Governor- General Sir Patrick Allen delivers his remark reminding Jamaicans to do their part in nation building at the GGAA Presentation Ceremony for the County of Cornwall held on Thursday (June 23, 2016) at the Wexford Hotel in Montego Bay.
Governor-General, His Excellency, the Most Hon. Sir Patrick Allen, says Jamaicans should continue to embrace the spirit of volunteerism, and give service to family, youth and education, so as to build better and stronger communities.
L-R: Governor- General Sir Patrick Allen applauds the 2016 GGAA recipients from the parish of Hanover; Chevaun Gray, Nicholas Scott and Yvonne Hill. Custos Rotulorum for the Parish, the Hon. Dr. David Stair looks on.
Addressing the 25th Anniversary presentation ceremony of the Governor-General’s Achievement Awards (GGAA) for the County of Cornwall at the Wexford Hotel, Montego Bay, on June 23, the Head of State said that for the good of the country, Jamaicans should seek to break down “everything that divides us and strive to restore our nation to a place we can all be proud of”.
His Excellency Sir Patrick Allen presents the 2016 GGAA to Odayne Haughton of Norwood, St. James at the Presentation Ceremony held for the County of Cornwall on Thursday (June 23, 2016). They are joined by Custos Rotulorum for the host parish, the Hon. Ewen Corrodus.
“Jamaica should be a place where every village is involved in teaching, caring, disciplining and protecting our children. It should be a place where respect is shown to the elderly, being each other’s keeper, and loving our neighbour as we love ourselves. These things should be the norm,” he said.
Their Excellencies Sir Patrick Allen (seated 5th left) and Lady Allen (seated 6th left), Custodes and the 2016 GGAA recipients from the County of Cornwall during a presentation ceremony held on Thursday (June 23, 2016). They are joined by National Coordinator for the Governor – General’s. Programme for Excellence, Major (Ret’d) Effiom Whyte (seated left) and Project Officer Ms. Tricia Grier (seated right).
The GGAAs are presented annually to qualified individuals across Jamaica who have excelled in community service, business and education. The awardees are selected after being carefully assessed by members of the respective parish committees.
The Governor-General said he yearns for the day when communities are once again seen as safe havens for families to thrive and for a sense of unity, which is underpinned by genuine emotion, compassion and care.
“You can never experience community in the strictest sense without unity. It should be a place of choice under the leadership of Justices of the Peace, our teachers, our pastors, our families, and our brothers and sisters. That is what a community should be,” he argued.
The Governor-General pointed out that the GGAA’s main mission is: “To recognise and promote excellence and empower Jamaicans to believe in themselves and achieve their God-given potential while contributing to nation building.”
He told the awardees that they should always remember the law of reciprocity. “If you want to lift yourself up, you should lift up somebody else,” he added.
“I charge you to challenge yourself, to prove to our country that our confidence in you is not misplaced. Let us show the world what it means to execute service above self as recipients of the 2016 Governor-General’s Achievement Awards,” he said.
Fifteen persons from the County of Cornwall received awards. They are Delion Bowes, Jermaine Porter and Valrey Sleugh-Forsythe from St. Elizabeth; Taylor McKenzie, Jessica Davidson and Joan Grant from Westmoreland; Chevaun Gray, Nicholas Scott and Yvonne Hill from Hanover; Simone Wint, Andre Ennis and Lynval Henry from Trelawny; and Odayne Haughton, Santana Morris and Marc Mullings from St. James.
