FAMILY, friends and members of the regional cricket fraternity gathered at the St. Finbar’s Roman Catholic Church in Diego Martin, Trinidad, on Saturday to bid farewell to Bernard Denis Julien, the former West Indies all-rounder and member of the 1975 World Cup-winning side.
The service, which combined prayers, hymns and a sequence of personal tributes, was led, in large part, by a moving eulogy from his son, Bevon, and by reminiscences from former team-mate Deryck Murray, Queen’s Park Cricket Club (QPCC) president Dr. Nigel Camacho, and long-time friend and team-mate Richard Gabriel.
Bevon Julien’s words to the packed church mixed pride, humour, and the unmistakable grief of a son saying goodbye. He recalled one of the defining moments of his father’s career and the family’s pride that grew from it: “How could I speak about him and not mention his hundred at Lord’s?” he asked, adding: “In just his third Test, he scored 121 from 127 balls at Lord’s. I am sure even now he is up in heaven telling them fellas: ‘I score a 100 at Lord’s; you know (Brian) Lara never score a 100 at Lord’s.’”
Bevon went on to place that achievement in the wider context of his father’s life and legacy.

“He brought pride to the Julien name, a pride I will forever carry with me,” he said. “My favourite thing that I always hear people say is: ‘Your dad is my hero’.
“My father was a great man to a family, a great man to a village, and great man to a country. Not many people get an opportunity to be a great man, but he did. And that is what I will carry on in his name; the family name, the Julien name” Bevon said.
Those recollections set the tone for the tributes that followed.
Deryck Murray, the former Trinidad and Tobago and West Indies wicketkeeper, spoke of Julien’s lasting contribution to the game, and of an instinctive athleticism that produced moments team-mates still talk about.
“Was a fantastic cricketer… because of the legacy he has left for years to come; a legacy that will never be forgotten,” Murray said, adding that Julien was “also a fantastic team-mate”.
“Bernard’s contribution to any team he played for, particularly at the Queen’s Park Oval, was the cheering section he brought with him: Loyal and devoted friends and fans,” he said.
Murray recalled him as an outstanding fielder, and said it was “a privilege and an honour to play in teams alongside him”.
Dr. Nigel Camacho, speaking in his capacity as president of the Queens Park Cricket Club (QPCC), emphasised Julien’s all-round gifts, and his capacity to inspire younger players. He did not shy away from the comparisons that followed Julien throughout his life.
“Bernard Julien was like superman,” Dr. Camacho said. “He could bowl, he could bat, and he could field. Comparisons to the greatest cricketer ever, Sir Garry Sobers, were not unfounded. BJ, as he was fondly known, was a match-winner. He was one of two Trinidadians to have made a Test hundred at Lord’s, the home of cricket, the other being Charlie Davis.”
JULIEN THE MENTOR
Camacho continued, “If he played in this era, Bernard Julien would have been an incredible T20 cricketer, just like one of his students at QPCC, DJ Bravo.” Camacho added that he was also a great mentor to current West Indies T20 standout Akeal Hosein and other players of that era.
“Always jovial, but took his cricket ever so seriously; a coach and mentor to many. Bernard Julien, you are a legend,” Dr. Camacho concluded.
CLOSER THAN A BROTHER
Long-time friend and T&T team-mate Shannon Gabriel offered a different, intimate portrait; one of a close companionship, of a young man taken under Julien’s wing, and of the small, human incidents that make up a lifetime of friendship.
“The relationship with us was close to absolute perfection,” he said. “Bernard was a guy who dealt with me better than a brother. He assisted me, and he allowed me to live at his home at the age of 15 approaching 16 when I came and attended St. Mary’s College. We were like brothers.”
Those personal recollections sat alongside the public record. Speakers at the service traced Julien’s journey from Carenage to Test cricket: His powerful left-handed batting, useful left-arm pace and left-arm orthodox spin, his century at Lord’s and his role in the West Indies’ 1975 World Cup triumph.
Mourners also acknowledged the later controversy of the 1982–83 rebel WI tour to South Africa, an episode that led to a lifetime ban at the time. The tone throughout was one of reflection and nuance: Julien was remembered for brilliance on the field, for mentorship after his playing days, and for the decisions that made his life and career complicated.
Outside the church, well-wishers lingered to exchange memories of a man who remained involved in cricket long after his international career ended, keeping the next generation honest in the nets and on pitches across Trinidad and Tobago. (TT Daily Express)