She was a diehard Despers fan and nothing stopped Allyson from playing in the bands Wayne Barkley, Stephen Lee Young, Peter Minshall. She would literally be in her costume commentating on the Carnival parade and then run off to join the parade. She supported young talent and was a light to those entering the spotlight of radio and television. What makes her even more special was her Veni Mange (Veni Ma zchay) patois for ‘come and eat’ one of the earliest restaurants, which unapologetically served local foods and cuisine. Still can be checked out on Arapita Avenue in Woodbrook. Through her business she did outreach to the poor and had a meal for all- it was just ‘come and eat.’ Why Allyson? She had a true zest for life and enjoyed her Trini culture, music, costume, art, food, calypso and all that made people Trini. She was spontaneous, lively and could quickly laugh at herself and cry at the same time. Sadly, she left us on May 11, 2011. She is one of my women, I admired from afar. May Allyson rest in God’s heavenly peace. 

Our first, is a Trini-women who as David Rudder wrote in song, was ‘Trini to de Bone’, she must have been on his mind. Her name was Allyson Hezekiah Hennesy. She will be remembered as a regular and popular Trinidad and Tobago Television (TTT) host for several local shows. Born January 4, 1948, she attended Holy Name Convent, and then left Trinidad to attend the Ursuline Convent in Barbados and then on to reside as a student of that Convent in Kent, England. Allyson went on to the Cordon Bleu School of Cooking in London and graduated as a Sou Chef. In England, she met her future husband, Emmett Hennessy who was a musician and actor. In the 1970’s she and Emmett returned to Trinidad and, she later opened a restaurant, Veni Mange’ with her sister, Rosemary. Allyson loved Trinidad and embraced all aspects of her culture. She did daily talk shows and hosted every and anything cultural- from Best Village, the Box, for Gayelle, Carnival mas commentator,-Demarche Gras, cooking shows, our famous Community Dateline and hosted with the likes of Dominic Kalipersad, my friend Wendell Constantine, Judy Alcantara, Gail Bindley Taylor, Lisa Wickham and countless others.