Jamaicans Born in 1962 Proud of Nation’s Achievements

As the August 6 Independence celebrations kick into high gear, individuals born the same year Jamaica was declared an autonomous nation from the United Kingdom are expressing a sense of pride at the country’s achievements over the past 60 years.

Ushered into the world on June 10, 1962, in Montego Bay, St. James, Educator, Donna Gaynor-Lyn Fatt says the gains Jamaica has made are reflected in every sector, from academia and arts to music and sports, accomplishments of which she believes every Jamaican should be proud.

“Our ability to do extremely well on any front – I don’t know if we understand the significance of that but believe me, it is really very significant. We may not be very significant in terms of size and positioning but when it comes to music, we have been significant; sports, significant and when it comes to us impacting politically, or international organisations with academics or even creating things, significant,” she says.

She is proud of the year of her birth, noting that it brings a sense of patriotism and uniqueness.

“Growing up, I thought I was special and for the group of us born in 1962, we thought that we were special… we had a sense of being Jamaican and that pride being Jamaican… you have this sense of being significant and of value, and our parents had us feel that way. We spoke that way… we were expected to behave that way,” Mrs. Lyn Fatt tells JIS News.

Reflecting on her experience growing up with independent Jamaica, Mrs. Lyn Fatt tells JIS News that the development of Montego Bay, and by extension the country, unfolded before her eyes.

She grew up in a house at Barnett View overlooking vast sugar-cane fields owned by Barnett Estates, which have now been replaced by modern architecture.

Mrs. Lyn Fatt marvels at the structural modifications over the years as well as the accessibility to education post-Independence.

“I think what stands out most is the ease to get education and the ease to work, and I’m just comparing what my parents said. It’s not that they didn’t get to go to school, it’s just that it got cut off after a while, and to get into university was a struggle. I remember growing up hearing my father talking about to get into university you had to be the cream of the crop,” she recalls.

According to Mrs. Lyn Fatt, the luxury of universal education up to the tertiary level was introduced on May 2, 1973, which she says not only provided an equal opportunity but helped ambitious Jamaicans from vulnerable households to realise their dreams.

“For me and my friends… we had options and the options allowed us to just access education and I think education for us at that time was very important. So, we studied, and we tried as best as we could to get where we wanted… And then in the ‘70s when education became free [it] was even more alluring because then we had the ability to dream and to see the possibility of these dreams coming true,” the educator states.

Having benefited from the free-education policy, Mrs. Lyn Fatt and her friends committed to giving back to the education sector by teaching in the classroom for at least five years.

She also fondly remembers the courteous nature of Montegonians during the 1970s and 1980s and the hassle-free walks from her alma mater, Mount Alvernia High, as she travelled home after school.

“Oh God, the place [has] changed. I remember walking from Mount Alvernia High School all the way to Barnett Street out by the clock – that’s where I used to take taxi to go home – and it wasn’t a hassling walk but an easy walk. Growing up in Montego Bay, the town was cleaner, and it was just nice, it was a positive atmosphere, and positive experiences in the town because people were courteous,” she shares.

She misses “the vibesy feel” of previous Independence celebrations, where most Jamaicans decked out in the national colours to attend street dances or the grand gala at the National Stadium in Kingston.

The St. James native believes criminality and other social issues have changed how Jamaicans celebrate being an independent nation.

“We talk about the nuances, those little things that crept into the society, and it sort of impacted on how you see things now and how you would behave. It started when criminality [began to] rise. Now you go out and you’re cautious because pickpockets may pick you, so you just don’t go anymore. And now the TV is here, so you watch the gala on TV and people just lose the vibes,” she explains.

Despite the challenges, Mrs. Lyn Fatt says Jamaica has made significant strides as a nation and her wish for the country for the next 60 years is “prosperity in its truest form to the point where we become the breadbasket for the Caribbean, and it is possible”.

Meanwhile, Executive Director (Acting) of the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC) Marjorie Leyden-Kirton also feels an enormous sense of pride and confidence in her heritage, having benefited immensely from the growth of the nation since gaining its independent status.

Born on January 19, 1962, in Montego Bay, St James, Mrs. Leyden-Kirton also considers herself a unique individual.

“I share and celebrate with Jamaica. I always pride myself by saying I am a little oldFer than independent Jamaica,” she says.

As a young girl, Mrs. Kirton shares that her household still embraced aspects of the British culture, noting that special emphasis was placed on speaking Standard English and proper etiquette.

“Growing up, my earliest memories, in terms of experience is that in my home we still had the British experience coming out of the Independence. I got that benefit being a part of that era. Even our language, how we were raised. I had the benefit of getting that standard English at all times; we would be corrected. Also, I was introduced to using a knife and fork and sitting at the table for almost everything that we were eating. Even when we were having a fruit. The only time we got to get down into a fruit was when we went to mango bush,” she shares.

Of significance to Mrs. Leyden-Kirton was the sharp focus on education in the 1960s by the Government of the day. She notes that schools were being erected expeditiously islandwide, which she believes positively impacted the nation.

She, too, attended two post-independent institutions, Flanker Primary and Junior High School, established in 1969, and Herbert Morrison Technical High School, which opened its doors in September 1976.

“I am now realising even for my education I ended up going to a lot of schools that were new. It seemed the Government during that time in the 60s [placed] an emphasis on education,” Mrs. Kirton explains.

She says as a child there was more pomp and pageantry around Christmas, and the Jamaican heritage would take centre stage in the celebrations.

“Growing up in the ‘60s and into the ‘70s, one memory which is so distinctive, Christmas time; I remember the Jonkunus. We used to hear them coming along. They would be in communities and they would come in the Glendevon community [where I grew up], and all the children would run out to follow the Jonkunu band and they always came along during Christmas time,” she recounts.

Participation was high in the country’s civic celebrations and civic pride was strongly emphasised in schools.

“I also remember being trained to participate in civic celebrations, especially from my school, and our culture and sense of pride was very high. Civics was very important in school. We were told who we are as Jamaicans, you know, the National Anthem being new; we all embraced it. We knew it, and anywhere we heard the sound of the National Anthem we would stand up no matter what,” she recalls.

Mrs. Leyden-Kirton, who moved to Westmoreland in 1985 to take up a teaching position at The Mannings High School, tells JIS News that pride in her beloved nation inspired her to vie for the title of Festival Queen for Westmoreland in 1986, a title she won and used to contribute to the development of her community.

As an act of patriotism, she then opted to give up her career in the classroom to become a cultural ambassador for her nation through the JCDC.