An outstanding Trinidadian and Tobagonian planner, Florabelle Lucretia Grenade (later Florabelle Grenade-Nurse) was born in 1947 as a second child to a family of humble means. From an early age, she was a bright and accomplished student. She attended the Morvant R.C School, where she won a College Exhibition (1958), and then, from 1959, the Bishop Anstey High School, where she won a House Scholarship (1963). She was also awarded the Girls’ Island Scholarship (1965), and, in 1966, she left for England. She first studied Geography and Economics at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) (1966-69). Grenade then enrolled into the Architectural Association’s Diploma in Planning and is concurrently recorded as having attended the Department of Tropical Architecture in the academic year 1969-70 and subsequently receiving its post-graduate Diploma. During her time at the AA, she maintained a close friendship with Trinidadian colleague at the DTA, Clyde Bacchus, and his wife, Angela Bacchus. After her graduation, in 1970, she returned to Trinidad and Tobago and joined the Town and Country Planning Division. Since that point, she has grown to be a significant local figure in public-sector planning field and her career continued to reflect a life-long pursuit of multidisciplinary breadth and scholarly excellence. Her professional contributions include input in authoring the Capital Region Plan (1974) and the National Physical Development Plan (1984), besides involvement in a handful of regional plans for the Port of Spain, Tobago, Couva/Point Lisas, San Fernando, Arima, Point Forting and Chaguanas. On several occasions, she also advised other Caribbean governments. Grenade was head of the research section for the Town and Country Planning Division where she pioneered the implementation of Geographic Information System (GIS) and, along with her colleagues, helped the division gain the reputation as one of the best planning departments in the region.
Throughout, she balanced her professional career in Trinidad and Tobago, with growing familial duties, and with scholarly endeavors abroad that deepen and diversify her knowledge. In 1974, she studied Urban Decentralization on a two-months scholarship at Brussels, and then, between 1977 and 1979, she received a two-year Commonwealth Scholarship and attended an M.Phil. in Town Planning at University College London. In 1979, she married Osborne Nurse and moved with him temporarily to Warren, Ohio from 1980-81. Upon moving back to Trinidad and Tobago, alongside her work, she lectured part-time in Planning at the University of West Indies (1987-88). She has also authored 19 articles and monographs over her career. Between 1988-90, she decided to move to the UK, yet again, this time to earn a Bachelor of Law at the University of London, followed by a Master of Law (L.L.M) with Merit, and was admitted to the Bar of England and Wales and later to the Bar of Trinidad and Tobago. Between 1993-94, she managed the Environment Division of the Ministry of Planning and Development, and from 1996-97, she became the acting director of the Town and Country Planning Division, almost three decades after she first joined it. In 1997, she left the division to become Manager, Legal and Enforcement Services, and Corporate Secretary of the Environmental Management Authority. Grenade passed away in 1998. She is remembered as a generous mentor and appreciated by her colleagues for her constant pursuit of excellence, diligence, and integrity.
Sources
- Architectural Association Diploma Roll Book, 1964-1975, AA Archives
- Architectural Association Student Register 1945-1972, AA Archives
- Petals of Love, Eulogy by Susan Craig-James for Florabelle L. Grenade-Nurse (1947-1998), Trinidad and Tobago Review, December 1998, Page 42.
- “Probate and Letters of Administration.” Trinidad and Tobago Gazette (Extraordinary), Vol. 40, No. 22, 5th February, 2001, p112.
- United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs. “National Level Coordination Structure of Agenda 21 Actions: Trinidad and Tobago.” Accessed 24th October, 2024. https://www.un.org/esa/earthsummit/trinidad.htm
- Directory of Commonwealth Scholars and Fellows 1959-2009, 2009, London: Association of Common Wealth Universities
