Let’s honour a true Trinidad and Tobago national legend, the late Hon. A. A. Thompson Esq., my father, as well as the lands on which our residence stood, the landmark property at 2-4 Cipriani Boulevard, across from the Lapeyrouse Cemetery.  Some persons have suggested that the whole street be renamed as well to “A. A. Thompson Boulevard” since my father was no colonist, but a son of the soil, a born and raised Trinbagonian.

This petition is deeply personal to me because as a child, I beheld with awe my father, a dedicated family man, who early in his life was a St. Mary’s College gold medal scholar, and who later as a Civil Servant at the Red House in 1938, had founded the Civil Servants Association.  How did he do it all, I don’t know.  With focused dedication, agility, and passion, he served both family and country with a level of personal pride and hard work, and with a sense of hospitality and joviality, whilst also bearing the responsibility and contingent burdens of such a manifold role, with great flair, integrity, self-respect, dignity, privilege and power, he accomplished so much. Of course to me, my father was not just a human being, but to me he in fact was an embodiment of our national intellect, aspirations, achievements, characteristics, attributes and values. His signature integrity shone through in his lifestyle as a leader at home, and in his profession, as firstly a barrister-at-law and Registrar General, by trade, then as a  Cabinet Minister within our parliament, and as a global diplomat, hand-picked by none other than the the Right Honourable Dr. Eric Williams, Oxford University graduate, renowned authority on World Black History, and the first Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago.

Most notably, my father was one of the first to be a protagonist in support of the country’s Independence from the British Empire.

The Family and Civil Courts of Law at the corner of Cipriani Boulevard and Tragarete Road stand on what originally was our once ‘larger-than-life’ colonial-styled family-owned residence before it was purchased by the government. It is therefore only fitting that this landmark ought to bear the name “The Thompson Family and Children’s Courts of Trinidad and Tobago” as it represents more than just brick and mortar, but it symbolizes an iconic heritage and legacy of a great and prestigious family. It represents dedication, discipline and determination - all values dearly upheld by my father, and have been the hallmark in our society of years gone by, not so long ago.

Renaming these Courts will not only honour my father's memory but will also serve to remind those who walk within these hallowed halls about at least one man’s selfless service to society.  It will serve as an inspiration for future generations to uphold these very values, that are so integral to our local community, as well as to the society at large.

Let us preserve this historic landmark site by renaming it “The Thompson Family and Children’s Courts of Trinidad and Tobago”. Please sign this petition if you believe in preserving legacies that matter and that will inspire future generations for all time.  Please do so to have these Courts to be renamed after the Thompson family as a memorial of the legend and his family, who resided in and owned this landmark property on which these courts now stand, at 2-4 Cipriani Boulevard, Port of Spain.  It would mean so much not only to the country, but also to the family’s legacy, that the people of this country would feel a sense of national pride, belonging and self-respect, having a better knowledge of the roots of such a monument that also housed such a magnanimous and dignified family of not only of lawyers, but of good, decent citizens.  

The renaming of the Family Court to “The Thompson Family and Children’s Court of Trinidad and Tobago” would resonate so much not only with Trinbagonians, but also would give place to the family’s rich legacy, a legacy of sound family values.  This renaming would inspire a renaissance of a sense of community and self-confidence, knowing that the owner who lived here with his family was not a British colonist but a “son of the soul”, a Member of Parliament and Minister of Local Government and Social Welfare, from 1961 to 1971, one who lived and worked among his people, who hailed from Tunapuna, and who rose up through the ranks through hard work, determination and dedication. This utilitarian monument would symbolize an era of years gone by and the groundwork it took to bring us into the new millennium, having a better knowledge of the roots of such a grandiose building which represents the edifice of hardworking, dignified parents and their Trinbagonian family not just of lawyers and occupations of diverse nature, but of good and decent citizens.