Virgin Gorda holds vigil for Petr Kellner

Scores of persons tread through the streets of Virgin Gorda on Sunday in honour of the recently deceased Czech billionaire, Petr Kellner.

Kellner was killed in a helicopter crash on March 27. His sudden passing brought shock and sadness across the BVI — especially on Virgin Gorda where Kellner has been a long-time resident.

During Sunday’s march, residents walked from the sister island’s water plant to Savannah Bay Beach where they used candles to spell out ‘Mr❤️K’ in the sand.

And as the orange evening sun set over the BVI’s turquoise waters in Savannah, a small subgroup of mourners gathered inside the candles arranged in the shape of a heart to pay tribute to the Czech philanthropist.

They waved colourful glow sticks as the melancholy sounds of Pink Floyd’s ‘Wish You Were Here’ played in the background.

The scores of mourners then lit and released Chinese balloons in honour of the Czech billionaire.

Kellner loved VG

Vincent Wheatley — the elected representative of the Ninth District where Virgin Gorda is located — was present at the vigil.

And in a recent statement, he described Kellner as a great friend to the Virgin Islands.

“Mr Kellner was a very private individual but his love for these Virgin Islands, especially Virgin Gorda, was well known. This love shown was manifested following the devastating hurricanes of 2017 when he jumpstarted recovery efforts by making funds available to start the clean-up process,” Wheatley recalled.

After a meeting with [former] Premier [Dr D Orlando Smith] and Governor Jaspert in 2017, Mr Kellner took the recovery of Virgin Gorda as a personal project. He brought in building materials, generators, refrigerators, ice and whatever else was needed and donated to the people of Virgin Gorda. It was through his efforts that many homes got repaired and lives restored,” he further said.