Baby Andrea Moore is passed over the casket of her father, William Moore, by close friends of the family during yesterday's funeral service at the National Arena. The gesture is an old folk tradition which is aimed at preventing the ghost of the deceased from returning to play with the child. - Rudolph BrownBy Glenroy Sinclair, Staff Reporter
JAMAICA'S NATIONAL Arena was converted into a colourful shrine of orange and white balloons yesterday as an estimated 5,000 people, headed by Finance Minister Dr. Omar Davies and a contingent of People's National Party (PNP) senior executives, led mourners in paying tribute to slain community leader, William Augustus Moore, alias 'Willie Haggart'.
For about 3 1/2 hours, the entire stretch of road from the intersection of Arthur Wint Drive and Statue Road, down to the gates of the National Arena, was blocked by thousands some from the United Kingdom, United States and Canada who had come to say farewell to their community god-father 'Willie'.
Those who had been waiting anxiously to get a last glimpse of the body finally got their wish at about 11:50 a.m. when the black Mercedes Benz pulled up outside the gates of arena.
Inside, balloons were used to form an arch over an aisle along which mourners were required to walk to view the body or go to their seats.
The 20-gauge steel casket, complete with wing bars and decorated with a replica of Leonardo da Vinci's "The Last Supper", was boxed in by four iron rails, near the platform from which Roman Catholic priest the Rt. Rev. Kenneth Mock Yen conducted the service.
The emotion-charged atmosphere was made more poignant as a sound system on stage played what were said to be some of Moore's favourite gospel songs.
His 13-year-old daughter, Lisabra, who had not seen him since last summer, sobbed uncontrollably as she took photographs of him in the casket.
Across the floor her baby sister, Siobhan, sat in one of the front seats with tears rolling down her cheeks.
The tears contrasted sharply with the loud cheers which erupted when Clarendon businessman Kenneth 'Skeng Don' Black arrived surrounded by a large private security entourage. The casket was immediately re-opened to allow Black, said to be one of Moore's close friends, to view the body.
In his tribute to Moore, Dr. Davies, the Finance Minister and Member of Parliament, responded to critics of his being at the funeral service.
"I am here to pay my last respect to a man I met seven and a half years ago when I came to represent the constituency of South St. Andrew. He assisted me to achieve some of my objectives in the constituency. We never had a meeting which lasted more than 10 minutes," said Dr. Davies.
Later, under wailing sirens, the funeral cortege was escorted from the National Arena by about four police outriders, into his home town to the "Black Roses Corner" on Lincoln Cresent and Rousseau Road.
Shortly after the body was interred and as the mourners made their way out of the Calvary cemetery, near his hometown in Arnett Gardens, South St. Andrew, several volleys of shots were fired by gunslingers to salute their hero.
