by Linda Straker
- Second year Grenada observes 19 October as national holiday, National Heroes Day
- National Honours and Awards Act provides for Prestige Order of National Hero Commission
- Committee will name some of national heroes in 2025
Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves of St Vincent and the Grenadines will be the featured speaker at the 2024 National Heroes Day celebrations which will be commemorated on 19 October under the theme “Unity in commemorating our heroes: past, present and future.”
Culture Minister Adrian Thomas made the announcement during a news conference on 3 October. This is the second year Grenada is observing 19 October as National Heroes Day. It will be a national holiday, and the main event will be a rally in the eastern parish of St Andrew.
19 October is significant because on that day in October 1983 Prime Minister Maurice Bishop and several others were killed at Fort Rupert, (Fort George), due to internal conflict within factions of the People’s Revolutionary Government (PRG).
Before 2023, the day was commemorated with a church service in the area of the fort where the killing occurred and laying of wreaths by family members, friends and supporters of those who were killed.
Minister Thomas told journalists in the news conference that no one will be named as a national hero at the commemorative event, because that is not the focus for the committee organising the 2024 celebrations.
“We have the committee established; they will come up with the criteria of how to go about selecting national heroes and the committee in 2025 will be naming some of the national heroes we are hoping will inspire our Grenadian people,” he said.
Section 16 of Grenada’s 2007 National Honours and Awards Act provides for establishing a commission to be known as the Prestige Order of National Hero Commission. The functions of commission is to make such investigations as it thinks fit to determine persons living or dead, upon whom may be conferred the Prestige Order of National Hero, and issue a report to the Prime Minister the result of those investigations.
The legislation states that the national hero title can be awarded to any person who was born in Grenada or who at the time of his or her death was a citizen of Grenada. That person must have given outstanding service to Grenada where that service has altered the course of the history of Grenada; given service to Grenada which has been exemplified by visionary and pioneering leadership, extraordinary achievements or attainment of the highest excellence, and which has redounded to the honour of Grenada; or through his or her heroic exploits or sacrifices contributed to the improvement of the economic and social conditions of Grenada.
When it comes to establishing a heroes park, Thomas said that Government has already identified the land, but the location can be changed through consultation. “If people think that the best place may not be Camerhogne Park in St George, but the best place is Leaper’s Hill in St Patrick, then we have that discussion, but come 2025 we will be turning the sod for the establishment of a heroes park,” said Thomas.
Why is Ralph Gonsalves going to be speaking on 19 October? What does he, a foreign leader, have to do with our national heroes or the tragedy of 1983?