Tribute to Winston Alexander Kent Smiling

June 2, 2023

Delivered by Hon. Henry Charles Usher

There are many more qualified than I to give a tribute to Mr. Winston Alexander Kent Smiling, Wince to most people and Sir Winston to me. But it is certainly an honour that I have been asked to say a few words. So on behalf of the Prime Minister, Hon. John Briceño and the Government of Belize… and switching to my political hat, on behalf of the People’s United Party, I offer my condolences as we stand in solidarity with the family, the Reverend Dr. Ilona Louise Smiling; with David, Andrew, Matthew and Nancy. With his brothers, Maurice, Francis, and Raymond, his Sisters – Shirley, Janet, June, Ilona, Marilyn, Merlene, and Estelle. With Florence Arthurs and their daughter Sonelle, and his grandchildren, nieces, and nephews. And also with Stuart Garcia, Dr. Fernando Cuellar and so many more Belizeans who mourn today the passing of a legend.

Today on behalf of a grateful nation we offer you our deepest gratitude.

Winston Smiling was one of those Belizean men who lived to be a part of a very special period in our Nation’s history, and in the History of the People’s United Party. This was so because of his close association with his beloved Tio, the Father of our Nation the Rt. Hon. George Price.

That involvement saw him front and centre of the struggle for our independence, it made him a part of the Peaceful Constructive Belizean Revolution.

Growing up in an era when Belize was fighting to rid itself of the evil that was colonialism, Winston was more than just any young man. Due to his proximity to Mr. Price, he often times found himself not in the political limelight, but in the corridors and rooms where compromises had to be worked out and some people had to settle for less than what they truly wanted.

It was in these places where Mr. Price most trusted Winston to listen carefully, to remain calm under pressure especially when surrounded by political hot heads. Of course remaining calm was not Winston’s forte but around the maximum leader he was like the eye of the hurricane.

In many ways, Winston was in those days playing the role of what we call in modern day politics a fixer. Imagine having to take up this role among the likes of men like Lindy Rogers, Polo and Joe Briceño, Joe Erales, Ray Lightburn, Ducho Thomas, Reggie Faber and so many more brave soldiers of the revolution who were not always known to carry a velvet glove. Silky is here and he can certainly regale us of those days.

Yet with all the challenges of his role as one of Mr. Price’s Praetorian Guard, he still found time to build his private business not too far from here which we all know to be Smiling Meats. He still found the time to sing karaoke… and oh could he sing.. to hang out at the popular local watering holes, talking politics of course, at Bismark, Round House, Landing, Democratic later Ambassadors, to meddle in horse racing with Georgie August and boxing with Henry Young.

He was a paradoxical man, the smiling butcher. And did he have the most appropriate surname, because Winston was always smiling.

I am sure that in the family remembrance we will hear more about his personal and business life, his success at building the Smiling meats brand with that famous line “Nothing fancy just the best,” and his many adventures, so I will stick to his life of in service to our nation and to his beloved People’s United Party.

Winston Smiling was a product of his time, he understood people. He cared for them. He tried to help howev- er he could. Being close to Mr. Price, he learned how to work with others and how to get things done.

I’ll never forget those Sundays when he would be out in some village following village council elections along with Luke and Yasin and would report back in colourful words when the PUP won a village and in even more colour words when we lost a village.

And then there were those days when politics was less driven by expensive campaigns and more by the small contributions and small fund raising events like bar-b-ques and bake sales.