IT was a black tie affair and the ladies matched their attire to the sartorial elegance of the men folk, making it the type of event around which paparazzi would gather at the red carpet.
But the grandness of the affair well befitted the celebrant whose lifetime of exemplary service to his family, his church, his community and his country made him stand out as a role model that was worthy of emulation. This extraordinary level of service had earned him the award of Medal of Honour from this Federation in 2012 - the National Medal of Honour, the highest honour that a National can receive.
In the glossy magazine published to celebrate the life of this national, glowing tributes were paid by the highest officials in both St. Kitts Nevis and Canada where he resided for about two decades, and equally glowing tributes came from his childhood friends and his children.
The Prime Minister of St. Kitts and Nevis Dr. the Hon. Timothy Harris wrote this – “Eustace is one of those rare individuals consumed by a desire to see and build the good in human kind. To read his resume makes all of us proud of the example set by this committed son of St. Kitts and Nevis in business, community and national development.”
If one read the numerous tributes summarising his life in his commemorative magazine, one could easily conclude, as Shakespeare did in Julius Caesar and say... “His life was gentle; and the elements so mixed in him, that Nature might stand up and say to all the world, THIS WAS A MAN!”
Friends and family who had flown in to St. Kitts to be with Eustace at this significant milestone in his life, participated in a week of celebratory activities which began with a church service of Thanksgiving and culminated in the very classy banquet which took place at the Marriott Resort on Friday July 3, 2015.
The banquet was held under the distinguished patronage of The Hon. Sir Hugh Rawlins (former Chief Justice of the OECS Supreme Court) and Lady Rawlins. It was graced by the presence of the Acting Governor General, S.W. Tapley Seaton Q.C.,C.V.O., and the former Governor General Sir Cuthbert Sebastian G.C.M.G.; Former Deputy Prime Minister, Sam Condor spoke as a long time friend of the celebrant while Minister Ian ‘Patches’ Liburd deputised for the present Prime Minister who was away on CARICOM business.
Guiding the programme along, as MC’s, were George McDonald Warner, brother of Eustace, and Mr. Schneidman Warner, his cousin. They admirably introduced the long list of speakers until it came to the featured Speaker, Sir Hugh Rawlins, who was introduced by Mr. Hugh Heyliger, a former Minister of Government and who is now a lecturer at CFB College.
The speakers dealt with varied aspects of his life and the relationships they could recall, e.g. his boyhood years, his life in Canada, reflections on his returning home, his service to the Boys’ Brigade, the Defence Force Band, in which he served as Drum Major, his contribution to the Rotary Club, to Carnival, to the Hope Chapel and his outreach to the community through the Feeding Scheme and mentorship of gang members.
But his most consistent and dedicated contribution was to the Endeavour Dance Club, which he founded and still serves as its Ballroom Dance Tutor. The Club celebrates its 50th year of existence this year.
Entertainment was also of high standard. Stirring instrumental music by Winston Bailey and friends, drumming by family member Rhoyd Phipps, a wonderful solo (How can I say thanks) by Mrs. Jacqueline Rawlins, and a ballroom dance item by the Endeavour Dance Club, the Club he founded some 50 years ago.
Half way through the speeches, remarks were made by Dr. Burnell Nisbett, who in his inimitable style, had patrons almost falling off their seats in laughter. This augured well for their digestion after the very tasty banquet that had just been provided by the Marriott Resort.
During his sincere response, in which he tried to thank all those who had contributed to his life and his celebration of it, Celebrant Eustace Warner, mused that people often asked him where he got his energy from and how was it possible for him to continue so energetically for 75 years.
“To them I can only say this,” he said, – “that if you have a love and passion for anything, it energises you rather than drains your energy...so I can say in all sincerity that I get my energy from the deep passion and love I have for anything I do. I hope you will be so blessed.”
He thanked his family, his friends and his community for contributing to his success and said that he looked forward to continually serving and making his contribution. He hoped that all would be motivated to help others especially our young people.
