My respect for the life and work of Gaby Hoareau, one of the great Seychellois patriots
By Lewis Betsy
Gabriel “Gaby” Hoareau, was a man much respected and admired by many Seychellois and his death greatly saddened me.
I reflected on his fine qualities and achievements as his funeral was being televised.
Seychelles lost an outstanding figure when Gaby died on the 27th January at his home in Ma Constance. He was 82.
The funeral was held at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Victoria and, with my wife Julie, I watched the service on YouTube.
As a measure of his popularity, I noted a large number of mourners at the service.
Gaby left Seychelles to study abroad for the priesthood in Switzerland and Belgium and also studied in London and became a specialist in maritime law.
I first met him in the late 1960s when I was playing football and he came to watch the games.
We later both found ourselves in exile. I was in the UK, he was in Belgium and we were both active in politics.
I want to pay tribute to Gaby for his devotion, courage and charisma, particularly when he took over as president of the Seychellois National Movement after the assassination of our leader Gerard Hoarau in 1985.
To follow in the footsteps of Gerard was a very difficult task.
We were all in shock at Gerard’s violent death, but Gaby didn’t falter. Every other week he would drive over from Belgium to progress the work of our party.
Gaby was very well aware that taking on the presidency was not going to be easy, but he accepted the role and did an exceptional job, especially the way Seychelles was suffering under the one-party state of France Albert Rene.
He was a brave man, not afraid to confront the many brutal challenges facing us all in those dark days.
I well remember the moment on the 14th December 1986 when Gaby was formally elected president at a special SNM convention at Montague Hall, Hounslow. He and Gerard Hoarau shared the same ideals – to achieve unity and democracy – and he constantly strived to achieve them.
In 1991, he was elected as a member of the Concerned Citizens Committee at the United Democratic Movement’s (UDM) Munich Conference that was called by Dr. Maxime Ferrari.
When multi-party democracy returned to Seychelles that same year, Gaby Hoareau returned to the islands.
For someone to go to Seychelles to fight the Rene regime was a massive task, but Gaby did just that.
He became a United Opposition Candidate for the 1993 National Assembly for the electoral district of Anse Etoile and the United Opposition candidate for the 1998 NA for the electoral district of Anse Boileau.
He was to leave the priesthood, and one of the good works for which he is remembered with warmth is the way he cared for the under-privileged.
He brought in bales of used clothing from America and Europe which he distributed to the less fortunate right across the main islands.
These donations was even coined as “Linge Per Hoareau” (Fr Hoareau Clothes) for years.
However, he retained links with with the Church and became the editor of the Roman Catholic Newspaper L’Echo Des Iles. Gaby had also earlier published a Guide Touristique Des Seychelles.
He quit active politics in 1998, yet in retirement, he continued to offer advice to all who worked to bring positive change to the country.
I last saw him about two years ago when I visited him in Seychelles.
As always, he was friendly and joking. He enjoyed a drink too – he liked his whisky.
Gaby is survived by his long-time companion, Jeanne Hoareau, and his nephews and nieces.
He was a wonderful man, a great Seychellois, and we will all miss him.