Tobago CivilNET chair: Dumas loved being an elder

CHAIR of Tobago CivilNET Rodney Piggott said late Reginald Dumas found immense joy in leading the Tobago Council of Elders.

Dumas, a retired head of the public service, diplomat and Newsday columnist, died on March 7 at 88.

“One of the things that gave him great joy towards the end of his journey here on the earth was heading the Tobago Council of Elders and being revered, saluted and respected as an elder, to be called an elder,” Piggott told Newsday on March 15 after viewing Dumas’s body at Belgrove’s Funeral Home, Lambeau.

A two-hour public viewing preceded a celebration for Dumas’s life at Merci Buccoo, Buccoo on Friday evening.

Dumas died at the Scarborough General Hospital, Tobago, days after major surgery for a gastro-intestinal condition.

Piggott, who became close friends with Dumas in 2017, said they shared many deep conversations over the years, primarily about pertinent issues affecting Tobago.

He said Dumas, whom he regarded as knowledgeable in every field, remained humble and grounded despite his many professional achievements.

But he said for all of his accomplishments, Dumas’s joy came from being regarded as an elder.