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televisionIt was with deep sadness that I learned today of the death of my good friend and former Cabinet and Parliamentary colleague Rudolph “Kappi” Greenidge.
Cappy was truly a gentle giant – a man who respected his friends and foes, who never raised his voice in anger and never let a curse word escape his lips. He was the epitome of the traditional Barbadian countryman and the consummate “Filipino” who was born in Maryville, raised in Maryville and, as fate would have it, died a resident of Maryville.
Those of us who had the privilege of working with him as Cabinet Minister and Member of Parliament knew that Cappy was a gentleman and he expected your words and actions to reflect that when we were in his presence.
It was clear to me early on, as councillor for St Philip North from 1994 to 2003, that his behaviour was the product of both his upbringing and the teaching profession in which he began his career.
He taught at Princess Margaret School, St Leonard’s Boys’ School and St George’s School, as well as in the Turks and Caicos and Cayman Islands before moving to Jamaica in 1983 to teach at the Norman Manley Law School.
When I said above that Cappy represented the outstanding values of a rural Barbadian, there was one overarching fact that stuck with me. He respected and obeyed his parents. I heard that his mother, Elma Clarke – affectionately known in the area as “Nana” – constantly stressed to him that he should never let the law or politics change him.
That was exactly how he lived his life – a gentleman from beginning to end. From Minister of Labour to Minister of Education, Youth Affairs and Sports and later as Deputy President of the Senate, Kapi was never tainted by grudges or anything of the sort.
Furthermore, whether he was a proud cricketer for St Catherine’s or sitting in the club’s chairman’s chair, his actions reflected his mother’s admonition that he should never be defined by the law or politics.
He was awarded the Order of the Republic in 2021, one of the first recipients, and he deserves it, for his outstanding contributions to education at home and abroad, as well as his dedicated and exemplary service over the years to sports, civic and public life, and national development.
I am honoured to stand with Rudolph “Cappy” Greenidge and on behalf of the Government and people of Barbados, express my sincere condolences to his brothers Carlisle and Henderson, sisters Eleanor and Cecil, his children Nadia and Clive and the rest of his family. He leaves behind a record of which you all can be proud.
In order to preserve his status as a former Member of Parliament, we will announce the date of his funeral after consulting with his family.
May his soul rest in peace.
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