THE EDITOR, Sir:
OXFORD UNIVERSITY, in its over 800 years of history, has had some very special moments. July 3, 2003 has now been added to this list as the Rhodes Trust celebrated its centenary with the conferment of four special honorary degrees of Doctor of Civil Law on four of the more than 4,000 living Rhodes Scholars.
The ceremony was held in the Sheldonian at Oxford, and the Caribbean's Professor Rex Nettleford, Vice Chancellor of the University of the West Indies, was one of these four honorands celebrated "for their outstanding and distinctive contributions to their own societies and to the betterment of the world". They were also specially chosen as men who are representatives of the broader community of Rhodes Scholars who have met the injunction of the founder, Cecil Rhodes "to esteem the performance of public duties" as the supreme task.
Earlier in the week, Mrs. Patsy Robertson, a former Director of Information in the Commonwealth Secretariat, hosted a dinner in honour of Professor Nettleford, attended by many of the Caribbean's leading personalities in the UK, including the Jamaican High Commissioner; Lady Ramphal, the wife of the University's Chancellor, British MP Diane Abbott, and the media.
Oriel, Professor Nettleford's old college, also held a special function to mark this latest honour bestowed on one of their own. The short ceremony, impressive in its simplicity and rooted in centuries of tradition, was especially moving, with overtones of the Olympics when national anthems are played to honour the countries of those athletes who have stuck gold.
Four national anthems were played at Oxford that morning - the American, for Dr. John Brademas; the Australian, for the Hon. Robert Hawke; the Jamaican, for Professor Nettleford, and the South African for Dr. David Woods.
The pride felt by those of us, whether old friends or colleagues of Professor Nettleford, who made the journey to Oxford to be a part of this event knew no bounds. We were very conscious that we had witnessed and shared in what must surely be one of the proudest moments for our people.
I am, etc.,
ELAINE MELBOURNE/JEAN SMITH
1A Norbrook Road
Kingston 8
