Last journey

Crowds gather to witness Sir Lloyd’s funeral procession  By Michron Robinson Overcast skies reflected the general mood across the nation as crowds gathered across the country to watch the funeral procession of former Prime Minister Sir Loyd Erskine Sandiford. From late Friday morning, a crowd gathered to see the casket depart from the Paramount Funeral Home, Hindsbury Road, St Michael for its journey to St Peter. Democratic Labour Party (DLP) supporter Georgina Blenman who came out in mourning colours said she had to pay her final respects. “I was one of the long-time members of the [DLP] and Mr Sandiford did a good job; he worked hard and this is his time now to rest,” she said looking towards the funeral home. Describing Sir Lloyd as a good leader who was ahead of his time, Blenman added: “He put up a good fight and now is his time to rest. He lived to a good age and now it’s his time to rest.” Sisly Alleyne agreed that Sir Lloyd “was a good leader who always did his work” and said it was important for her to witness the procession. St Lucian-born Dorothy Bernard said she will always remember Sir Lloyd helping working-class Barbadians and rallying around other Caribbean nationals in their plight. A Barbados TODAY team also visited several satellite sites at which Barbadians gathered to watch the funeral, including National Heroes Square where a large projector live-streamed the activity; the George Street Auditorium, the headquarters of the DLP, and the Graydon Sealy Secondary School. Attending the live streaming which began at 1:30 p.m. in the Liberal Arts Auditorium of the Barbados Community College (BCC), Reverend Dr Patrick Tannis said Sir Lloyd “led an incredible life of giving back”. “We are grateful to have had him. We are sad that he’s gone but we know he’s in a better place,” he said, hailing the late leader as a true hero for his time. “He had some very difficult decisions to make that he inherited from previous leaders. The way he went about it was unique, his style was unique but in the end, we saw that it was effective,” he said referring to some of the difficulties Sir Lloyd faced when the country went to the International Monetary Fund and he cut public sector salaries by eight per cent, triggering a no-confidence motion which he lost. Senior staff member at BCC Dr Jean Butcher-Lashley said Sir Lloyd will be remembered for his lasting legacy and contributions to education. “Sir Lloyd led a distinguished legacy here for us at the BCC which was established because of him, so it’s a sad day for us but one that we also celebrate as it’s a legacy that he left with us in terms of the vision for education for masses of Barbadians who would not be able to have the opportunity to be educated at this level,” said the head of the Quality Assurance and Enhancement Unit. She said she was personally inspired by the ability of Sir Lloyd to rise above the challenges of the day. “When I did my research and realised what he did and accomplished against the odds, against the criticism, I was inspired. That is something that I took with me here at the college and it has been a wonderful journey for me in seeing our students develop and flourish…. It has been a privilege here for me and looking on at the legacy that he left,” Dr Butcher-Lashley said. When Barbados TODAY visited the DLP headquarters, a respectable crowd had gathered, dressed in mourning colours, eyes glued to the screen. Former DLP candidate Ricardo Harrison who joined them spoke to Barbados TODAY on the sidelines, and spoke about Sir Lloyd as a true “statesman”. Others who requested anonymity expressed similar sentiments. (MR)]]>