Governor-General Hails Initiators of GGAA

Governor-General, His Excellency the Most Hon. Sir Patrick Allen, has hailed the initiators, sponsors and coordinators of the 25-year-old Governor –General’s Achievement Awards (GGAA).

He said the reasons for the award scheme to last for a quarter century had to do with the “firm foundations” that were established at the inception in 1991, under the late former Governor-General, Sir Howard Cooke, as well as the commitment of sponsors, and the diligence of Custodes and parish committees.

Addressing an awards ceremony for 13 persons from the County of Middlesex, held on July 12, at the Caymanas Golf and Country Club, in St. Catherine, the Governor-General said the fundamental pillars of the programme are family, youth and education, “reinforced by the conviction that there is nothing wrong with Jamaica that cannot be fixed by what is right with Jamaica”.

The GGAA was established to acknowledge and award the meaningful contribution of individuals at the community level, and to celebrate the success of those persons who volunteer, while highlighting the impact of the recipients on community and national life.

“The empowerment initiatives in which our GGAA awardees have been engaged, reassure us that there is a lot of good taking place in Jamaica,” the Governor-General said, while bemoaning the spotlight given to negatives in the society.

He noted that most wrongs are done by a small number of persons, and the way they are portrayed overwhelm the strides that Jamaicans are making in their communities.

“It would be laudable if more of the good things done to uplift our people were highlighted to serve as stimulators to others of the way in which we wish our country to go,” he said, stressing that the awardees have demonstrated that giving back builds capacities and clears hurdles for others.

Meanwhile, Sophia Tamasha Gordon, an educator from St. Catherine and one of the awardees, said the recognition will help her to “continue shaping students to become competent and compassionate leaders, who will help to positively transform this nation”.

The other awardees are Sasha-Gaye Padara Belnavis, Kemisha Simone Anderson-Thomas and  Rosemarie Vennelen Langoth (Clarendon);  Carissa Whitney  Reid, Amanda Gaye Fraser and Carl Anthony Bruce (Manchester); Ricardo Brian Kennedy and Fitzroy Christopher Wickham (St. Ann); Latifa Christol Morrison and Dr. Hugh Barrington Lambert (St. Mary); and Andrae Shawn Silburn and Bishop Jonathan Abraham Hayden (St. Catherine).