Amandala sports desk joins Belizeans and foreign friends across the nation and the world in expressing our sincere condolences to his family, and also celebrating and giving thanks for the outstanding life and contributions of Independence Prime Minister, George Cadle Price, who passed away this morning. None is perfect, and in life, and especially in the “rough and tumble” of party politics, there have been “friends” and “enemies”; but when the Master calls, we all are humbled by our own human frailty, and pray that we may not be found wanting in our life’s endeavors. In his time, “Precio” put in a Herculean amount of honest work, and Belize is the better for it.
There were many rumours back then. And there was a champion football team of the mid-1960’s named Landivar, whose sponsorship was suspected to have had sources across the Western border. But after the famous Dunlop had splintered, many of their stars going to B.E.C., and Louis “the Mugger” Garbutt and a few other former Dunlop stars decided to strike out on their own, they found help and support from then Premier George Price, who sponsored the new team under the name, “Independence”.
And Independence made Belize proud when a visiting Mexican team beat everybody, including then champion Landivar, and it was the ‘Pendence who came to the Jewel’s rescue with a 4-1 drubbing of the visitors.
I don’t recall ever seeing Mr. Price at a football game, but he did sponsor the great Independence, which was a “roots” team; and that says something about the man, George Price, who never fathered any children of his own, but dedicated his life to the nation of Belize. R.I.P., Father of the Nation.