New JC old boys president to focus on building unity

The Jamaica College Old Boys Association last night elected a new executive to run the affairs of the organisation that has been embroiled in controversy.

The association, after being prevented from having its annual general meeting on the school's compound, moved the meeting to the Chinese Benevolent Society auditorium on Old Hope Road, which saw a large turnout.

Dr Germaine Spencer, a leading Jamaican gynaecologist, was elected president of the association founded in 1986 by a one-vote margin.

Spencer campaigned on a pledge to bring back the unity to the association and cauterise the bleeding after a public fallout between the school, its board, and former association president Major Basil Jarrett and treasurer Collin Greenland emerged arising from the Ruel Ried controversy.

"As a group, we have been divided and my modus operandi is to bring back the unity of the group and cauterise the ongoing controversy. We have to heal," Spencer told The Gleaner.

Meanwhile, Jarrett, who is at the centre of the controversy which led to the school late last year issuing a cease-and-desist order against him and Greenland, which was followed up last Friday by an injunction from making defamatory statements against the institution, did not seek re-election after serving the organisation for eight years.

Speaking at the start of the meeting, Jarrett said he was hoping that, as a body, resolution could be reached regarding the present impasse.

"We are going to have a meeting with the hope that the issues that have been plaguing us for the past eight months can be resolved. A lot of nonsense has been flying back and forth, outright lies, innuendoes, aspersions, character assassination, attacks on people's reputation and in some cases court action, it is unfortunate but this is where we are," Jarrett noted.

The other members of the new executive include first vice president Kirk Kennedy, President and CEO of KENCASA Construction and Management Limited, and second vice president John Paul White, who is a contractor.

Neurological and Spinal Surgeon Dr Roger Hunter was co-opted to the executive.

- Ruddy Mathison

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