Team mates, colleagues, government ministers and friends bade farewell to Steve Camacho at what his wife, Alison, described as ‘a moving and appropriate’ memorial service in Antigua yesterday.
Camacho, who played 11 Tests between 1968 and 1971 before becoming the longest serving secretary/chief executive of the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB), died of cancer on October 3, aged 69. The body was cremated.
Appreciations were delivered by Camacho’s brother, Ian, and Andrew Wildblood who became a close personal friend after his initial association with the International Management Group (IMG) that inaugurated live tv coverage of a home Test series in 1990.
Staff of the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) office in St. John’s who worked with Camacho arranged for an impressive glass-covered case that included a bat, gloves and pads. They presented a WICB flag to be draped over the urn; so too was a flag from the Georgetown Cricket Club (GCC) where Camacho developed his game.
Among those at the service were Lance Gibbs, who played alongside Camacho for Guyana and the West Indies, and Vance Amory, premier of Nevis who opened the batting with him for the President’s XI against the touring Australians in 1973.
Joel Garner, now president of the Barbados Cricket Association (BCA) and director of the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB), and Michael Holding who were in teams managed by Camacho, flew in to Antigua to pay their last respects.
Ricky Skerritt, himself a former West Indies team manager, represented the WICB in his role as ex officio director.
Former prime minister Baldwin Spencer and several senior government ministers were also in attendance. (TC).
