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"She found reasons and issues that provoked media attention"

Click to enlarge ... No.1 Steve in Belize No.2 Danny in Toronto No.3 Kirk in Surbiton Playing at Las Cuevas with Kirk Kirk get's a cuddle in the kitchen Reading lesson for grand son Max

Parenthood & Planning

"FPATT - Celebrating 50 years of service"

Nadine Hosein, Communiactions Officer of The Family Planning Association, writes a tribute to Veronica in an article to celebrate Mother's Day. Nadine holds the post that Veronica held 25 years ago when she was preparing the FPA to celebrate their 25 years of service.

The Family Planning Association of Trinidad and Tobago, would like to express our condolences to the family of Veronica Collens and pay tribute to the life of an exceptional woman on Mother’s Day.

"Remembering the life of Veronica Collens: mother, humanist, activist, artist, writer and model."

1943-2006

The life of Veronica Collens reads like a D.H. Lawrence novel. From a young beauty, she grew into an exceptionally gifted, unforgettable woman. Her death saddened many, but her life gave hope, inspiration and worth in ways that make her immortal.

Our story begins somewhere in the middle of her journey, when this English model came to Trinidad with her husband Shane to start a new life, far removed from the glamour and art of English artisan scene. We meet her in 1981, when she began her work at The Family Planning Association of Trinidad and Tobago (FPATT), in a way in which many have before her and many have since done: not knowing what was waiting for her.

Veronica came on board as the Public Relations Officer at FPATT, determined to make a difference in the small NGO. Looking back on her work now, the strides she made are evident everywhere you turn.

“She was very good at creating issues and finding ways to get FPATT in the public eye. She found reasons and issues that provoked media attention,” said Shane, speaking from the house the couple shared in Cascade. Their entire home is filled with her work, from her life as a model, her breathtaking garden, her crafts and artwork, her favourite books, her publications; every space filled with a different part of her personality.

Her work at FPATT spans three years and in three years she managed to place the Association smack in the eyes of the public with innovative and creative campaigns and ideas. She then joined the board of FPATT for 2 years in 1984, along with her husband.

Her inspired ideas included newspaper blogs in 1982, which focused on sending direct positive messages to the public on family planning and the services offered.

“A happy woman is a healthy woman. Register with FPA today!” was one of these well-remembered blogs. She also pioneered the “After Carnival Band” campaign in 1983. The campaign created widespread media frenzy with its catchy tagline, “Please don’t join our band … exercise a high sense of responsibility, respect and reality.” The sections of the band included Gonorrhoea, Mother Hubbard and the Herpes section. It was an innovative way of provoking thought around the issues of safe sex for the Carnival season.

Veronica was also well known for her work with the National Drama Association. She was the Editor and layout artist of Backstage, the Association’s magazine. Never one to be idle, Veronica took a keen interest in finding ways for children to learn. She developed a teaching tool called Finger Talk, which aided students in honing their typing skills from an early age.

Veronica was not a woman one easily forgot. Long time staff members of FPATT remember her fondly, as a woman of great motivation, unable to let life pass her by. Along with her husband and a group of friends, she founded the Trinidad and Tobago Humanist Association, a body that seeks to explore solutions through enquiry and evidence, ethics and reasoning, tolerance and compassion in governance and public administration, education and parenting, health and environment, gender and sexuality, arts and culture in Trinidad and Tobago, and the Caribbean.

Nadine Hosein • Communiactions Officer • FPATT • May 2006