Monday, March 24 2008

TRINIDAD and Tobago have lost two outstanding women of sport in one fell swoop.

First news came of the death of long-serving Arima Race Club secretary Joanne Boodoosingh who lost a long battle with cancer.

And later came the equally sombre news of the death of Lady Erna Reece, a netball founder.

Lady Reece was president of the Trinidad and Tobago Netball Association for more than 40 years, and was at the helm of the sport when the “Calypso Girls” netballers became co-world champions with Australia and New Zealand at the Jean Pierre Complex in 1989.

She served in a period when, together with “Mother of Netball” Lystra Lewis, netball reached its pinnacle.

And until her death, the “Calypso Girls” netballers are the only team to win the world netball title other than the Aussies and Silver Ferns.

A funeral service will be held at Christ Church, Cascade from 9 am on Wednesday before going on to the Crematorium at Long Circular Road.

Boodoosingh who detested the spotlight, served horse racing diligently from the 1970s at the Union Park Turf Club, the Trinidad Race Club (1991), ARC at centralisation in 1994 and after a seven-year stint with the Universal Foods Limited, rejoined the Arima club in 2003 until her demise.

The fourth of five children, Joanne was born into what could be called a racing family with here uncles Solomon and Francis owning the UPTC at Marabella and her cousin Justice Wendell Kangaloo president of the Union Park organisation.