Captain Burrell: Col Barnes was an officer and a gentleman

Saturday, November 07, 2009 8:47 PM

Sport

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

The president of the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF), Captain Horace Burrell, remembers the late Colonel Ken Barnes as an officer and gentleman, as well as a mentor and someone he looked up to.

BARNES... mentored JFF president Captain Burrell

Captain Burrell and the board and staff of the JFF expressed condolence to the family, friends and colleagues of the late Colonel Barnes, who passed on last Thursday night in Jamaica at the age of 73.

Col Barnes is survived by widow Jeanne, daughters Gillian, Tracy and son John, coach of the national football team.

"My association with Colonel Barnes goes back to my days as a young officer in the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF). He was someone I looked up to. In fact, he was my mentor, not just in military terms, but in terms of sports administration," Captain Burrell said.

Colonel Barnes was heavily involved in the sporting community of Jamaica. He served as captain of the national team in the late 1950s and early 1960s before taking on the role of manager in the late 1960s. His most recent association with football was as chairman of the Appeals Committee. The Jamaica Boxing Board also benefitted from his leadership when he served as president.

Colonel Barnes was also a revered member of the military community. He has been a member of the military since its formation in 1962 following his relocation to Jamaica and despite taking up a post in London for a few years in the 1970s and being originally from Trinidad, regarded Jamaica as his home and embraced the country whole heartedly.

"In my early days in the military, he was the football officer and the army's sports officer, so I came under his charge and learnt a lot from him. Later I had the opportunity to be led by him in battle as he was the commander of the Caribbean armed forces in the Grenada invasion in 1983.

"A lot of stories will live on about him, but what stand out for me were his discipline, fairness, principle and decency. In short, he was an officer and a gentleman. The region and the country are poorer for his passing.

Burrell continued: "As we mourn the passing of this great man of Caribbean history, let us take comfort in 1 Thessalonians 4: 13-14: 'Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope. We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him'."

If you were to grade Derick Latibeaudiere's performance over his 13 years as Bank of Jamaica governor, what grade would he get?
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