Seven St James stalwarts honoured

Claudia Gardner, Assignment Coordinator

WESTERN BUREAU:

The St James Parish Council honoured seven of its citizens with the Sam Sharpe Award during its National Heroes Day Salute and Civic Ceremony on Monday.

The seven were awarded by the municipality for their contribution to nation building and for having demonstrated extraordinary achievements in their various fields of endeavour.

The awardees were Madeline Abel Lawrence, Elez Green, Adrian Frater, Angela McIntosh, Inspector Ralph Medley, Kenroy Russell, and Methelina Scarlett Jones.

Lawrence was presented with the Sam Sharpe Award for Outstanding Contribution to Health in the parish. She was lauded for having given more than 40 years of service to the medical, surgical, and paediatrics departments at the Cornwall Regional Hospital, as well as the obstetrics and gynaecology units at the institution. She also served as clinical instructor for midwifery students at the facility and at present, oversees the Albion Moravian Church clinic. She also does volunteer work in her home community of Bogue, where she assists the elderly with health care.

Green was given the award for Outstanding Service in Tourism. A founding member of the Jamaica Union of Travellers Association, Green was lauded for providing transportation and sightseeing tours for hundreds of visitors to the island since l966, thus contributing significantly to the growth of the tourist industry.

The Gleaner's Adrian Frater received the Sam Sharpe Award for Outstanding Service in the Area of Journalism. He was cited as one of the longest-serving journalists in western Jamaica. A past student of the William Knibb Memorial High School in Trelawny, Frater's early beginnings in media were as a student at the Mico Teachers' College (now Mico University) in the late 1970s, where he served as a writer for the institution's weekly magazine.

He ended his teaching career as a mathematics and physical education teacher at the Montego Bay Secondary School (now St James High School) 16 years ago to join The Gleaner Company as a full-time journalist.

McIntosh, a physiotherapist, received the award for Outstanding Service in the Area of Sports. Tribute was paid to her for her more than 30 years of voluntary sporting involvement in activities, during which she was integral in the revival of the Jamaica Association of Sports Medicine western branches.

International teams

McIntosh has been a volunteer member of medical teams to local and international swimming championships, the Olympics, the Commonwealth Games, the Pan American Games, Reggae Marathon, the Western Track and Field Championships, the Milo Relays, and the Primary Schools Invitational.

Medley received the Sam Sharpe Award in the area of national security. A member of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF), Medley has served as a police officer in St James for more than 34 years. He has represented the JCF in the Cuban Friendship Association, assisted in organising scholarships for the children of policemen and women, and has sought medical assistance for members of the force. Medley is actively involved in the Inspectors Branch Board of the Police Federation, the Cuban Friendship Association, and the Police Civic Committee in St James.

Retired principal of the Maldon Primary School, Kenroy Russell, was presented with the award for Outstanding Service in the field of Education. Russell served 34 of his 38 years in education at Maldon. He was cited as having portrayed a dynamic style of leadership throughout his teaching career, during which, as a result, the Maldon Primary School became known as the most outstanding primary school in upper St James.

Scarlett Jones received the Sam Sharpe Award for Outstanding Service in the Area of Community Service. Jones has been involved in community volunteerism for the past 20 years and has worked with organisations such as the Montego Bay Night Shelter, the Women's Crisis Centre, and Jamaica AIDS Support.

Her years as a volunteer also include her 22 years as a member of the Atlanta/Montego Bay Sister Cities Committee, during which she spearheaded the annual Atlanta Health Mission to Montego Bay, which has benefited more than 55,000 persons.