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).
He said that the “awesome” and “world leading performances,” of the athletes at the recent World Championships in Berlin, Germany, “has proven beyond doubt that as a nation, we have what it takes to be the best in the world.”
“We are a small nation and can you imagine that for 10 seconds the entire world focused on Jamaica? Why don’t we allow them to spend a lifetime looking at us? That would be great! We need to believe in ourselves and apply that greatness within us in all that we do,” the Governor-General added.
He was addressing the Governor-General’s Achievement Awards ceremony for the County of Cornwall on Thursday (Aug. 27) at Roi’s Villa in Greenside, Trelawny.
The Achievement Awards, which was instituted in 1991, seek to identify and recognise persons at the highest level from across Jamaica, including many unsung heroes, who have impacted their communities and have inspired others.
“The individuals, we honour today, are persons who have demonstrated the core values…such as respect for each other and respect for life, fairness, hard work, sharing, compassion, lending a helping hand and caring.
“These values are part of the fabric of our nation and we should take very good care that we do not unravel that fabric because it would be very difficult to be put back,” Sir Patrick stated.
He urged all Jamaicans to “seek to use the innate qualities in us to improve our circumstances and to inspire and uplift the conditions of those around us.”