Western Daily Press (Saturday)
Fitting send-off as activist Roy made his final journey
THERE were tears, laughter, love, grief and passion among many, many tributes at the funeral of Bristol civil rights leader Roy Hackett yesterday, but it was his great-grandson Cameron who received the biggest, longest and most heartfelt standing ovation.
The young lad overcame his nerves to pay tribute to his greatgrandad, and while he arrived wearing one of Roy’s trademark trilby hats, he left with another – the black hat awarded to the recipient of an honorary degree from the University of Bristol, which Cameron and his family received posthumously on behalf of the great man.
It was a fitting moment in a funeral full of emotion, love and mourning, as Bristol, and particularly the city’s black community of St Paul’s and Easton who Roy had served for so many years, said farewell.
The day began with the funeral cortege of the community activist stopping the traffic in St Werburgh’s, where he lived, then in St Paul’s, and finally around the Bearpit and Bristol Bus Station.
It was joined by a vintage green double decker bus and a fire engine, as a tribute to Roy’s work with the Bristol Bus Boycott, that prompted the civil rights legislation of the 1960s and 1970s.
The cortege paused by the bus station
where Roy and his comrades in the Commonwealth Co-ordinated Committee changed the “colour bar” practised by the bus company, and changed the history of Britain.
From there it was a sharp right turn back towards St Paul’s and to the Elim Church.
Roy began his life in Jamaica and made his final journey to Jamaica Street in Bristol, a poignancy pointed out by Sherrie Eugene-Hart, in a eulogy that told Roy’s remarkable story. It beautifully captured his life – but still was only a summary of what former Lord Mayor Cleo Lake described as a “life lived with bravery and determination”.
Before Sherrie’s eulogy, family members had spoken of their love for the patriarch of their clan, and of their thanks to him for being “their hero”. When it was young Cameron’s turn to speak, he was initially overwhelmed.
Shouts of encouragement from the congregation, and the support of his dad, gave him the strength to speak up, and his heartfelt tribute to the man who – in his late 80s and early 90s – would still play ball with his great-grandson, brought a standing ovation from everyone packed into the Elim Church.
The service began with a list of the dignitaries attending: the Assistant Chief Constable; many representatives from Avon Fire and Rescue Service; the Mayor and Deputy Mayor of Bristol; the Shadow Leader of the House of Commons, Bristol West MP Thangam Debbonaire; the High Sheriff of Bristol; representatives from Bristol University and the Jamaican High Commission.
Days before Britain holds its first state funeral for almost 60 years, this felt suitably important. If Bristol was its own nation, this would be, rightly, a Bristol state funeral.
The Mayor of Bristol spoke of how Roy Hackett had opened the door for generations of black people to walk through.
Then, Professor Judith Squires, the deputy vice-chancellor and provost of the University of Bristol was called onto the stage by Rebecca Scott MBE, to bestow an honorary degree, a doctorate, onto Roy posthumously.
She explained that the ceremony had been delayed by Covid and, tragically, now it would have to be presented to Roy’s family. Three members of his family signed the document accepting the degree, including young Cameron.
This explained why Roy’s coffin, painted in the Jamaican flag, had been inscribed with the words “Dr Lurel Roy Hackett MBE”, the new title that also adorned the front of the order of service.
Perhaps the most poignant tribute came from Barbara Dettering, one of the last of that great Windrush generation in St Paul’s. Flanked by other members of the Bristol West Indian Parents & Friends Association that Roy helped to start so many years ago, Barbara spoke of how she would miss her great friend of 60 years. “He used to phone me up,” she said. “Every couple of days. He’d say ‘I haven’t heard from you, are you OK?’ and that was Roy, always thinking of others,” she said.
To the final sounds of the Bill Withers song Lean On Me, Roy was carried for his final journey to the South Bristol Crematorium, with a vintage green bus joining the procession to carry many of the mourners.