I come this morning as the representative of the Government of The Bahamas and of the people of our nation to express our deepest condolences to Mrs. Marietta Coakley the loving wife of the late Honourable Livingstone Coakley, CBE and to his children and all members of his family.

 At the same time, our condolences go out to his wide and affectionate circle of friends and the acquaintances, including all of the people of Exuma who were an integral part of Mr. Coakley’s life, both politically and sentimentally for almost twenty years, during his period of active representation (1968-1987) and long before that.

Our nation has lost another of its great sons and we mourn his passing.  Sadly enough, occasions such as this are occurring with too great a frequency.   In less than a year we have memorialized two close colleagues of Mr. Coakley’s in this same place.  We recall the recent passing of the late Honourable R.F. Anthony Roberts and the late Honourable George Mackey.   The march of time is unrelenting and we have now only their memories and their selfless contribution to nation building as their memorial.

The Honourable Livingstone N. Coakley was a man of many parts.  Not many persons would remember for example that “Sir Coaks” was firstly a soldier.  We tend to think of him in the broad sweep of his career as an accountant, an educator and a politician.

But he was first a soldier, one of many young Bahamians to heed the call to arms during the Second World War.

He was very proud of this accomplishments and took it in stride when teased around the Cabinet table by some of his colleagues that he had not seen a shot fired on the actual field of battle as he spent most of his military days in Jamaica as an instructor.

I believe however, that it was this brief encounter with soldiering that gave definition to “Sir Coaks”.  We know that soldiers are driven by a sense of patriotism and a sense of duty.  “Sir Coaks” had, in full measure, all of these attributes.  He was a warrior – not on the field of battle – but on the field of ideas.

He was a warrior for social changes and for social causes.  Being the good soldier that he was he had that innate sense of discipline and of faithfulness to serve to the end.  I believe that this experience helped to define him as a man and gave shape to his illustrious career in public life.

He was a gentle warrior with an infectious laughter that hid a highly developed and intellectual mind, which, for most of his adult life he used in the service of his beloved Bahamian people.

For the young people of this nation, many who, now, take for granted the abundance of opportunities which we have all around us, permit me to share a little of the personal history of Mr. Coakley with you which provides a backdrop to his life and times.

The Honourable Livingstone Coakley was among a handful of Bahamians who, in the 1950’s, ventured outside of The Bahamas to seek a university education.  This was the rare exception – not the rule of thumb as it is today.  He was a graduate of Northeastern University in Boston in Accountancy and was proud of it.

In speaking about Mr. Coakley and his educational experiences I mentioned to an audience in Exuma, last week, that, it would have been easy for him to remain in the United States to seek employment and earn a living but this was not for him.  The young Livingstone Coakley returned to The Bahamas even though he knew that the opportunities and the socio-economic climate of the day meant that he would not been able to realize his full potential in his chosen career.

But men such as the Honourable Livingstone N. Coakley had a brighter vision.  Returning to The Bahamas, he was in the forefront of many of the political and social issues of the late 50’s and 60’s.

Eventually when change came about he had the distinction of serving as one of two Progressive Liberal Party Representatives for Exuma from 1968 to 1987.  He was a most accessible and helpful representative and many who hold positions in the Civil Service and in other areas of work can trace their entry to his helping hand.

During these years he became a national figure, serving in no less than six different portfolios in successive Governments under the late Sir Lynden Pindling.  Interestingly, he and I overlapped in both the Tourism and Health portfolios.

But, it was as Minister of Education that Mr. Coakley did perhaps, his most defining work.  I believe that he holds the record as being the longest serving Minister of Education, a total of seven years, from 1972 to 1979.  We often speculated whether this was a form of corrective behavior being imposed on Mr. Coakley by Sir Lynden.  But, unquestionably, he remained there because he was doing an excellent job.

History will recount in much greater detail his accomplishments in this Ministry, but, notable in his tenure as Minister of Education were a number of “firsts.”

It was during Mr. Coakley’s tenure as Minister of Education that the College of The Bahamas was actually founded.  The institution had a rocky beginning as it sought to fuse several disparate institutions and programmes into a cohesive whole.  Working closely with the first Chairman of the Council, the Right Reverend Michael H. Eldon, his then Permanent Secretary Mr. Baltron Bethel, and members of the Council and the first Principal Dr. John Knowles, this institution found its niche, sank deep roots and today is a flourishing, bountiful institution now headed for full university status.

Many of the early decisions which Mr. Coakley had to take did not find immediate acceptance by educational purists, including some members of the Cabinet in which he served but he persevered and would often seem oblivious to criticism. This is because he was a man on a mission. Today, the hundreds, perhaps thousands of COB graduates spread around The Bahamas and throughout the world should remember and pay tribute to the wisdom, leadership and tenacity of this formidable figure in the College’s early history.

As Education Minister he also firmly took hold of the recommendations that had been made in a White Paper, “Focus On the Future” and moved resolutely to develop and expand secondary education throughout The Bahamas.

It was during this era in education that the Secondary Schools were established in Andros, Abaco, Exuma, Eleuthera and Cat Island.  In tribute to his pioneering spirit, the Exuma secondary school has been named in his honour.

Needless to say, this era also saw the expansion of the larger secondary schools in New Providence.

Concomitant with the physical expansion of educational facilities there was also a tremendous upgrading in the field of human resources as hundreds of untrained teachers and trained teachers received further upgrading by means of In-service Awards and other post-graduate training to prepare them for educational leadership. The modern educational system in The Bahamas could be said to have been developed during this time.

All of this we have taken for granted but it came about because of the vision of the Government of the day and the sturdy leadership of Livingstone Coakley.  He could truly be called the “Education Minister”.

There is much more that one can say about this brave warrior, but, that will be for another time and opportunity.

He was a good family man.  He loved his wife and his children.  We can all recall how shattered he was when one of his sons died tragically in Boston.  It was as if the light had gone out in him.  It was a moment in his life that tested him greatly.

A man of great personal courage has passed on.  He was known to persons of every sphere and strata of our society.  He was the same at the corner bar as he would be at a five star banquet.  He treated everyone with whom he came in contact with the same dignity and the same amount of affection.  For a man whose life was politics he was never overtly partisan.  His friends were his friends, and few I believe, could have been considered his enemy.

Each of us in this place, this morning, who knew “Sir Coaks” could recall with a smile on our face some story or some humourous moment involving our encounter with him.   He was always full of life and had a spirit of joy within his heart.

Now his laughter has been silenced.  His march through the pages of Bahamian history has ended.  I am fully assured, as I am sure all of you are, that his legacy will live on.  His place in the annals of our nation’s history is well secured.

May the soul of this, husband, father, statesman, soldier warrior and friend find eternal rest.

May he rest in peace.