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It was all about music, poems, tributes and positive words, when hundreds of people gathered at the Noel Lloyd Positive Action Movement Park on Monday to take part in a ceremony in honour of the territory’s first chief minister, Hamilton Lavity Stoutt.
The H. Lavity Stoutt Commemorative Choir serenaded the gathering in between tributes and speeches about the late leader. Premier Ralph O’Neal stressed the need for local heroes to be remembered for their contributions. “We must learn to appreciate our heroes,” Mr. O’Neal said. “We have to learn to admire our heroes. If there was ever a hero, you have to hear that Mr. Stoutt was a hero.” Mr. Stoutt, born on Mar. 7, 1929, became the first chief minister in 1967, after Constitutional changes created the current ministerial system of government. He would serve in that capacity for four terms before he died in 1995, three months after being sworn in for his third term. During a political career that started in 1957, Mr. Stoutt also served in several other positions in government and as leader of the opposition. “Mr. Speaker, this territory has and continues to benefit from the sweat of the labour of Hamilton Lavity Stoutt,” Education and Culture Minister Andrew Fahie said Friday in the House of Assembly.
The full article appears in the March 4, 2010 issue.
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