Garth Saunders, former CEO of the CWSA dies at home

Garth E. M. Saunders, a former chief executive officer of the Central Water and Sewerage Authority (CWSA) died at his home at Cane Garden, late on Sunday, May 14.

Saunders, 63, retired from the CWSA in November 2022, after 39 years in the public service, of which over 18 were spent as the CEO of the CWSA.

A civil engineer by training, Saunders had also worked at the Ministry of Works, the St Vincent Electricity Services Ltd (VINLEC) and at Coreas Hazells Limited early in his career.

A dedicated and outstanding son of the soil, Saunders also played key roles in the conceptualization, construction and early operation of the Argyle International Airport (AIA).

He served as the first Chairman of the board of directors of the AIA and remained in that capacity for six years. Prior to that appointment, Saunders sat on Cabinet’s Airport Development Advisory Committee for three years, followed by 10 years as a director/civil engineering advisor to the International Airport Development Company (IADC) board of directors during the construction of the airport.

Saunders had a helpful and outgoing personality and was widely regarded as an excellent communicator, particularly in his roles at the head of the CWSA and the AIA board of directors. He never shied away from engaging the media and very often, when there were issues of public concern, reached out to journalists before they could contact him.

In October 2021, Saunders suddenly fell ill and had to be admitted to the Milton Cato Memorial Hospital (MCMH).

In an opinion piece published in SEARCHLIGHT three months after his admission to hospital, he said: “I was indeed taken to the brink and were it not for timely interventions of one of my personal physicians Dr DeShong and the nurses and young doctors at A&E that afternoon, I certainly would have had a different outcome.”

He said the experience “landed me at the sometimes-unappreciated intersection of divinity and health care, brought home to me a few important realities…”

Saunders was married to Simone (nee Durrant) and was father to two adult sons – Aaron and Shaun. He is also survived by his brother Wendell and sister Michele (Claverly), many other relatives and close friends.

[[ UPDATED on Monday, May 15, 2023 at 8:38 pm AST to correct the date of death.]]