By Tangerine Clarke
At the ripe old age of 100,
Pauline Thomas’ melodious voice
is still recognized by Guyanese as
the lady who portrayed the loving
character “Auntie Comesee,”
a thrice-weekly comedy sketch
that thrilled audiences whose
ears were peeled to the Guyana
Broadcasting Corporation (GBC),
more than 50 years ago.
During an interview with the
Ron Bobb-Semple International
Podcast recently, Thomas said
her longevity was attributed to
lots of exercise. She also told
another publication that she
works out at the gym and eats
healthy. “I live by the philosophy:
Enjoy when you can; endure
when you must,” she said.
Thomas recalled that she was
encouraged by her mother to
recite poetry repeatedly from age
three, a discipline that helped
master her artistic talents of
singing and acting, so much so,
that her comedy skits, have legacy
has left a lasting impression
on Guyanese.
The award-winning thespian
who left her homeland in 1980
for Toronto, Canada, remembers
Caribbean L 18 ife, MARCH 12-18, 2021
those glorious days when
she greeted her audience with,
“howdy family, howdy everybody,
howdy, howdy, howdy, and
chuckled, as she spoke of the
hilarious part she played that
required her to walk onto the
stage wrapped in a piece of cloth,
to portray a pregnant character.
She took on the Auntie Comesee
role after years of listening
to a village woman name Mimi,
whose mannerisms and creolese
she mimicked.
She noted that after spending
money to become a classical
singer, her audiences rebuffed
her singer for the Auntie Comesee
comedy skit that filled seats
at Theatre Guild Playhouse in
Georgetown.
Thomas, a brilliant educator,
who at the age of 79 was encouraged
by her daughter Dawne
to enroll in Toronto University,
earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree
in World Religion and Fine Arts
Studios.
She told the Guyana Chronicle
that, “sometimes when I
looked outside and saw the snow,
I was reluctant to go outside,
but it never deterred me and
for five years I had to plough
through that type of weather.
I did it not only for myself but
for other women, especially Guyanese
women.”
The cheerful storyteller, a
mother and grandmother, who
was also a member of the University
of Toronto choir while
completing her studies, received
a congratulatory certificate from
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau
that reads, “It is a great pleasure
to send you best wishes and
warmest congratulations on the
occasion of your 100th birthday.”
According to the Chronicle,
Thomas is the eldest of eight
children, three of whom are still
alive.
Born in the small village of
Friendship, Mahicony, on the
East Coast, Thomas, who was
a prominent fixture at Guyana
Independence festivals in
Toronto, said she favored the 70s
because she enjoyed the height
Auntie Comesee, Guyanese radio star. © Ruth Lor Malloy
2011
of her career that included her
radio show. She was also a regular
participant on the well liked,
“Link Show.”
She assured that creolese was
a very important aspect of Guyana’s
folklore, and shared that it
should be communicated in the
right way.
The hysterically funny, Thomas,
whose mental sharpness
is still evident, was honored
with a Zoom celebration on her
birthday, Feb. 8, put on by the
Canadian and Ontario Provincial
authorities, and attended
by Member of Parliament, Julie
Dabrusin of Toronto Danforth,
along with friends and family
members.
Actress ‘Auntie Comesee’
celebrates 100th birthday
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