Guyanese Online

Barbara Atherly – International Civil Servant

By Dr. Dhanpaul Narine

Barbara Atherly

Her life is rich, rewarding and purposeful. She carries herself with humility and charm and she is currently Guyana’s Consul General to New York. But Barbara Atherly is much more. She is an international civil servant that has made a difference in the lives of others. This fearless woman has worked in some of the most challenging places on the planet to bring relief to children and she has done so with grace and dignity.

Barbara is an anthropologist’s dream: she has lived in different cultures, has involved herself in the lives of the communities and has helped to bring about positive changes wherever she was posted. Barbara was born in Charlestown in Georgetown, Guyana, but she grew up in Durban Street.   

She comes from a religious family, as her grandfather was the Reverend Alfonso Morris. Barbara is nine of ten children. Her mother is Mariam Agatha Patterson and her dad is Joseph Arnold Emmanuel Patterson. Mariam was a teacher for many years at St. Philip’s Anglican School, St. Ambrose and at St. Gabriel’s while Joseph worked as a Chartered Accountant.

Read more: Barbara Atherly – International Civil Servant – By Dr. Dhanpaul Narine