Governor General His Excellency the Most Honourable Sir Patrick Allen addressing participants at the Governor General Achievements Awards function at Roi’s Villa in Greenside, Trelawny Thursday (August 27).
The recipients represent the parishes of St. Elizabeth, Hanover, St. James, Westmoreland and Trelawny, and were awarded for their outstanding achievements and making significant contributions to their communities, during a function held at Roi’s Villa in Greenside, Trelawny.
Addressing the participants, the Governor General said that everyone had the responsibility of improving the quality of life around them, as they aspire towards greatness.
“I believe that everyone is placed here by the creator to enhance the quality of life of those around them. If, as a nation, we are going to be successful, we must seek to pass on to the next generation, the things that made us successful, the things that caused us to be polite, to be respectful and to be honourable. Otherwise, those things will go with us to the grave,” he said.
He also appealed for more persons to consider volunteering their time in the building of their communities and help build a great nation.
The Governor General, in congratulating the awardees for their contributions to the society, urged them not to become complacent, now that they have been recognised and honoured, but to use their talents and abilities to fix what is wrong with Jamaica.
“Sometimes we hear more about the things that are wrong than about the things that are good. You, this afternoon, represent the things that are good in Jamaica, so use your talents, your skills and your gifts to help to fix the things that are wrong in Jamaica,” he stated.
He commended the sponsors and organisers for their continued support and contributions to the Awards programme, which demonstrate a clear commitment to community development and people empowerment
The awardees for the County of Cornwall for 2009 are; from St. Elizabeth, Noel Matherson, Marsha Smalling, and Rudge Russell; from Hanover, Stephen Dennis, Kayanna Senior and Laura Bryan; from St. James, Gloria Meredith and O’Brian Clarke; from Westmoreland, Pastor Joyce Bernard, Katrina Grant and Flemoi Gordon; and from Trelawny, Sonia Crooks, Melody Golding and Cornella Riley.