Jamaicans from all walks of life gathered to welcome Their Excellencies the Rt Hon Roland Michener and Mrs Michener. The Canadian governor was quite pleased with the reception; he admitted this was not the norm back home.

Published Wednesday, February 12, 1969

Jamaica welcomes Michener

- "Best reception I’ve ever had," he tells Sir Clifford

- State dinner ends first day’s activities

WITH A 21-GUN SALUTE booming across Kingston Harbour, Their Excellencies the Rt Hon Roland Michener and Mrs Michener stepped ashore at Victoria Pier at 4 p.m. yesterday to begin the first-ever State Visit by a Canadian governor general.

Their Excellencies Sir Clifford Campbell, Jamaica’s governor general, and Lady Campbell headed the official welcome at the pier an hour after a Canadian Air Force aircraft had brought Mr and Mrs Michener and their entourage to Palisadoes International Airport.

The party proceeded from the airport to Port Royal where they boarded the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) Coast Guard’s Manatee Bay for the trip to Victoria Pier and a sunny welcome by hundreds lining lower King  Street.

After a 20-minute motorcade through the city, they arrived at King’s House where Michener smilingly told Sir Clifford, “Best reception I’ve ever had.  In Canada, I don’t get this many people to come out and see me”.

The dignitaries of the Church-State, the judiciary, the diplomatic corps, custodes and commissioners of the Corporate Area were also there to greet the head of state.

They were formally presented to him by the Rt Hon Hugh Shearer, prime minister, who had met Michener on previous trips to Canada.

EXCHANGE OF PLEASANTRIES

Easy and informal conversation occupied the group for the first few minutes on the pier as Mr and Mrs Michener, Sir Clifford and Lady Campbell, and Shearer exchanged pleasantries before the formal presentations began.

By this time, the 21-gun salute by a JDF gun crew, under the command of Major Anthony Wilson, had died away.

Shearer then presented the Anglican Suffragan Bishop of Kingston, the Rt Rev J.T. Clark and Mrs Clark; the Very Rev John J. McEleney, Roman Catholic archbishop of Kingston; the Rev S.A. Webley, secretary of the Jamaica Council of Churches; Rabbi Bernard Hooker, spiritual leader of the Jewish Community, and Mrs Hooker; the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the Hon E.C.L. Parkinson, and Mrs Parkinson; the chief justice, the Hon Sir Herbert Duffus, and Lady Duffus; the president of the Court of Appeal, the Hon Sir Cyril Henriques, and Lady Henriques; the British High Commissioner J. Dalton Murray, and Mrs Murray; the Leader of the Opposition Michael Manley; Mrs David Smith; Mrs A. Gordon Langdon; the custos of Kingston, the Hon Dr A.L. McFarlane, and Mrs McFarlane; the custos of St Andrew, the Hon A. Russell Graham, and Mrs Graham; the commissioners of the Kingston and St Andrew Corporation, M. Eustace Bird and Mr Milton Rodriques, and Mrs Rodriques.

INSPECTION OF GUARD

The formalities of presentations over, Michener proceeded to the diases outside for further ceremonial colourful buntings fluttering in the sun and breeze.

He took a salute as the Band of the First Battalion, the Jamaica Regiment, played the Canadian National Anthem. Then Mr Michener inspected the guard of honour under command of Major Leslie Lloyd.

The soldiers in red tunics added colour to the 15-minute ceremony of welcome. They also lined King Street up South Parade where thousands waited to watch the official motorcade that took the visiting governor general to King’s House via East Queen Street, Duke Street, Tom Redcam Drive, and Lady Musgrave Road.

Michener’s first day in Jamaica began shortly before 3 p.m. when the four-engined Yukon turbo-propeller aircraft of the Royal Canadian Air Force landed with the Canadian governor general and his wife at Palisadoes International Airport.

Coming with Their Excellencies were Jamaica’s high commissioner to Canada, Vin McFarlane, and Mrs McFarlane, Donald M. Cornett, head of the Commonwealth Division of the Canadian Department of External Affairs in Ottawa, Captain Davis Hyman, ADC to the Canadian governor general, Edmond Butler, private secretary, C.J. Webster, lady-in-waiting to Mrs Michener, Guy Robillard, press secretary to His Excellency, and Peter Walker.

AT PALISADOES AIRPORT

At the airport, the official party was greeted by the Canadian high commissioner in Jamaica Victor Moore, and Mrs Moore, the Commissioner of Police A.G. Langdon, the chief of staff of the Jamaica Defence Force, Brigadier David Smith, and Mrs Smith, the permanent secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs, James Lloyd, the Deputy Commissioner of Police Jack Middleton, B.C. Dodd, chief of protocol and Captain Osbert Chung.

Later, the Canadian governor general and his party motored to Port Royal, arriving at the Port Royal residents assembled at the pier, who cheered their Excellencies as they boarded the JDF Coast Guard patrol boat Manatee Bay bound for the Victoria Pier in Kingston.

Before his departure, Michener was presented with a brochure of Port Royal by David Pennant, chairman of the Port Royal Brotherhood.

Aboard the Manatee Bay, their Excellencies were introduced to Lieut Commander Bruce Copland, officer in charge of the JDF Coast Guard.

As the Manatee Bay left Port Royal for Kingston, another of the Coast Guard patrol boats, the Holland Bay, commanded by Lieut L.E. Robinson, picked up members of the local and Canadian press and radio, who had motored from the Palisadoes Airport to Port Royal, and transported them to the Victoria Pier.

STOP-OVER FOR LANE

The Royal Canadian Air Force plane which brought their Excellencies to Jamaica yesterday will remain here during the State Visit.

The plane was piloted yesterday afternoon by Major J.S. Parmelee of the RCAF.

A State Dinner at King’s House last night ended the first day of the State Visit.

Today, the governor general will visit Sir Alexander Bustamante and Lady Bustamante at Irish Town, attend a luncheon by the Canadian Club, a press reception at King’s House, a reception at The University of the West Indies, and a buffet supper to be given by the Canadian high commissioner.

Tomorrow’s programme includes a country tour which will take in the Alcan Alumina plant in Manchester.

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