Farewell to “Ryo”: Legendary Court Reporter Leaves Lasting Legacy

Tonight, we reflect on the passing of a familiar face on the courthouse steps, one whose presence became almost as much a part of the daily court rhythm as the cases themselves. Longtime court reporter Roy Davis, known to friends and colleagues simply as “Ryo,” died on Wednesday. For decades, he chased stories and snapshots outside the courts of Belize with a kind of grit and urgency that made him both respected and, at times, unstoppable. And while Ryo is no longer with us, his legacy lives on in the many reporters he mentored, those he pushed, guided, and reminded to “get the shot” no matter what. His close friend and longtime court counterpart, Anita Nembhard, says she’ll never forget their nightly strategy sessions, huddling together, planning angles and timing, making sure Belizeans got their court photos and the full story every night. Ryo’s gone, but the newsroom, and the courthouse steps, won’t forget him.

 

 Anita Nemhard, Court Reporter

“This veranda before this actual change right here, man. This da fi we favorite spot, man. He pan one end, I pan the next end, yeah. It’s sad. I was sad.”

 

Shane Williams

“What made him fit like you for a job that is very difficult?”

 

Anita Nemhard

“People used to like look pan ah and think this man can’t run and do ih job but if da never me the run through the back da he the run through the front. We used to always say we have to set it up that if I miss he catch and if he catch and I miss, we just shared, we just share our footages or our pictures. We had our issues at times, because sometimes me and him, we work for the same people, but we just had to understand and respect each other’s space. Apart from being the go-getter like we all do inna this field, there was a sweet side to Royo. You have to actually know ah, get fi know ah fi understand.”

 

Shane Williams

“I know this is not easy. He was like family?”

 

Anita Nembhard

“Actually Royo grandson is my uncle son soh I hate be the bearer of bad news. So when I heard about it I reached out to everybody that I know, everybody from the media and thing, ’cause actually nobody knew. And I thought that was sad. I’ll always remember no matter what, I’ll always remember Royo. Even when he wasn’t here, he was here. ’cause we always crack up we lee jokes, me, Parks and he. “Gyal Anita you remember when Royo, yeah, he was a real cool dude.”

 

Attention readers: This online newscast is a direct transcript of our evening television broadcast. When speakers use Kriol, we have carefully rendered their words using a standard spelling system.

 

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