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10/05/2002
City Council recognize bravery of Eliza Ward
Belfast City Council have paid formal tribute to the bravery of teenager Eliza Ward who died saving the life of her employer.
In a simple ceremony held in the grounds of the City Hall, the Council unveiled a commemorative stone in recognition of the brave act of the 18-year-old Eliza Ward who was fatally stabbed at Café Society on July 17, 1997.
The Lord Mayor of Belfast, Councillor Jim Rodgers and Eliza's parents, Alana and John Ward, led the ceremony. Also attending were many members of the wider Ward family circle, as well as friends of the family.
The commemorative stone was unveiled by two of Eliza’s sisters, Angeline and Constance, with the assistance of the Lord Mayor and Councillor Chris McGimpsey, Chairman of the Council’s Policy and Resources Committee.
After the unveiling, members of the Ward family laid flowers beside the stone, which has been set in the shade of a tree, opposite the site, in Donegall Square East, of Café Society, which recently closed.
At the tribute ceremony, the Lord Mayor said: “Eliza Ward was just 18 when she died, and I suspect that nothing in her life had ever led her to believe that she was particularly brave. Yet, when the moment of testing came, her actions were quick, courageous and, above all, selfless.
“For a city that has witnessed so much violence and murder – all of it senseless – the brutality of the attack that claimed Eliza’s life shocked the community to its core.
"She gave her life to protect someone else’s life – an unplanned and breathtaking act of generosity. In doing it, Eliza set a high standard for the people of this City."
The Lord Mayor said that standard was reflected in the honour her family received from the Queen and Belfast City Council’s decision to unveil a commemorative stone acknowledged the sacrifice made by Eliza.
Eliza Ward is the only civilian in the province to have received the George Medal in recent years.
(SP)
In a simple ceremony held in the grounds of the City Hall, the Council unveiled a commemorative stone in recognition of the brave act of the 18-year-old Eliza Ward who was fatally stabbed at Café Society on July 17, 1997.
The Lord Mayor of Belfast, Councillor Jim Rodgers and Eliza's parents, Alana and John Ward, led the ceremony. Also attending were many members of the wider Ward family circle, as well as friends of the family.
The commemorative stone was unveiled by two of Eliza’s sisters, Angeline and Constance, with the assistance of the Lord Mayor and Councillor Chris McGimpsey, Chairman of the Council’s Policy and Resources Committee.
After the unveiling, members of the Ward family laid flowers beside the stone, which has been set in the shade of a tree, opposite the site, in Donegall Square East, of Café Society, which recently closed.
At the tribute ceremony, the Lord Mayor said: “Eliza Ward was just 18 when she died, and I suspect that nothing in her life had ever led her to believe that she was particularly brave. Yet, when the moment of testing came, her actions were quick, courageous and, above all, selfless.
“For a city that has witnessed so much violence and murder – all of it senseless – the brutality of the attack that claimed Eliza’s life shocked the community to its core.
"She gave her life to protect someone else’s life – an unplanned and breathtaking act of generosity. In doing it, Eliza set a high standard for the people of this City."
The Lord Mayor said that standard was reflected in the honour her family received from the Queen and Belfast City Council’s decision to unveil a commemorative stone acknowledged the sacrifice made by Eliza.
Eliza Ward is the only civilian in the province to have received the George Medal in recent years.
(SP)
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