Señor Antonio Ortiz-Mena, alongside his wife and the board of directors of the Inter-American Development Bank (IADB), hosted a lavish reception at the Sheraton-Kingston Hotel on Wednesday night, honouring participants and members of the Jamaican community who attended the bank's 14th annual meeting. The poolside setting, adorned with colourful lights and palm trees, created a relaxed ambiance as 1,500 guests mingled.

Published: Friday, May 11, 1973

IADB official reception

Dancing the ‘samba’ at Sheraton's poolside

THE Inter-American Development Bank president, Senor Antonio Ortiz-Mena, and Mrs Ortiz-Mena, along with the board of directors of the IADB gave a reception at the Sheraton-Kingston Hotel on Wednesday night in honour of the participants and members of the Jamaican community who attended the bank's 14th annual meeting.

The setting was poolside at the Sheraton Hotel, which was aglow with coloured lights and palm trees, placed at strategic positions round the pool, to create a mood of complete relaxation as 1,500 guests mingled together in this friendly atmosphere. The gathering was said by a hotel spokesman to be the biggest ever attending a reception at the hotel.

Señor and Señora Ortiz-Mena, as also the board of directors, lined the entrance to the pool to greet their guests. The queue stretched to the outside of the hotel. Guests, arriving in pairs, shook hands with their hosts and hostesses and joined the ever-increasing crowd around the pool.

Meanwhile, soft music from the Boris Gardiner Band, with vocalist Errol Walker, permeated the cool night air, adding a touch of "togetherness” to the atmosphere.

Heading the list of guests were the Acting Governor-General, Sir Herbert Duffus and Lady Duffus, the deputy prime minister and minister of finance, who is Jamaica's governor on the IADB, Hon David Coore, who arrived with Mrs Coore. Included in his party was Miss Grace McFarlane, pianist and a former student of Mrs Coore.

Formalities reigned for a short while. As the acting governor-general arrived, the band struck upand the Jamaican National Anthem was played while the guests stood in silence.

As guests proceeded to the poolside, prominent Jamaicans from the business, commercial and industrial sectors could be seen, as well as members of the diplomatic and consular corps.

The evening's musical programme included Jamaican, South American and Latin American tunes. Later, guests helped themselves to food from a menu which included local and Latin American dishes.

At this point, the Boris Gardiner Happening went off stage, giving way to the Inner Circle Band. The band's first note struck home, especially for the South and Latin American guests who took to the floor and danced the samba.

Dancing continued until the early hours of the morning.

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