Tribute to Mr. Vincent D’Ornellas

Dec 24, 2019 Letters

DEAR EDITOR,

My heart was blanketed with deep sorrow when I read the sad tidings of the demise of Mr. Vincent Emerette Oswald D’Ornellas A.A, former Accountant General of Guyana, who passed away in New York as reported in the Online Edition of Kaieteur News, recently.
In that regard, I would like to express our sincere condolences on behalf of those team members of the Guyana Consulate General in New York, who were fortunate to have worked with such a distinguished gentleman during the time when I served as the Officer-in-Charge of that Agency.
In a temporal world engulfed in tumult and a litany of other woes – where the Forces of Darkness are constantly battling against the Divinity of Light for the Salvation of the Soul – the brevity of life and certainty of death should never be relegated to oblivion, but always remain the focus of Man’s thoughts for “in the midst of life there is death.”
My first encounter with Mr. D’Ornellas happened when I was stationed at the State Audit Section of the Ministry of Finance Building in Georgetown. Guyana. Our Audit Unit was adjacent to his office when he performed the duties as Deputy Accountant General. He had a very tranquil and respectable demeanour and was a very pleasant character. He was well liked by everyone and was the epitome of comity and humility. He was very knowledgeable of the various operations of the Accountant General’s Department, and several years ago was awarded the Guyana’s Third National Honour – the Golden Arrow of Achievement (AA) primarily in recognition of his sterling contributions to Guyana’s Public Service.
As fate might have decreed, our stars crossed again in 1992 when I served at the Guyana Consulate General in New York. At that time, he was a most a valued team member of our Accounting Unit and performed his duties with incredible diligence and fidelity.
Mr. D’Ornellas was a man of impeccable integrity who never compromised his sacrosanct convictions on truth and justice.
I vividly recall a particular anecdote which he shared with me at that time when he served at the Accountant General’s Department. It was alleged that two officers from the Dependants’ Pensions Fund had fraudulently written off the outstanding loan balances of some contributors to the Fund, and he was instructed by the Secretary to the Treasury to issue them with letters of dismissal, an action which fell outside the parameters of his responsibility.
He bluntly refused to do so, as such an act would have certainly compromised his convictions and impugned his good character. He was never susceptible to coercion or intimidation, and in the words of Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar was as “constant as the northern star “in the views and beliefs that he so richly cherished.
Moreover, when I served at the Guyana Consulate in New York, there were certain forces of darkness that were working assiduously to assassinate my reputation and to undermine my administration, but Mr. D’Ornellas was a beacon of light for me, for I found a great reservoir of wisdom in his counseling in responding to the evil elements that had assailed me unsuccessfully.
As I reflect on the passing of such a dear and noble friend, I am reminded of the timeless, evergreen thought of Marcus Tulles Cicero, the inimitable Roman statesman, orator, lawyer and philosopher, who once remarked that “the life of the dead is placed in the memory of the living.”
In closing this tribute, I would like to say that the precious memories of such a wonderful gentleman may forever be immortalised in the hearts of everyone who has had the honour and privilege of knowing such an unforgettable, loving person in this transient world.
So farewell our great friend. Sleep well our good brother. May the angels of heaven watch over your sweet soul until we meet again on the other side of life on that glorious morning of the resurrection at the feet of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, where we will all bask forever in the radiant sunshine of His Eternal Love.
Andrew Zamal
Canada

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