Judy Gravesande-Noel is a ‘Special Person’

Jan 17, 2021 News, Special Person

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Cancer Awareness advocate and community worker…

By Enid Joaquin

The name Judy Gravesande-Noel is one synonymous with so many things. However, three of those remain etched in the memories of Lindeners and even persons across Region 10. These are sports, cancer awareness and the first ever Fathers’ Day Award ceremony.
Gravesande-Noel, an erstwhile sportswoman who represented Linden at the National level as well as overseas in several sports disciplines, has over the years redirected her boundless energy into helping others.
Ask any cancer survivor, or their families and they would regale you with stories of how Gravesande-Noel, through her organisation – Women on the Move (WOM) – helped to “move” them from a place of despondency and bewilderment into a place of hope and optimism.
This, she has been doing for two decades now with the help of committed members of the organisation which is made up of equally hardworking young women.
WOM, with Noel as its Founder/member/Coordinator, hosted its nineteenth Cancer Awareness walk, run and jog in 2019. It was described as a phenomenal success. However, because of the COVID-19 pandemic, a motorcade through the streets of Linden was staged last year.
Gravesande-Noel initiated the Cancer awareness walk in Linden in 2000, after her involvement in a similar exercise in Georgetown.

Reflecting, she noted, “It was back in 2000 that I came up with the idea of doing this event here after witnessing a similar event in Georgetown. I spoke with Gleneth Arthur, a founder member of the organisation, and she was excited with the idea, so we ran with it.”
Gravesande-Noel said that other women, including Camille Cummings, Wanda Richmond and Mayfield Taylor-Trim, later joined the team.
Apart from the awareness exercises, WOM lends support to survivors in tangible ways, such as hamper distribution and even assisting with covering expenses for medical procedures.
Regarding her involvement in Cancer Awareness, Gravesande-Noel stated, “It is because of my compassion for people, that I initiated the Cancer Awareness Walk, 20 years ago.”
She added, “Two of my aunts died with cancer, and this prompted me to do some research on the disease. That propelled me to do something to assist those affected or afflicted, and so the annual cancer awareness event was conceptualised.”
It started out as a walk but later progressed to also include run, jog and so on, Gravesande-Noel noted.
She added, “Last year despite the epidemic, we were still able to pull it off with huge support from GTT.”

 

SPORTS ENTHUSIAST
A sports enthusiast, Gravesande-Noel was the proverbial ‘potsalt’ back in the day. She certainly made her mark in this area by participating in all the sports offered at her alma mater – the Christianburg Wismar Secondary School (“Multi”).
“I was involved in table tennis, athletics, cycling, netball, volleyball and everything you could think about. I was very active in these areas and even represented the school nationally,” she revealed.
Gravesande-Noel was also a member of the school’s steel orchestra, where she played the guitar. An avid debater, Noel certainly stamped her name, in the annals of history at “Multi”.
She would continue her sporting ways, even after graduating from school since she represented the country overseas.
Gravesande-Noel also shared her expertise in sports as a former professional of the resuscitated ‘Linden Bauxite Flyers Cycle Club”.
“That’s the name now…I was the first pro when we resuscitated the club, and whenever the Baker’s memorial is on, I still go there and do the commentary. I was involved in table tennis, when Henry Greene was the president of the table tennis association in the country,” she shared, adding, “We had a Linden committee. I’m still involved, I hosted along with Pastor Sills and Derrick Packor. We’re all trained Hockey coaches, and we trained as many children as possible…one even became an international player,” Gravesande-Noel related.

LINDEN MUSEUM
Gravesande-Noel proudly shared that she would have contributed greatly to the Linden Museum, where she once worked.
“That building that they got for the museum, it was my initiative for us to reclaim the building. I was the person who went to Mr. Sanco and told him of the history of the building. He said he didn’t know but he later gave the committee (Museum Management Committee) one million dollars to get the museum started in time for the town day celebrations. He gave that money in 2006 to get the project off the ground,” she recalled.

HONOURING MEN
The very first Father’s Day Award Show honouring men with significant contributions to the Mining Town was also a grand initiative by Gravesande-Noel. It was held at the Mackenzie Sports Club Ground a few years ago.
“It was my brain child, as I felt it was long overdue for fathers to be honoured!” she intimated.
The event which was welcomed has not been held since because of various setbacks. However, Gravesande-Noel has committed to continue with this event as soon as possible.
“It would be an annual event that we all should look forward to because for too long men…fathers have been overlooked,” she lamented.
Gravesande-Noel confessed, however, that her biggest challenge presently is attracting a major sponsor.
Reminiscing on the event, she pointed out that fathers, who were honoured, were drawn from every strata of society and included those in education, religion, music, social work and sports.
Gravesande-Noel lamented that many men, like Dennis Parkinson who would have done so much for the town of Linden and by extension Guyana, never really got any major recognition, or an award to acknowledge their contributions.

FOUNDATION
The sixth of nine children, born to Edgar and Elsie Gravesande, Gravesande-Noel received her formal education at the Mackenzie Primary school and Christianburg Wismar Secondary School (Multi).
After graduating from school, she landed her first job with the Finance Office of the Linden Mayor and Town Council. There she made recommendations for a toll clerk to be placed at the Mackenzie/Wismar Bridge, in 1978 and became one of the first clerks.
She gained employment with Guymine the following year and there she worked in various Departments, including the Purchasing and Data Processing Departments.
Gravesande-Noel said that of all the Departments she worked in, her favourite was in the Public Relations Departments.
There, she anchored the programme – “Focus on the Industry” – a weekly television programme, which highlighted events in and around the bauxite industry.
Gravesande-Noel was also integrally involved in conducting company tours and assisting in the coordination and execution of mega functions such as 25-year award ceremonies,
Guymine Games and Mashramani.
“During my working career, I made it a point of duty or I purposed in myself or in my mind, to upgrade my skills as often as possible, or when necessary, so I was keeping up to date with the changing times and making use of every opportunity I got to put in some studies.”
Gravesande-Noel is also a community worker, trained social worker and Vice President of the Topp 20 football club and a member of the Debra Shipley-George go care foundation – a cancer survivors’ foundation.
The group is presently involved in taking care of some orphans at Hauraruni on the Soesdyke/Linden Highway. Gravesande-Noel is also known for making sterling contributions to the Pine Street Nursery.
“I’m the patron of Pine Street Nursery school. I was instrumental in securing that spot for them to build that school,” she said with pride.
It should therefore come as no surprise that we at Kaieteur News are happy to acknowledge Judy Gravesande-Noel as a fitting recipient of our ‘Special Person’ title.

 

 

 

 

 

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