I was humbled by the experience to pay my final respect to a man of such stature and esteem. The accounts of his life again brought to the fore, the common and intertwined history shared by Anguilla, St. Maarten and St. Martin. A history that I am proud to be a product of. It brought back memories of how the Anguilla diaspora experienced the revolution and the subsequent developments on Anguilla. The late J. Ronald Webster and many of his contemporaries , including my deceased mother, had to leave their land of birth at an early age to seek a livelihood abroad. For many, St. Maarten offered that opportunity and the Anguillians in turn contributed to St. Maarten/St. Martin’s development. I recall how my mother and fellow Windward Islanders shared the news about the developments on Anguilla and what they called its liberation in 1967. I knew of Ronald Webster, long before I came to know him. As a young girl on Aruba, I fantasized what those days on Anguilla must have been like from the accounts reaching us. I was in admiration of the heroes and heroines of the time, especially the women folks. The reverence by the government and people of Anguilla during this period of mourning the passing of James Ronald Webster is testimony to the indelible legacy left behind by this great statesman, the Father of the Anguilla Nation.
On behalf of the Democratic Party of St. Maarten, my family and myself, I extend our profound condolences to the government and people of Anguilla.
Rest In Peace, Honorable James Ronald Webster.