By: Curtis Morton
Charlestown-Nevis-The funeral service of the late Roy Arthur ‘Brother’ Anslyn MBE, was held at the Charlestown Methodist church, on Thursday 26th October.
Hundreds of mourners showed up to pay their last respects to the former beloved boat captain. Among those present were government officials and current boat captains.
Some of the tributes paid included Dr. Rev. Carl Everette Harris; Davon Cornelius; Basil Manners on pan; Roderick Harris; Cyndee Harris; Anouska Anslyn; James Greene and Rita Harris –Woolridge.
A glowing tribute, on behalf of the Agriculture Department, was presented by Mr. Eric Evelyn, who spoke of his years of working with Mr. Anslyn.
Anslyn was at one time in charge of the Fisheries department and even after he completed his tenure, he was constantly sought after for advice, because of his superior knowledge of the sea and the local waters.
The eulogy was delivered by one of his daughters, Mrs. Vicki Anslyn-Pemberton, who noted that the eulogy was actually written by her dad, with some minor inputs from herself.
She spoke of her Dad’s early love for the sea, as he showed signs of following in the footsteps of his father (who was also a boat captain), at a very early age. ‘One wonders if he spent more time at school, or in the water,’ she said.
Anslyn went on to be the captain of the government run ferry ‘MV Caribe Queen’ for the period 1981 to 1999 and there were many stories of his heroics, as he endeavoured to save lives and property.
One such story, was his heroic effort in saving the Caribe Queen, during a storm, when he actually swam out in the angry waves to secure the boat.
Despite being fun loving and generally amiable, Anslyn was a no nonsense man when it came to punctuality and the boat’s scheduled departure times.
Vicki alluded to him leaving at the appointed scheduled time and leaving appalled family members stranded on the pier, even if they were just a wee bit late.
The officiating Minister on the day, was Rev. Bonny Byron who delivered the sermon and performed the last rites at the final resting place of Mr. Anslyn, at the Bath cemetery.
Roy Arthur ‘Brother’ Anslyn died on October 7th 2017, at the age of 72.