Former GG was a good man – the people

IF EVERYONE present at Sir Frederick Ballantyne’s state funeral on Wednesday could agree on one thing, it would be that the former Governor General was undoubtedly a good man.

The funeral service, held at the Kingstown Methodist Church, heard an outpouring of tributes from various organisations, family members and Prime Minister, Dr Ralph Gonsalves.

With the church packed to capacity, persons found seats under tents at the back of the church to watch the proceedings via a screen, while others peeped through the railings to observe on bigger screens that were mounted at the back and front of the building.

Eudene Smith (left) and Gailene Simmons

“There is nothing too good to say about him, he’s the best. There is nobody to compare to him. Gentleman in every way, just perfect. Nothing too good to give to you, nothing too good to say to you, all time have some good thing to say to you,” builder, Reynold Gibson told SEARCHLIGHT as he stood outside at the beginning of the funeral.

Gibson said he knew the late Governor General from working with him in the past. And he lauded Sir Frederick for being a man of class and one of the best men he has ever worked with in his entire life.

The builder said that he couldn’t bear to visit Ballantyne when he found out that he was sick, but when he heard that the former Governor General had died, he sent his workers home so that they would have the opportunity to go and pay their respects at the funeral.

Sir Frederick grew up in Layou, and, Gakilene Simmons and Eugene Smith, two residents from that Central Leeward town, were among those present at the former governor general’s funeral on Wednesday.

Simmons told SEARCHLIGHT that she became familiar with Sir Frederick through his family and he had also adopted the Layou Government School.

She said that he was also one of the persons who was instrumental in helping her daughter to get a scholarship for school.

“He was a good man to me…I miss him, I miss him a lot…” the Layou woman said.

Like Simmons, Smith knew Sir Frederick because of his roots in their community.

She said she was saddened by his passing “but then is a road we all have to take when the time comes… he was a nice person in the community”.

Ansil Commissiong, who works at the Liberty Lodge Boys’ Training Centre echoed similar sentiments, saying that “good people don’t last long”.

Commissiong told SEARCHLIGHT that Sir Frederick worked along with the boys in the past and would even send funds to help some of them.

Based on his previous encounters with the late former Governor General, Commissiong considered him to be a down-to-earth person who would never think that someone was too insignificant to have a conversation with them.

Ansil Commissiong

“He was alright in my books. We all have to pass one day, but its sad that he had to leave now because based on what I checked, good people don’t last long…” he said.

Frederick “Boydie” Dyer also had similar things to say of Sir Frederick.

Dyer, who was gripping the railing to get a glimpse from one of the mounted screens, said that he encountered the late Governor General when he (Dyer) worked as a bartender at a tennis club where Ballantyne was a member.

“I feel it. I know him and he never used to pass me nowhere…is somebody I know, realing up with and sometimes when they finish play tennis, they would sit and talk,” he said.

Dyer said that the would rate Sir Frederick as one of the best Governors General this country has ever had.

Sir Frederick’s impact on Vincentians is seemingly so great, that several persons who had never met the man, also donned their dark colours and went to the church and cemetery to pay their final respects.

One man, who chose not to give his name, said he did not know the Sir Frederick personally, but he felt compelled to come and pay his respects to a man who he knew as the head of state.