Friday, November 9, 2018, is the planned date for a National Funeral for the late Honourable Speaker of the Anguilla House of Assembly, Mr. Leroy Clifford Rogers, an Anguillian patriot and parliamentary veteran.
Mr. Rogers served as Speaker of the House for almost two-and-a-half decades. He passed from this life at the age of 66 on Sunday, October 29, at the Princess Alexandra Hospital after a-year-and-a-half of illness and treatment locally and abroad.
Flags have been flown at half-mast in Anguilla from Monday, October 29 to Wednesday, October 31, as a mark of respect to the late Speaker; and officials from the Governor’s Office, the Government of Anguilla and family members have been meeting to plan the upcoming Official Funeral. Flags will again fly at half-mast on the preceding day, November 8, and the day of the funeral, November 9.
Mr. Rogers’ body will lie in state in the House of Assembly Chambers and will leave there at 12 noon on Friday, November 9, as stated above, for the Official Funeral at the Mount Fortune Seventh-day Adventist Church where he had been a long-standing member.
Tributes have been pouring in from all and sundry portraying Mr. Rogers as an Anguillian patriot and generally a man held in high esteem. A number of those tributes are published in this week’s edition of The Anguillian newspaper.
In one of the first tributes, Chief Minister, Mr. Victor Banks, in reviewing Mr. Rogers’ public and private life, described him as “a ‘gentle giant’ because of his quiet demeanor which disguised the persona of a man of tremendous strength, courage and determination.”
Leader of the Opposition in the House of Assembly, Ms. Palmavon Webster, said: “His contribution as Speaker will not be forgotten, and it is my hope that his journey will inspire others to serve this country in the best way they know how.”
Mr. David Carty, a former highly-regarded Speaker of the House of Assembly, wrote in a statement of condolence: “Mr. Rogers played a pivotal role in the history of our nascent parliamentary system following on from the late Hon. Atlin Harrigan. He stood for principles of parliamentary practice, especially on two occasions which have earned him a place in our legislative and legal history. He contributed substantially to the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association by serving on its executive board for some years.”
In fact, it was during a visit to Australia that Mr. Rogers took ill after arriving there to attend a meeting of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association. Unfortunately, he never recovered from that illness thus passing away eighteen months later in the service of his country.
In earlier years, after his schooling in Anguilla, he furthered his studies in St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands, and in Canada where he resided and worked for a number of years. He eventually returned home to Anguilla. In the years that followed, he established “Rogers’ Photography” in the footsteps of his father, the late Clifford Rogers, whom he also later followed in the soda beverage manufacturing business. He eventually attempted his own soda factory, labeling it as his “pet project”. That building now accommodates the W.I.S.E. (Workshop Initiative for Support in Education), a satellite campus of the Albena Lake-Hodge Comprehensive School. He also became involved in his mother’s family business, Mary’s Bakery, the oldest and most popular bakery in Anguilla.
The late Mr. Rogers, referred to as “a jack of all trades”, by Chief Minister Banks, later entered the political area. He unsuccessfully vied for district elective office. Instead, he served as a Second Nominated Member of the Anguilla House of Assembly from 2010-2015. His longest service in public life was as Speaker of the House from 1994-2005 and again from 2015 to 2018 – up to the time of his passing.
There will be a Special Sitting of the House of Assembly on Wednesday, November 7, followed by viewing of the body by the general public from 1-6 pm and on Thursday, November 8, from 7:30 am to 6:00 pm.
The casket will leave the House of Assembly on Friday, November 9, for the Mount Fortune Seventh-day Adventist Church. Family and official tributes will begin at 10 o’clock followed by the National Service at 12 noon.
