Portmore Honours Its Own
October 17, 2006The Full Story
Eleven residents of Portmore were presented with awards and citations at the 2006 Heroes Day Civic Ceremony, held yesterday (October 16) on the grounds of the Portmore Pines Plaza in St. Catherine.
Persons receiving awards were Joan Heath, Joycelin Hines, Easton Dorman, Hazel Jackson-Irving, Treva Gayle, Leander Marshall, Melrose Reid Mitchell, Mavis Burton Edwards, Hernicia Davidson, Dr. Lloyd Maxwell, and Neveta Sutherland. The recipients were awarded for the work in the field of community development and outreach, sports, education, religion and academics.
An award was also presented to Food for the Poor for service in the area of corporate community service, while Ibrahim Konteh copped the Mayor’s Youth Award.
Before the presentation of awards, messages from the Governor-General, His Excellency the Most Hon. Professor Kenneth Hall; Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller and the Opposition Leader, Bruce Golding, were read by Mary Ann Nichols, Justice of the Peace; Sharon Haye-Webster, Member of Parliament, St. Catherine South Central and Opposition Senator, Arthur Williams, respectively.
Floral tributes were also paid to the seven National Heroes and Heroine in the form of poems, songs and skits by the Holy Spirit Basic, Independence City Primary, Ascot High, Portsmouth Primary, Kensington Primary, and Naggo Head Primary Schools and the Bright Beginnings Education Centre.
Mayor of Portmore, Councillor George Lee, in bringing greetings, told the large gathering “to take a stand” on issues that affect their communities.
“We need more community leaders to take a stand, take a stand on whether it is protecting our children, who are at risk. Take a stand about crime in our community. Take a stand about our environment, because in the final analysis, it is the people who are the bosses and not the politicians,” he said.
The Mayor challenged the citizens to develop a sense of responsibility, he further implored them to keep their communities clean as government alone cannot build your communities,” he added.