Clerk of the House dies

Parliamentarians came close to tears yesterday as Senate President Dr Linda Baboolal announced that Clerk of the House, Dawn Dolly, who just turned 44, had died. “I have just received some very sad news,” Baboolal said, her own voice quivering with grief.  “The clerk of the Senate, Miss Dolly, who had surgery today, unfortunately passed away.” The grief was reflected on the faces of Senators, members of staff and even the policemen on duty. A heavy gloom hung over the Parliament. Dolly died at the St Clair Medical Clinic at 2.45 pm, after having a “myomectomy” — surgery for the removal of fibroids. It is understood that Dolly came out of the surgery fine, but then complained of feeling unwell, before passing away. An autopsy will be done to determine the cause of death.

Baboolal told Newsday she had to go to St Clair to view Dolly’s body “to believe that she had really passed on.” Independent Senator Eastlyn McKenzie was too distraught to speak.  Opposition Senator Wade Mark said he couldn’t find the words to express how he felt about the untimely passing of “this sister.” He said Senators couldn’t believe that someone could “perish and expire just so.” Minister Ken Valley, expressing his shock, said, “Sometimes you wonder what all of this means. And therefore you have to feel that death has to be a good thing. I just don’t understand it.” Senator Ramesh Deosaran described Dolly as a vivacious, hard-working and focused person.

“I think some of us are going into the tea room now to collect our thoughts and to reminisce sadly about her. We have lost a good soul, a hard worker and somebody we will all miss.” Dolly was described as a very health-conscious person, “always exercising and eating well.” This was her first visit to hospital as a patient. She had just obtained her second degree — an LLB — passing with flying colours. Dolly entered the public service in 1987 and began working as an understudy (parliamentary clerk II) to the then Clerk of the Senate, Norma Cox. She was appointed as Clerk of the Senate in February 2001, after Cox retired. One of the regular visitors in the public gallery, Dorothy, remarked, “All yuh young people save all yuh money to go away because these local doctors ain’t good for all yuh.” Another member of the public gallery agreed, commenting,  “Yes, all yuh have to do like the Prime Minister and go to Cuba.”