Attorney-at-law of "Grand View" Upton, Christ Church, died suddenly at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital on Thursday, August 7th, 2008. She was the Assistant to the General Manager and Board Secretary of the Caribbean Broadcasting Corporation, a member of the Film Censorship Board and previously a Curator of the Barbados Museum.

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A TRIBUTE TO LESLEY BARROW DELIVERED BY PRIME MINISTER THE HON. DAVID THOMPSON, MP AT A SERVICE OF THANKSGIVING FOR HER LIFE HELD ON AUGUST 16TH, 2008 AT THE ST. MARY’S ANGLICAN CHURCH

There are some Services of Thanksgiving for the life of fellow travelers that you can’t imagine going to. And while I don’t relish going to any such service to bid farewell to a loved one – least of all anyone in today’s gathering – there are some that come out of the blue like a bolt of lightning.

David has asked me to say a few words, and to be brief in doing so, at today’s celebration of Lesley’s life and I am honoured. I had to ask myself what I could possibly distill from the life of Lesley Barrow. I found it difficult to put pen to paper for this but David, in his inimitable way found words to sum up the life of his sister. And he said, “It is difficult to describe Lesley to someone. If you have never met her, you have missed an experience. Lesley was the experience. So experiencing Lesley Barrow is something hard to put in words.” 

David’s initial comment to me was that Lesley’s life is not about dates or events. Date of birth, date of graduation, date of first job, marriage and so on. You had to take Lesley’s life as a whole – the experience. She enjoyed every moment and she tried to make everyone else enjoy every moment. Much as there is the tendency on occasions like these to share unique individual moments in tribute, like the last occasion we met or the specific words she said to us or even to detail achievements, those were not my instructions.

It would defeat the salutary point that Lesley’s life story in its all-encompassing entirety revolved around a few broad but important principles:
Live each day to the fullest and get the most from each hour, each day and each age of your life. No one who knew Lesley can doubt that this was her credo. There was an addendum to that though: enjoy Carnival in Trinidad, Crop Over, Christmas in Barbados and a family gathering more than most other days! And always prepare carefully for those more important days.

Lesley’s last days were spent planning her post-Crop Over Excursion across Barbados to visit little known – except to her closest friends - places of interest. No doubt she was planning for next Carnival and next Crop Over.
Many of those activities Lesley had shared with others consistently for over 30 or more years. Each time she made new friends and extended the circle of those who shared her joy.

Be yourself but be your best self. Dare to be different and follow your own star. I can imagine how difficult it can be for the daughter of the Father of our Nation and Barbados’ first declared National Hero as well as the most dominant, most controversial and probably best known Barbadian politician, to be herself rather than simply her father’s daughter.

But Lesley Barrow was herself in every way imaginable. She defied stereo-typing and though she inherited many characteristics of her parents, she was Lesley the experience.

Don’t be afraid to be happy. Lesley was not one of those persons who felt guilty about enjoying life – the food she wanted to eat in the way she wanted it done, the things she wanted do and enjoy, the fun she wanted to have, the men and women she wanted to be her friends, the things she wanted to say. She never pretended how busy she was as some of us do. She found the time through carefully blocked out slots in her annual agenda.

Lesley was busy and had tough assignments – Curator of the Barbados Museum, studying the law, Deputy Chairman of the Film Censorship Board and Board Secretary of the Caribbean Broadcasting Corporation - with many challenges. But she did not let that disturb her commitment to doing the things she wanted to do with the people she wanted around her.

Enjoy what is beautiful. Lesley enjoyed God’s creation including man-made interpretations of it. Colour, structure, symmetry, moods, themes pervaded her life and all that she did. Lesley was simple, unpretentious and elegant.

She was talented but her energy, smile and enthusiasm were infectious. Lesley was not just The Artist: she was the work of art and this was the beauty of her life.

Love with all your heart and soul. What and who Lesley loved, I believe she loved with all her heart and soul. She was passionate about her friends, her tastes, her family and her work. 

Believe that those you love, love you. I found that Lesley was someone who gave people the benefit of the doubt. Her first instinct was not to be suspicious of peoples’ motives.

She was discerning yet open. She was disarming and persistent in her quest to find some inner gem and positive character trait in those she met. This made her warm in conversation though she would impose her view if she had to.

Lesley was also not averse to a put-down characteristic of her mother’s dry wit and her father’s rapier tongue.  

When you are faced with a decision make that decision as wisely as possible and then forget it because the moment of absolute certainty never arrives. Lesley thought long and hard about the important decisions. Often it was painful as she poured over the pros and cons and when you thought you had convinced her, she started over.

But once she made a decision, it was made. She had arrived at her moment of almost absolute certainty and seldom looked back.
I have tried to capture the essence of the Lesley Barrow experience.
Above all of these, Lesley was a Barbadian and Caribbean woman. Meryl James-Bryan captures it in various verses of her poem her poem, Honey and Lime:

“Powerful as the Orisa Mother
Fervent as the Baptist Preacher
Creative as the Calypsonian
Committed as the Pannist
Patient as the Housewife
And own-way as the Fisherwoman.

Erect as the water-carrier
Dainty as the Hibiscus
Proud as the coconut trees
Fiery as the noon-day sun
Storm as a hurricane
But gentle as Oya’s breath.”

We will all miss this Caribbean woman. And I am sure I speak for the Government and People of Barbados when I extend my sympathy to the entire Barrow family on Lesley’s passing and may she rest in peace.

On behalf of the Barbados Government Information Service and on my own personal behalf and that of my family I express deepest condolences. We include a copy of our statement (attached & in text) on  receiving news of Lesley's death. May flights of angels carry her to a sweet and ever peaceful rest.

Jacqueline Wiltshire Gay
Chief Information Officer

The Barbados Government Information Service statement on the sudden passing of Leslie Barrow - August 7th 2008

It was certainly with profound shock and disbelief that we at the Barbados Government Information Service (BGIS) received news today of the sudden passing of Leslie Barrow.
Our relationship with Leslie was a fairly intimate one since, for some time now, she has been an integral part of the management structure of the Caribbean Broadcasting Corporation (CBC). The BGIS has long enjoyed close symbiotic arrangements with CBC as transmitters of BGIS content. This naturally implied some measure of discussion, detailed programming meetings and elements of negotiation in which Leslie was not only involved but a very forceful participant.

Only recently, with some UN assistance,  our two organizations began work on a very important joint project  that commenced the long overdue process of documenting and digitally archiving our valuable audio-visual holdings.
Like the rest of us, particularly the librarians of the respective organizations, Leslie was visibly excited and enthusiastic about the important difference this would make to the preservation of our national audio-visual heritage. While that of the CBC took us back to the early 60s, that of the BGIS reached back to Barbadian life and events from the 50s. Some listings went even further into our social and economic past. It was clear from her involvement that she considered her  passion for both art and history to have here converged in the  potential of this project and assumed a leading role in its execution.
That project will continue and will ever carry the effect of her effort as it began.
To her grieving friends and family who carry the weight of their loss at this time, be assured that the management and staff of BGIS enfold you in our thoughts and prayers. May you hold for your comfort the words of Psalm 111:

“The works of the Lord are great, sought out of all them that have  pleasure therein. His work is honourable; and his righteousness endureth forever’.

May she rest in peace and may flights of angels gently bear her to a sweet and peaceful rest.

TRIBUTE TO LESLEY BARROW
from Mr. Elliott D. Mottley, QC

Last week, we were all reminded of the frailty of human life. The shock that we felt was not only as a result of the suddenness of Lesley’s death but also because of the vitality of her spirit.
Lesley Barrow was a live wire. 
Anyone who knew her experienced it. Her personality was distinct and she was never afraid to reflect her views even if they differed from the majority around her.
I knew Lesley for most of her life. Our families have been close from since the 1950s across 3 generations (- irrespective of whatever political differences there may have been.)

Having had a successful career in the area of the arts and teaching, Lesley decided that she wanted to study law. It was a decision made mid-career and hence required a certain degree of courage on her part. It was only natural that I would feel a sense of pride in her decision that this was what she wanted to pursue. I readily accepted the invitation to introduce her to the Barbados Bar. (In spite of his general apprehension about lawyers, I knew that it would have pleased her father tremendously to have seen her attain this achievement.)

That I should be given the opportunity to introduce her was even more  special since her father had a similar role in the encouragement of my own daughter’s decision to do law and to study at his university, the London School of Economics.
It was clear however that Lesley chose to use the law as a tool to enhance her contribution in the area of the arts as she saw culture as the main platform for the building of a Caribbean identity. Indeed, she expressed early on that her real preference was to practice law in the cultural industries. However, the opportunities in Barbados for a full time practice in that area of the law were limited.
I was therefore not surprised when early in her practice, after working at Yearwood and Boyce, she opted to go to work at the Caribbean Broadcasting Corporation as Board Secretary,  an environment which would allow her to interact with the patrimony of this country through its audio-visual archives for which she had a natural propensity. Equally, even though she no longer worked at the Barbados Museum and Historical Society, she still volunteered much of her time to assist in this area. I am told that while at CBC she sought to enhance the environment there by exposing members of staff to all forms of art which she literally brought in herself to hang on the walls. Lesley became the in-house curator while still being its internal legal counsel.
Lesley had a unique way of expressing herself with an absolutely dry sense of humour that she inherited from her mother. There was a brevity of expression and a sharpness of wit. Very often, this resulted in her being most effective in bringing relief to tense situations. Her passion for life and for people stood out. All who met her would reflect that in the words of Rudyard Kipling that she walked with Kings while still retaining the common touch. Her appreciation for people and the respect she showed them was evident for all to feel. Yet, she walked to her own drum and created her own path.
Lesley Barrow was the quintessential Caribbean woman.
In his first address at the United Nations, her father, the Right Excellent Errol Barrow delivered himself of words that have become the Barbadian mantra since Independence.

I can think of few expressions that more aptly capture the essence of who Lesley was than to describe her as “Friend of all, Satellite of none”.

Rest easy, Lesley, rest easy.