11 Hanoverians the toasts of Heroes Day

WESTERN BUREAU:

Eleven residents of Hanover were honoured for their service to the parish and wider nation during Monday’s ‘Salute to our Heroes and Awards Presentation’ ceremony.

The event, which took place at the Sir Alexander Bustamante Square in Lucea, saw four men and seven women being honoured in various fields of endeavour.

Those honoured were Errol Barnes and Perlina Cunningham, for Community Service; Cassandra Gardner-Campbell, for the Performing Arts; Clara Rowe-Swearing, Kristina Clarke-Campbell and Sybil Coote for Education; Rayon Plummer, Anthony Bracket and Merlyn Miller for Public Service; Pastor George Bates for Religion; and Opal Taylor for Entrepreneurship.

The citations, which spoke glowingly of noble accomplishments of the individual awardees, were read by Dr David Stair, the custos of Hanover, Lucea Mayor Sheridan Samuels, and Hanover Western Member of Parliament Tamika Davis. Each awardee was also presented with a commemorative plaque.

Sixty-seven-year-old Barnes and 96-year-old Cunningham, whose contribution to community service seemed timeless, were applauded for their unwavering commitment to service over the years.

According to Cunningham’s citation, her tireless dedication and unwavering commitment in groundbreaking contributions in the community of Logwood, Hanover, were both cited as being trailblazing and enduring.

“A trailblazing entrepreneur and philanthropist, you defied conventions by becoming a successful farmer in a male-dominated industry, while your pioneering spirit, unrelenting determination and tireless work ethic has inspired countless young people to emulate your exemplary leadership,” Cunningham’s citation read.

111 YEARS OF SERVICE

The awardees for education, Coote, Rowe-Swearing and Clarke-Campbell, collectively gave over 111 years of service as they charted their careers at various educational institutions across the parish.

Plummer and Brackett, two of the awardees in the field of public service, are still serving members of the Jamaica Fire Brigade, while Miller, who is now retired, gave 42 years of dedicated service to Jamaica Post.

Gardner-Campbell, a teacher at the Askenish Primary School, was roundly applauded as, based on her enviable work and solid accomplishments amid her contribution to the performing arts, she is widely considered as a cultural ambassador for the parish.

“She aspires to create opportunities for the preservation of cultural heritage through the inspiration and engagement of young minds, guiding them back to the roots of Jamaica” her citation read.

Bates was noted for his role as administrative bishop with responsibility for the management of the various Christian Fellowship churches across Jamaica. He was acknowledged for touching many lives in a positive way.

“It is interesting to note that, despite the many hats he wears, he is the host pastor for the Lucea Christian Fellowship Church, the headquarters for the Christian Fellowship Churches of Jamaica, and the only denomination that has its headquarters located in Lucea,” his citation read.

Taylor, who bagged the award for entrepreneurship, was listed as the founder of Taylor’s Artmedia Awards, an entity that has partnered on several occasions with the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC) and the Hanover Municipal Corporation (HMC) in undertaking civic and community events.

“Their selfless contributions have created a ripple effect of positivity, inspiring others to emulate their philanthropic spirit,” her citation read.

The event was staged by the JCDC, in collaboration with the HMC.

editorial@gleanerjm.com