A Tribute to Mr. Rawle Sutherland of the Spectacle Shop

Thu, Dec 22. 2011

Editor: While I did not know Mr. Sutherland the proprietor of The Spectacle Shop very well, I must admit that he made a great impact on my life before he died. My sight began failing me when I was in Junior 4 (Grade 5) forcing me to ask seatmates to tell me what was written on certain parts of the chalkboard.{{more}} I made no mention of the problem until years later when eyestrain was giving me constant headaches to the point where I spent most of the time during class with my head resting on my desk – to the horror of my teachers who thought I was sleeping! My father took me to visit Mr. Sutherland upstairs Higginson Street and he tested my eyes and prescribed glasses. I picked out a pretty gold-colored frame and that was my first pair of glasses.

Over the years, I went back to Mr. Sutherland for follow-up tests and new pairs of glasses and while on one or two occasions I might have gone to another eye doctor, it was Mr. Sutherland who made me aware of many of my eye problems. He was the one who told me of the severe lumpiness of my eyeball and warned me that bumps to my head could detach my retina. The glasses I wear at this moment, I received from him.

I was saddened to hear of his recent death. I had planned to pay my respects at his funeral but the ceremony was closed and as I was not a member of his church, I was not allowed to go. I am also disappointed that nothing was mentioned about his passing away on the news. He did so much for citizens of SVG over the years and his death deserved an acknowledgement. I take this opportunity to extend my condolences to his family especially his son, the proprietor of Multigraphics with whom I have done much business. If at a later date a decision is made to have a more public memorial service for Mr. Rawle Sutherland, I will gladly attend.

Lisa