Remembering Ermie

Saturday marked what would have been the 100th birthday of Edna Ermyntrude “Ermie” Bourne, the first woman to serve in the Parliament of Barbados.

And 18 years after her death, her legacy as a trailblazer for the modern female politician has been honoured.

At the foot of her grave site at St Andrew’s Parish Church, Senator Dr Romel Springer and a group of Barbados Labour Party supporters honoured the St Andrew native.

“Ermie, as she is fondly known, is a trailblazer in many ways. If you think about the prevailing political environment of the time, it was a male-dominated arena,” Springer said.

“It was an elitist- dominated arena. But yet, Ermie boldly stepped out and conquered these traditional systems.”

Ermie Bourne is now more known for the highway which stretches along the East Coast, but Springer, a former lecturer at the Cave Hill Campus, told the NATION he would be holding a lecture later this month to re-educate the public about her legacy. (AD)