By Robert Lalah, Staff Reporter
Governor-General Sir Howard Cooke (second left at front) and Lady Cooke (to his right) pose with the 14 recipients of the Governor-General's Achievement Award. The awardees were officially pinned at a ceremony at King's House yesterday.
- RUDOLPH BROWN/Chief Photographer
THE FINEST flowers, the finest food and the finest music marked the celebration of 14 of Jamaica's finest people yesterday, at the Governor-General's Achievement Awards Pinning Ceremony held at King's House, St. Andrew. The recipients, one from every parish across the island, were given official pins signifying their selfless contribution to Jamaica's development.
Governor-General Sir Ho-ward Cooke set the mood into festive gear early in the ceremony when he made his opening remarks. "I'm in a mood of excitement, because everyone here has contributed to the upward movement of our people," he said.
AWARDEES LAUDED
The Governor-General commended the work of the award recipients, saying each of them had overcome tremendous odds to attain success. He also implored others to follow in the footsteps of the 14 awardees. "This is what we need, more volunteers. People who have a vision of where we should be going," he said.
On behalf of joint sponsors -- The Gleaner Company, Jamaica National Building Society (JNBS), Scotia Jamaica Building Society, Victoria Mutual Building Society (VMBS) and FirstCaribbean International Bank -- Earl Jarrett, general manager of JNBS, lauded the awardees for their "hard work and perseverance".
"We are happy to be here to celebrate unselfish service. We are all pleased to see more and more of what is good in Jamaica through this programme," he said.
Perhaps the most poignant moment of the afternoon occurred when one of the award recipients, Dr. Polly Bowes-Howell from St. Andrew, gave a response on behalf of all the awardees. The articulate woman invited her fellow awardees to stand and repeat the words of the national pledge, adding that their personal pledge was to continue on the path of excellence.
SHARED CONGRATS
"We expect to pass through this world only once, so whatever good we can do, we must do it now," she said.
After being honoured with food, wine and music, the recipients individually made their way to the podium and were officially pinned. After the function, the awardees mingled, sharing congratulations with each other.
The Governor-General's Achievement Award is a symbol of community spirit and achievement and is designed to recognise persons who, having risen from humble beginnings, have contributed selflessly to Jamaica's development.
