Thousands Attend Honours and Awards Ceremony at King’s House

Thousands turned out at King’s House, to witness 115 outstanding Jamaicans receive their awards, at the National Honours and Awards ceremony, presided over by Governor-General, His Excellency the Most Honourable Professor Kenneth Hall.Heading the list of those in attendance were Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller and Leader of the Opposition, Bruce Golding. Eighty nine men and women of the Jamaica Constabulary Force, the Jamaica Defence Force, the Island Special Constabulary Force, the Department of Correctional Services, and the Jamaica Fire Brigade also received the Medal of Honour for Gallantry and the Medal of Honour for Meritorious Service from the Governor General.

Governor-General, His Excellency the Most Hon. Professor Kenneth Hall (left), confers the Order of Jamaica on Mrs. Beverley Lopez, President of the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica (PIOJ), at the National Honours and Awards ceremony held at King’s House. Looking on is Captain Samuel T. Ellis, Aide-de-Camp to the Governor-General.

Six persons were conferred with the nation’s fourth highest award, the Order of Jamaica (OJ). One of the recipients was Dr. Rae Davis, who received the OJ for his contribution to Education.

Governor-General, His Excellency the Most Hon. Professor Kenneth Hall (left), confers the Order of Distinction, Commander Class (CD), on Mrs. Pamela McLean, Managing Director of the National Export Import (Ex-Im) Bank, at the National Honours and Awards ceremony held at King’s House. Looking on is Captain Samuel T. Ellis, Aide-de-Camp to the Governor-General.

“I am honoured that the nation has considered me for this very prestigious award. I consider myself a vehicle in the service of education, and for that I am very grateful and I will continue to help in whatever form years ahead,” Dr. Davis told JIS News. President of the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica (PSOJ), Beverley Lopez was also a recipient of an OJ. She said she was very pleased to be chosen to get such an award. “I am elated that I have been chosen for such an award. It is really a reflection probably on the work that I have done in the private sector. It is work that I enjoy and it is work that I think is needed, so it is good to be rewarded for something that you enjoy doing,” said Mrs. Lopez.
Other recipients of the OJ are : Ray Hadeed, CD, for pioneering service to Manufacturing; Neville ‘Teddy’ McCook, CD, for service to Sports, in particular to Athletics; Professor Owen Morgan, CD, for distinguished contribution to Medicine and Medical Education in Jamaica and Internationally; and Justice Paul Harrison, CD, for services to the Judiciary. Thirty two Jamaicans were conferred with the Order of Distinction, Commander Class (CD). Among them was Managing Director of the National Export Import (Ex-Im) Bank, Mrs. Pamela McLean.
“At this particular moment, I’m very excited and I accept the award with humility as I am recognizing that this really is an award coming to me from the highest level. It has to be with a deep sense of satisfaction that your country recognizes the contribution which you make,” said Mrs. McLean. Other recipients of the CD are: Keith ‘Bob Andy’ Anderson, for sterling contribution to the development of Reggae Music; Maitland Walker, for services to the tourism sector; Dr. Kenrick Barrow, for outstanding services to Medicine and Medical Education; Kenneth Benjamin, for contribution to Business and Entrepreneurship; Asley ‘Grub’ Cooper, OD, for his contribution to Music; Bishop Charles Dufour, for sterling service in the fields of Religion and Social Development, and Dr. William Foster, for outstanding voluntary service to Jamaican children in the field of Open Heart Surgery.
Other recipients of the Order of Distinction in the rank of Commander are: Newton James, for outstanding contribution to Broadcasting; Dr. Pauline Knight, for outstanding contribution in the field of Social Policy Development; Lenbert Little-White, for outstanding contribution in the fields of Communication and the Film industry; Dr. Blossom O’Meally-Nelson, for outstanding Public Service; Mr. Justice Seymour Panton, for outstanding service to the Judiciary; Kent Pantry, for outstanding service to the Legal Profession; Dahlia Repole, for dedicated service to Education; Dr. Cezley Sampson, for outstanding Public Service; Lucius Thomas, for contribution to Nation Building and Public Safety; Rosemarie Vernon for sterling contribution to Education at all levels in Jamaica; and Dr. Barrington Wint, for outstanding contribution to Medicine in the field of Public Health. Persons who have been awarded the Order of Distinction in the rank of Officer (OD) are: Wesley Barrett, for distinguished service to Education; Steven Francis, for service to Athletics; Boris Gardener, for long and dedicated service in the Music industry; Daphne Holmes, for service to Local Government; Lloyd ‘King Jammy’ James, for sterling contribution to the Music industry; Colonel Lemuel Lindo, for service to Youth Development through the Jamaica Combined Cadet Force, and Vilma McDonald, for outstanding Public Service and Voluntary Service in the field of Sports. Other recipients include, Neville Myton, for outstanding contribution to the Development of Sports in Jamaica; Renford Pinnock, for exceptional contribution to the development of Sports in Jamaica, especially Cricket; Clement Radcliffe, for outstanding service to Education, Sports and Culture, and Glenroy ‘Ernie’ Smith, for outstanding contribution to Music and Jamaica’s Cultural Development. Recipients of the Badge of Honour for Gallantry are: Harold Bailey, for heroism far beyond the call of duty, swimming out to a crashed plane on the ocean side of the Palisadoes peninsula, rescuing and bringing to shore the sole survivor of the crash on Friday, April 10, 1953; Marcia Sutherland-Bailey, for disarming a gunman who broke into her house and attacked her and her children; and Daliah Dumont for rescuing her two children from a burning house, but received multiple burns to her face, hands and other parts of her body.
Persons awarded the Badge of Honour for Meritorious Service include, Paul Davis, for loyal service to the St. John Ambulance Brigade; Krishna Deonarine, for his commitment to the development of Indian music in Jamaica; and Estella Grant, for outstanding contribution to the development of the Falmouth Hospital and Infirmary.
The Badge of Honour for Long and Faithful Service has been awarded to: Daphne Afflick, for dedicated and unselfish contribution to the Health Service; Lester Brown, for over 50 years of dedicated Community Service; Joscelyn Chambers, for dedicated service to the Boys Brigade; Rueben Davy, for dedicated and distinguished service in the field of Education; Ira Douglas, for Community Service; Cutel Gooden, for contribution to Community Development; Enid Louise King, for dedicated service to Senior Citizens; Thelma Malcolm, for Public Service; Julian Robinson, for services rendered to Youth Clubs; Mavis Simpson-Richards, for long, faithful and dedicated service to Local Government; and Millicent Thomas-Castle, for service to Nursing.