Ian Garbutt celebrates 60 in style

Chester Francis-Jackson, Outlook Writer

Luvs, entrepreneur Ian Garbutt is known to be at ease both in the boardroom and/or on the golf course as the avid golfer and sports enthusiast. He is as comfortable getting the deal done either in the hallowed halls of businesses as he his cementing the deal on the greens.

And little wonder here as from the early days of his Parang Industries, a largely distribution company, to the recent expansion and widening of his portfolio to include a number of acquisitions and/or partnerships, Garbutt has been driven, not necessarily by profit, but by the improvement and the delivery of his products.

It is his dedication to maintaining products and service delivery of the highest standards that has made him an industry leader and innovator and a man highly regarded in a Jamaican business landscape cluttered by shoddy goods and services and the delivery thereof.

But as the saying goes, all work and no play would make Jack a dull boy. And in this case, except for his exploits on the golf course, Garbutt is not your everyday party animal or social profiler. He is, however, a man who understands the significance of milestones and the need to commemorate and celebrate them. And so, on the dawning of his 60th birthday, the businessman and his companion, the absolutely lovely Sonia Kahn, decided on hosting a celebrating smasheroni to welcome the milestone.

Now these days, those celebrating special milestones are inclined to have a pre- or post-date celebration and, in doing this, keep the actual date free for a more subdued contemplative actual commemoration.

Wonderful time

And so it was that a few Saturdays ago, on the eve of Ian Garbutt's birthday, he and Sonia Kahn threw open the portals to his fabulously appointed upper St Andrew residence in Jacks Hill hosting what was truly a fabulous pre-birthday celebration. And luvs, when it was all over, none of the guests could honestly say they didn't have a wonderful time.

And as for the birthday boy, he, my dears, had the time of his life - surrounded by family and friends of long-standing, with many jetting in from overseas for the celebration.

My luvs, Garbutt's home is a study in understated  playful grandeur in that it boasts all the trappings of leisure, minus the trappings many would-be grand residences affect. Boasting beautifully manicured rolling lawns and a marvellously well-attended gardens, the home and grounds are ideally suited for grand garden parties and then some.

His 60th celebration was a delightful combination of a fabulous garden party and a poolside reception, made that much more so special by the added charm of a makeshift beach - sand and all - to titillate the party senses.

Not that this party needed much more titillation than was already on hand as with an august gathering of some of the city's leading citizenry, drawn from industry, commerce, beauty, sporting, culinary and leisure; y'all know we are talking one fine outing here and nothing but!

It was like that and then some as guests not only came out dressed for a haute night, they did so with a mood to party to the absolutely fabulous music by Andrew Henry's Renegade Disco. They simply went into the archives of yesteryear and struck the right musical note that not only made for easy listening, but also for great dancing. Guests took to the dance floor and partied to the music of yesterday, today and forever.

And then luvs, there was the fare! Talk about a family affair!

Flavour and diversity

Dears, dinner was a culinary feast and nothing but as son of the birthday boy, Sean Garbutt, cooked up a culinary repast fit for a king. And if his culinary masterclass was not enough, friends made their own contribution in preparing special dishes as gifts for the occasion and thus adding flavour and diversity to the feast. There were Chinese dishes, traditional Jamaican dishes and, of course, the all-important nouvelle-cuisine, and all that!

Doves, it was all that and then some and it made for one absolutely fab swelleganza of the finest order, and clearly an ode to joy!!

No speeches here, just a heartfelt thank you from Garbutt as well as expressing the sadness of the absence of his mother and a toast to her health, and then it was back to the celebrations.

Among those out included sons of the birthday boy and their spouses, Sean Garbutt and wife Dana; Jason Garbutt and wife Stephanie; their mom, the absolutely lovely Debbie Garbutt and companion Joseph Cools-Lartigue; Justice Minister Delroy Chuck; the revered business titan Maurice Facey and his elegant wife, Valerie; Robert and Barbara Henriques; businessman Kenny Benjamin and his companion, the lovely Aloima Suarez; the eminent Winston Stona; Jimmy Moss-Solomon; restaurateurs Mario and Fiona Machado; Paul and Melanie Bitter; Brian and Lisa-Mae Pengelley; Capt Rupert Bent and his wife, the lovely Cindy Breakspeare-Bent; cricketing legend Jeffery Dujon and his charming wife, Sheridah.

We spotted the absolutely stunning Patsy Yuen; David and Betty Delisser; Dennis and Jennifer Charley; Patrick and Peta Gay Wong; Richard Frazer; Alex and Susan Dougall; George and Debbie Cumming; David Read; Gordon Cooper and his wife, celebrated artist Laura Facey Cooper; the regal Stephanie Scott Raymond and Michelle Campbell; Mark Brooks and wife Virginia Burke Brooks; Marshall Peterkin; Robert and Odette Epstein; Rajiv Bakshi and his companion the fab Dorothea Gordon-Smith and daughter Taquise Gordon-Smith; Phillip and Pamela Campbell; Gary Scott; Tony and Xiomara Walker; Richard Fraser; the elegant R. Christine King; Eladio and Meredith Walker; David and Coral Fernandez; Wayne and Maria Nastrala; Tony DuCasse; Steven and Kim Kong.

Also out were Anthony Phillipps; Wendy Nasrala; Gregory Mayne and his fabulous wife Michelle Myers Mayne; Paul Seaton and wife and Mary; Vinay Walia; Alex Dropinsky and wife Dr Saphire Longmore; Wayne Vaz; Pradeep and Shalini Vaswani; Robert Haughton; Andres and Katia Barreyro; Bert Rodney; Paul Saulter and Diana Lloyd; Elma Eliott; Paul Shepard and Lisa Morris; Craig and Shelly Weston; Joe Morris and Victoria Thwaites; Richard and Celia McCreath; Jules Evelyn; Michael and Anita Webster; Wayne and Ana Chai; Betty Gondrez; Anthony Dougall; Gordon and Lee Craig; Jason Lopez and Sarah Cumming; Christopher and Deborah Boorman; Paul Heather McKai; Tommy and Sharon Smith; Mr and Mrs Francis Delgado; Dale and Nicola Lurch; John and Judy Chambers; Morris and Anna Epstein; Zachary Epstein; John Odonoghue; Peter Silvera; Christopher Ramson; David and Kathy Moss; Jason Lindo; Nigel and Jennifer Davy; plus a number of others.