Lalyans Seselwa mourns the passing of Noellie Alexander |05 May 2018
Lalyans Seselwa is mourning the passing away of its founding member and secretary for publicity Noellie Alexander.
“It is with utmost sadness and regret that Lalyans Seselwa announces the passing of Mrs Alexander,” stated a communiqué from the party issued on Thursday evening.
It said Mrs Alexander was instrumental in the creation of Lalyans Seselwa in 2015.
“She showed exemplary courage in coming forward to help chart new routes for Seychelles which would lead the country and the nation to safe ports. Despite being already a pensioner, she went back to the grind mill and worked shoulder to shoulder alongside her younger colleagues, with her only target a better Seychelles and a brighter tomorrow for her grandchildren and all Seychellois children,” writes the communiqué.
The communiqué adds: “A woman with a strong personality she never gave up and remained coherent right up to the end. As secretary for publicity, she played a vital role in creating the party's mouthpiece Lavwa Lalyans and she contributed to it each week no matter what her state of health was. She remained true and steadfast in her commitment to the party, especially when Lalyans Seselwa was going through its most difficult stage”.
In the words of Lalyans Seselwa leader Patrick Pillay:
“Gran Ser (big sister), as we call her was the epitome of devotion, commitment and loyalty. She never minced her words and also told it straight from the heart. She had a heart of gold and was a tireless worker. She did not flinch at the idea of returning into politics well after retirement, just so that she could contribute to bring about real change for the better for our country, so that, as she put it, my grandchildren can enjoy a future of opportunity and prosperity. Gran Ser was selfless in everything she did and always had a soft for the weak and the downtrodden. Lalyans Seselwa has lost a most precious jewel. Her contributions in our newspaper Lavwa Lalyans will be amongst those mementoes which will keep her alive in our hearts. Hard work, punctuality and diligence were her ethos and she lived by the mantra of: as you sow, so shall you reap”.
Lalyans Seselwa has extended heartfelt sympathy to Miss Alexander's family.
She was the best, adds the communiqué.
Miss Alexander's funeral service will take place at the Ste Thérèse Church at Plaisance on Tuesday May 7 at 2.30pm.
Former minister and ambassador Noellie Alexander passed away in hospital early Thursday morning following a short illness. She was 71 years old.
Born in Mombasa, Kenya to a Seychellois mother and a Mauritian father before coming to Seychelles in 1969, Miss Alexander started her career as a sales representative of British Airways in 1971 when the British airline BOAC opened its offices in Victoria. She was among the first Seychellois to work with the airline.
After that, she joined the University of Manchester to read for a Master’s degree in public administration. She later joined the public service where she developed a special interest in human resource development and was appointed director of the Seychelles Institute of Management (SIM) in 1979.
In 1989 she became the director general for manpower development and in 1993 she was appointed principal secretary for health.
Miss Alexander served as Minister of Administration, and later as Minister of Administration and Manpower Development, between 1998 and 2005.
She served briefly as chief executive of the newly restructured Seychelles Institute of Management from 2005 until her appointment as ambassador in 2006. She retired from full-time public service in November 2009 after serving as Seychelles' high commissioner to South Africa.
She leaves behind, a son - Jean-Philippe Alexander.