by kladmin | October 15th, 2007
Sunday, 16th September 2007, National Hero’s Day in the Federation, saw the Inauguration of a Monument of the First National Hero of St. Kitts-Nevis, the Right Excellent Sir Robert Llewellyn Bradshaw.
The monument is housed in the Bradshaw Memorial Park, St. Paul’s, located in the birthplace of the First Premier (27 February, 1967 – 23 May, 1978) and former Chief Minister (July 1966 – 27 February, 1967) of St. Kitts-Nevis.
Robert Llewellyn Bradshaw was a man who rose from humble beginnings to become a national and regional leader. From his early introduction to the Labour movement at age 19, Bradshaw became a Trade Unionist, Labour Activist and opponent of the plantocracy in the Federation and of the racist South African apartheid regime. This dedicated son of the soil rose to prominence in both his native land and the Caribbean region.
Following his election to the St. Kitts Legislature in 1946, he held several positions and was then elected a member of the Leeward Islands General Legislative Council. In 1956, Bradshaw was appointed Minister of Trade and Production of that body until he was elected in 1958 to the Federal Parliament and became that Federation’s Minister of Finance, serving the region with fellow leaders such as Adams, Williams, Burnham, and Manley.
After the dissolution of the West Indies Federation in 1962, Bradshaw returned to St. Kitts where he re-occupied a place on the Legislature. Robert Bradshaw was sworn in as Chief Minister in 1966 and on the 27th February, 1967, he became the first Premier of the Associated State of St. Kitts-Nevis-Anguilla.
His dream was to see the country become an independent nation. Under his leadership, all sugar lands and the central sugar factory were bought by the government in 1975 and 1976. Mr Bradshaw made the matter of independence for the State of St. Christopher-Nevis and Anguilla one of the major issues in the General Elections held on 1st December 1975 and his Labour Party again won all the seats in St. Kitts in that election. In 1977 he went to London for independence talks with the United Kingdom government.
Robert Llewellyn Bradshaw, our nation’s first premier, died on Tuesday, 23rd May, 1978, without seeing the State of St. Kitts-Nevis and Anguilla achieve independence from the United Kingdom. However, he achieved much that is noteworthy. He was instrumental in the formation of many of our regional institutions, and it was through his efforts that the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank is located here in St. Kitts. He can truly be said to be the Father of our Nation.