Sunday, May 01, 2016
JUNCTION, St Elizabeth —There were tears and countless sad faces as residents of Junction and its environs turned up in large numbers on Friday for the official viewing of late legendary People’s National Party (PNP) parliamentarian Derrick Rochester.
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| A portrait of Derrick Rochester |
An official funeral service is scheduled for 11:00am today at the Munro College Auditorium in Potsdam, St Elizabeth.
Rochester , who also served as president of the National Workers Union (NWU), represented St Elizabeth South Eastern between 1972 and 1980, and from 1989 to 2002, when he retired from active politics.
Between 10:00am to 2:00pm on Friday, a steady stream of mourners visited the HEART-run skills-training institute at the centre of Junction to view the body of their fallen hero. The skills-training facility, listed among Rochester’s gifts to Junction, is named in his honour. Many mourners stayed back after filing past his body to reminisce on Rochester ’s contribution.
As a political representative, the late Member of Parliament, fondly referred to as ‘Daddy D’, is credited with a pivotal role in infrastructual development in St Elizabeth South Eastern and more especially in Junction and its environs.
There were also anecdotes on Rochester ’s personal interactions with people.
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| The ceremonial closing of the viewing exerciseGregory Bennett |
In the bar next door to the skills-training centre, Kingsley Ronald Whiteley recalled that as Rochester launched a succession of community projects in the 1970s, he and others were motivated to volunteer their services to ensure success.
By his representation, leadership and ability to motivate, Rochester had “built” St Elizabeth South Eastern, said Whiteley.
At a personal level, Whiteley told how Rochester helped him to gain his very first job during the construction of the bauxite/alumina Alpart plant at Nain in 1968. more
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