No books have been written about his life and work. But the Anguilla House of Assembly will be a good information resource for any researcher or historian wishing to write about the late former Chief Minister, Mr. Hubert Benjamin Hughes.
It was a most formal and respectful sitting of the Parliament on Wednesday, June 16, 2021, for present and past members of the House. They all came together to pay tribute in person and, to some extent, in writing, to the late colourful and shrewd politician, with upwards of five decades of political involvement in Anguilla.
Their tributes, in which they spoke or wrote about the man they knew so well, capturing in much detail his varying personal and public leadership styles, now form part of the official archives of the House.
Not far down on the list of tributes, the three-times former Chief Minister’s son, Mr. Haydn Hughes, Member for Road South and Minister of Infrastructure and Tourism, gave his own assessment of his father and mentor. He declared: “If Ronald Webster was the Father of the Nation, then Hubert Benjamin Hughes was the Godfather”. He was obviously speaking about his dad’s long and protective leadership role in Anguilla and love for its people. As an aside, asserting his own influence and love for speaking, he humorously promised to beat the three-day record his father spoke for in the House of Assembly.
The tributes were delivered while Mr. Hughes’ body was lying in state in a closed casket, covered by the Official Flag of Anguilla. The casket was taken to the House of Assembly’s Chambers by Two Sons Funeral Home. It was borne there by a contingent from the Royal Anguilla Police Force and was accompanied inside by the Speaker, Mrs. Barbara Webster-Bourne, and the Sergeant-at-Arms, Mr. Carl Ruan.
The sitting of the House commenced with prayers by the Chaplain, Pastor Victor Brooks, and Scripture reading by the Deputy Speaker and Ministerial Assistant in the Ministry of Social Development and Education, Mr. Merrick Richardson. Following that, the Speaker set the tone for the tributes, giving her own compliments to the deceased Chief Minister, before inviting the present and past members of the House to speak.
Those listed on the first page of the programme to deliver tributes were: Island-wide Elected Member, Mr. Kenneth Hodge; Member for Valley North, Mr. Evans Mac Niel Rogers; Member for West End, Mr. Cardigan Connor; Member for Valley South, Ms. Dee-Ann Kentish-Rogers; Island-wide Elected Members: Mr. Jose Vanterpool; Mr. Kyle Hodge; and Mrs. Quincia Gumbs-Marie; Attorney General, Mr. Dwight Horsford; Member for Road North, Mr. Merrick Richardson; Deputy Governor, Mr. Perin Bradley; Member for Road South, Mr. Haydn Hughes; Member for Sandy Hill, Mrs. Cora Richardson-Hodge; and Member for Island Harbour, Premier Dr. Ellis Lorenzo Webster.
The former Members of the House, listed on the second page of the programme, who were also given an opportunity to speak were: Mr.Claudel Romney; Mr. Othlyn Vanterpool; Mr. Clive Smith; former Attorney Generals, Mr. Ronald Scipio and Mr Wilhelm Bourne (both of whom sent written tributes; Mr. Kenneth Harrigan; former Deputy Governor, Mark Capes (written tribute); former Premier, Mr. Victor Banks; Mr. Jerome Roberts and Mr. Samuel Connor (written tributes); Mr. Edison Baird; and Mr. Walcott Richardson (recorded tribute). Two others on the Former Members’ list, Rev. John A. Gumbs and Mrs. Keesha Carty, apologised for their absence.
In addition, there were two written messages of condolence from the Parliaments of the Overseas Territories of the Cayman Islands and Montserrat.
During the tributes there were performances by the Music Department of the Albena Lake-Hodge Comprehensive School.
As part of the official ceremony for the departed Government leader, it was arranged for his body to lie in state in the House of Assembly Chambers from Wednesday to Friday morning, followed by the Official Funeral at the Pro-Cathedral of St. Mary – and interment in the Bethel Methodist Churchyard Cemetery.
