Sir Edney Cain

A noble and distinguished Belizean patriot, Sir Henry Edney Conrad Cain, was laid to rest on Tuesday, following a state funeral that began at the Wesley Church on Albert Street in Belize City, and concluded with the interment at the Lord’s Ridge Cemetery, where his body was committed to the ground.

Sir Edney was blessed with more than his promised three score and ten. He passed away on Thursday, January 17, at the age of 83, after an 8-year battle with cancer.

The church was packed with relatives, friends and government officials who had gone to pay their last respects to a man who gave so much of himself to Belize. Among the dignitaries present were 8 officiating ministers of the Methodist faith, as well as Anglican Bishop, Rt. Rev. Philip S. Wright, and US bishop, Rt. Rev. Raymond Hanlan. Chief Justice Dr. Abdulai Conteh, Governor-General Sir Colville Young and Lady Young, Prime Minister Said Musa and Mrs. Musa were all present for the funeral.

Michael Lindo, younger brother of Bill Lindo, presented the eulogy of Sir Edney. Lindo told Amandala that Sir Edney was like a father to him, and he remembered not just his contributions to Society, but also his classy wit.

“He belonged to a generation that measured men by their honesty and their courage. In Sir Edney, the world saw the best of Belize, and Belizeans found a man whose character and leadership served as a guiding light for others to follow in the development of our nation,” Lindo remarked. “Sir Edney had the virtues of small-town Belize: sincerity, serenity, and integrity. Recognized and honored for his character, conduct in public service, valued contributions to church and state, as well as the manner of his private living.”

As they say, alongside every great man is a great woman. Among Sir Edney’s survivors are his dear wife, Lady Leonie Elfreda Cain nee Locke, and his daughters, Sharon and Maria.

“Unassuming and without guile, Sir Edney showed his character in the devotion to his family and wife of almost 57 years who was always by his side,” Lindo said. “Lady Cain, or Ma Leonie to me, was his biggest supporter and providing a loving home which allowed Sir Edney to undertake his public service and his diplomatic career with dignity and zeal.

His most celebrated quality was his “quiet disposition,” which Michael Lindo said was a guiding light for many and will be remembered fondly for his wit that was quick and sure.

“As I once said to Ma Leonie, ‘You do have a lot to say,’ and he [Sir Edney] leaned over and whispered to me, ‘My boy, that is why one of us has to be quiet.’”

Sir Edney is a literal example of a person who accomplished professional greatness by working himself up the ladder, rising from lowly ranks all the way to the upper echelons of the hierarchy.

Financial Secretary Joe Waight also offered a remembrance of Sir Edney, chronicling his 51 years in the public service

“Sir Edney Cain began his career in the public service of Belize on the 14th October 1940 as a messenger at the Wireless Station. He rose through the ranks as Supernumery Probationer and a Junior Clerk in 1942; Third Class Clerk in 1945; Second Class Clerk in 1946; and First Class Clerk in 1953; the latter position being at the Audit Department,” read Waight.

At the Audit Department, Sir Edney worked in accounting: “In that Department, Mr. Cain, as he was known at the time, progressed and received appointments to the posts of Examiner of Accounts and Sr. Examiner of Accounts, both in 1955, and, Auditor in 1959,” he further recalled.

Sir Edney Cain was educated in the Methodist system. He attended Ebenezer (Methodist) Primary School, and then continued higher learning at St. George’s College and St. Michael’s College (not the current St. Michael’s).

“Using his initiative, and at his own expense, he undertook courses in accountancy and audit in the United Kingdom in 1953 and 1954, where he received his certificate, having successfully sat the Association of Certified & Corporation Accountant’s Intermediate Examination in 1954,” Waight documented.

Through hard work and dedication, he received a series of accounting certifications, including certifications from the Association of Certified Corporate Accountants, and Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada.

This enabled Cain to rise to the top: “His training prepared him well for his subsequent appointments to the posts of Assistant Accountant General in 1961, and Accountant General in 1963. In 1970, while he continued to hold the post of Accountant General, he was placed on special assignment to the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development,” Waight recollected.

Sir Edney became the first Governor of the Central Bank in 1982, after being the first managing director of the Belize Monetary Authority. Another first was his appointment as resident ambassador to the USA, a title he held while serving as Belize’s Non-Resident High Commissioner to Canada.

In 1987, he served as financial secretary, and also acted as Governor-General at times.

“Sir Edney joined the Ministry of Finance at a particularly challenging time, when Belize was experiencing severe liquidity and balance of payments problems, and was in the midst of a Structural Adjustment Program with the International Monetary Fund,” said Waight. “He set about addressing these many problems in his own quiet and unassuming way.”

He became Sir Edney Cain when he was knighted by the Queen in 1986.

“He was always a calming influence and the voice of reason,” Mr. Waight reminisced. “I can recall going to him on more than one occasion, hot and bothered, over what I thought were insurmountable problems that had no solutions.

“He would hear me out and then say calmly, ‘Don’t worry. Things have a way of sorting themselves out.’”

He returned to his post of Central Bank Governor in 1991, serving from January to December, when he formally retired from the public service.

Methodist District President, Rev. C. David Goff, MBE, reminded us that Sir Edney was also a poet, having published “When the Angel says: ‘Write!’” The book was published in two editions, 1948 and 2001, said Lindo.

Sir Edney received his last public honor in 2006, when the Government of Belize honored him along with a slew of other Belizean Patriots at the country’s 25th anniversary of Independence, decorating him with the Order of Distinguished Service.