Sadie Curtis Dies… Lauded By Former Student Senator Fred Mitchell

For Immediate Release
30 November 2020

When I answered the call of the school bell at the Sands School next to The Tribune Building in the White Grounds, my headmistress was Sadie Curtis. She was joined by Mayrona Seymour and Naomi Pinder as the teachers there. That is well over 60 years ago.

While memory fades, what she taught me included the importance of diction, grammar, etiquette or manners, personal hygiene, honesty, the importance of image, good nutrition and health, being at peace and being your brother’s keeper among many other lessons.

It has been a long time. My path long diverged from hers. The clear importance of her life’s work to the country in the field of education is demonstrated by the fact that a school has been named in her honour.

We met long years after. Me the public figure and she still the humble school teacher, diction as proper as ever. And I always tried my best to make the subject agree with the verb and put the tongue between the teeth to pronounce those”th’s” whenever we met.

Old school, yes, but those important lessons taught to me have taken me through life and served we well.

Farewell Madam and thank you.

Rest in peace at the age of 95.

As the late Sir Lynden Pindling used to say, “you had a good innings”

Thank you

End