By Admin. Updated 9:11 p.m., Wednesday, May 27, 2026, Atlantic Standard Time (GMT-4).
Veteran journalist and trade unionist Renwick Ellsworth Adrian Rose has died, his daughter Kafi Rose confirmed to One News SVG on Wednesday, May 27.
Rose, who previously served prominently as coordinator and chief executive officer of the Windward Islands Farmers Association (WINFA), died peacefully at his home on May 27, after battling illness for some time.
Born on January 20, 1948, Rose was 78 years old at the time of his death.
According to The Guardian newspaper in the United Kingdom, Rose was instrumental in securing the first exports of Windward Fairtrade bananas to the UK in 2000.
A journalist for more than 30 years, Rose was widely known for his weekly columns in Searchlight newspaper.
“In November 2011, Rose won the Guardian International Development Achievement award which recognized some of the unsung heroes of international development, who have made a profound contribution to the alleviation of poverty, working above and beyond the call of duty to make a difference to the lives of some of the world’s poorest people,” Searchlight reported.
In a published citation on Rose, Searchlight stated:
“Affectionately known as Kamara, who was born in St. Vincent and the Grenadines to humble parents Reynold (a tailor by profession) and Germaine Rose (an early childhood educator) of Stoney Ground, Kingstown.”
“In the early 70s, his vision for the future political direction of the country begun to take him in another direction, when he began to challenge the status quo (period of Statehood in St Vincent). In 1972, he founded THE BLACK LIBERATION ACTION COMMITTEE (BLAC), a political pressure group, which sought to build consciousness among the masses. Years later, he then founded the Youlou United Liberation Movement (YULIMO) a Socialist group, organizing under the banner of genuine independence, people’s ownership and control. Persons such as the Prime Minister Dr. Ralph Gonsalves and Justice Adrian Saunders were members of the group.”
The citation extract continued:
“In 1979, YULIMO and two other political groups merged to form the United People’s Movement (UPM), of which Rose was one of the triumvirate who led the Party into General Elections.”
“During his stint with leftist politics, he helped to build political awareness among the mass of Vincentian people, through various media. He has also brought to the attention of government the many issues that affect the lives of ordinary Vincentians. Renwick always believed in networking with other political groups of similar nature, both regionally and internationally, in order to strengthen the voices of the masses”
“As a journalist, he played a significant role in informing the public, having produced several booklets and journals. From 1974 to 1989, Rose managed and edited three newspapers in St. Vincent and the Grenadines: FREEDOM, JUSTICE and JUSTSPORTS and later became a columnist in the NEWS and now the SEARCHLIGHT, as well as making regular contributions in the VINCENTIAN newspaper.”
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