THREE WORKERS who have given more than 30 years service to the National Council for Senior Citizens were on Thursday awarded for their sterling contribution to the council.
The awardees were 92-year-old Sybil Francis, who served the council as a former chairman from 1982-93; Enid King, a past social worker and secretary at the council, and Leroy Aiken, who is now the financial controller.
The three were awarded yesterday at the council's 30th anniversary appreciation lunch at the Terra Nova Hotel in Kingston.
Professor Denise Eldemire-Shearer, chairman of the council, said the awardees should be commended for their unwavering commitment to the council.
GREAT CONTRIBUTIONS
"She's still serving ... at her age," Professor Shearer said of Mrs. Francis. She said Mrs. Francis, during her time, implemented some far-reaching policies such as the widow's pension under the National Insurance Scheme (NIS). She also established the domino club in the council.
"She still has a lot of good ideas and this is because she is a senior," she told The Gleaner.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller commended the awardees and praised the work of the council. She also used the occasion to again defend her decision to allocate $1 billion from the National Insurance Fund (NIF) to lending agencies to support small and medium-size businesses.
"I don't matter who want to quarrel, I don't matter what threats are against me, any programme that will benefit the poor, I will accept any bangarang on my head," she said to loud applause from the seniors who attended the function.
She said if this was not done, thousands of persons in the informal sector would continue to become senior citizens with no social security coverage.
