Features
Newsday Reporter
BAVINA SOOKDEO
AT 92 years old, Emma Bhola nee Latchmedial still carries the quiet strength and gentle authority that defined her years as a teacher. Throughout her life, she commanded respect in the classroom and devoted herself to what she called God’s work – tirelessly serving her community and her church.
Affectionately described as a “tiny giant” by the Presbyterian Church’s Women of the Star of Bethlehem Presbyterian Church in Tabaquite, members of the group gathered in October to honour her with an appreciation plaque. The tribute, read in the church on October 5, celebrated her “faithful service, legacy of love and teaching,” echoing Proverbs 31: “She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue… A woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. Honour her for all that her hands have done.”
Speaking to Newsday, Sineta Seucharan, a close friend to the Bholas and secretary of the Women of the Star of Bethlehem Presbyterian Church, said the elderly woman’s life has been shaped by love for God, devotion to teaching, and a passion for service that has inspired generations in the Tabaquite Presbyterian Church and beyond.
Seucharan shared that although age has slowed her steps and sometimes softens the boundaries between past and present, Bhola’s recollections of her youth remain strikingly clear. She vividly remembers her school days, early friendships and the deep joy she found in teaching – the calling that came to define her life.
In a document she wrote years ago, when her memory was sharper, Bhola recalled that at around two years old her biological parents separated and she went to live with her mother and step-father in Tabaquite, where she resides up to this day.
In January 1939, she began attending the Tabaquite CM (Canadian Mission) School. “I walked two miles to and from school each day with my neighbours and friends, the Seucharan and Bharat families” she related. Her early involvement in Sunday School and church activities kindled a faith that maintained throughout her life. “I became so involved in church activities and asked my parents to be baptised which they graciously gave consent,” she recalled.
“She always said she didn’t understand Hinduism and its language,” recalled Seucharan. “But when she went to Sunday School, she found clarity in the Christian teachings. That’s when she decided she wanted to follow that path.”
In 1948, Bhola entered Naparima Girls’ High School, where she earned credits in religious knowledge, mathematics, Latin and geography, among others. Her calling to teach came soon after. “In 1953, I applied for a teaching appointment with the Presbyterian Board. I was placed at the Riversdale CM School because there was no lady teacher at the school and no 12-plus girls would have been able to attend. I took that appointment on October 4, 1954, and also my last day of my teaching – December 31, 1989 – 35 years and 89 days of my teaching career.”
Bhola married Frank Bhola on July 31, 1965. The two met while working at Riversdale Presbyterian School, and she often fondly recalls how he would ride his bicycle from Brothers Road to visit her in Tabaquite.
Though her start was challenging – “It was a difficult time but other teachers offered assistance and methods to overcome my problems for which I am grateful” – Bhola’s dedication and love for her students quickly shone through. She later taught Post-Primary classes, preparing pupils for the School Leaving Certificate Examination. “All fear was gone – of size or number of students – I gave free extra lessons morning and evening, and teaching excelled.” Among her students were many who went on to distinguished service, including Rev Daniel Teelucksingh, Rev Paul D Balliram, and Judge Selwyn Samaroo.
In 1959, she attended Naparima Teachers’ College, earning distinctions in several subjects. Her passion for learning led her into nutrition education, where she and her husband “emerged the winner of the Shield” in a national schools’ competition.
In 1961, she returned to Riversdale Presbyterian School and was attached to the School Leaving Class and later to the Common Entrance class.
Asked about her days as a teacher, Seucharan explained that it was more than a profession for Bhola; it was a calling. “She poured everything into her students. She was firm but fair. The children loved her because they knew she genuinely cared. Many of her students went on to become professionals—teachers, pastors, judges, even senior police officers. That’s her legacy” Seucharan shared.
After retiring in 1989, Bhola continued her service through the Board of Women of the Presbyterian Church, contributing as recording secretary, corresponding secretary and chairperson. Her leadership extended to the Archibald Vocational Institute, Iere Home Nursery School, and regional women’s conferences.
“She was always the first to volunteer,” Seucharan said. “Even after retiring, she never stopped working for the church. She believed in the words of the hymn that says “If I can help somebody as I pass along, if I can help somebody with a word or song, if I can show somebody he is travelling wrong, then my living shall not be in vain” – and she lived by that hymn every day.”
She could not continue her work with the Board of Women when her husband became ill. In 2005, after he died, Bhola along with her two sons and their families helped her to build a church hall with Rev Clifton Mathura and family, the Session and Local Board. “The building, ‘The Tabaquite Church Hall’ was completed in 2011 in memory of my husband – 40’ x 25’, kitchen, toilet, store room at the cost of approximately $300,000. The building was handed over to the Sunday School and other Church groups for use” she wrote.
“She could have let grief consume her,” said Seucharan softly, “but instead she turned it into something beautiful. That hall has served as a place of fellowship, Sunday School, and community gatherings ever since. That’s who she is – someone who turns pain into purpose.”
Asked what Bhola is like at home, Seucharan related, “She is the heart of her family – a loving wife, mother, grandmother of three and matriarch whose wisdom was sought and respected. She always told us to work hard, to be kind, to help those in need, and to honour God. She has lived every value she taught.”
Reflecting on her life, Bhola wrote, “I recount my blessings from rags to riches – not with financial gains but from many blessings from my teachers, friends and guidance along life’s journey.”
“She’s small, but her spirit fills a room,” said Seucharan with a smile. “Her strength, her faith, her courage – they make her a giant in every sense of the word. She has lived her life in such a way that we all feel closer to God because of her.”
