Left: Youth recipients pose with the Governor-General and their Custodes after receiving their awards.   Right: Middlesex recipients of the GGAA Scheme join the Youth Award recipients, Custodes and the Governor-General on stage after the function. - Ian Allen photos/Staff Photographer

The 15th Governor-General's Achievement Middlesex Awards featured the first presentations to recipients of the Governor-General's Youth Award for Excellence to young persons from each parish of Middlesex. Ten persons were on hand to receive their award from the Governor-General, His Excellency the Hon. Prof. Kenneth Hall, ON, OJ, at the Middlesex presentation function in Runaway Bay. The recipients are:

CLARENDON

Clayton Luke McCalla

Renee Alesia Miller

MANCHESTER

Angelique Shakira Davidson

Bryan B. Wallace

ST. CATHERINE

Shannon Gobourne

Kirk Abrahams

ST. MARY

Shakera Blake

Ryan Maurice Bryan

ST. ANN

Cieanna Thasa Smith

Jennifer Ann Marie Brown-Cunningham

The Governor-General's Achievement Awards (GGAA) Scheme annually identifies fourteen persons, one from each parish, who have uplifted themselves from modest social and economic circumstances. These persons must have never received a national award and must be actively involved in community activities. Persons are nominated by their communities.

The existing GGAA Scheme has been modified to include the Governor-General's Youth Award for Excellence. This aspect of the programme will recognise annually, the achievements of young persons who exemplify excellence in various areas of activity including academia, arts, sports, music, business and literature. The persons selected must be under 35 years and display some material component of excellence. The next Awards function, for the County of Cornwall, will be held on September 21 in Montego Bay.

Left: Noel Hann (centre), Senior Vice-President and Chief Financial Officer, The Victoria Mutual Building Society (VMBS), enjoys a chat with some of the Youth Awardees of the Governor-General's Achievement Awards for the County of Middlesex. Youth Awardees in the photos are from left, CieannaThasa Smith, St.Ann; Shannon Gobourne, St. Catherine; Shakera Blake, St. Mary; Ryan Maurice Bryan, St. Mary and Angelique Shakira Davidson of Manchester. The ceremony was held at the Runaway Bay HEART Hotel in Runaway Bay, St. Ann.   Right: Ryan Maurice Bryan of St. Mary (left), receives his Youth Award from the Governor-General, His Excellency the Hon. Professor Kenneth Hall, ON, OJ.