MoBay’s Sunset Blvd renamed Godfrey Dyer Blvd

WESTERN BUREAU:

Sunset Boulevard – the stretch of roadway from the Sangster International Airport roundabout to the Jimmy Cliff Boulevard in Montego Bay, St James – has been renamed the Godfrey Dyer Boulevard in honour of the renowned hotelier-businessman.

Montego Bay Mayor Homer Davis said that the renaming of the thoroughfare as a salute to Dyer was unanimously decided by the councillors of the northwestern parish.

“ ... The renaming of Sunset Boulevard as Godfrey Dyer Boulevard has given us an opportunity to tell this giant of a man how much we appreciate what he has done for Jamaica,” Davis said at the naming ceremony on Thursday.

“Godfrey Dyer’s life story is one which can and should be shared among our people as it remains a source of inspiration,” he added.

According to Davis, the renaming of the boulevard will bring new energy and life to the former Sunset Boulevard as visitors and locals alike will now be able to identify with the name Godfrey Dyer, which, he said, is etched among the greats in all sectors of our country.

Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett, who delivered the keynote address, said that despite not being a talkative person, Dyer’s words carry weight, and as a consequence, he has made an indelible mark on the city of Montego Bay and, by extension, Jamaica.

“He is truly deserving of the honour,” said Bartlett.

Dyer, who is currently serving a second term as chairman of the Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF), is a former president of the Montego Bay Chamber of Commerce and Industry and has served the tourism sector in several capacities. Interestingly, the Clarendon native first served in the parish of St James as a police officer.

“I am somebody who served everybody. [Political] party doesn’t mean anything to me when my country comes ‘calling’,” said Dyer, who said that he was somewhat doubtful that it would have come to pass when he was first told about the move to rename the roadway.

editorial@gleanerjm.com