Priest: Draper, a man of the people

THE late Gordon Draper has been hailed ahead of his funeral today as being a true man of the people. The accolade came from Fr Ashley Mungal of the Trinity Cathedral, who will officiate at the 10 am service. Fr Mungal said Draper’s widow, Chela, had described her husband as an uncomplicated man of simple tastes. Mungal said, “His widow said he was a very simple man, very down to earth, with not too much fanfare when he went out in public. She said he was a man of the people, never fussy.” The cleric noted that Mrs Draper had originally said she wanted the funeral to be a simple affair, but the input of the State had made it into an official funeral. He said a high attendance was expected.

In addition to the 1,000 persons who could be seated in the church, he noted that tents were being erected outside to accommodate extra people. As Draper originally hailed from Arima, the Borough would be represented at the funeral by Father Jeff Elder, who would assist Mungal. Fr Elder is the son of the late JD Elder and was a friend of Draper at university. Also assisting will be Deacon Bailey. The funeral will include about three to five eulogies, including tributes by Draper’s former political colleagues, said Mungal. Musical tributes are expected from the Lydian Singers and pannist Jit Samaroo. He was unable to say whether the President or Prime Minister would be attending.