Mother, 3 children among MV Barima victims laid to rest

– Guyanese urged to “live as brothers and sisters” as nation bids farewell to victims

Bush Lot, West Coast Berbice (WCB), Region Five (Mahaica-Berbice); and New Amsterdam, Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne), stood united in grief on Friday as two funeral services marked another painful chapter in the aftermath of the MV Barima tragedy, with families, friends, colleagues and Government officials gathering to pay their final respects to five of the lives lost in the river disaster.
At Bush Lot, a husband and father faced what many described as every parent’s worst nightmare as he bid farewell to his wife and three young children. Hours later, this time at New Amsterdam, relatives and colleagues remembered Acting Boatswain Oren Clarke, a veteran Transport and Harbours Department (T&HD) employee whose years of dedicated service ended while carrying out his duties aboard the ill-fated vessel. The funerals came less than a week after the sinking of the MV Barima, a tragedy that has plunged communities across Guyana into mourning. For Adam Matabheek, Friday was a day no husband or father should ever have to endure. Standing beside four coffins at the family’s Bush Lot home, the grief-stricken father struggled to come to terms with the loss of his wife, Rachel Wells, and their three children: Nathaniel Jr, Nathalia and little Ezekiel.

The family had boarded the MV Barima, intending to travel to the North West District to visit Rachel’s ailing mother after she repeatedly expressed a desire to see her daughter and grandchildren. It was meant to be a joyful reunion. Instead, the journey ended in unimaginable tragedy. Adam survived the tragedy, but his wife and children did not. Throughout the funeral service, he remained inconsolable, at times being supported by relatives and close friends as wave after wave of emotion swept over the gathering. Rachel’s parents, grandparents and other relatives openly wept as prayers were offered and hymns echoed through the community where the young family had built their lives. Among those attending the service was Education Minister Sonia Parag, who delivered brief but heartfelt remarks on behalf of the government.  Speaking not only as a Cabinet minister but also as a mother, Parag acknowledged that words alone could never lessen the burden now being carried by the grieving family. “Today, I stand as a mother, like many of you, and it breaks my heart to see a father who has lost his children and his wife… It is something that would be anyone’s worst nightmare,” she said. She reminded mourners that while the funeral marked the final farewell to Rachel and her children, it should not mark the end of the support being offered to those left behind. As Bush Lot mourned the loss of an entire young family, another grieving family was preparing to say goodbye in New Amsterdam.
Acting Boatswain Oren Clarke was remembered as a devoted father and dedicated public servant; he leaves behind 23 children, nine siblings and a wide circle of relatives and friends whose lives he touched over decades of service. His son, Aeon Clarke, was granted permission to leave prison under escort to attend the funeral, where his brief emotional tribute reflected the heartbreak that had engulfed the family. “I… it’s real hard to believe this has happened,” he said quietly, fighting back tears. Clarke’s daughter, Yoland Williams, offered one of the day’s most moving tributes as she reflected on the man she proudly called her father. Although she was his stepdaughter, Williams said Clarke never made that distinction. “He was my stepfather, but I would say he was my father, because he would have never added ‘step’ to daughter. He always said, ‘That’s my daughter.’”
She described him as her closest confidant, recalling how the trust he placed in her helped shape the independent woman she has become. “He was my favourite person… and I know for sure I was his favourite too,” she said, drawing tears from many gathered inside the funeral home. The tributes that followed painted the picture of a man whose greatest pride was not only in the work he performed but also in the family he built.  She credited Clarke with shaping the confident, independent woman she had become through the trust and responsibility he placed in her, adding that she would forever cherish the bond they shared. Representing the T&HD, Assistant to the Marine Superintendent Carolyn Waithe reflected on Clarke’s professional life, describing him as an employee whose dedication earned the respect of both colleagues and supervisors. She recounted that Clarke joined the department as a watchman aboard the Alford Sea in 2013 before being transferred to the marine section later that year. After being placed on the monthly establishment in 2016, he was promoted to acting boatswain in May 2024. Throughout his years of service, she said, Clarke approached every responsibility with diligence, discipline and professionalism, paying particular attention to the readiness and maintenance of the vessel entrusted to his care.
Drawing comfort from Scripture, she reminded mourners of the words of Psalm 34:18: “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” Delivering condolences on behalf of President Dr Irfaan Ali and the Government, Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha said the tragedy had left scars far beyond the families directly affected. “The pain of this tragedy is not confined to one family, one community or one region. It is a pain that has touched the entire Guyanese nation,” he told mourners. Mustapha said Clarke’s death was not only the loss of a father, brother and friend but also of a public servant who dedicated his life to serving fellow Guyanese. New Amsterdam Mayor Wainwright McIntosh also paid tribute to Clarke, describing him as a devoted father, respected colleague and loyal friend whose commitment to family and country would not be forgotten. Speaking directly to Clarke’s children, McIntosh drew on his own recent experience of loss. “For Oren’s children, losing a father is not easy. I lost mine about three months ago,” he said. “Though he is no longer physically present, the lessons he taught you, the memories you shared and the love he gave you will live on in your hearts forever.” As dusk settled over Bush Lot and New Amsterdam, two communities separated by miles but united by sorrow completed the difficult task of laying their loved ones to rest. For one family, it meant saying goodbye to a wife and mother whose final journey was meant to bring comfort to an ailing parent and to three young children whose futures were cut short. For another, it meant honouring a veteran seaman who boarded the MV Barima expecting nothing more than another day’s work and never returned home. Though the hymns have faded and the coffins have been concealed, the grief left in the wake of the MV Barima disaster remains. (Andrew Carmichal)