Mrs. Gillian John




Mrs. Gillian John, nee Marshall, my former supervisor and friend, has served in the Public Service of St. Vincent and the Grenadines for umpteen years.  She has been a tower of strength to her husband, children, grandchildren and siblings.

After graduating from the Girls’ High School she worked for a couple years in the Government Service before migrating to Canada.  She has a caring and loving attitude which was displayed when she returned from Canada having learnt that her father was very ill.  He died shortly after her return and she decided to remain with her mother after his passing. Mrs. John is family oriented and her family is always her first priority.  Thus, she ensured that her two sons were socialized in a manner that instilled sound moral values.  This resulted in them becoming disciplined and well rounded individuals. Gillie, as she is affectionately called by me, can be described as a living example of the Proverbs chapter 31 woman.

She is a stickler for detail and is not deterred by hard work. She is a firm believer in the strength of women. Her motto “God is good, all the time; all the time, God is good,” continues to be displayed in her self control and her ability to trust in God’s goodness and remain calm in all situations. 

Upon her return from Canada she was re-employed in the Government Service.  She held various positions including that of Executive Secretary in the Tourism Department and Government Training Officer.  She would have assisted many persons in securing funding for their overseas training and also organized many in-house training programs for public officers.  She also served in the position of Human Resources and Administration Manager at the Central Water and Sewerage Authority where she was instrumental in getting the Authority to organize literacy classes for workers whose reading, writing and numeracy skills were limited.  Some of these persons were eventually able to pass subjects at CXC, which brought her great joy.  She was also a member of the Training committee and organized many in-house training programmes for members of staff.

Mrs. John has worked extensively with the less fortunate persons in the Vincentian society through her voluntary work with the Lions Club of Kingstown SVG. She can be seen in the forefront working hard on the many projects organized by the club. She has held positions at the local, zone, regional and district levels.   She is presently entrusted with the task of orientation for new members - a position that she takes seriously. She is currently the club’s Membership Chairperson.

Mrs. John is a staunch Methodist and has served her church well in positions at the local and District levels.  She is currently a standing member of the District Mission and Evangelism committee and a member of the District Ministerial Training Committee.
 Mrs. John retired from an eight-to-four job but is actively involved in spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ as she felt the call on her life to preach.  Having completed her studies, she is now a fully accredited local preacher.
She is known for her love for singing and has been a member of the New Kingstown Chorale, formerly the Kingstown Chorale Group, since 1962 where she sings contralto. She has been the group’s business manager since 1985 and under her leadership the group has shared its wide repertoire with music lovers in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and within the region.  She also sings contralto with the Kingstown Methodist Church Choir.
She is an affable person with a listening ear who has counseled and continues to give guidance to persons of various backgrounds.
I salute my mentor Gillian John, a strong Vincentian woman.
Submitted by Y. Daniel

Leave a Reply