GC Foster to stage candlelight vigil for Clarke

WESTERN BUREAU:

The G.C. Foster College of Physical Education and Sport will today stage a candlelight vigil in memory of former students’ council president, Romaro Clarke.

Clarke was reportedly killed when the Mitsubishi Lancer he was driving crashed along the Ken Jones Highway in Portland. A male passenger who was travelling with Clarke at the time survived the accident and is recovering in hospital.

Maurice Wilson, the principal at G.C. Foster, told The Gleaner that Clarke’s death is “a bitter pill to swallow”, and that his passing has left the entire school family devastated.

“We are extremely devastated. I can speak for myself and the staff who are here. Romaro was someone who would come to my training sessions in the mornings. He was not a coach but he would come there for additional information because his area of specialisation was track and field, and he felt that there was a lot he could learn,” said Wilson, who coaches both the G.C. Foster and Sprintec track and field teams.

“He was a special individual who didn’t wait around for things to happen for him. He came to the college, worked on campus, earned the respect and friendship of everyone, and was actually elected president of the students’ council. This just shows how influential and loved he was. Our condolences to his family ... at this point words can’t explain the feeling,” continued Wilson.

“Here we have a young man who would have done everything and was just not able to reap the fruits of his labour. He had a couple of weeks left to complete his degree programme. It’s a bitter pill to swallow,” added Wilson.

Christopher Gibbons, the current students’ council president and the man who took over from Clarke, said he is still in disbelief.

“News of his passing brought a great level of sadness. When I saw everyone posting on their WhatsApp statuses, I couldn’t even believe it myself,” said Gibbons. “It’s a really devastating moment for not just myself, but the entire school population.”

FATHER IN DESPAIR

Melbourne Clarke, Romaro’s father, said the death of the last of his five children has shaken him badly.

“This is really, really tragic. It (journey through college) has been such a struggle and we were just looking forward to seeing him make use of his life and do what he was training for,” said the grieving dad. “Romaro was loved by everybody … he had the most friends out of all my kids. It is really difficult for me because I am close with my youth dem. If dem head hurt dem, dem call me,” Clarke said.