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I
had heard about the legendary Louise Horne who at
age 100 is still a force to be reckoned with, but I still
did not know what to expect when I placed a phone
call to her home to arrange this interview. A powerful,
sturdy voice boomed, “Good Morning”, thinking it was a
relative or close friend I politely asked if it was possible to
speak with her. To my surprise, I was speaking to her.
The meeting itself was astonishing. She greeted us herself by
the fully secured gate and very aristocratically invited us to
sit in the porch among some memoirs of yester-year. Whilst
the photographer and I stared and “ohhhed and ahhhed”
at some photos , artifacts and plaques which adorned her
walls, Ms. Horne walked inside and brought out a pile of
her treasured accolades. Among those were a 455 page
book titled “The Evolution of Modern T&T” written by her
dear self.
With remarkable memory and perfect eyesight, Ms. Horne
pointed out special paragraphs, chapters and phrases which
she thought contributed to the society we now live in today.
During World War II, about 30,000 soldiers landed, and
from hence forth many fatherless children were born, an
occurrence which rarely happened before, this she saw as
the start of the social problem which now exists.
She herself, was never married nor had any children, in her
own words, and with a twinkle in her eye, she laughs and
says, “ I never had time for that chupidness”. Ms. Horne
chose a life of politics, teaching, nutrition, writing and has
travelled the world. She has lived in exotic places such as
London, Rome, New York, South Africa , and Scotland. She
regrets nothing and remembers it all.
Her parents had two children, herself and Clementina
her older sister, who also had no children. She recalls her
Anglican father saying,“ decent people don’t put rum bottles
on their table”, and when she was a child he had to protect
his family when soldiers came banging on their doors, in the
very house she still lives.
Throughout her career as an Independent Senator in the
House of Parliament (1976- 1991), many awards and
honours were bestowed upon her. And even today, she is
still highly regarded and acknowledged for her significant
contribution by those in public life. On May 13th 2012, she
became a centenarian, a milestone only few would ever
attain. On May 15th 2012, the Office of the President of
The Republic of Trinidad & Tobago on its special seal sent
birthday greetings outlining her various accomplishments
and their gratitude for her contribution. One can tell that it is
a token she treasures as she read a few excerpts glowingly.
Ms. Horne’s main past-time is gardening, and she is quite
proud of her bed of anthuriums which were blooming and
she goes to church as often as she can. As a nutritionist who
was once placed in charge of the meals of all hospitals, I
was curious to know about her daily diet. With amusement,
she chuckled and said “everything”. A typical breakfast
would consist of milk (powdered form mixed with tap
water), fruit (whatever was in season- mango, sapodilla,
bananas), bread and cheese. Lunch would be fish or meat
with rice, callaloo and provision. The only limitations given
by her doctor was to have no salt or sugar.
When asked about sending an Independence message
to TTARP’s 24,000 members who would be reading this
article, she eloquently said , “ when the time arrives,
the members and their families will know”. No further
explanation was forthcoming, and the interview ended with
her saying she will clarify at another time.
Members interested in obtaining a piece of literary history,
can purchase Ms. Horne’s book, “The Evolution of Modern
T&T” at a price of $150. Orders can be placed at TTARP’s
office.
Independent at 50 and beyond !
Louise Horne
Author: Michelle Nunes
