Rupert Mullings
The passing of F A Rupert Mullings, CD, – Feb 2, 1930 – July 18, 2017, late of of Bull Savannah and Big Woods (St Elizabeth Parish, Jamaica), the Caribbean Development Bank, Barbados and the Ministry of Finance, Jamaica, was announced quietly, he having died shortly after his son Gordon, who resides in Montserrat with his wife and family, had arrived to visit with him in hospital in Jamaica.
At the age of 87 he left his lovingly remembered by wife; Winnifred (Winnie), sons; Gordon (lives with wife and children in Montserrat) and Ian, brother; Alfred, sisters; Jasmine, Leonora and Cynthia, grandchildren; Jacinth and Allen, nieces, nephews, other relatives, friends and colleagues
F A Rupert Mullings, CD
A thanksgiving service was held for the life of F A Rupert Mullings at St Aidan Anglican Church, Bull Savannah, on August 5, 2017; “in-urn-ment” of ashes followed at 11:00 a.m. on August 11, at Bull Savannah.
The scripture Verse for life that appeared on the service program: 2 Tim 2:15a: “Study to shew thyself approved unto God.”
Among the many tributes that were published after his passing, the following captures what most who know would likely and say of Mr. Mullings.
PERSONAL AND CDB TRIBUTE FOR THE LIFE OF FAIRFAX AMYAS RUPERT MULLINGS
Marius St Rose, August 5, 2017, St Aidan Church, Bull Savannah, St Elizabeth, Jamaica
My first encounter with Mr Mullings was in 1971 in Jamaica where he tried to recruit me to join him and now the late Aynsley Elliot to assist in establishing a research department for the Jamaica Tourist Board. Our lives became virtually psychologically and philosophically bonded, when five years later, and in Barbados, over a span of eleven years he became my and CDBs Director of Economics and Programming, and later, the institutions ranking Vice President. He mentored, tutored, inspired, encouraged and guided me through a meteoric rise in CDB from the positions of Economist, Assistant Director, Deputy Director, Director and, ultimately, as his replacement as Vice President Operations over the comparatively short period of under twelve years.
He was invited to be part of the early formative CDB management team for this premiere regional financial institution but chose to influence its ownership, governance and financial structures and corporate philosophy from the sidelines of the Ministry of Finance, where he was Deputy Financial Secretary of Jamaica which country, is, with Trinidad and Tobago, CDB’s largest shareholder. But when he did get on board in 1976, he began to make his influence felt. He continued the work of Arthur Lewis in enhancing the intellectual rigour of CDB’s work to contribute to the optimal social and economic development of our English speaking Caribbean, and gave the institution international credibility, integrity and respect. He never got, formally, to the top but was as effective, influential and as, and even more impactful, than many of its formal leaders. Mr Mullings was an invaluable asset to any institution but his uncompromising attitude to rightly principles, and his unscrupulous integrity and honesty would never see him ascending to the top in man made institutions. In the next three years when the fiftieth anniversary of CDB is evaluated and celebrated the following five names will stand out as the greatest management contributors to the early and lasting development of CDB: Sir Arthur Lewis (vision, management, international profile); William Demas (economic development and regionalism); Sir Neville Nicholls (legal issues and matters); Crispin Sorhaindo (public administration and human resource management; and Rupert Mullings (macro-and micro- economic and financial analysis).
To those who knew Mr Mullings well will remember him and his qualities and attributes and his legacy around the following:
- Endowed with a brilliant mind, effectively utilized to serve God’s purpose;
- A capacity and willingness for hard work;
- Charitable and generous and always willing to help spiritually & materially;
- A very indefatigable and relentless fighter for causes that he was convinced about;
- Exemplary Christian Living;
- Privately proud of his undisputed abilities but very modest in public about them;
- Self-confident and articulate public speaker;
- Maintained few but deep, loyal and genuine friendships; and
- A great keeper of Official Secrets and Personal
We both retired from CDB to our respective homelands: his loving Bull Savannah for him and Saint Lucia for me. We maintained frequent telephone contact and, once, about three years ago, I had the privilege of visiting him, and his lovely wife Winnie, in Bull Savannah. When I recall all that he had done for me, for CDB, Jamaica, and for the region and noting the continuing sharpness of his mind and the clarity of his thought and expression I encouraged him to write his memoirs for its own intellectual stimulation, his grandchildren, for posterity and to be an inspiration to the many who are coming after him who need positive role models. He did, and wrote an unpublished 101 page manuscript entitled “Little Man from Bigwoods” :Brief Memoirs of Fairfax Amyas Rupert Mullings. I will give him the last words that he wrote in the manuscript:
“LAST LICK: Little Clay of Bigwoods lo(o)sing Plasticity”
“Now, like the personality in a Western movie, I must ride off into the sunset, never to have another act. And here ride I, without a horse, but “with a saddle bag of miracle pills, that replace other miracle pills which have lost some of their miracle”. I trudge, and stoop, and grunt, and stagger and stop. But I press on, knowing that very few people of my age die; because they are already dead. I know I must join them. But I am ready. For I
trust my living Saviour to make me live again! And with no grief, and no pain. May I, though dead, yet speak to those, who remain. And touch them like the school boys ‘las lick’, which was really “Goodbye, till tomorrow! ” Amen!
The St Rose, Sir Neville Nichols and CDB families join his wife for 10 days short of 61 years, your nuclear and extended blood and adopted families to say farewell, to commend you for a long life well spent, and to wish you the perpetual and pain free peace yearned, as promised, us by our Dear Saviour, Jesus. Your biggest regret was predeceasing Winnie but you know that everything will be alright as God is in charge and knows best.
Farewell dear friend and mentor!
Our condolences from Montserrat Printing & Publishing Inc. and The Montserrat Reporter especially to Gordon Mullings and his family.
