The Tribune

By DENISE MAYCOCK

Tribune Freeport Reporter

dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

THE death of Queen Elizabeth II is sad news for many people in Grand Bahama, particularly British residents living here.

“We are very sad,” said Kay Hardy, who was born in England and came to The Bahamas in 1959.

Ms Hardy, a recipient of the Queen’s Medal of Honour, had been glued to the news all morning with her friends watching the BBC. She said they loved the Queen and recalled when she came to Freeport during a royal visit many years ago.

“I went to see her and I saw her go past,” she recalled.

Queen Elizabeth II was the longest reigning British monarch. She died yesterday at her ancestral home at Balmoral Castle in Scotland. She was 96. Her death marked the end of an era that spanned 70 years.

“I was born in England and saw and lived with it,” Ms Hardy said. “If you were in school and if there was a reigning monarch near, you went and stood by the side of the street and waved your own flag.”

Ms Hardy, who left England to teach here, was awarded the Queen’s Medal of Honour several years ago for her many years of service in the community, including work in theatre and as an educator.

“I got a medal of honour from the Queen - it was just an honour. I received it from the Governor General and I was over the moon when I got it. I could not believe it — it is really special.”

Although she has been living in The Bahamas, Ms Hardy continued to keep up with news about the Queen and the Royal Family.

“We still loved the Queen, and we loved Diana, and had street parties. It is very emotional for us,” she said. “I can only imagine what it is going to be like tomorrow in Buckingham Palace.”

Another Grand Bahama resident, Virginia Cafferata said: “It is just very, very sad news. She was an amazing lady - the longest reigning monarch. This shall be very difficult to replace, if ever.”

Jacqui Jeavon (nee Lambert) said her father, John Lambert, was the recipient of an MBE Queen’s Award, and in 1977 met Prince Charles, who is now the new King of England. She said their family moved to The Bahamas in 1965.

“We have a really good picture of my dad and Prince Charles, who is now going to be King, when he came here back in ‘77,” she recalled.

Ms Jeavon recently visited England during the Queen’s Jubilee.

“Luckily, I was there in England when they were doing the Queen’s Jubilee, and it was so lovely,” she said.

“They always kept saying her health was frail, etc, but everyone was so proud of her because she just had the strength to do things. During Jubilee she was supposed to do four or five different events and she only managed to do two or three of them. So, you could tell that her health was frail. But she was still so determined to do everything. It’s so amazing she managed to shake hands only two days ago with the new Prime Minister Liz Truss and managed to see Boris Johnson and say goodbye to him because he retired.”

Sarah Kirkby, who was only a baby when her mother Kay Hardy left England, said: “I am just very sad, it is a long, beautiful reign coming to an end.”

She admits that she was not a huge fan of the Queen during the Diana era, but later gained admiration for her.

“But then I saw what an incredible woman she was and how she handled situations, and just how she was always there for everything. She was that strong presence and force for the country,” she said.

“I have not lived in England since I was a baby, but I would go back all the time and I have been to the (Buckingham) Palace and visited a couple of times. And it is just amazing the history and beauty of it all is so breathtaking.”

Ms Kirkby recalled the special moment when she saw the Queen in Grand Bahama.

“I was standing at Port Lucaya Marketplace, and they drove past in the Rolls Royce that belonged to the late Keith Griffiths, a British architect. I remember when she came and how amazing that was and the experience, and how they repaved all the streets for her. And I got to use that Rolls Royce for my wedding. It had a beautiful plate on it that says the ‘Queen rode in this car.’ It was special to be able to ride in a Rolls Royce that I knew she had ridden in.”

Queen Elizabeth II visited Grand Bahama in the mid 1990s when she officially opened the Garnet Levarity Justice Centre. She also toured the Our Lucaya Resort property and had dinner at the residence of the late Sir Jack Hayward, a British resident and former principal of the Grand Bahama Port Authority.