“The Father of the Nation” Immortalized

Battlefield Park now has a new feature that will be very hard to miss. It’s a sixteen-foot bronze statue of the Right Honorable George Cadle Price, in downtown Belize City. It is the tallest full-body statue ever erected in the country. The figure was unveiled on the eve of National Service Day.  It is celebrated in remembrance of the death of the Father of the Nation thirteen years ago. A wreath laying ceremony is held annually in his honor. News Five’s Paul Lopez attended the statue unveiling, as well as the wreath laying ceremony. He filed the following report.

 

Paul Lopez, Reporting

At sixteen feet, seven inches, it is the tallest full-body bronze statue ever erected in Belize. The statue of Right Honorable George Cadle Price, the Father of the Nation, was unveiled on Wednesday night inside Battlefield Park, immortalizing the country’s first premier.

 

Henry Charles Usher, Grandnephew of George Price

“I think the most important aspect of it is that the legacy, the memory, what George Price left us, lives on. And, I think that is why as a family we are always excited by these types of events.”

 

 

 

 

Allan Pollard, Deputy Mayor, Belize City

“Today is no doubt, one that will immortalize, in my personal book, as I get to enjoy the privilege of standing before this statue that is but a small scale of the giant of a man that it honors. I did not get to enjoy the luxury of walking the boulevard, the picado roads and trekking the trails with him, but still I always am fascinated by stories of his diplomatic feats.”

 

 

The sculpture was commissioned by Minister of Tourism Anthony Mahler and formed by Stephen Okeke. It depicts Price in his famous guayabera, with a copy of the Belize Times in his left hand while his right hand is raised high, a symbol of his friendly wave.

 

Alice Castillo, Niece of George Price

“Uncle George worked and served by example. His attendance at daily mass at the cathedral spoke to us about his devotion to and love for our creator and encourages us to do the same, to recognize primo dios, that God should come first in our lives. His picking up of litter and disposing of it properly as he walked to work in Belmopan was a lesson for all of us to do the same. To realize, that if the leader of the country was not too big to do such a trivial task then everyone of us should love our country and care for the environment as he did.”

 

Price passed away at ninety-two years old, on September nineteenth, 2011. The plaque at the base of the statue reads, quote, “He led a life of service to this nation and its people as our Father of the Nation. His Legacy continue to inspire as we strive for progress and unity”, end quote. September nineteenth is now observed across the country as National Service Day. On this day, an official wreath laying ceremony is held at his tomb inside the Lord Ridge Cemetery.

 

 

 

Francis Fonesca, Chairman, National Celebration Commission

“We come together each year to celebrate National Service Day in honor of the Fathe of our Nation, our Great Leader the Right Honorable George Price. And, it is both right and proper that we on this day, reflect on the great legacy of George Price, the great life of service of George Price.”

 

 

 

 

Today’s wreath laying ceremony saw the attendance of Dame Froyla Tzalam, the Governor General of Belize, government officials, the Leader of the Opposition Moses “Shyne” Barrow, and members of the Price family. Primary school students from several Belize City schools were also on hand to witness the ceremony. Saint Catherine Academy students recited excerpts from his speeches.

 

 

 

SCA Student

“State of the nation, 1980. We are a people and we can do more when we are united, because in union are the strength to arise, unite and build. We ask the continued support of the Belizean people and we asked the help of the almighty and eternal god who in the book of Genesis, Chapter eleven verse six said, behold they are one people and they have one language and this is the beginning of that they are bound to do and nothing will be impossible for them to do.”

 

 

 

The Belize Defense Force Band played several of George Price’s favorite hymns during the ceremony as those in attendance reflected on his life and legacy. A statue in his honor and a gathering to remember his service to the nation.  Reporting for News Five, I am Paul Lopez.