Beverley Sinclair was a true daughter of the Caribbean
Late journalist hailed for her 35 years of dedication to media across the region
Published:Sunday | August 27, 2023 | 12:09 AM
Colleagues, friends and family members gave late journalist Beverley Elaine Sinclair a heartwarming send-off last week, describing her as a builder of careers and one who dedicated her life to promoting Caribbean unity.
During a thanksgiving service on Thursday at the St Andrew Church of Christ on Red Hills Road, mourners shared candid accounts of the impact the veteran journalist had on their lives during her more than three decades in media.
Young reporter with the Jamaica Information Service (JIS), Chanel Spence, said her late boss was “a warmth” at the workplace and “since I was one of the newest and less experienced reporters”, that spirit was a guide for her.
Spence said Sinclair “was a people person, someone who sympathises with her staff members. My fondest memory of her was the hour-long conversation we had during my appraisal about travelling, seeing the world, and ensuring that we had nothing we regretted throughout our lives.”
Senior reporter Garfield Angus reminisced that shortly after their mid-2021 meeting, “very quickly the working relationship matured into what a team environment should be”, with motivation and productive work peaking to “very high levels”.
“I never got tired of hearing from my former boss, Miss Sinclair. Anger, tears, and sadness greeted her leaving the JIS, and a broken heart is still pondering the end of her stay on earth. Though her stint with us was very short, Miss Bev became an essential part of our career, and her departure left a hollowness in our hearts that words cannot express,” Angus said.
Jodi-Ann Palmer, an administrative staff member at JIS, told the gathering that her former manager “led with compassion, and held us to a high level of accountability, while creating an environment of openness, affording us the freedom to express any challenges being experienced, individually or collectively as a department. We felt safe and genuinely cared for as a team. She possessed and expressed sincere interest in the life of every team member.”
The soft-spoken Palmer added that under Sinclair’s leadership, she “made me feel seen and appreciated. She often enquired about my well-being and professional development. She had so much confidence in my capabilities, and often encouraged me to challenge myself to go beyond my perceived limitations to explore new possibilities. I sincerely appreciated and enjoyed our little talks.”
‘MY GUIDING STAR’
Sinclair’s only child, Channtal Golding-Wiles, told the large audience and over 300 online viewers that her mother was her best friend, mentor and “guiding star”, and lived a life of love for all.
“She loved me, she loved God, and she loved people who were of pure hearts and minds,” she said, noting that although she was a strict disciplinarian, “I have no memory of mommy ever shouting at me.”
Golding-Wiles shared that despite her loss, she chose to show strength and joy, in tribute to her mother, who for years “showed strength and joy, despite how much pain she was in”.
Born in St James, Sinclair started her journalism career in 1988 as an associate editor for the Vacationer newspaper in Montego Bay. From there she worked as a senior reporter for the now defunct Jamaica Record, then a sub-editor at the Western Mirror.
Thereafter, she moved to Grenada and worked at The Grenadian Voice then later the manager for news and programming for CC6 Television, from 2005 to 2017 and then from 2021 to 2022.
Sinclair also worked as news and programming manager at Flow Grenada, and chief operating manager at Media Marketing and Communications, as well as a consultant at the Jamaica Accountability Meter Portal.
She showcased her commitment to excellence and accuracy in reporting across the Caribbean region.
A TRUE FRIEND OF HAITI
Sinclair’s trusted friend, Margaret Francis, said the late journalist was an “outspoken advocate” for the enlightenment and empowerment of the region and it “manifested itself in the weekly discussion programme ‘Mek We Chat’, bringing together some of the best minds in the Caribbean for two hours each week”.
Francis said Sinclair used her craft for the unity and “destiny of Caribbean people. She was also deeply troubled by our continued use of colonial governance and political constructs, and the sluggish ‘talk a lot and do little’ approach of CARICOM. She always sought the facts in the field of journalism.”
She said Sinclair, who died on July 22 after a brief illness, was a “true friend” of Haiti and advocated for that country to be integrated in CARICOM.
“Wherever she went, she always asked the question, ‘and our Haitian brothers and sisters?’ as she pressed her fight for the first black republic,” said Francis.
The eulogy highlighted that “as a devoted Christian, Beverley’s life was a living testament to her unwavering faith. Her actions, words, and choices were guided by the scriptures, and she lived a life filled with purpose, using her talents to shed light on truth and to uplift those around her.”
Sinclair was part of the 2013 launch of the regional television programme ‘Time to Face the Facts’, which was given recognition by the International Monetary Fund (IMF). She was also a judge for the Caribbean Broadcasting Union (CBU) Media Awards.