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ROAD TOWN, Tortola, VI – After a week of drama that saw his brother staging a one-man protest about his treatment over a request to be medically transported to his homeland of Trinidad & Tobago (T&T), retired educator Gordon Junior Dennis Callender has died.
A good teacher

According to information reaching our news centre, he died sometime this morning at Peebles Hospital, in Road Town, the capital city. He was 68-years-old having been born on July 15, 1950.

The educator taught countless students and had served in many schools in the educational system including, as Principal of the Joyce Samuel Primary School in Belle Vue. Some of his greatest achievements were while serving as Principal of the biggest Primary School in the Territory, the Althea Scatliffe during 2000-2010, after which he retired.

One man protest

Originally, from T&T it is believed Mr Callender came to the Virgin Islands (VI) as a little boy. He is expected to be buried on Tortola which he considers his adopted home.

Earlier this week, his brother David Callender staged a one-man protest where he alleged that MASA insurance had refused to evacuate his sick brother to Trinidad to be with his family.

MASA side

In a press release, MASA claimed that the transportation was “not medically necessary” and the deceased was “additionally informed that he did not qualify for recuperative transportation under the terms and conditions of the Member Services Agreement, as such recuperative transportations were associated with a member’s return to their residence in the event that they are hospitalised abroad.”

MASA via their Director of Compliance further noted, “As Mr Gordon Callender was a Tortola resident and not a Trinidad resident, such recuperative transportation services were not applicable.”

No date for the funeral has been announced.