The Antigua and Barbuda Labour Party (ABLP) is mourning the loss of one of its longest-serving members, Comrade Ethlyn Winter of Cassada Gardens, who passed away on Saturday morning, August 23, at the Sir Lester Bird Medical Centre after a brief illness.

Winter’s association with the ABLP and the Antigua Trades and Labour Union (AT&LU) spanned more than seven decades. She began as a Juvenile Supporter before joining the Women’s Action Group as an adult, dedicating much of her life to the party’s cause.

Her commitment deepened in the wake of the ABLP’s political setbacks — most notably the 1968 split within the Labour movement and the party’s 1971 election defeat. Winter remained steadfast, working tirelessly for the party’s return to power.

She was especially noted for her unwavering support of the late Sir Lester Bird in the Rural East constituency. Party officials recalled her pivotal role in helping secure his victories in 1976 and again in 2004, when Bird staged his celebrated political comeback.

Colleagues also remembered Winter as a quiet yet forceful presence within the Women’s Action Group, whose words carried weight across generations of party members. In one anecdote recalled by the party, she received a standing ovation after addressing a Friday night forum, a moment that highlighted the respect she commanded within the organisation.

ABLP Political Leader and Prime Minister Gaston Browne has announced that Winter will be honoured posthumously in accordance with the party’s Revised Constitution, recognizing her decades of loyalty and service.

“Comrade Winter embodied the spirit of dedication and perseverance that has sustained this movement through both triumph and challenge,” Browne said. “Her contribution will never be forgotten.”