Kenny's charmingly fab party

Chester Francis-Jackson, Contributor

And so, in its 35th year of operation that has seen the Guardsman Group of Companies, founded by the enterprising Kenneth Benjamin, known across the region as Kenny, last Friday evening, on the eve of the ecumenical service to celebrate its milestone anniversary, Kenny Benjamin hosted a charmingly fab cocktail reception, in the most unusual of locales the Hope Zoo.

Indeed, for many, the invite from the founder of the Guardsman empire to join him for cocktails was more like a summons to join him and have a celebratory good time. They were, however, a little miffed at being asked to join him, at 7, at the Kingston Zoo, at Hope Gardens.

For those in the know, however, the invitation came as no surprise, but was rather welcomed as, indeed, with the news for some time now being that Benjamin and the Guardsman Group had acquired the zoo, and that he and a team of consultants had been rather busily setting about not only renovating the zoo, but had been busy recasting it as Kingston's premier place of leisure for families, friends, young couples, etc, many eagerly greeted the invitation to attend at the zoo, as an invitation to a kind of a premiere, or unveiling, if you wish, of the new-look Hope Zoo.

Well, it was neither, but yet, a bit of it all, according to the chairman of the Guardsman Group.

Indeed, with the zoo all set to receive a new influx of animals to complement the extensive renovations currently under way by mid-December, as well as to introduce friends and clients to what will be Kingston's latest café, the Café at the Zoo, Benjamin used the occasion of what would have been traditionally Friday-night cocktails at his Old Hope Road corporate headquarters to informally introduce the zoo, its café and other facilities and, dears, it proved a smasheroni and then some.

Indeed, it was one very smashing night and then some as, indeed, the night was all about the reigning and future faces of business, commerce, power brokers and the movers and shakers, a new wave of business leaders, not to mention a slew of fashionably fab socialites and beauties and, luvs, it represented well.

Dears, we are not talking the up-and-coming here, but the happening power gaggle out for a night of discovery and fun and the Café at the Zoo proved all of that, done up as it is in the well-known Benjamin style of innovative architectural landscaping that embraces its natural surroundings, while tweaking it with a Tahitian-styled gazebos, water-treatment, including a footbridge, ponds and cosy nooks for quiet downtime, just close enough, but far enough away from the bustling party.

It was, my dears, like that and then some, as this was one bubbling affair made that much more so by flowing libations and delightful nibbles that were always just a nod away, and the fabulous society!

Dears, host Benjamin was at his best. Those out sharing in the celebratory atmosphere were Tourism and Entertainment Minister Dr Wykeham McNeill and his wife, Mrs Sheila Benjamin-McNeill, and his son Jordan McNeill; Contractor General Greg Christie and his fabulous wife, Mrs Janice Christie; the esteemed Robert MacMillan; Ian Garbutt and the lovely Sonia Khan; Dr and Mrs Trevor McCartney; Richard Pandohie of Carreras; the fabulous Cindy Breakspeare Bent; former Education Minister and Member of Parliament Maxine Henry-Wilson and her daughter, the charming Seya Henry-Wilson; Dr and Mrs Peggy Blyberg; businessman Steve Ashley; R. Christene King; Dr Osbill Watson; architect Evan Campbell; the elegant Toni Parke-Moodie-Panton; Dr Gavin Bellamy; the fab Allison Peart; Gary and Bernadette Barrow; Tarun and Catherine Handa; Mervyn Ayre; the engaging Pamela Redwood of the OPM; Tanny Shirley; the stunning Olivia-Leigh Campbell; Emma Scanlan of the London-based charity, A Chain of Hope; Rajiv Bakshi and companion Dorothea Gordon-Smith and her daughter, the lovely Taquise Gordon-Smith; Major Noel Dawes; the charming Yvonne Wilks; Ian Neita; Deborah Depass; Nicholas McAdam; Jennifer Armond; Rajan and Sonia Trehan; Swiss Stores Ueli Bangerter; Haverley Witter and Phyllis Jarrett, both of NCB; CEO of Proven Wealth, Christopher Williams; siblings Jonathan and Andrew Todd of Digiview; Carlo Redwood and Diane Tomlinson-Smith, both of Pepsi; Wilfred Baghaloo; director of Jamaica Grand Cigars, Ash Griffiths, and his companion, the stunning Kathryn Davis; Richard Nevers; the fab Sue Morris of Bangarang; Donald Farquharson; Roger Chang; the gorgeous Annetta Holland; Neil Lewis; the gorgeous Sheryn Hyllton-Parker, in from Montreal, Canada.

And representing the Guardsman family were Nicholas Benjamin, heir apparent to the Guardsman throne; Vinay Walia, co-managing director; Cmdr George Overton, operations director; Sonja Sutherland-Dumetz; Neil Robinson, general manager - finance; the lovely Miranda Ragbier; André McLean, financial controller; the fab Reneé Menzies-McCallum; the lovely Sheraine Murray; Karen Gandretti, administrator for Hope Zoo; Orlando Robinson, curator; and Rovein Richards, operations manager; plus many others.

But what a fabulously buzzing night it proved.