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Former sports minister will be “greatly missed,’’ PM Mitchell says

Former Minister of Sports Roy St. John
Former Minister of Sports Roy St. John

By Lincoln Depradine

St George’s, November 1, 2013 – Grenada, which mourned the death of agriculture minister Denis Lett in January, as well as the subsequent passing of two former MPs, has lost Roy St John, who once served as sports minister.

St John, 91, died Thursday.

“Mr. St. John was an outstanding son of the soil,’’ said a statement issued by the government of Prime Minister Keith Mitchell.

In general elections in 1976, St John ran for the GULP in the Town of St George but was defeated by Bernard Coard of the People Alliance. However, GULP formed the government after winning nine of the 15 parliamentary seats.

The Alliance, which won 6 seats, formed the opposition with the late Maurice Bishop as parliamentary leader.

Gairy appointed St John a senator and made him the country’s sports minister.

St. John spent many years overseas after leaving Grenada when the New Jewel Movement overthrew the GULP government on March 13, 1979.

Prior to entering politics, St John was a well-known civil servant, especially on public health issues and was one of the pioneers behind the reclaiming of land that led to the expansion of the Tanteen Playing Field and the establishment of what is known today as Port Highway.

Tanteen has been renamed the Roy St John Recreation Ground.

St John was also a national footballer and a longtime soccer referee, organizer and manager. Many called him “Manny’’ – a shortened form meaning manager.

Cheney Joseph, a former national player, and now president of the Grenada Football Association, told journalist Michael Bascombe that St John “brought humour but professionalism as a team manager’’.

St John has been the recipient of an MBE – Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire – from Queen Elizabeth, Grenada’s titular head of state.

“He will be greatly missed for his excellence on and off the playing field,’’ Prime Minister Mitchell is quoted as saying in a government statement in which condolences were extended to the St John family.

Among the surviving relatives of St John are his wife, Pauline, a former Grenada netball player; and Walter St John, a former Grenada and Windward Islands’ cricket administrator.

Apart from Lett, who served two parliamentary terms, Grenada also recently lost Chrysler Thomas and Winston “Winty’’ Frederick.

Both Thomas and Frederick represented the constituency of St Patrick East as GULP MPs.  Thomas, who died in February, won the seat in 1976 and served in the ministry of agriculture.

Frederick, a former deputy speaker of the House of Representatives, passed away in September. He was St Patrick East MP from 1990-1995.

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