One month has passed since a commercial aircraft operated by Flamingo Air crashed into dense shrubbery just outside the runway of San Andros airport, claiming the lives of all ten people on board. On Friday, heartbroken relatives, friends and community leaders gathered at a solemn memorial service to celebrate the lives cut tragically short, honoring each victim’s unique legacy, dreams and the lasting impact they left on those who loved them.
The memorial, hosted by The Bahamas Christian Council at Bahamas Faith Ministries International, paid tribute to each of the ten victims. The group included five members of the popular local band Da Pond: Giovanni “Geo” McKenzie, Rashad Storr, Mateo Winder, Toniquea Gilot and Tra’vis Johnson. They were joined by veteran Bahamian entertainer Melvin Henfield, known professionally as DJ Fresh. Two Andros Island natives, Quintin Myers and Macaro Rolle, experienced 27-year veteran pilot Franklyn Cambridge, and 16-year-old Nicholas Oliver Jr. also died in the July 10 crash.
The ceremony blended hymns, communal prayers, and raw, emotional reflections as family members shared personal tributes, many delivered through pre-recorded video messages. For Captain Cambridge, who piloted the doomed flight, his parents shared that his lifelong passion for aviation began in childhood, when he constantly requested toy planes as gifts. That childhood passion grew into a nearly three-decade professional career, during which he consistently pursued advanced certifications in aviation techniques, safety policies and operational procedures. His parents shared one of his most cherished personal mantras: “Falling doesn’t make you a failure. Staying down makes you a failure. Don’t ever give up.” They closed their tribute by noting that Cambridge died doing what he loved most in the world.
Archbishop Dr Elton Major and Reverend Dr Michelle Major remembered their son Melvin Henfield, recalling that his natural talent as an entertainer had the power to energize any room and create unforgettable moments for audiences. “While DJ Fresh’s music may have stopped here,” they reflected, “his song plays on in our stories, in our laughter, in every beat that reminds us of it.”
For Quintin Myers, sister Tamara Myers struggled through tears to describe her brother as the constant source of joy and connection that held their entire family together. She shared that Myers had been looking forward to an upcoming summer cruise, had recently purchased a new car and already secured his ticket for the trip—dreams that would never be realized. “He had so many aspirations that I think he never even got to realize,” Ms Myers said, “and I think a lot of people are going to miss that bubbly energy in Quinton. He was the glue for the family. He changed the room and connected all of us in such a special way.”
Giovanni McKenzie’s sister Shandera McKenzie-Nottage honored her brother through an original poem she wrote, titled A Moment of Silence. “A moment of silence for the friend who became family to so many,” the poem reads, “the encourager, the listener, the steady one, the quiet spring that held others together without ever asking who was holding him.”
In remarks to the gathered families, Bahamian Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis offered words of comfort, emphasizing that no family was walking this path of grief alone. “Each has gone on home too soon,” Mr Davis said. “10 seats, 10 families.” He urged attendees to not let the tragic circumstances of the crash overshadow the full lives the victims lived. “Their final journey does not define their lives,” he said. “We honor them for the happiness they brought to others, the work they performed, the friendships they nurtured, and the love that they shared.”
Opposition leader Michael Pintard echoed this sentiment, encouraging those in attendance to preserve the victims’ legacies by leaning into joy in their own daily lives. “And so I encourage all of us, as I encourage myself,” Mr Pintard said, “that we have to suck some joy out of this life every single day because we have no idea when it is our last.”