LATE councillor of the Hampstead Division in St Mary, Barton Oliver, remembered as a true son of local government and a man who loved people, has been immortalised with the renaming of a road in his honour.

Shortly after his death in March 2016, a decision was taken by the St Mary Municipal Corporation to have the road, originally named Jackass Gully, then Taylor Piece Road, renamed Barton Oliver Close.

At the renaming ceremony on Saturday, Local Government and Community Development Minister Desmond McKenzie, said the life of Oliver, affectionately called “Sadam” was characterised by service to the people.

“One of the greatest honours that we can bestow upon Sadam is to cherish the good things that he did when he was alive…he was a true son of local government,” he said.

McKenzie urged community members to care for the road, noting that it had been newly paved and improved with a new drainage system.

He thanked Oliver’s family for agreeing to the renaming of the roadway, which he said symbolises the Government’s gratitude for the late councillor’s contributions.

Mayor of Port Maria, Councillor Richard Creary, remembered Oliver as a mentor and “one who endeared himself to people”.

He expressed gratitude to the local government ministry for providing the funds to improve the roadway and indicated that the road’s new name would be gazetted.

Councillor Mitsy Hudson, who succeeded Oliver, said the late councillor “went above and beyond” to serve the people of Hampstead and by extension the people of St Mary.

Transport and Mining Minister and Member of Parliament for Western St Mary Robert Montague remembered Oliver as a lover of people and “a one of a kind human being”.

“He was a personal friend of mine…he would never go to his bed if he found out someone had an issue with him. He would go to their house and would talk it through. He was a faithful brother and he was someone you could depend on through thick and thin,” he said.

Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport Minister Olivia Grange recounted how much she could depend on Oliver and the close connections he had with her grand-aunt, who would sometimes take care of him.

She committed to providing funding for the establishment of the Barton Oliver Playfield.

In his tribute, Spanish Town Mayor Norman Scott noted that Oliver, who was respected on both sides of the political divide, was deserving of the honour for the work he had done in the community.