminal courts. He was well-mannered, he was well-loved and up to the time of his passing he was working the courts with great energy.”

Regarding the late Edmund Bailey, Q.C. he recalled, “You could not find a more humble person. His knowledge on conveyance matters and mortgages is now lost.

“A stellar lawyer, a gentlemen, he was kind – he was kind in everyway. He was kind with his advice and kind in sharing the law.”

The legal fraternity is also mourning the passing of Tracelyn Rollock-Dottin who the Attorney General described as a “solid attorney”who impressed him with her demeanor, her enthusiasm and her passion for her career while he remembered Kathy-Anne Trotman as having a deep passion for social issues.

“I believe that if she [Trotman] had lived to see many more years we would have benefited greatly from her passion for social causes and her love for people.”

He added: “All of these five individuals are exemplars of the highest traditions of the Bar.”

Several other top legal officers also paid tribute including president of the Bar Association Rosalind Smith-Millar who stated that it was “a real pity that the contributions of our eminent practitioners tend to remain obscured until we arrive at occasions such as this one”.

Sir David also paid tribute to Sir Fred his best friend of 68 years who he described as a talented person whose passing evoked a plethora of tributes that “spoke eloquently to a life well-lived in service of his country in a variety of ways.”

Stephen Walcott, Q.C. remembered the ‘accomplished” life of Edmund Bailey, Q.C., while attorney-at-law Douglas Trotman remembered his wife Kathy-Anne saying the “loss was significant . . . as everywhere you walked is a memory”.

Queen’s Counsel Andrew Pilgrim who described the special sitting as “priceless” remembered Dr Ramsay as “a man of the people . . . a lawyer, a gladiator” who had a love for language.