It
is
written
in
the
gospel
of
St
Matthew
(Ch
7)
that
Jesus
Christ
said:
Judge
not,
that
ye
be
not
judged.”
But
it
is
in
the
nature
of
men
to
judge
and
today
many
will
pass
judgement
on
Godwin
Mc
Pherson.
But
before
they
reach
their
verdict,
let
them
go
to
the
soldiers’
housing
scheme
in
West
Ruimveldt
and
ask
the
residents
there
who
it
was
that
pioneered
and
pushed
that
project
there
from
beginning
to
end.
Or
let
them
go
to
the
North-east
of
Camp
Ayanganna
and
ask
who
transformed
the
bisi-bisi
plantation
that
we
found
there
in
1966
into
a
playfield
and
parade
ground
and
who
pushed
the
construction
of
the
All
Ranks
Sports
Complex.
Many
of
those
who
would
judge
have
passed
along
like
shadows,
leaving
no
lasting
legacy
except
a
trail
of
self-interest
and
blind
ambition.
Obsessed
with
their
own
self-importance,
they
have
made
no
contribution
of
their
own
yet
never
miss
the
opportunity
to
disparage
the
contribution
of
others.
But
if
McPherson,
the
man,
the
military
officer
and
the
mission
he
set
himself
are
to
be
understood,
we
must
examine
the
powerful
influences
on
his
life.
Addressing
a
Lichfield
‘Village
Day’
festival
in
November
2000,
I
said,
jokingly,
that
if
you
threw
a
stone
in
the
air,
it
would
fall
on a
Mc
Pherson
or a
Semple.
The
presence
of
those
family
names
is
pervasive
in
that
village.
At
the
entrance
of
St
Jude’s
Anglican
Churchyard
stands
a
centenary
monument
erected
in
1940
and
dedicated
to
the
founders
of
the
village
in
November
1840.
Of
the
seven
names,
the
first
two
are
C L
and
J Mc
Pherson.
Consider
the
burden
that
history
has
placed
on
the
shoulders
of
later
generations
of
McPhersons
to
live
up
to
the
extraordinary
example
of
those
founding
fathers.
Imagine
the
pride
of
their
descendants
in
being
born
and
bred
in
one
of
Guyana’s
oldest
villages.
How
many
persons
can
boast
of
having
their
family
name
cast
in
stone
and
inscribed
in
history
books?
The
burden
of
history
can
be
heavy
and
it
was
for
Godwin
Mc
Pherson.
Apart
from
his
mother
Githa,
the
next
most
important
influence
on
his
life
was
his
uncle,
Canon
David
Hemmerding,
one
of
the
most
respected
priests
of
the
Anglican
Diocese.
There
used
to
be
an
anecdote
that,
whenever
the
Archbishop
of
the
West
Indies
Dr
Alan
Knight
toured
rural
parishes
and
found
a
church
falling
down,
he
was
certain
to
send
Fr
Hemmerding
there
for
a
tour
of
duty.
When
the
good
priest
departed
- as
in
the
cases
of
St
Peter’s
on
Leguan
Island
and
St
Augustine
in
Friendship
–
the
rebuilt
churches
would
be
good
enough
to
grace
national
postcards
and
tourist
brochures.
Fr
Hemmerding
was
a
builder.
Loyalty
to
his
uncle’s
legacy
explains
in
part
why
Godwin
strove,
and
why
he
drove
himself,
to
emulate
him
by
becoming
a
builder
himself.
That
same
sense
of
loyalty
also
explains
why
he
remained
a
faithful
to
the
Anglican
church
all
his
life
and
was
dressing
to
attend
the
weekly
service
at
the
Church
of
the
Tranfiguration
on
the
Sunday
morning
that
he
collapsed.
It
explains
why,
as a
parishioner
and
a
member
of
the
Men’s
Guild,
he
contributed
to
the
maintenance
of
that
church’s
premises
and
the
management
of
parish
functions.
Godwin
McPherson
joined
the
Guyana
Defence
Force
in
1967
and
entered
the
2nd
battalion
as a
reservist,
not
as a
regular.
It
is
not
a
military
secret
that
officers
of
the
British
Army
Staffing,
Administration
and
Training
Team
who
commanded
the
Defence
Force
at
that
time
regarded
Guyanese
reservists,
including
some
who
had
come
from
the
British
Guiana
Volunteer
Force,
as
second-rate.
To
make
matters
worse,
Godwin
did
not
attend
a
formal
officer
cadet
course;
he
was
trained
instead
on
what
was
called
an
Officers
and
Senior
NCOs
Cadre.
His
peers
had
been
trained
mostly
at
the
Mons
Officer
Cadet
School
and
his
fellow
platoon
commander
in
No 4
company
was
trained
at
the
Royal
Military
Academy
at
Sandhurst.
When
others
spoke
of
Aldershot,
he
could
speak
only
of
Atkinson
Field.
From
the
early
days
of
his
service,
Godwin
McPherson
realised
that
he
was
always
being
judged.
He
was
aware
that
he
was
always
being
tested.
He
understood
that
he
had
to
do
more
than
the
next
man
just
to
be
considered
‘as-good-as’
any
other.
He
was
a
country
boy,
mingling
with
city
colleagues
many
of
whom
were
foreign-trained.
He
wanted
so
much
to
justify
the
faith
that
his
family
and
village
community
had
placed
in
him
but
found
that
he
had
to
try
so
much
harder
to
succeed
against
the
odds.
Acceptance
was
not
automatic.
Failure
for
him
was
never
an
option.
He
had
to
work
hard
and
never
forgot
it.
No
one
who
served
with
him,
not
even
his
fiercest
critics,
ever
called
him
lazy.
His
first
company
commander,
Captain
(later
Colonel)
Desmond
Roberts,
told
the
story
that,
one
Sunday
in
1968,
the
then
Chief
of
Staff
Colonel
Ronald
Pope
took
him
on
what
was
meant
to
be a
surprise
visit
to
the
military
camp
in
New
River
“because
he
wanted
to
see
what
McPherson
was
made
of.”
Godwin
Mc
Pherson
was
not
found
wanting.
He
commanded
an
efficient
platoon
and
conducted
a
well-managed
operational
location
that
impressed
the
Chief
of
Staff.
By
dint
of
effort,
his
competence
was
recognised
grudgingly
and
his
career
advanced
gradually.
He
was
selected
to
attend
the
Infantry
Platoon
Commanders’
course
at
Warminister
and
the
Army
Methods
of
Instruction
Course
at
Beaconsfield
in
the
UK,
in
1970.
His
special
talents
were
recognised.
He
then
attended
the
Foreign
Officers’
Intelligence
and
Security
Course
in
Arizona,
USA;
the
Staff
Intelligence
and
Security
Course
and
the
Air
Photo
Reading
Course
at
the
School
of
Service
Intelligence
in
Kent,
UK
and
the
Escola
de
Comando
e
Estado
Maior
do
Exército
in
Brazil.
His
classmate
Colonel
Fairbairn
Liverpool
would
tell
how
Godwin,
ever
anxious
to
succeed
but
having
difficulty
with
the
Portuguese
language,
would
lock
himself
away
and
swot
over
his
studies
until
he
felt
more
confident.
Again,
failure
was
never
an
option.
Later
in
his
career,
he
attended
also
the
Counter-Disaster
Staff
Training
Programme
at
the
Cranfield
Disaster
Preparedness
centre
in
the
UK,
qualifying
him
in
civil
defence,
another
talent
which
was
ignored
by
the
authorities.
Much
of
Godwin’s
time
in
the
Force
was
spent
in
bases,
serving
in
administrative,
intelligence,
staff
and
logistics
appointments.
His
highest
appointments
- as
Quartermaster
General
in
1985;
Commander
of
the
Administrative
Services
Group
in
1986;
Commandant
of
the
Guyana
People’s
Militia;
Colonel
General
Staff;
and
Deputy
Chief
of
Staff
-
placed
him
on
the
platform
of
powerful
planning
and
decision-making
in
the
Force.
Acting
as
Chief
of
Staff
in
1995-96,
he
represented
Guyana
at
several
international
events
-
the
CARICOM
Chiefs
of
Staff
Conference
in
Barbados;
the
Caribbean
Island
Nations
Conference
in
Santo
Domingo;
the
Chiefs
of
Staff
Conference
in
Belize
and
Guyana’s
installation
on
the
Inter-American
Defence
Board
in
Washington
DC -
which
expanded
his
perspectives
on
hemispheric
defence
and
security.
For
his
military
service,
he
was
awarded
the
Military
Service
Medal,
Military
Efficiency
Medal,
Military
Commemoration
Medal
and
Border
Defence
Medal.
The
Brazilian
Army
also
awarded
him
the
Medal
of
the
Pacificator.
Godwin
did
not
neglect
his
academic
education.
He
took
the
Diploma
in
Public
Administration
course,
winning
the
Prime
Minister’s
medal.
Later,
he
took
the
Bachelor
of
Social
Sciences
in
Management
and
Bachelor
of
Laws
degrees
from
the
University
of
Guyana.
In
retirement,
he
brought
his
academic
experience
and
organisational
expertise
to
his
appointment
as
Administrator
of
the
Critchlow
Labour
College.
The
range
of
Godwin’s
appointments
exposed
him
inordinately
to
working
in
bases,
rather
than
in
the
field
on
operations
and
training.
This
had
the
effect
of
heightening
his
interest
in
sports
and
sports
facilities
in
those
bases.
Short
in
stature,
he
excelled
at
ball
games
-
cricket,
football,
volleyball,
badminton,
squash.
He
was
aggressive
but
not
antagonistic
and
made
many
friends
among
junior
soldiers
and
other
civilian
teams.
This
interest,
no
doubt,
prompted
him
to
expand
the
Force’s
facilities,
especially
the
cricket
and
football
ground
and
to
build
the
sports
complex
which
included
the
Force’s
first
squash
court.
It
was
because
of
his
popularity
that,
despite
having
little
experience
in
the
game,
basketball
players
approached
him
to
help
them
to
reorganise
the
Federation
and
to
enable
them
to
compete
in
the
regional
championships,
when
that
sport
was
in
decline
in
this
country.
It
was
in
trying
to
be
helpful
that
he
found
a
way
to
build
a
basketball
court
at
Camp
Seweyo
where
national
teams
could
encamp
and
train.
He
was
elected
President
of
the
Guyana
Amateur
Basketball
Federation
in 1990
and
remained
in
that
position
until
his
death.
He
had
served
also
as
secretary
of
the
Guyana
Football
Association
and
a
member
of
the
National
Sports
Commission.
The
challenge
to
Godwin’s
functional
superiors
was
how
to
harness
his
energy
and
enthusiasm
to
achieve
the
Force’s
mission.
It
is
invidious
to
make
comparisons
but
it
can
be
said
with
certainty
that
he
was
one
of
the
most
hard-working
officers
ever
to
have
served
in
the
Defence
Force.
A
commander
in
the
field
could
not
want
a
more
resourceful
and
reliable
staff
officer
at
his
side,
or a
more
insightful
and
thoughtful
logistician
to
keep
supplies
flowing
to
the
troops.
He
was
in
his
element
in
emergencies
and
on
big
exercises.
He
had
no
fear
of
working
weekends
or
toiling
through
the
night
if
the
exigencies
of
the
operation
demanded
it.
He
would
assemble
his
team,
issue
orders,
install
himself
on
the
site
and
see
the
matter
through
to
completion.
He
was
definitely
not
a
reveille
to
last
post
type
of
officer.
He
measured
time
not
by
morning
and
night
but
by
commencement
and
completion
of
his
work.
I
recall
a
recent
blog
by a
former
soldier
who
Godwin
was
driving
to
complete
some
construction
task.
Stressed
out,
the
soldier
said
“Sir,
Rome
was
not
built
in a
day,”
to
which
Godwin
replied
“That’s
because
I
was
not
the
foreman.”
At
heart
he
was
a
good
man
who
meant
well.
But
here
we
face
the
question
that
Christian
civilisation
has
faced
for
the
last
two
thousand
years:
“Why
do
bad
things
happen
to
good
people?
Godwin
Mc
Pherson
relished
his
reputation
as
the
officer
who
got
things
done.
The
trouble
was
that,
as
that
reputation
spread,
the
circle
of
friends
expanded.
Subordinates
and
outsiders
began
to
try
to
get
things
done
by
dealing
with
him
directly
and
bypassing
the
maze
that
formal
organisations
call
‘the
system.’
Their
entreaties
might
have
encouraged
him
to
try
to
do
too
many
things,
for
too
many
people,
too
much
of
the
time.
Once
he
believed
that
his
work
was
worthwhile
and
that
he
was
making
people’s
lives
better,
he
would
take
chances
and
would
push
himself
to
the
limit.
Today,
to
paraphrase
the
famous
funeral
oration
in
Shakepeare’s
Julius
Caesar,
we
have
come
to
bury
Godwin
Mc
Pherson.
Those
who
make
a
profession
of
pre-judging
will
ensure
that
“the
evil
that
men
do
lives
after
them.”
But
before
we
inter
Godwin’s
earthly
remains
in
the
soil
of
his
beloved
Lichfield,
we
owe
it
to
his
memory
not
to
rush
to
judgement
but
to
try
to
comprehend
the
context
of
his
times,
to
calculate
the
value
of
his
contributions
and
to
count
the
thousands
of
lives
he
touched.
It
would
seem
– to
quote
Shakespeare’s
King
Lear
–
that
indeed
he
was
a
man
“More
sinned
against
than
sinning.”
Godwin’s
entire
life
was
built
on
the
need
to
succeed.
He
was
not
obsessed
with
the
acquisition
of
personal
wealth,
of
which
he
had
little.
Nor
with
adopting
a
fashionable
appearance.
The
way
he
looked
in
1967
was
the
same
way
he
looked
in
1987
or
2007.
To
know
him
personally
and
professionally
was
to
know
of
his
legendary
‘own-way’
temperament.
That
too
never
changed.
Sometimes
he
would
even
get
confused
about
our
ranks
– he
thinking
he
was
a
brigadier
and
I
was
the
colonel
–
until
we
corrected
those
misperceptions.
He
had
to
be
reminded
occasionally
that
‘GM’
meant
Godwin
Mc
Pherson,
not
general
manager.
How
was
this
man
able
to
achieve
so
much?
Anyone
who
knew
Patricia
Ann
Triumph,
his
wife,
would
know
of
her
Christian
faith,
strength
and
compassion
–
all
mandatory
qualifications
for
managing
one
of
the
most
idiosyncratic
officers
to
have
served
in
the
Force.
There
is
no
doubt
that
it
was
the
certain
assurance
of
her
enduring
love
and
boundless
forbearance
that
gave
Godwin
the
self-assuredness
to
go
forth
and
spend
so
much
time
in
the
service
of
the
defence
force
and
the
sporting
organisations.
Patti,
your
body
might
be
flesh
and
blood
but
your
nerves
must
be
made
of
steel.
We
learnt
so
much
more
about
your
fortitude
during
‘crisis
week’
as
you
held
a
prayerful
vigil
–
reminiscent
of
the
Catholic
hymn:
Stabat
mater
dolorosa
/
Iuxta
crucem
lacrimosa
(stood
the
mournful
mother
weeping)
– at
the
St
Joseph
Mercy
Hospital’s
intensive
care
unit
where
your
husband’s
life
was
ebbing
away.
Patti,
today,
although
we
commiserate
with
you
on
the
pain
of
losing
your
husband,
we
also
celebrate
your
self-sacrifice
that
gave
us
Godwin’s
remarkable
service.
You
enriched
his
life
immeasurably
and,
in
turn,
he
enhanced
the
work
of
the
Defence
Force
and
the
Militia.
Sherrilyn
and
Clewin,
we
share
your
grief
but
we
ask
you
in
turn
to
share
your
father’s
belief
in
caring
for
his
family
and
in
serving
others.
Wherever
you
go
in
life,
take
the
legacy
of
Lichfield
and
the
legend
of
the
Mc
Pherson
clan.
Thirty-one
years
from
now
in
2040,
when
that
village
will
celebrate
its
bicentenary,
return
to
the
source
and
recall
their
historical
achievements.
Jesus
Christ
enjoined
us
to
“judge
not.”
So
let
us
not
be
judgemental.
Let
us,
rather,
commemorate
the
accomplishments
of a
small
man
with
a
big
heart
who
did
more
than
most
to
make
the
lives
of
soldiers
and
so
many
citizens
better.
May
his
soul
rest
in
peace.
Officers of the GDF bearing the casket of Retired Colonel Godwin McPherson at funeral service. (Orlando Charles photo)
