Fellow Barbadians, a great light has gone out of our lives, but we are not in darkness, for the light that radiated from our late Prime Minister, the Honourable David John Howard Thompson, QC, MP was no ordinary light.
He was a man of great love. He had great love for the sons and daughters of these fields and hills we call our very own, all of them.
Whether it was his fellow parliamentarians, party colleagues, constituents, everyday Barbadians or the “fellas” on the block, he made time for all and greeted you with the warmest and most sincere of smiles; to everyone he simply wanted to just be “David”.
But ultimately, he was a family man who held his wife, daughters and wider family as the most cherished aspect of his life. His was an example for us all.
He was a man of great faith. Despite the valiant effort to battle his illness, he learnt to put his trust in the Lord and offer a song of praise to our God.
He understood that faith is not proved by the absence of suffering or tragedy but to the contrary, realising that even when we find ourselves walking in the valley of the shadows that nothing will separate us from the love of God.
It is in this sense, and in this sense alone, all things work together for good, for the ultimate good, the eternal love and the Kingdom of God.
He was a man of great hope. He had hopes and dreams for Barbados. He firmly believed that size was not a deterrent to our greatness, and sought to provide a vision for us as a people and nation than was limited only by what we willing to believe of ourselves. We need to commit individually and collectively, as sons and daughters of Creation and this soil, to realising these aspirations and by so doing, let his light continue to shine.
Knowing of Prime Minister Thompson’s tremendous concern with healthcare in Barbados, we at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital will honour his memory by our commitment to regain pride of place as a health care facility.
To his wife Mara, his daughters Misha, Oya and Osa-Marie, his mother Margaret, his father Charles, his wider family, and the Government and People of Barbados, please know that the Board of Management, executives and staff of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital share your sorrow and offer our most sincere condolences.
Barbados has lost a great son and the world, a most distinguished statesman.
May he rest in peace and rise in glory.
