The nation said farewell to media mogul and sports champion Ivor Bird, yesterday, as hundreds gathered at the Ebenezer Methodist Church to celebrate his remarkable 80-year legacy.
“Ivor Bird was a pioneer in global radio and media … he was a trailblazer. He was a revolutionary in broadcasting, and he was a leading cultural integrationist of all Caribbean civilization,” said Alister Thomas.
Known affectionately as “The Silent One,” Bird’s impact on local broadcasting extended far beyond his role as a media executive.
His son, Sean Bird remembered his father as being synonymous with radio.
“To simply put it, Daddy was radio and radio was Daddy,” he expressed.
As a son of the nation’s first Prime Minister and national hero, Vere Cornwall Bird Sr, Ivor Bird carved his own path to excellence, particularly in athletics.
Bird’s legacy as a mentor and visionary was portrayed through personal testimonials at the service as Foreign Minister Chet Greene recalled, “He saw something in me that I had not yet finally realized.”
His sporting achievements included a gold medal for high jumping at the 1965 British West Indies Championships. He also represented Antigua and Barbuda at the 1966 British Empire and Commonwealth Games, establishing him as one of the nation’s earliest international sports ambassadors.
Bird’s leadership at ZDK Radio and Sun FM helped establish these stations as cornerstones of local broadcasting, providing essential platforms for news, entertainment, and community engagement that continue to influence the nation’s media landscape today.
The funeral service brought together individuals from media, sports, and politics with Alison Bramble remarking that his “legacy will forever be a part of Antigua and Barbuda’s history… His pioneering work in establishing ZDK Radio and his unwavering commitment to excellence in broadcasting shaped the way our nation communicates and connects.”
