{"id":135964,"date":"2021-08-27T07:56:52","date_gmt":"2021-08-27T11:56:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/?p=135964"},"modified":"2021-08-27T10:38:58","modified_gmt":"2021-08-27T14:38:58","slug":"sir-lester-bird-laid-to-rest","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/sir-lester-bird-laid-to-rest\/","title":{"rendered":"Sir Lester Bird laid to rest"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Antigua and Barbuda\u2019s late former Prime Minister Sir Lester Bryant Bird was laid to rest on Thursday after a state funeral at which he was remembered as a selfless man who gave his all to his country and his family.<\/p>

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Following a procession, a funeral service was held at the Sir Vivian Richards Cricket Stadium on a day declared a national holiday. Sir Lester, a national hero, died on August 9 at the age of 83.<\/p>\n

Several tributes were delivered at the funeral service, through messages, musical presentations and song, from political and other organisations and family members.<\/p>

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\u201cMy father was a man who gave. He was ingenious, and gave much to his work, to his country, to his friends and to his family. That is why, as we gather here to say goodbye to him, I would like not to speak in mourning of his death but to speak in celebration of his life,\u201d she said. \u201cHere was a life destined to demand notice, a life that exemplified brilliance\u2026a life that inspired emulation, a life that burned bright so that the paths of others were illuminated along the way.\u201d<\/p>

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One of Sir Lester\u2019s daughters, Donyelle Bird-Browne, delivering the eulogy, reflected on his personal life and his contribution to the country he led from 1994 to 2004, succeeding his father, Sir Vere Cornwall Bird.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy father was a strategic thinker, a visionary who was brilliant, innovative and creative. As such, he contributed much to the development of this nation through his work and subsequent leadership of the Antigua Labour Party.<\/p>

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\u201cHe always led with humility and service. It was always about the people,\u201d she said, adding that the late leader had \u201cempowered a nation to catch his vision and to live their dream\u201d.<\/p>\n

While tributes to Sir Lester since his death have focused on his accolades and accomplishments in public life, Bird-Browne, who described her father as \u201cher rock\u201d when she was growing up, spoke about his family life.<\/p>

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Antigua and Barbuda\u2019s late former Prime Minister Sir Lester Bryant Bird was laid to rest on Thursday after a state funeral at which he was remembered as a selfless man who gave his all to his country and his family. Following a procession, a funeral service was held at the Sir Vivian Richards Cricket Stadium […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":135965,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-135964","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nSir Lester Bird laid to rest - Antigua News Room<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/sir-lester-bird-laid-to-rest\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Sir Lester Bird laid to rest\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Antigua and Barbuda\u2019s late former Prime Minister Sir Lester Bryant Bird was laid to rest on Thursday after a state funeral at which he was remembered as a selfless man who gave his all to his country and his family. 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