Chester Francis-Jackson, Contributor
(Left)German Oliver Jarchow and his Jamaican bride Florence Hopkins married in January of this year. - Winston Sill / Freelance Photographer, (Middle)German head of EU Delegation in Jamaica Gerd Jarchow and his lovely bride, Mara Mandara, following their nuptials on Saturday, April 2, 2005. and (Right)British High Commissioner Jeremy Cresswell (centre) chats with Gerd and Mara Jarchow, the departing diplomats who will be headed off to Belgium now that Ambassador Jarchow has retired from the European Union post he held.
Saying goodbyes to heads of missions and other members of the diplomatic community has always been part of the beat. The fact that this happens with a frequency that should have immunised most by now, does not seem to make it any easier. And especially so if the diplomat in question is one who has not only served with distinction, but has fully acclimated to the social and political landscape.
Outgoing Head of the EU, His Excellency Ambassador Gerd Jarchow, has been a giant among his peers. A German national who has served as a career diplomat with the European Union, he first arrived in Jamaica, some six years ago, and from the very get-go, sought not just to understand the cultural and social peculiarities of his host country, but in doing this, immersed himself in the people and their culture.
Now, the significance of his approach lies in the fact that in understanding the people and their practices, it became easier for him to operate at his optimum.
It was his quest for knowledge of and about the people that brought him into direct contact with the people and consequently, into their hearts.
And so it was that he met and later married the lovely Mara Mandara in a fabulous ceremony. The ceremony was not only a social masterpiece, but proved quite the affair, as his son Oliver Jarchow, who jetted in from France for the wedding, met the lovely Florence Hopkins, and months later, the two tied the knot, with Florence later joining him in Paris.
A chef of the highest order, Ambassador Gerd Jarchow, was at home in the kitchen and over the years here, he's been known to don his apron and commandeer his kitchen and simply cook up a storm for his guests. And in keeping with his love of cooking, he came to share one of his beloved traditions with his colleagues and friends - that of Fruhschoppen - the practice in Bavaria to have an early beer with breakfast on a weekend, but more so on a Saturday.
Well, last Saturday, Ambassador Gerd Jarchow, celebrated his 65th birthday, and in doing so reached the mandatory retirement age from the European Delegation. To mark the occasion, the Jarchows threw open the gates to their official residence and hosted their last Fruhschoppen. Luvs, it was a charmer from the very beginning to its meandering end.
Those guesting were fully aware of the dual significance of the occasion - mixed emotions and heavy hearts that accompanied the short list of friends and colleagues that attended.
Anyway luvs, the sadness of the Jarchows' impending departure was placed in suspension by those guesting. Upon entering their official residence, the wafting smoke from the poolside patio told the story of a fabulous barbecued fare to come, and with two of Kingston's finest waiters providing sterling service from the fabulously stocked bar, it all combined to create a mood of sweet sorrow.
Warm Gathering
And so it was, that after weeks of being fęted, wined and dined by friends and colleagues, HE Gerd and Mara Jarchow, hosted their own farewell do. And luvs, it was as warm a gathering as it was touching, as, in between the sips and spills, and bites of a fabulous continental (but mostly German) fare, some time in the afternoon, guests gathered in the residence's family room to sing and wish Gerd Jarchow a happy birthday and fond farewells to himself and his wife. They take leave of our shores for their homes in Belgium and South Africa.
No ceremony here, just the happy birthday chorus, and a very heart-warming testimonial from German Ambassador HE Volker Schlegel, which was so brief and poignant there was nary a dry set of eyes after he summed up Ambassador Jarchow's contribution to Jamaica and the friendships he had formed and holds dear. A little overcome with the emotional nature of it all. In his response, Ambassador Jarchow found refuge in simply thanking his guests for their love and support for time he spent here.
T'was really a fine gathering for a fine occasion and it all made for a memorable farewell. Among those out celebrating the occasion were: Ambassador Douglas Saunders from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs squiring Angela Robertson; Ambassador Dr. Matthew Beaubrun; French Ambassador HE Francis Hurtut; German Ambassador HE Volker Schlegel; Spanish Ambassador HE Jesús Silva; Her Flawlessness HE the Mexican Ambassador Lenora Rueda; Head of the Seabed Authority HE Ambassador Satya Nandan; wife of the Belgian Ambassador Mrs. Myriam Portacarero; Peter Rousseau; Robert MacMillan; Charley Johnston and his lovely wife Lisa; noted attorney-at-law George Fatta; Capt. Michael Lyn and his glamour maven of a wife, Kingston's reigning social empress Thalia Lyn; Tunty Barrett and his fab wife Ambassador Madge Barrett; Helen Tomlinson and her daughter Peta-Gaye Kumar; Al Niazi; Capt. David McRae and the lovely Felicity Crosswell Brandt; Rainer Terwey; Capt. Michael and Ann-Marie Feanny; Owen Bernard; Anton and Judith Burke; Ilse Kessler; Vinay Walia; Andreas and Marlene Schorlermer; Marion Rose; Wolfgang Smetzle; Wayne and Clover Murray; Sidjae Robinson; Ulla Wycloff; Richard Priestley; the lovely Sandra Wong; Marcel and Alexandra Comster; Kurt Polz; Edith Boyden, plus a number of others.
And as we say here Your Excellencies: 'Walk good!'
