On Monday, March 14, T&T lost a very grand lady, Mrs Victoria Soo Poy, whose grace and charming personality touched the lives of many, and especially those who had the good fortune to stay at the Pax Guest House at Mount St Benedict in St Augustine where she was the manager until her retirement in 1992, and where we came to know her in the late 1980s.
Mrs Soo Poy was the consummate hostess, providing spotless rooms, paying thoughtful attention to one’s every need and providing memorably delicious meals, especially lunches, and arguably the best rum punch in Trinidad.
Surely most regulars at the guest house will recall an anecdote about Mrs Soo Poy. We have many, but most importantly, we have an appreciation.
We are scientists who have made many trips to Trinidad to study the ecology, evolution and behaviour of river fish. By 1988 we had made the Pax House our home base.
We needed a “fish laboratory” where we could set up lots of aquaria and conduct experiments, but that was just a dream until Mrs Soo Poy came to the rescue.
She gave us half of the basement of the guest house! With some financial support from BWIA, whose CEO saw an opportunity for flying lots of North American students to Trinidad for fish study, we built a nice laboratory, which succeeded in attracting many researchers besides ourselves.
The research done in Mrs Soo Poy’s fish lab has been reported in many international, scientific journals, as well as in the local press, The Guardian, Express and Newsday.
Mrs Soo Poy will be greatly missed by her far-flung family and many Trinidad friends, and for us, her passing will continue to raise many fond memories.
Doug Fraser (USA)
Anne Magurran (UK)
Jim Gilliam (USA)