Statement by the CCJ’s President on the passing of Lady Beverley Walrond, Q.C.
The Regional Judicial and Legal Services Commission (RJLSC) and the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) are deeply saddened by the passing of Lady Beverley Walrond, Q.C. We all fully expected Lady Beverley to join us this week for the commission’s last meeting for the year on December 13 and so, we were especially shocked and grieved to learn of this horrible tragedy.
Lady Beverley was a well-rounded legal professional of unparalleled distinction, well-known for her dedication, legal acumen and sharp mind. She was always a voice of reason and was a principled individual with unfailing integrity. She distinguished herself as an attorney-at-law, both in public and private practice and as an acting High Court judge. She was also a trained mediator. In her private law practice, she was deeply committed to the cause of children, one of the most vulnerable groups within our society.
Through her role as a member of the RJLSC, Lady Waldrond contributed much to the strengthening of the institutions which serve the CCJ and the broader Caribbean Community. From her initial three-year appointment in 2016 up to the time of her untimely passing, Lady Waldron was an exemplary member of the commission. She played an active role on several of its sub-committees and we are honoured to have so greatly benefitted from her passion, wisdom, candour and collegiality.
The commission and by extension the court, the CARICOM Competition Commission, and the soon-to-be established Caribbean Community Administrative Tribunal are all beneficiaries of commissioner Walrond’s rich legacy.
Lady Waldron will be sorely missed by all those she worked with and whose lives she touched. The entire region has unquestionably lost a tremendous daughter. We at the Commission and the Court extend our heartfelt condolences to Lady Beverley’s husband, Sir Errol Walrond, her children, family, colleagues and all those who mourn her. Their grief is not shared, it is multiplied.
Statement by the Arnott Cato Foundation on the passing of Lady Beverley Walrond, Q.C.
The board of the human resource development charity the Arnott Cato Foundation expressed shock and grief at the untimely and tragic death of Beverly Lady Waldron, wife of the chairman Sir Errol Walrond.
The trustees paid tribute at the start of the meeting yesterday which the chairman had charged them to proceed with despite his crisis and absence. The trustees were eloquent in their praises for the late Lady.
The trustees said she was a welcoming and charming hostess when she opened her home to the foundation for its meetings and also its annual cheese and wine fundraiser.
The foundation extends its deepest condolences to Sir Errol and their children Maurice and Maya and their families.
Statement by Honorary Consul for Jamaica in Barbados Ella N. Hoyos on the passing of Lady Beverley Walrond, Q.C.
Jamaicans in Barbados and abroad are mourning the loss of illustrious attorney-at-law Beverley Lady Walrond Q.C who succumbed on Saturday night to injuries sustained in a motor vehicle accident in Miami last Wednesday.
Honorary Consul for Jamaica in Barbados Ella Hoyos stated: “The Jamaican community in Barbados is the poorer for the loss of one of its eminent members Lady Beverley Joy Maureen Walrond Q.C., (nee Walters), who was a fierce advocate for children’s rights, a leading legal luminary, a defender of causes and who in many ways embodied the spirit and tenacity of the Jamaican people.
Her impact, particularly in the area of family and children’s rights law where she dominated the legal landscape for over 40 years, will be difficult to surpass. Her remarkable contribution to the development of a modern Family Law Act and a family division in the high courts of Barbados, as president of the Barbados Bar Association, Bar Council, Judicial Council, Council of Legal Education, Chair of the Insurance Corporation of Barbados and Erdiston Teachers College, Director of the Barbados Board of Tourism, member of the Prison Advisory Board and acting as High Court judge on two occasions are all testament to the engaged and community minded individual she was.
As the first female president of the Barbados Bar Association, she served with diligence, insisting that the Barbados Bar should contribute to the discussion on matters of public interest. Her proactivity in securing and establishing a permanent headquarters for the Bar and her availability and generosity to junior attorneys will long be remembered by her peers. Her participation in seminal family cases such as Proverbs v Proverbs, the locus classicus in property law, Farrier v Farrier and in the case of Spooner- re Unions other than marriage, have solidified her contributions to the jurisprudence of Barbados and the Caribbean region.
Lady Walrond, a former Miss Jamaica beauty contestant hailed from Black River, St Elizabeth, Jamaica and was educated at Hampton School, St Hilda’s Girls School and St Andrew High School for Girls. She studied law at Lincoln’s Inn in London and was admitted to practise in England, Jamaica, Barbados and St. Lucia.
She commenced her legal career with legendary criminal lawyer Frank Phipps Q.C. in Jamaica. Following her marriage to Barbadian Surgeon E.R. “Micky” Walrond (Sir Errol), she relocated to Barbados and joined the civil service where she worked as crown counsel and senior crown counsel. She returned to private practice in the law firm of Smith and Smith prior to joining the chambers of Sir Maurice King Q.C.
On behalf of the Government and people of Jamaica, I extend sincerest condolences to her husband Professor Sir Errol Walrond, her son Dr Maurice Walrond and her daughter Maya Johnston, son-in-law Xesus Johnston, her three grandchildren, other relatives and many friends. May her soul rest in peace.
