Dear Editor,

Acklins is a distinct Bahamian island laying in the southeast quadrant of the Commonwealth. It has the peculiar political distinction of having given to the nation a basket of outstanding citizens who have in their individual and collective ways, played significant roles in the creation of the modern Bahamas. Arising from the shores of Lovely Bay, Leroy "Duke" Hanna was to come forth and set his mark on the Bahamian music; and indelibly on the union movement.

Armed with the basic preparation of an out island school education, Leroy Duke Hanna was poised to become a musical artist par exemplar, union leader, a senator, a grandmaster of Prince Hall Free Masonry, a dedicated husband, grandfather and a human being of extraordinary insight, and Joan's unfailing husband I met Duke some 30 years ago. He befriended me as a young man who he felt needed immersion in the finer workings of the trade union movement.

He was president of the Musicians Union at the time. Later he became president of National Congress of Trade Union (NCTU). I watched and learned from Duke the fine points of the art of negotiation. The give and take around the table and finally after much agility and manoeuvring, the final production of a compromise was arrived at. Duke, over time, had mastered this art form. He was cool, he was sharp, he knew the range, he was friendly and he knew the point that he would not concede to. This skill takes years and years of work to master, Duke had put in the time.

He had gone through the process and he had learnt well. But I am convinced that Duke's other qualities made his work in the trade union movement successful. He was a musical artist so he understood tone, balance and intonation. He also was a shrewd and practical businessman. So when all of those attributes intersected, it produced a mix of unique gifts, which enabled him to move so affluently in his negotiation pursuits. Duke had big ideas for the trade union movement. He was a Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) senator around the time the Fair Labour Standard Act was passed into law.

He was in the Senate when another great Acklins Islander, Clifford Darling, moved the National Insurance Bill through Parliament to establish the institution of National Insurance for the nation. All of the great and momentous battles fought by the various unions during the 1970s-80s behind the scene, Duke had his moments doing his part to ensure victory for workers' rights, benefits and advancement.

When the egos and shortsightedness and political skullduggery divided the trade union movement into Trade Union Congress (TUC) and NCTU, Duke went with the NCTU group. He eventually became its leader. During his leadership, he was determined to unite the movement and take it to another level. Sadly, he was not able to unite the fractious grouping. Duke turned his attention to a grander vision for the movement. He strongly believed that the movement needed to broaden its base.

This was more important as the country had moved potentially to a new regressive economic system. Duke was invited to Cuba to attend Cuba's Workers International Congress. I went with him along with Frank Carter, Tom Bastian, Pat Bain and a number of other unionists. The Bahamas delegation was shocked at the sophistication and development of the Cuban Trade Union movement.

They were further shocked at the important role they played in economic decisions and developmental decisions at the national level. The Bahamas delegation was also shocked to learn of the independent benefit the Cuban Trade Union movement had been able to put in place for its workers. Workers in Cuba had their own health care system. They had their own training college.

They had a huge complex to house all of their administration. Their leader Pedro Ross Leal was a short, powerful man. He had influence and on Labour Day, it was his voice only the workers heard. Duke went back to Cuba with a memorandum of understanding. Pedro Ross Leal signed the pact. This enabled Duke to have the NCTU develop affiliation with all of the other Caribbean, Central and South American unions, which were not a part of the English speaking CCL. Cuba's union meetings inspired Duke to go further. Shortly after his return home he began to make preparation to go to Canada to attend the CTUC (Canadian Trade Union Congress).

This time I was the only person to accompany him. In Toronto we met with Mr. Whitney. Duke had spoken with him from Nassau. They had agreed to sign a memorandum of understanding. This would establish a relationship between NCTU and the Canadian CTC. While in Canada, we met trade unionists from around the world, African, Asian, Australian, Filipino, Indonesian, Russian and English. All were there in solidarity. Someone had told Mr. Whitney that Duke could sing.

To Duke's surprise Mr. Whitney called him to the podium, introduced him as the NCTU president in The Bahamas and then asked him to sing a song. After his short speech to the congress, he reached for the microphone and began to sing Frank Sinatra's song "I did it my way." What a performance. The audience gave him a rousing applause. As usual, Duke gave his infectious smile and bowed. Immediately after Mr. Whitney mounted the podium, he thanked Duke graciously.

Then he gave orders to the delegates that he was going to lead a march down the main street in front of the ITT Building to protest on behalf of Canadian workers who were out on strike. Both Duke and I fell in line. Duke retired from the trade union frontline. His successor Percy Sweeting kept him in the mix as a store of information, experience and guidance. I believe Percy did this more out of respect for Duke than anything; also Percy respected the dignity of Duke's work. Both of them are musicians, so we know now that this was a rare thing to be done in the trade union movement.

Incoming presidents do not wish to have anything to do with the person they succeed. In the Musician's Union, this was a step above. I was off the island when my friend and mentor passed. I had visited him several weeks earlier. As I sat and reflect on Duke's life for the time that I knew him, my heart filled. He was a simple man who understood complex situations. He had developed the skills to untangle issues that stressed most minds.

He had spent his adult life fighting for the rights of Bahamian workers. He did not go on the radio or call into talk shows. He did not write to the newspapers. He did not seek fame or praise. Duke did what he did for working people to help improve their lot and their dignity because he knew it was the right thing to do. I salute my good and dear friend.

Susanna and I and our children are deepened in our humanity for having known him. Words of condolence cannot begin to approximate the pain that this separation must mean to Joan and her family. We can only exult in the honor that this great and noble, sovereign Bahamian man did his duty and has quietly departed from here to a better place. Sleep on sovereign warrior. - Wesley, Dr. Susanna Campbell and family

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