Tim Hector Laid to Rest

Thu, Nov 21, '02

Amidst the rain and cloudy skies, hundreds of Antiguans & Barbudans came out to bid farewell and say goodbye to Leonard Churchill "Tim" Hector, a great son of the soil.

His life was eulogised at a ceremonial service at the Antigua Recreation Grounds (ARG) Wednesday afternoon. Officers from the Royal Antigua & Barbuda Police Force and members of the Antigua & Barbuda Defence Force bore the flag draped casket.

In his reflection Roman Catholic Bishop of St. John's-Basseterre, Donald Reece said Hector was passionate about the marginalised, especially his African brothers in the Diaspora.

"To the end he was concerned about the unity of the Caribbean and the rights of the underprivileged," Bishop Reece said.

St. Vincent's Prime Minister Dr. Ralph Gonsalves in an emotional and thought provoking speech described Hector as his dear friend. "He was one of the most outstanding sons produced in the 21st century in the Caribbean, and was a child of Caribbean civilisation," he said.

Hector he said was part of the "four musketeers" himself, the late Prime Minister of Dominica, Rosie Douglas, George Odlum of St. Lucia and he (Gonsalves), who were all regarded as socialists struggling for regional unity and political transformation.

"He was a permanent university of the highest quality," Dr. Gonsalves said. "Hector was the best Prime Minister that Antigua never had...He was a man of his own thinking and danced to the beat of his own drums," Gonsalves said.

Lowell Jarvis, member of the Antigua Caribbean Liberation Movement (ACLM) and a close friend of Hector said that Hector was "a drum major for justice."

"He used his body of knowledge to educate Antiguans & Barbudans, the Caribbean and the world. He set about to build a modern political organisation the likes of which Antigua & Barbuda has never seen," Jarvis said.

He also highlighted that Hector would be remembered for his recent contribution to the establishment of the OECS Stabilisation Fund, set up to assist member territories experiencing difficult economic times.

Antigua & Barbuda Prime Minister, Lester Bird said, "Hector was a passionate patriot, a voice of intellectual authenticity, reasoned argument. He had an effect on government policies, which were amended, discarded or strengthened, because account was taken of his views."

PM Bird continued by saying, "a piece of me died with him, so too did a piece of this nation. while Hector may be gone, yet his life lives on in all that he wrote and struggled for. His voice is not hushed. It is not silent, it is still being heard."

St. Lucia's former Foreign Affairs Minister, George Odlum, a brother in the struggle began his reflections by stating "I come to bury Hector, not to praise him."

"I have no need to praise you (Tim) since our friendship and our lives together have been a mutual hosanna of praise in acceptance and affirmation of the principles we stood for and the values we espoused."

Odlum was critical of the Antiguan and Caribbean societies for not honouring a king in his own country.
"Today, as I contemplate your mortality, brother, I cannot suppress the insistent feeling that the people of Antigua, and to a lesser extent, the people of the Caribbean have thrown away a pearl richer than all their tribes," he said.

Andy Roberts, former West Indies fast bowler and coach praised Hector for his honesty and spoke of his guidance and support throughout the years.

His daughter Indira, his son Caryl and stepdaughter Kristy presented a family reflection. Avalyn Weekes and Sir McLean Emanuel, Rupert "Swallow" Philo and the Cathedral Youth Choir did musical tributes. His body was laid to rest at the public cemetery.