Sad that the builder of the Berbice bridge has died

Nov 27, 2015 Letters

Dear Editor,
I have just heard of the passing of Rickford Lowe, renowned Guyanese engineer and former coordinator, Work Services Group, Ministry of Public Works and Communications. I wish to put in writing my sincere appreciation of his life work- building and maintaining Guyana’s important roads and bridges.
On behalf of the Guyanese people I thank him for his commitment and dedication to making travel safer and easier for our nation. I am fortunate to know about the Lowe family through many windows. I am a lifelong friend of his sister Jan Lo Shinebourne, writer whose novels and stories tell of life in Canje and Guyana from the perspective of a mixed Guyanese family.
Janice is a Guyana Prize winner and her novels, including her latest have been shortlisted for the prize. She is also an educator and has done writing workshops for young writers in Guyana. Janice’s sister, Brenda, Guyana scholar was an outstanding graduate of Bishops who inspired many women to follow in her footsteps. She blazed a trail as an architect and teacher in the UK. She is a lifelong friend of my first wife Marjeiry Robinson.
I was fortunate also to teach Roddy Lowe at Queens College. So many decades later I remember his love for photography. He went on to a successful professional life in Canada.
Through these relationships I got a vivid sense of a family reaching out to the world with values that were prominent to the most humble Guyanese family decades ago.
So as we travel across the major roads and bridges of Guyana toot your horn, look up and thank Ricky for his loving work spanning decades since 1976. His last major project was the building of the Berbice harbour bridge. Also he gave a significant portion of his life to managing and maintaining the Demerara Harbour bridge. In 1976 as a young graduate from the University of Guyana he was part of the team of nine engineers at the helm of this major project. Seven others were fellow young UG graduates.
Rickford travelled the length and breadth of Guyana maintaining, rebuilding and building roads and bridges. He was associated with every major civil engineering project in this period. He ably represented Guyana in international talks on highway building including the visionary road to Brazil. My condolences to his family, friends and fellow. I salute his life work.
Milton Drepaul
Alpha Max Academy

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