Great Laborians

Her Excellency Dame Calliopa Pearlette Louisy made history as the first woman to serve as Governor-General of Saint Lucia, being sworn into office on 19 September 1997. Her appointment marked a significant milestone in the nation’s leadership, highlighting her dedication and exemplary service to Saint Lucia.

Dame Louisy devoted much of her professional life to education, shaping generations of Saint Lucians through her work as a teacher and education advocate. Her contributions have had a lasting impact on the development of the country’s education system, earning her wide respect and recognition both locally and internationally.

In 1999, Queen Elizabeth II honored her with the title of Dame Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George, recognizing her exceptional service to Saint Lucia. Her leadership, commitment to education, and pioneering role as the nation’s first female Governor-General continue to inspire future generations.

Sir Allan Louisy, KCMG, a proud son of Laborie, devoted his life to public service and the advancement of his community. Born and raised in the vibrant village of Laborie, he rose from humble beginnings to become one of Saint Lucia’s most respected legal and political figures. His early contributions to local development earned him admiration long before his national achievements.

A distinguished jurist and statesman, Sir Allan Louisy served as Prime Minister of Saint Lucia from 1979 to 1981, guiding the young nation through a formative period of its independence. His leadership was marked by a commitment to justice, fairness, and the empowerment of ordinary citizens. His dedication to the legal profession and public life set a strong foundation for the island’s evolving democracy.

In recognition of his outstanding service, Sir Allan Louisy was awarded the Knight Commander of the Order of St. Michael and St. George (KCMG) in the 2005 Queen’s Honours List. Even after retiring from national politics, he continued to inspire generations in Laborie and beyond. Sir Allan Louisy passed away on 2 March 2011, leaving behind a legacy of integrity, statesmanship, and unwavering devotion to his community and country.

Joseph “Ives” Siméon was a celebrated Saint Lucian folk violinist whose talent, dedication, and musical versatility made him a beloved figure in the island’s cultural landscape. A master of the violin, he was also well-known for his skill on the banjo, guitar, cuatro and chak-chak, performing across the island and inspiring younger musicians to embrace traditional folk music. His artistry and deep connection to Saint Lucia’s cultural heritage earned him widespread respect, along with three national violin competition titles.

Beyond his musical accomplishments, Siméon was admired for his warmth, humility, and commitment to keeping Saint Lucian folk traditions alive. Whether performing at community events, cultural festivals or intimate gatherings, he shared the rhythms and stories of the island with passion and authenticity. Joseph “Ives” Siméon passed away on November 2, 2011, at the age of 77, leaving behind a lasting legacy in the world of Saint Lucian folk music.

Mr. Jules Joseph affectionately known as Mr. Clifton or Doo-Doo hails from the community of Piaye, Laborie. He was born on December 12, 1919 and passed on January 11, 2015.

As a ten year old, he was initiated into the African culture, particularly the songs and dances. He learnt the art from listening and watching various community groups from Mac Diarmed and Grace during their excursions to Piaye; and later accompanied the Piaye group on outtings to these communities.

As a prolific dancer, he is credited for ensuring that the ‘Kutumba’ and the other African dances were passed on from generation to generation. His repertoire of Afrcian songs augurs well for the sustainability of the art form. He has taught those skills to students and other interested groups throughout the island; and performed at various hotels.

He was part of a Saint Lucian group participating in a cultural festival in Quebec, Canada, where he fulfilled his dream of showcasing the richness of Saint Lucia’s culture. He has also represented the island at other festivals in Cayenne, Dominica and Martinique.

Mr. Joseph was the recipient of many awards including the M & C Fine Arts Folk Award in 1992, the Saint Lucia Medal of merit (SLMM) in 2000 for his contributions and the Piaye Cultural Group Award for a life of dedication to Saint Lucian Folk Culture.

Rosamunde Duke-Renard was born and raised in Guyana, lived and studied in France, Trinidad and Guadeloupe, and at the end of 1979 moved to Saint Lucia, where she and her husband Yves settled in Laborie, a community she loved, a community that gave her so much love.

Raising children was her passion; raising her own children of course, Djamal, David and Lisa, but also helping and supporting other parents, with her belief that the dignity and worth of each child have to be respected and nurtured, that all children have potential and must be given a chance, and that the early years of life are absolutely crucial to realise that potential.

It is with that passion that she and other parents created the Laborie Community Education Centre (LABCEC), where she researched and piloted new and progressive methods, where she gave as much attention to parenting with mothers and fathers as she gave to teaching and playing with children, where parents paid fees that were proportional to their income, and from where she helped other communities to establish and run similar early childhood education centres.

It is a tribute to her work and to that of the other pre-school educators with whom she worked since the mid-1980s that some of the methods they advocated then, at times facing the indifference, even the hostility, of the people and institutions they were challenging, have now been formally incorporated in the curriculum and that there is a policy commitment to universal early childhood education in Saint Lucia.

Rosamunde was also a historian, who has published on the social history of Guadeloupe and Martinique, and she shared her knowledge of Caribbean history with her students at the Vieux Fort Senior Comprehensive Secondary School. As with her later work on early childhood education, she did not merely follow the textbooks and the rules, she invented them. Taking the opportunity of the CXC syllabus, she worked with a group of students on the history of the sugar industry in Vieux Fort, she conducted her own research, and she evaluated the CXC History Curriculum.

As we approach the commemoration of Emancipation on 1 August, it is also good to remember what she did to raise awareness of the significance of that date. When she first came to Saint Lucia, she was saddened to hear that most people celebrated “August Monday” as a bank holiday without knowing why it was a holiday. In order to help change that, one of the projects she did, 30 years ago, was to organise a koudmen at the Bellevue sugar mill in Vieux Fort, with students, teachers, parents and civil society activists, to stress the need to understand and respect local history and the place of slavery within it.

Rosamunde was passionate in all that she did, a passion for the Caribbean and its children that was so strong that it may have contributed to her illness, but a passion that has left a very positive mark on the lives of many people.

Having migrated to Saint Lucia in 1979, Yves was immediately attracted to life in our community and made this uniquely vibrant corner of Saint Lucia his home and the place where he and late wife Rosamunde would raise their family.

For over 40 years Yves dedicated his energies to the environmental, social, and economic development of our community. While his exploits and his engaging approach to conservation and sustainable development took him far beyond Laborie and Saint Lucia’s shores, he dedicated time and effort to addressing our local development challenges. His legacy of service to the community can be seen in organisations such as Labowi Promotions, the Laborie Development Foundation and the Laborie Steel Pan; and in events like Jazz in the South.

Mr. Augustin Barthelmy, also known as Jah Bwoy, Joe Bom, Mango tin and Papa, was born on 14 April, 1952, in Laborie. He attended the Laborie Boy’s Primary School and Vieux-Fort Senior Secondary School where he played football and cricket. He was the captain of the cricket and football teams.

Mr. Barthelmy has held different jobs. He started working in 1971 and retired in 2007. He was a bailiff in court, a sub-collector, an accountant and a musician. He played the drums, with a band called ‘Symphonites’. He also played the base guitar and the cuatro. The latter was a skill taught to him by Mr. Frank Noville.

Other than his love for music, Mr. Barthelmy also had a love for his community. This affection manifested in becoming a founder of Labowi Promotions along with his comrades Mr. Yves Renard and Mr. Len Leonce.

Labowi Promotions is a not-for-profit community-based organization of Laborie. It was established on November 11, 1991. The group’s main objective is to promote genuine community development through arts and culture, by bringing quality cultural performances to the south of Saint Lucia and by improving the skills and visibility of local artists and performers.

Additionally, he served as a board member of the Laborie Cooperative Credit Union. His advice to the young persons of the community was to use their timely wisely. He suggested that positive goals and objectives be set and achieved as the young plays an essential role in community development. Mr. Augustin Barthelmy departed this life on 26 December, 2015.