Activity: Panel presentation and discussion
Date: Friday 18th May 2018
Host: Moray House Trust
This, our third in the series of presentations and panels about national infrastructure, was intended to feature Stanley Ming, Terrence Fletcher and Stuart Hughes. Unfortunately, Terrence Fletcher passed away a few days before the event.
TRIBUTE TO TERRY FLETCHER
The title of the photo is “Kissing Buildings”. It is one of the slides from a presentation prepared by Terrence Fletcher for the panel about ‘National Strategic Infrastructure.’ As he remarked in an email, “these buildings actually settled over two feet and touched each other at the top. They had to be partially dismantled where they touched to avoid more serious damage.”
In the months of discussions leading up to Friday’s talk, Terry proposed several quite different topics, each of which was engaging his focus and energies at various times. There was the issue of the subsidence or, as the engineers delicately phrase it, ‘excessive settlement’ of buildings in Georgetown, an issue compounded by failures in planning, process and oversight.
There was also the question of road safety strategies. In this case, his focus was regional, extending to all Caricom territories and identifying common strategies that could be adopted – an area of interest that likely arose in tandem with his being a founder member of the Caribbean Association of Roads and its current Chairman. And finally there was the intriguing concept of a network of highways road linking the Guianas.
In each case, Terry had strong ideas and, after 50 years work on the physical infrastructure in Guyana, a wealth of experience to draw on. The scope of his interests also suggested a breadth of vision – an inclination towards regional, integrated approaches – that is often absent among our planners and our politicians.
It was with deep sorrow that we learned of his untimely demise. We extend heartfelt condolences to his wife Greta and his family and siblings.
Given the extent of his enthusiasm for public discourse in so many spheres, we felt that it would be appropriate to proceed with the panel and to dedicate the event to his memory. One hopes that, in due course, time and thought will be given to some of the ideas he championed.
Moray House Trust also extends warm thanks to Stanley Ming and Stuart Hughes for their participation and to our Trustee, MG (rtd) Joe Singh who presided as moderator. Clips from the panel’s presentations will be posted in due course.