Comrades, brothers and sisters….
A profound silence falls over our nation as we bid farewell to one of the last great pillars of our modern history.
On behalf of Prime Minister, Gaston Browne, the leadership, membership and the countless generations who have walked the path he helped to pave, the Antigua and Barbuda Labour Party extends our deepest condolences on the passing of Comrade Rufus Adolphus Lewis, OM.
Comrade Lewis was not just a man; he was a living chronicle of our 20th-century struggle, a tireless builder and the last of the heroic ’39ers; those foundation stones upon which our nation’s development continues to be built.
His journey, beginning when he joined the Antigua Trades and Labour Union (AT&LU) at the age of 15 in 1939, became inextricably linked with our Party’s own genesis.
The Party and the Union share a common root and Comrade Lewis was an essential part of that taproot. His principled and fierce advocacy for workers’ rights, “regardless of which government was in office” stood as a powerful testament to the movement’s integrity and independence, especially during the formative years of the ABLP itself.
His life’s work demonstrates that true Labour values are constant, serving as the nation’s conscience and its reliably steady hand of progress.
Beyond the union halls and political meetings, Comrade Lewis was a master builder in the most literal sense
. As a carpenter and supervisor with the Ministry of Works, his hands and his oversight shaped the very infrastructure of our nation.
He was responsible for constructing schools that educated generations, from Old Road to Parham and police stations that served and protected our communities.
For years, even after formal retirement, he served as the dedicated caretaker of the Swetes Government School (now the Irene B. Williams School), ensuring its doors remained open and its classrooms safe. His legacy is quite literally built into the foundations of Antigua and Barbuda.
I write this tribute not only as the Chairman of the Party but as someone who was privileged to know the man behind the legacy.
I benefited from his wise counsel, witnessed firsthand the firm and loving leadership he exercised over his household and shared the classroom, cricket and football fields with his sons, Foster, Edward, Enoch, Ira, and Alvin.
Today, on his passing, we salute you all. To his other children, Rev. Algernon, GlenysJoy, Rowan, Hezekiah and Steadroy, and to his beloved wife of 57 years, Hildred Jerome Lewis and the entire family: we thank you for sharing your father, your husband, your patriarch with our nation. The love of cricket, his Family and Party for which he was known will forever be a part of his story.
In 2009, the nation rightly bestowed upon him The Order of Merit (OM) for his exceptional service. As the Governor General aptly stated, “Rufus Lewis was a builder in the truest sense of the word. He built roads and schools, institutions and movements, families and communities… We have lost a giant”.
As the sun sets on the life of our dear Comrade, the Antigua and Barbuda Labour Party pledges to honour his memory by upholding the principles he championed: solidarity, integrity, service and an unwavering commitment to the dignity of every Antiguan and Barbudan.
May his soul find Eternal Rest and may his memories live on, inspiring us forever. On that day of eternal crowning, we pray that his lifelong labour of love and his monumental contribution to the development of our people and country be justly rewarded.
Solidarity Forever.
Hon. E. P Chet Greene
Chairman
Antigua and Barbuda Labour Party
