IT WAS AN evening assembly that would have made any principal proud.
Winston Crichlow could not see it, but it was all because of him.
It was standing room only at St Barnabas Anglican Church yesterday as people from all sectors filled the church and spilled into the churchyard. Those who could not fit under the tent stood in the sun to celebrate the life of Crichlow, whose death followed his retirement
as principal of Harrison College earlier this year.
Minister of Education Ronald Jones and other ministry officials, past and present principals of both primary and secondary schools, students, staff and alumni from St Leonard’s Boys’, Queen’s College and Harrison College joined with friends, family and well-wishers to celebrate Crichlow’s life and work.
Tributes started well before the 3 p.m. start of the service, coming from various groups including some of his former students, the Choir Guild of St Barnabas Church, The Cecilian Singers, the Caribbean Examination Council and the Barbados Association of Principals of Public Secondary Schools (BAPPSS).
President of BAPPSS, Vere Parris, described his immediate predecessor as one who was
destined to lead. He said Crichlow was held in “very high esteem” by his fellow principals and was never afraid to speak freely in any fora.
Amid the final farewell, those who were moved to shed a few tears also managed to smile, and laugh, at several points during the service.
Crichlow’s son Johann delivered the eulogy and spoke of his father the domino master, teacher, disciplinarian, husband and all the other attributes that made him dad to he and his two brothers, grandfather to one and husband to his queen and their mother Antoinette.
Right place
During his address about his parishioner and friend, rector of St Barnabas Reverend Mark Harewood encouraged people to reflect on trying to be in the right place.
Focusing his address on Philippians 1:21 – “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain” – Harewood spoke of Crichlow as a man who was committed to family and to his church, as evidenced by his involvement in the different organisations at St Barnabas.
Harewood comforted mourners with the thought that Crichlow was now in a win-win situation, because he lived and died in Christ.
