Guyanese social history icon and culture enthusiast Godfrey Chin passed away at his Lot 233 David Street residence some time between Saturday and yesterday.
He would have celebrated his 75th birthday come May 7.
Speaking with Stabroek News the man’s brother Kerril Chin said he was found lying dead in an area of his house which suggested that he was making his way to the bathroom.
He added that he had last spoken to him on Saturday via the telephone. It was during this conversation that the elder Chin stated that he was suffering from influenza and was taking the over-the-counter medication Theraflu to treat his ailment.
The man said that calls made to his brother throughout Sunday all went unanswered. He however thought that his brother was resting given his illness. It was not until yesterday morning after calling yet again and still getting no response that he decided to pay his brother a visit and after subsequent calls that a decision was made to call the police.
It was the police who found the man lying lifeless in his home.
Meanwhile, Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports, Dr Frank Anthony, said that while he was taken aback at the Chin’s sudden demise he was eternally grateful for the contributions he made to his ministry and by extension the Guyanese society. “It was only recently that we were together trying to negotiate for him to conduct an exhibition for us,” Anthony said. “His passing is not only a tremendous loss for this ministry but Guyana as a whole. He played an integral part in reminding us and teaching us our history be it through his numerous pieces of writing or his collections of his thousands of photos which depicted Guyana from colonial times to present.”
The minister stated that Chin will also be missed, in Mashramani celebrations next month since his contributions to Mash especially to the road parade were invaluable. “For Godfrey’s multifaceted contributions here at this ministry we say sincerest thanks. His loss is a tragic loss to us and he will be missed,” Anthony added.
Chairman of Guyana Publications Inc, Dr Ian McDonald, a personal friend and colleague, said of Chin’s passing, “I am extremely sad to hear of Godfrey Chin’s death. I mourn his loss as a personal friend of very longstanding, but also as a social historian of immense value to Guyana.
I know that he was working on at least a dozen projects which would have greatly enhanced our knowledge of Guyana’s history.”
Adding to the memory of the culturist’s life McDonald said, “He had a treasure trove of pictures of Guyana in the old times which must be preserved.
His book of Nostalgias is a Guyana classic and he had, to my knowledge, more than enough other nostalgias to fill a few more volumes. He was also a great sports enthusiast with an unrivalled knowledge of the history of hockey and squash in Guyana in particular. I am extremely saddened by this news.”
Chin’s forever friend ended by saying “Godfrey was a good and entertaining and interesting friend, a Guyanese patriot and great cultural pioneer. When such a man dies a whole library has burnt down.”
Another acquaintance, Stabroek News columnist Alan Fenty said, “This one caught me by absolute surprise.” He hailed Chin as one of Guyana’s most significant social historians who lived every moment and event, between the 30s and 80s, to the maximum, which he captured in his beautiful Nostalgia series.
Fenty added, “Godfrey’s sudden departure will be mitigated in the beauty of his work that he bequeathed to this and future generations of Guyana.”
Godfrey Chin lived some 27 years in the US before remigrating here two years ago and was a divorced father of three sons, two of whom live in the US, while the third is serving in Afghanistan.
He took pride in his job as an interior decorator and his last interior decorative piece was designing the George-town Club for 2011’s New Year’s Eve Ball. For recreation, Chin painted and it was this art form that he could be found doing on weekends at his Kitty residence.
