The spirit of true Seychelles patriot Gerard Hoarau lives on
By Lewis Betsy
It has been 37 years since Gerard Hoarau was killed and I think of him every day.
Gerard was shot dead outside his London home on the 29th of November 1985.
On that day I lost a very good friend who was like a brother to me.
We shared a love of politics and football and as my wife, Juliana, and I paid our respects to Gerard at his grave in West London, I reflected on what could have been.
We lost a true leader to that assassin.
Yet through all the years since, Gerard’s legacy to restore democracy and freedom to Seychelles has been undimmed. His fierce patriotism and determination live on.
There will be a special Mass to honour Gerard and other heroes of Seychelles on Sunday 4th December, 2022, at St Vincent de Paul, Osterley, Isleworth. It starts at 6.pm.
There has also been a commemorative Mass in Seychelles and I received this message from Gerard’s brother Ralph. Here is what Ralph said:
Today we pay homage to our beloved brother and uncle, Gerard. As his blood family, we are proud, honoured, and humbled that we share the same blood as this beloved hero of Seychelles who dedicated his life to the cause of freedom and democracy to our country.
On this sad day we also honour all our other Seychellois heroes and freedom fighters who were killed and mysteriously disappeared during Rene’s brutal dictatorship in Seychelles.
Our thoughts and prayers are with their families too.
Our common loss and grief make us all one big family; a family that needs to continue to campaign together to ensure that our country gives due recognition to our heroes.
If today we breathe the air of relative freedom in our country, it is in great part thanks to Gerard and all our other heroes who paid the ultimate price for this noble cause.
We take this opportunity to express our heartfelt thanks to all the special people who make a continued effort to keep Gerard’s memory alive:
- All the members of the Gerard Hoarau Foundation for organising the Mass in honour of Gerard and our heroes at the Anse Royale Church in Seychelles.
- Father Colin and Father Roger for the beautiful service.
- Our dearest friends Lewis and Juliana who have organised the Masses over the past years, and are organising the Mass in London, and for maintaining his grave.
- Our dearest friends Regis and Jane D’Unienville for the constant care of Gerard’s grave and all the others who often visit and tend to the grave.
- Last but not least, a special thank-you to all our brothers and sisters for attending and participating in those Masses.
Always remember and summon the sprit of Gerard and our freedom fighter heroes in our quest for good governance.
Despite having toppled the remnants of Rene’s regime in the last elections, our country still faces many challenges.
Our struggle for freedom is perpetual in nature because there will always be those who will be intoxicated by power and seek to impinge on our rights while trying to subjugate us to their will. As a people and a nation, we have endured and suffered over 40 years of Rene’s dictatorship.
We must never allow such a situation to arise again in our country.
Therefore, it is our sacred duty as free citizens to continuously, but responsibly and constructively, challenge the authorities that we have elected. This is the only way to ensure that good governance will prevail in our country.
With this firmly in mind, we should always be ready and willing to summon the freedom-fighting spirit of Gerard and all our heroes to protect and preserve our God given rights to freedom.
This is the legacy that they bequeathed us, and it is the best possible way to honour our beloved heroes and the sacrifices that they made for our freedom.
