Leslie Campbell Remembered as Distinguished Public Servant

Late former Government Minister and Parliamentarian, Leslie Roy Campbell, has been remembered as a distinguished public servant who served with integrity and devoted his professional and political life to advancing national development.

Prime Minister, Dr. the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, headed the list of dignitaries—including Cabinet members, parliamentarians, family and friends, members of the judiciary, and well-wishers from across society—who paid their final respects to Mr. Campbell during the Official Funeral Service, held on Saturday (June 6) at Fellowship Tabernacle in Kingston.

A highly respected attorney-at-law, Mr. Campbell served as Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, Minister of State in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, and Member of Parliament for St. Catherine North Eastern. He also distinguished himself as a Government Senator.

During the thanksgiving service, the first scripture reading, taken from Psalm 15:1–5, was delivered by Prime Minister Holness. Member of Parliament for St. Andrew Western, Anthony Hylton, representing the Leader of the Opposition, Mr. Mark Golding, read the second passage from 1 Thessalonians 4:13–18.

The Gospel reading, drawn from John 14:1–6, was presented by Mr. Campbell’s son, Joshua Campbell.

In her tribute, Mr. Campbell’s daughter, Dana Mattison, read ‘The Dash’ by Linda Ellis, a poem that encourages individuals to live purposefully.

The piece uses the metaphor of the ‘dash’—the punctuation mark between the birth date and date of death on a tombstone—to symbolise the life lived in between.

“What matters is how we live and love and how we spend our dash. So think about this long and hard. Are there things you’d like to change? For you never know how much time is left that can still be rearranged,” Mrs. Mattison said.

In her remembrance, the late lawmaker’s sister, Audrey Campbell, shared that he made his grand entrance on July 1, 1958, and exited stage right on May 3, 2026, noting that the dash between those years—though brief—captures a life well lived.

She described him as a brilliant mind from Glengoffe in rural St. Catherine, whose grit, resilience, ambition, and unwavering courage propelled him to achieve greatness despite life’s obstacles.

“He’s one of many prominent sons from that soil who made good and contributed to nation-building on the local and international stage. [His life underscored that] there’s a strong argument for investment in our primary and secondary educational institutions. Leslie is living proof that investment in these institutions yields dividends that ripple across generations and time,” Ms. Campbell said.

She noted that Mr. Campbell’s personal and professional achievements were forged through toil and hardship.

“He knew that pulling himself up by his own bootstraps meant he had to first acquire boots… nothing would be handed to him. Knocking at doors would never give him access… sometimes he just had to kick those doors open. He could not be a coward. He had to be willing to take risks, and that he did.

“When faced with insurmountable challenges it was guaranteed he’d see the humor in it; he saw the funny side of everything, even his own misfortunes. Leslie was always friendly, he was down to earth. He could hold his own under the cotton tree, in the street, in the halls of justice, and wherever his travels took him. He was rather skilled at adapting to any situation and environment with a penchant for mimicking people and their accents,” Ms. Campbell said.

She noted that her brother was deeply committed to service and demonstrated competence in representing his community.

“He did so at great personal sacrifice, but never regretted doing so. Leslie had a heart for service, because I suppose he understood well the challenges of his community,” Ms. Campbell shared.

Jamaica Labour Party Deputy Chairman and close friend, Dr. Aundre Franklin, noted that Mr. Campbell—who served the organisation for 27 years, including as Deputy Treasurer—possessed a brilliant mind, an excellent memory, and outstanding interpersonal skills.

“He served with unshakeable integrity, he was truthful and principled, accountable and transparent. He served by elevating others, rather than self-promotion. He led by example, mastering the servant-hearted approach to leadership,” Dr. Franklin said