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Hedley Jones stands for Musgrave citation -2011 awards bestowed at Institute of Jamaica lecture hall

Published:Sunday | October 16, 2011 | 12:00 AM
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Hedley Jones sits with his Gold Musgrave Medal award after last Wednesday's presentation ceremony.
2011 Musgrave medallists: (standing, from left) Trevor Nairne, silver; Cynthia Noble, bronze; Sharon Leach, bronze; Dr Lawrence Williams, silver; Hazel Campbell, silver; Dr Tracey Lincoln, silver; and Hedley Jones, gold (seated, centre) after last Wednesday's ceremony at the Institute of Jamaica, East Street, Kingston. Sir Patrick Allen (seated, left) and Olivia Grange presented awardees with their medals.
Dancers from the Institute of Jamaica's East Street Junior Centre perform 'Village Shebanbang' at the 2011 Musgrave Medals Award Ceremony, held last Wednesday afternoon at the Institute of Jamaica on East Street, downtown Kingston. - Winston Sill/Freelance Photographer
The Portmore Chorale ends their 'Folk Medley' at the 2011 Musgrave Medals Award Ceremony.
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Mel Cooke, Sunday Gleaner Writer

Hedley Jones, OD, officially received the highest category of the Institute of Jamaica's prestigious Musgrave medal - gold - for music last Wednesday afternoon. It is possible, though, that another aspect of his long and multifaceted life kept him standing on the stage while a long citation was read by Professor Ronald Young.

Jones is also a veteran of World War II and, despite a chair being placed behind him so he could sit, at 93 years old, he chose to keep on his feet.

And Jones kept standing even after the citation, punctuated with applause for his many firsts - among them building the electric guitar and amplifiers that ushered in the modern sound system - and climaxing with a standing ovation, was over. He moved across to a lectern and, as the sole gold awardee of eight Musgrave medal recipients for 2011, replied on behalf of all. He expressed their gratitude for receiving "a type of honour we did not dream of receiving" when they set out to create something out of nothing.

"I did what I did to fill a particular need," Jones said, noting that it turned out to be of benefit to himself and others "engaged in the promulgation of an art". There was laughter when Jones said that he pressed on, even "with a wife enquiring to whom was I married?".

And he said that he hoped there were those in the audience who will be inspired to keep working in their field.

Four silver medal awardees

There were four Silver Musgrave awardees - Hazel Campbell (literature), Trevor Nairne (drama), Omari Ra (art and art education) and Lawrence Williams (scientific research). Dr Tracey Lincoln (biochemistry), Sharon Leach (literature) and Cynthia Noble (dance) received Bronze Musgrave medals.

Ra was not present to collect his medal.

Dr the Hon Alfred Sangster hosted the ceremony, Troy Caine, Sydney Bartley, David Boxer and Wayne Chen, in addition to Young, reading the citations. Governor-General Sir Patrick Allen presented Jones with the Gold Musgrave, with Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture Olivia Grange, Custos of St Andrew Marigold Harding and Custos of Kingston Steadman Fuller doing the other presentations.

The performing arts were well represented by Ian Andrews singing I Saw My Land in the Morning, saxophonist Wayne Foster playing Wind Beneath My Wings, the Institute of Jamaica's East Street Junior Dancers performing 'Village Shebanbang' and a folk medley by the Portmore Chorale.