Former MP for Central Kingstown, Conrad Sayers will be buried in an official funeral today (Monday).
Sayers died on Dec. 29, 2023, aged 75.
Official viewing of the body takes place at the Temporary Parliament Building at Glen, from 9 a.m. to 11:15 a.m.
Officials and dignitaries are invited to the viewing from 9 a.m. to 10a.m. and viewing for the general public will be from 10 a.m. to 11:15 a.m.
The funeral service is scheduled to take place at the Kingstown Baptist Church at 1:30 p.m.
This will be preceded by open tributes from 12:30 p.m.
Burial will be at the Kingstown Cemetery.
As a mark of respect, all flags throughout St. Vincent and the Grenadines will be flown at half-mast today, the government has announced.
Sayers, an agriculturalist and former pastor, represented Central Kingstown on a Unity Labour Party ticket from March 2001 to December 2010.
He was Minister of State in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade in 2001. He then served as Minister of State in the Office of the Prime Minister in 2005.
Following is profile for Mr. Conrad Sayers published on the Facebook page of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade:
Mr. Conrad Augustine Sayers was born on the 17th October, 1948. He was one of 12 children born to Cornelius and Jeanetta Sayers of Paul’s Avenue. On the 4th September 1971, Mr. Sayers married Marjorie Brooker (deceased) and the marriage produced five children: three girls and two boys.
Education and early experiences
Mr. Sayers attended the Wesley Hall Primary School in Kingstown. He then went to the Emmanuel High School in Kingstown and completed his secondary education there. Having completed secondary education, he spent some time helping with family business before pursuing a career in teaching.
Notably, Mr. Sayers was an educator at the Emmanuel High School; his alma mater, where he developed his passion for education. After his tenure there, he went on to study at the St. Vincent Teachers’ College. Subsequently, he became a primary school teacher working at the Lowmans Leeward Anglican School, for several years, before pursuing studies in agriculture at the UWI St. Augustine, Trinidad.
Upon returning to St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Mr. Sayers became a lecturer at the St. Vincent Technical College and shortly after, pursued a career in agriculture, by becoming an extension officer in the Ministry of Agriculture, until the year 2000.
Social and political background
Former parliamentarian, Mr. Conrad Sayers, served fervently, the Government and People of St. Vincent and the Grenadines. As a son of Vincentian soil, he excelled in several prominent capacities. He served as a religious leader, an agriculturalist, former President of the Public Service Union, and a two-time elected representative of the constituency of Central Kingstown, on a Unity Labour Party ticket.
As a religious leader, he led as assistant pastor, the Revival Centre Churches in Murray’s Village, Peruvian Vale, and Carapan. Importantly, Mr. Sayers’ sense of duty extended beyond the church walls. He was instrumental in starting several community groups.
Mr. Sayers is remembered fondly for establishing a group in Paul’s Avenue geared towards helping children and adults in developing their reading and comprehension skills. Additionally, as he loved football, he was instrumental in establishing the football club SESCO and developing the playing field at Redemption Sharpes. His life was one of service to God first and foremost, and then to others.
Feeling a divine call, he ventured into the political sphere, answering the call to become a politician in the year 2000. In this new arena, he continued to serve, impacting not just the church community but the broader society. Mr. Sayers’ sterling contributions earned him tremendous success. As a politician, he was first elected in 2001 and then, again, in 2005. As a Minister of Government, Mr. Conrad Sayers, served first as the Minister of State in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade in 2001. He subsequently served as Minister of State in the Office of the Prime Minister in 2005.
Mr. Sayers represented St. Vincent and the Grenadines within the bilateral and multilateral realms and his vision and passion for the development of St. Vincent and the Grenadines resonated in all spheres.
Having demitted public office in 2010, Mr. Sayers continued to play important roles across the Vincentian landscape. In February 2023, for his invaluable contributions, Mr. Sayers was recognised as a trailblazer of the SVG Public Service Union and was honoured, to mark the Union’s 80th anniversary. Otherwise, his honorific service included:
– Being an agricultural educator working closely with farmers in St. Vincent and the Grenadines,
– Initiating and spearheading the NBC Radio programme, “Farmers Diary”,
– Chairing the Communications Unit of the Ministry of Agriculture,
– Formalising the transition of vendors and entrepreneurs in Paul’s Avenue and surrounding communities to the George McIntosh Centre,
– Serving as President of the Public Service Union and the Caribbean Public Service Union, and
– Leading on the Supervisory Committee at the General Employees’ Cooperative Credit
Union.
Mr. Conrad Sayers is fondly remembered as a man of faith, love for people, and commitment to service.