The spacious grounds and sanctuary of the Mount Fortune Seventh-day Adventist Church were crowded to capacity as people, from the rank and file of the Anguillian community, and abroad, congregated there on Wednesday, January 16, for a National Thanksgiving Service.
The ceremonial National Funeral was in honour of the late Nardine Lake, a member of the Petty and Lake Family of Pond Ground, East End. The national service commemorated the key role which she, along with other womenfolk,played in the 1967 Anguilla Revolution which gained the island its constitutional and political freedom from the former Associated State of St. Kitts-Nevis-Anguilla. That Revolution is the foundation for all of what Anguillians have achieved today and hope to accomplish in the future.
The ceremonial observance of Nardine Lake’s passing was approved by the Executive Council on January 10, 2013, the day after she died at the Princess Alexandra Hospital. She was the holder of an Anguilla Badge of Honour and a Queen’s Certificate for her role in the Revolution. The national recognition of her passing was the beginning of a Government’s decision to develop a policy to officially recognise Anguilla’s revolutionary heroes and heroines and other prominent Anguillians at the time of their death.
Flags flew at half-mast at public and private buildings on Tuesday and Wednesday. Later at the Thanksgiving Service, a Police Guard of Honour was drawn up outside the Church; and a contingent of officers bore the flag-draped casket in and out of the sanctuary. Pathfinders stood lined-up behind the rifle-carrying Police Officers and they all formed a picturesque corridor for the passage of the pall bearers. Spectators described it as a most impressive scene, and also spoke about the high level of handling of the arrangements of the national event by Two Sons Funeral Home.
The official representatives comprised His Excellency Governor Alistair Harrison; the Honourable Chief Minister, Hubert Hughes and his three Ministers Hon Edison Baird, Hon. Walcott Richardson, Hon Evan Gumbs; Hon Stanley Reid, Deputy Governor; Hon Barbara Webster-Bourne, Speaker of the House of Assembly; Hon Jerome Roberts, Adviser to the Chief Minister; Hon Parliamentary Secretary, Haydn Hughes; Hon OthlynVanterpool, Opposition Member in the House of Assembly; Permanent Secretaries; and Revolutionary Leader, Ronald Webster and Mrs Webster. Other leading persons in the public and private sectors were also among the large gathering.
The service commenced with SDA Senior Resident Minister, Pastor Virgil Sams, welcoming the officials and other persons, and deliveringthe opening remarks on the life and service of the Nardine Lake, a Church member for many years. He described her as “a great contributor to Church and Nation and one who was worthy of emulation.”
He continued: “We have come to remember her as a devoted child of God, a leader and a nation-builder. She served the Church in various capacities for many years as Elder, Sabbath School Superintendent, Family Life Director, Deaconess, Treasurer, Prayer Band Member and Prison Ministry and Community Services Representative. We thank God for her service as many lives have been touched and many lives have been enriched by her service…We have come as families, friends and brothers and sisters, from every part of Anguilla, and also from other parts of the world, for the Thanksgiving Service for a daughter and a servant of God…She was indeed a unique gift from God.”
Chief Minister, Hubert Hughes said: “We are here to pay our final respects to a lady who truly embodied the spirit of Anguilla; a wife and mother who cared endlessly for her family; a lady who gave her time and talentsunsparingly to her Church; a family developer whose generosity knew no bounds; a citizen whose [contribution] inspired social transformation…during the Anguilla Revolution.”
Mr. Hughes spoke about her devoted work in the Church and the Anguilla community and the dignified manner in which she lived and eventually handled her illness. He concluded that she was at peace with herself and God. He praised her for the contribution which she and other young people had made to Anguilla in 1967.
He said that it was the bravery that Nardine, and other freedom fighters had shown, in the face of overwhelming odds,that had made the island’s revolutionary story the success it has been for future generations. The Chief Minister, referring to the National Thanksgiving Service for her, added: “We could do no less than this.”
Former Chief Minister, Osbourne Fleming, and Nardine’s first cousin, said it was a day of rejoicing for him. He stated that the large turnout of persons, and the official arrangements for the Thanksgiving Service,had been a source of comfort to him and the families. He spoke in particular of the Police Guard of Honour and the service of the other Police Officers, and called for a round of applause for them.
He praised Nardine for her humility, service to Church and fellowmen and, above all, her commitment to Godly living and an example to others.
The eulogy was delivered by her son Phil Lake who resides in the United States. He spoke of his mother’s caring love for her family and the many persons she had taken into her home and nurtured. He said she had laida foundation, through the Revolution, for a free and prosperous Anguilla. He also spoke about her battle with illness and her indomitable spirit and faith with which she fought back. “If there is one thing that I can say about my mother, it is that she was a true Christian, a true believer who kept the faith,” he added.
The homily was delivered by Nardine’s son-in-law, Pastor Johnson Frederick, President of the St. Lucia SDA Mission where his wife, Pauline, serves in the Church’s education system. He based his presentation on the Biblical philanthropist, Tabitha(translated Dorcas), a Godly woman who cared for others, and to whom he comparedNardine.
“We compare Nardine as one who was both gracious and swift to do good,” Pastor Frederick stated. “She did not hesitate to sacrifice her time, her resources and her abilities for the good of humanity.”
Others who participated in the service were Pastor Alexander Biscette of the SDA Caribbean Union, and Pastor Sylvester Williams of the Anguilla SDA Church, both of whom delivered tributes and prayers; Magistrate Keithly Benjamin, Nardine’s brother, and Chanelle Petty Barrett, her niece, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education, both of whom presented the Scripture Readings; Priscilla and Amelia VanterpoolKubisch who sang a duet; young soloistsCycareWattley and Caledah Hull; and the Choir of the Mount Fortune Church.
The Thanksgiving Service climaxed with the interment at the Sandy Hill Cemetery, a gun salute by a contingent from the Royal Anguilla Police Force and the playing of the British National Anthem and the Anguilla National Song by the Police Community Band.
Sister Nardine’s immediate family comprises her ailing husband, Claudius Lake; children: Paul Petty, Pauline Frederick, Phil Lake and Taffi Hodge; brothers: Colville Petty and Keithly Lake; one sister: Patricia Wattley; a step sister Lilian Yearwood; son-in-law Pastor Johnson Frederick; daughter-in-law Patty Lake; sisters-in-law Sylvene Petty, Aliena Richardson and Alether Barnes; and brothers-in-law Vivien Vanterpool, Anthony Lake and Thomas Vanterpool; a number of grandchildren, nieces and nephews, other relatives, special children and close friends.
To them, The Anguillian offers its profound condolences.
