PRIME Minister Perry Christie last night led the tributes to Juliet Barnwell, the first Bahamian Secretary to the Governor General, who has died.

Mr. Christie said Mrs. Barnwell was “a brilliant educator” who taught several generations of Bahamians. She served in senior professional positions in the Ministry of Education, where she continued in her pursuits to improve the standards of education in The Bahamas.

“She became a senior public administrator and had the distinction of serving as the first Bahamian Secretary to the Governor General,” Mr. Christie said. “She displayed much tact and efficiency in this role and set a standard for others to follow. She went on to serve in other senior administrative positions in the public service until her retirement.” He added she had been an early pioneer in the Co-operatives movement in The Bahamas.

Mrs. Barnwell was the scion of a very distinguished Bahamian family, whose parents, the late Dr. Claudius Walker and Mr.s Mable Walker were distinguished in their own rights, Mr. Christie said. Dr. Walker was noted for his involvement in the field of medicine and community development and for having served as a member of the House of Assembly. Mrs. Walker, born in the United States, made The Bahamas her home where she became an outstanding educator and a trades union activist. “Both of Mrs. Barnwell’s parents have been recognised through the naming of public institutions in their honour.”

On retirement, Mr.s Barnwell threw her energies into community and other work and was a part of several non-governmental as well as public boards and committees. Her last such appointment was to have been appointed as Chairman of the National Council for Older Persons.

“Mrs. Barnwell was very much involved in the promotion of the legacy of Over the Hill and the Grants Town Community from which she came,” Mr. Christie said. “She took great pride as head of the Hospitality Committee of Christ Church Cathedral where she worshipped. All told, Mrs. Juliet Barnwell was a woman of many stripes and her entire life’s work was focused on the upliftment of her beloved Bahamian people.”

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