By Shirley Thomas

AGONIZING best describes the mood at the New Testament Ministries at Lot ‘G’ Joseph Pollydore & Chapel Streets, Lodge yesterday, where a Thanksgiving Service was held for the two brothers who perished in the fire that razed the Drop-In Centre on July 10.

The congregation of mostly women, teary-eyed with grief and still in shock, remained prayerful and calm. The boys’ parents, Sonia and Ulric George, and their siblings, weeping for the greater part of the service, appeared to have momentarily slipped into a trance, then fainted as the bodies were being taken away.

The immaculate white coffins bearing the remains of six-year-old Joshua Jossiah Tyric George and his three-year-old brother, Antonio Dominique Alex George, could not have been opened for viewing because of the state of their charred bodies, but the pain was somewhat mitigated by the presence of their beautifully framed photographs prominently displayed atop each coffin for the mourners and sympathisers to see as they filed past. Above each photograph were replicas of two angels watching down on the boys, with the inscription: “Sleep well, my beloved son.”

Among those joining the bereaved family in paying their last respects to Joshua and Antonio were Minister of Social Protection, Volda Lawrence, and Minister of State within the Ministry of Social Protection, Keith Scott; chief caregivers Sharon Fraser Jones and Rupert Hudson, who evacuated the children from the burning building on the fateful night; and a large turn-out of Welfare Officers and other staff of the Child Care and Protection Agency (CCPA).

Minister Lawrence, who had moments before left a Cabinet meeting to attend the service, extended condolences on behalf of President David Granger, Prime Minister Moses Nagamottoo and the rest of Cabinet.

Lawrence expressed gratitude to Public Health Minister Dr. George Norton for his cooperation; to the members of the fire department for their gallant efforts at extinguishing the blaze; and to the ranks of the Police Force for maintaining law and order at the scene of the fire.

Empathizing with the boys’ parents, the minister noted that it is tough when a mother loses one child, and doubly so when she loses two at the same time. She urged the Georges to keep trusting God, for He only has the answer.

Recalling that even though he had escaped the burning building, one brother had run back inside to save his sibling, Minister Lawrence commented that this ‘ultimate act of love’ demonstrated by one sibling for another is an example for everyone to follow.

“He has left us a message… We need to work diligently. Our mandate is to protect our children, and we should not shirk from that responsibility,” she said.

Tributes were also delivered by relatives of the George family: Myrna Grant; Rawle Harry and Jean-Ann Harry, with a moving tribute in song; “Gone Too Soon” by relative Jo Ann Forde; and a representative of Head Start Nursery School, which little used to attend.

In her tribute, Jean-Ann Harry thanked Minister Lawrence and the staff of the Ministry of Social Protection; and indeed the caregivers, for their dedicated work at the Child Care Centres. She thanked everyone for attending the funeral and for the great outpouring of love and sympathy.

“Losing a child is a parent’s worst nightmare,” she said, noting that she could not put into words the grief that was being felt for the loss of the two precious lives.

Giving a background on her two deceased cousins, she remembered Joshua, the third of three children, as being playful and energetic. He always showed a sense of responsibility, and took pride in taking on the role of a leader whenever he was placed in a group. He cooperated fully with his siblings, and was always respectful to his parents.

Antonio, the fourth child, would fondly be remembered, Jean Ann said, as the “eat man” who was working towards admission to the “Food College”. However, he’d aspired to one day become a lawyer, and indeed was always at the forefront representing his older siblings. He was a very loving child, but one who would always fearlessly fight off anyone who seemed a threat to his family members. To this end, she recalls that his ambition was to write the NGSA exam, move on to the Bishops’ High School, and one day become a lawyer.

Recalling that Antonio was said to have run back into the fire to save his brother, when they both perished, Jean-Ann remarked: “Joshua and Antonio have been robbed of the opportunity of growing up to become fruitful members of our society, but they must not only be remembered as ‘the boys who died in the fire’, but as boys whose deaths brought about a change in how we view the plight of poverty; how we support those in need, as family members, as neighbours, as a community and a country at large.”

Rawle and Myrna Harry attested to the fact that Sonia, despite her circumstances and the conditions under which she existed, was not brought up that way, but had the benefit of a decent life until she left the family’s homestead.

Myrna, in no uncertain terms, admonished the grieving mother, who is said to have suffered at the hands of her reputed husband. “Now is not the time for you to be taking orders; it’s time for you to stand up and make demands…” she said as she urged her to have faith in God.