City businessman David Persaud, who was cremated yesterday at Good Hope on the East Coast, was remembered as a deeply patriotic man.
The Corentyne-born Persaud died last Friday in the gym of the Pegasus Hotel after collapsing. He was 74.
During a tribute at his Cummings Lodge residence yesterday, his son Christopher Persaud hailed his father as a humble and generous man, whose commitment to the country saw him, though retired, investing heavily in sugar cane cultivation at Skeldon.
Persaud, who worked for over 50 years at Toolsie Persaud Limited (TPL) and rose to the post of Managing Director, was at the time of his death the Chairman of his own hardware company, David Persaud Investments Limited. His son said that Persaud was a “man of his word” and could not come to terms with the dishonesty that prevails today.
Persaud, who hailed from Crabwood Creek, during his tenure at TPL became an important figure in the forestry sector. He served as head of the Forest Products Association for a number of years and was awarded a Medal of Service for his contribution to the sector.
He was also very successful in the sphere of real estate. His crowning achievement was the development of University Gardens, Cummings Lodge into one of the premier residential areas in the city, his son said.
Speaking about Persaud’s investment in Skeldon, his son said that he “never, never thought about leaving Guyana” and “felt that he had a duty and owed it to the Berbice region – particularly the Skeldon area where he spent most of his youth.” Though in his 70s and having undergone a heart bypass operation, his son said that Persaud spent umpteen hours in Berbice overseeing the operation.
Aside from his full business life, his son said that Persaud was passionate about cricket in his younger days. He played and captained North Cote second division for the Everest Cricket Club and also played and captained First Division Case Cup at a time when Everest was not one of the premier clubs. He was also one of the few captains to win two major trophies in a single year – the Case and Rothmans cups.
He was also instrumental in bringing many budding cricketers from Berbice and blooding them in Georgetown. These players included Isaac Sieunarine, Anand Sookram and Randolph Ramnarace. He was also instrumental in bringing players such as the Pertab brothers to the fore.
In his later life, when he could no longer play cricket, he formed a new passion for lawn tennis. Said his son: “In his later life, if he had a religion it was tennis.”
His son said the late businessman’s greatest attribute was “his ability to gel and bond closely with all people high and low, rich and poor, strong and weak. He had genuine compassion for people.”
