FORTYfied for a cause

Barbara Ellington, Lifestyle Editor

The beach at the edge of a private residence along the Parrottee coastline in St Elizabeth came alive on Saturday, January 15, as lifelong friends Dr Horace Freeman, Jeremy Chen, Dwyght Spence, Nigel Swaby, Dr Marc Panton, Robert Williams and Jada Allen Williams, gathered to party under the theme 'FORTYfied'. The weather was perfect, but although dubbed a beach party, none of the guests who wore swimsuits got them wet. But they did obey the one party rule, 'Leave your inhibitions at the gate'."

The closest guests got to the water was to admire the huge bonfire that glowed hellishly throughout the night. That fire, along with adequate amounts of repellent, kept the mosquitoes and sandflies at bay.

But is was not all fun and frolic for Marc, Robert, Jada, Jeremy, Dwight, Horace and Nigel, who sent out an appeal to all their friends and family both in Jamaica and overseas, along with the invitation to the party. The appeal read in part: "While we all enjoyed Christmas dinners and parties with friends and family, we should all be mindful of those who weren't as fortunate." The FORTYfied group sponsors a charity in Mandeville called the Ebenezer Home for the Mentally Challenged.

This home aims to provide short-term accommodation to residents of Manchester, St Elizabeth, and Clarendon while attempting to reunite them with their families. It is able to function with the invaluable help of volunteer professional mental-health workers and the goodwill of the many community volunteers.

"As we prepare to celebrate our 40th birthdays, we ask that you bring a donation to the party towards the Ebenezer Home. Any and all donations will be accepted and 100 per cent of the proceeds will go to the home.

"When you arrive at the party, look for the large jar marked Ebenezer Home and put your donation there."

Plastic bottle

And you could not miss the huge transparent plastic bottle upon arrival; if you did, Robert simply took it up and handed it to you. The celebrants were happy with the choice of charity as, with all of them having close ties to Mandeville, they wanted to give back to something with close ties to the town.

The spacious grounds were beautifully laid out with food and drink stations, a cosy seating area with sofas, chairs and benches as well as pedestal tables for resting glasses. Food stations bore steaming cups of lamb soup, Reggae Jammin rotisserie chicken, Caribbean Aquaculture shrimp pasta, succulent Caribbean Passion Take A Bite jerk pork and lamb as only VIP Meats can do it, and lots more.

The huge birthday cake bearing the likenesses of all seven friends was crafted by Mandeville's Cake, Coffee and Ice Cream and music was by DJs Denvo and Nicco.

The dance floor was always buzzing with bodies doing new and old moves, but some preferred to have a bite and relax in preparation for the move to Rebel Salute after midnight.

Guests out included Alex Thomas, Andrew and Charmaine Cameron, Ava Dunn, Brandon Miller, Camille Shields, Campbell Barrow, Chevaughne Miller, Chris Bird, Coleen Panton, David Panton, Debe Chen, Denise Neil, Donnie Bunting, Eddie Spence, Evon and Jada Williams, Francine Haughton, Gail Moe, Gary Gunning, Harley Swaby, Jason Henzell, John O. and Kerry-Anne Minott, Junior Clarke; Karrian Hepburn, Kayana Walker, Millicent Lynch, Dollis Campbell; Keisha Lewis, Kurt and Melione Hanson, Leslie Lucas, Loys Smith, Maxine Turner, Melanie Panton, Nikki Swaby, Nohaud and Amanda Azan, Oliver Mair, P.J. Wrigth, Parker McLean, Yvonne Myrie, Peta Gaye Jackson, Raymond Lewis, Richard and Talia Ebanks Mullings; Roxanne Shields, Ryan Knott, Simon and Tonishia Stanley, Sonya Wint Blair, Stacy Howard, Sueyen Lee-Tom, Suzette Harriott Powell, Terry Stephenson, Trisha K. Thompson, Turhan and Nadine Sinclair plus several others.