President Max’s daughter a regular jeans girl

Jean Maxine Richards was named after her parents, His Excellency President Max Richards and Dr Jean Ramjohn-Richards. “Jean,” she says, “because my Dad wanted me to be as pretty as my mom and Maxine from his name Max.” But as so often happens, she is always only known as Maxine.

Born on November 20, 1969 in San Fernando, where her mother was practising medicine, Maxine first went to the University of the West Indies Prep School, followed by St Augustine Girls’ High School. Graduating with both O’ and A’ level certificates, she immediately went to Mona Campus of the University of the West Indies, Jamaica and obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Geography, a subject she had always liked but with great foresight for someone so young, chose geology as her minor because of this country’s oil industry. In 1992, she returned and went to work at Petrotrin, Santa Flora. But the oil industry was not doing too well and Maxine was looking for something else to do. A reply to a newspaper ad that Pepsi Cola needed people to do research won her a contract to do their research throughout Trinidad and Tobago, and in Guyana as well. That was the start of her own business which she runs to this day, Trends Limited, at Victoria Suites in Port- of-Spain, taking time in between to complete an MBA at the Institute of Business between 1995-1997. Research was not her first interest but came through circumstances. What then were her first loves?

 “To be honest,” says Maxine, “I did not know what I wanted to do, but knew one thing for sure, I did not want to be a doctor like my mother as I feel faint at the sight of blood.” She did give thought to being either a flight attendant or model but her parents did not approve of either career. And since Maxine is very close to both her parents with whom she spends every Sunday, and especially her mother who she speaks to on the phone at least twice a day, she did not pursue those two careers. She quickly added, “My Dad was the strict one when we were growing up but we get along well and party together.” We, refers to her brother Mark, who is just one year older and is finishing a specialty in anesthetics at Warrington, Manchester.

Maxine has no interest whatsoever in politics and the nearest she has come to the political world is through her company doing some market research for one of the parties. There is no special person in Maxine’s life. “I just have a lot of friends, no steady, as I am trying to get my business where I want it to be. Also too many of my friends got married straight out of high school and have had divorces.” With a coy smile Maxine says “maybe when I am closer to 40, I will find that right person. I am just not interested as I have seen too many people get hurt. Also sometimes I am at work until late at night and when I go home I might be working still so it really is only on the weekend I take time out to have some fun.”  And fun is hanging out on Friday’s at Jenny’s on the Boulevard or Trotters, or dinner at TGIF.

Those of us who admired Maxine’s beautiful Peter Elias dress at her father’s inauguration on March 17, will find it hard to believe that she is normally a jeans person.  “The formal attire is not for me, I just love my jeans, but I now have to get some formal clothes”, which will be in her favourite colours of red and yellow, or for that matter any bright colour as she says “I love bright colours.” Maxine and her business partner produced the “Marigold” section in her cousin, Michael Headley’s Carnival 2003 band - Poison. Members of the Marigold lead section wore bustiers with short pants, and the regulars wore bikinis. “Actually my parents played in my section this year...We did all the decorating of belts and costumes...I saw it as a challenge and besides not being satisfied with the work other people do for you, my major scare was that on the days of Carnival pieces would fall off so I decided let me make it so if anyone was to blame it would be me.”

She belongs to a small organisation “Peer Pressure Too” which throws parties to raise funds for underprivileged children. “Last June on Labour Day we tried along with the St Augustine Chorale to raise funds so that they could go to Canada but did not raise enough. We are trying again this year at the Centre of Excellence in the Garden Sanctuary, on Labour Day, with an all-inclusive fete. These are the fetes I love to attend at Carnival.”  Maxine and her group have adopted the Abandoned Boys Ward at St Ann’s Hospital where they help with Christmas parties. Last Wednesday, she was accompanied by Her Excellency to an Easter treat for these youngsters.

This very down-to-earth young woman will soon move into The President’s House with her parents because: “My mother would feel a lot more comfortable if I were there and I am very attached to her.” Maxine does not see this infringing on her lifestyle and plans to fit the two in together. “My mother asked me to come and live there and I will try it on a phased basis, I just have to rent my apartment out.” Maxine empathises with the adjustment her mother must make to the security that comes with being First Lady “as she really is a very regular person. I took her to the Trini Posse stand when New Zealand played here and she enjoyed herself. That is now out of the question. I am glad that the security does not apply to me as I went back to the stand last weekend.”

Maxine enjoys travelling; loves dogs; likes the sea but hates to admit “not here in Trinidad. I prefer Tobago and even more so Antigua, where my only goddaughter lives, and she is the closest link I have with children. I just don’t ever think of one of my own.” Maxine never thought her father would have been President and says “when I saw it for the first time in Newsday on January 1 this year, I was surprised. At first there was a lot of attention on my family but it is cooling off now. Actually, the first Friday after the inauguration, nobody spoke to me in Jenny’s. The second week they came across and said they were looking for security, but I have none. I was surprised as I do not know what they were thinking.” The only sport Maxine has played is tennis. Now, she keeps fit on a treadmill at home. She sees herself as “more a night person, so I work in my business from 10 am until 6 pm.”