Augustine: Hochoy Charles must be honoured

Renaming the Calder Hall Administrative Complex the Hochoy Charles Administrative Complex is just one of several promises made by THA Chief Secretary Farley Augustine to honour the memory and legacy of the THA's first chief secretary.

Speaking at Charles's funeral on January 4 at the Shaw Park Complex, Augustine said there must be ways in which this son of the soil can be appropriately honoured and remembered.

Charles, 77, died on December 31.

“When I ended the meeting with Mr Charles’ family on Tuesday evening, I begged them. I said, 'Please don’t burn up the man books and the man papers. Tell me an appropriate time and I would come for them. I’ll have them curated and we can have a small library set aside with all of his documents so there would be posterity and we can continue to benefit from his wealth of knowledge,'” Augustine told mourners, who included the President, Prime Minister and Chief Justice.

He said Charles would usually show up at advisory council meetings on matters discussed previously and pull out old lawyers' advice, case studies and, “things we can’t even find in the assembly.” He said a library would be the first way to honour Charles.

“We have already named a street after him, and I must tell you that I did not ask his permission. I said when he drives down that street, he would see the sign, he would steups his teeth and call me. But the sign was done up already – Hochoy Charles Heights.”

The street where Charles lived up to his death was renamed last year. Augustine revealed that while Charles was ailing, a room was set up at Randy’s in Orange Hill for his hospice care.

“So that when he left the hospital, he would have the care (there). The executive of the THA has asked that the TRHA return all the things we had in that room, and we would leave that room for hospice care in his honour at Randy’s.”

Additionally, he said, “The Office of the Chief Secretary recently began returning its offices to Calder Hall and the Calder Hall Administrative Complex will now be renamed the Hochoy Charles Administrative Complex.”

The issue of Tobago’s self-government was not left out.

“The last piece of work done by Charles, with the team, was to review all of the iterations and proposals that were sent from Tobago to the Parliament over the years. Have them summarised and to conclusively establish the elements that Tobagonians have said they want in this bill. That body of work would be passed on to the Parliament.”

Augustine said he was happy to see members of the government, the opposition and independent senators all present at the service.

“So we have the entire Parliament represented here.
"They will soon all receive that body of work that will precisely delineate what Tobago wants. It was not Mr Charles’ desire that the bill currently before Parliament should be thrown out in its entirety. It was his desire, and I agree with him, that the bill that is before the Parliament should be amended to the extent that it reflects the wishes of the people of Tobago.”

During the service, Charles also received the Tobago Medal of Honour posthumously. It was presented to his widow.

“Mr Charles’ contention (when offered the award when he was alive) was that his work was incomplete, that Tobago was yet to see its way in the manner that he wanted it, so he did not want to be awarded. But Mr Charles was a man of faith, and the Bible defines faith as things hoped for, evidence of things not seen.

"I have the distinguished privilege to present to his widow and his family, in the presence of the President, the honourable Prime Minister and the Chief Justice, the Tobago Medal of Honour (Gold) that we we were keeping for him,” Augustine said.

“We must not be revisionists of history. Mr Charles did not get everything right, but at last, the one thing he got right, is that Tobago must get its autonomy.”

After the funeral, Charles' body was cremated.