Ex-army officer Oliver Hinckson died yesterday at the Kitty-based Mercy Resident Care Home where he was recovering from a recent stoke.
Hinckson who was 74 years old, and a father of seven died peacefully, his nephew Royston Meredith told Stabroek News.
Meredith explained that about a month ago while in Trinidad, where he had travelled for eye surgery, Hinckson suffered a stroke. He had had a stroke a few years prior. Upon his return from the successful operation, he took up residence at the home and was preparing to undergo recovery therapy for the stroke when he passed away.
Aside from his successful military career, which included being the first Guyanese to attend the UK-based military academy, Sandhurst, the outspoken Hinckson was also a teacher, an entrepreneur and author.
He authored several books and his ailing sight forced him to shelve the manuscripts he was working on.
Despite the effects of the stroke, Hinckson still had a fluid memory, was talking and was able to perform basic functions on his own and as such his death came as a shock.
Meredith who shared a close relationship with his uncle said that he was like a brother to him. “I looked up to him, he was more than an uncle to me”, he said before adding that his adventurous and ambitious nature is what pushed him into joining the army.
Former Linden Mayor Carwyn Holland expressed shock at Hinckson’s death. “Oliver Hinckson was a passionate sports lover and a well learned individual. I got to know him through football and as a student of the University of Guyana”.
He told Stabroek News that while he will remember him as someone who was feared but yet victimised for his political views, he will always remember the passion he had for community building and empowering the oppressed. “He was a voice and an inspiration for many”, Holland stressed.
Hinckson was charged on March 11, 2008 with advocating the commission of a terrorist act and uttering seditious statements, both of which were later dismissed. The second charge stemmed from a statement he made during a press conference at City Hall.