Rear Admiral Hardley Lewin plants a Cannon Ball tree at the Cannon Ball gate at Up Park Camp in St. Andrew yesterday, during a tree-planting ceremony. - Norman Grindley/Deputy Chief Photographer

Norman Grindley, Deputy Chief Photographer

A new page was written in the history books at Up Park Camp in St. Andrew yesterday, when Chief-of-Staff of the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF), Rear Admiral Hardley Lewin, led a tree planting ceremony.

He planted two Cannon Ball trees at the Cannon Ball gate and two Duppy Soursap trees at 'Duppy Gate', which are both entrances to the camp. Captain Denston Smalling blessed the event.

Legendary officer

In his opening remarks, Lieutenant Colonel Rocky Meade, commandant and commanding officer, support and service battalion, said research suggests that the Cannon Ball gate was named after the Cannon Ball Monumentat the intersection of South Camp Road and Arnold Road. It was constructed by the Third West India regiment and led to Up Park Camp.

The southern gate to the camp is known as 'Duppy Gate' because legend has it that members of the West India Regiment keeping guard at this gate were at night regularly visited by a phantom officer for inspection. He would be dressed in old-style clothing with his sword slapping against his leg. When the guards would leave to report it, the ghostly officer would vanish.

The chief-of-staff charged his men and women, who were at the ceremony, to take care of the trees.

"I will say one thing very clearly, that if any one of these trees dies, we know who is responsible. So, careers and lives are bound up with the life of these trees today. I am quite sure that after we leave here, there will be certain fortification sorrounding the trees to prevent either man or beast bringing any harm. I am quite sure there won't be any drought in any area surrounding the roots," he said.

The last tree-planting ceremony at Up Park Camp was led by Major General Robert Neish, when he planted a cotton tree at Cotton Tree gate.The next major event was the planting of more than 2000 trees, in May 1999.