By RICARDO WELLS
Tribune Staff Reporter
rwells@tribunemedia.net
SCORES of civic dignitaries on Friday joined the family, friends and religious counterparts of the late Rev Dr Hervis Bain to bid a final farewell to the national icon best recognised as the creator of the national flag and coat of arms.
Hundreds packed the pews of the St John’s Native Baptist Church, of which Rev Dr Bain formerly served as pastor, for the state-recognised funeral.
At the time of his death the 73-year-old national icon had established himself as fixture in the areas of education, religion, public service and culture through Junkanoo.
Governor General Dame Margaret Pindling, Prime Minister Perry Christie and Opposition Leader Dr Hubert Minnis were among those in attendance.
Mr Christie labelled ‘HB Steeps’, by which he referred to his childhood friend, an efficient teacher, a religious pillar, a cultural staple and a family man of the highest order.
According to Mr Christie, Dr Bain was a Toote Shop Corner descendent who refused to allow his humble beginnings to determine the route he took to unprecedented success.
Mr Christie credited Dr Bain’s greatest success as the creation of a number of the Bahamas’ national symbols, which started as one man’s quest to unite Bahamians divided by geographic make-up through common qualities.
“In his civic life he would play a role as God would have it - in creating symbols. In an island nation symbols are used to remind each and every one of us, no matter what our religion is, no matter what our colour is; that as long as we belong to this country the symbols are supposed to symbolise that unity, that connectivity,” Mr Christie said.
“He was supposed to draw something and create something from the advice given and the mandate that would create a picture for everyone to see; and therefore, the symbol in all its meaning and all its beauty and inference and impact, is that unifying symbol that connects me to the person in Inagua and Bimini.”
Mr Christie also used the moment to signal the importance of installing great Bahamians in the right context of history.
He explained that as time progresses, the stories of great men like Dr Bain will fade as the orators of their stories pass away. He underscored the need for the proper documentation of the works of such Bahamians.
In addition to his work on the flag and coat of arms, Dr Bain was credited with the design of the insignia of the Royal Bahamas Defence Force and being the founding chairman of the Bahamas Art and Crafts Exhibition
In 1973, Dr Bain was asked to serve as a member of the organising committee for an Independence Junkanoo parade. This special event was the highlight of the independence celebrations and worthy of the innovations and initiatives put in place by members of this management committee.
Dr Bain was also a noted writer, publishing several books, manuscripts and articles and a praised painter, with his paintings having been displayed privately and publicly throughout the Caribbean and Canada.
He is survived by his widow Beverley Bain, and three children, Hervesa, Rev Hervis III and Heather.
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