BLACK RIVER, St. Elizabeth:
THIRTEEN PERSONS from St. Elizabeth were honoured at the Heroes Day Ceremony held at the St. Elizabeth Technical High School (STETHS) yesterday.
The ceremony took the form of speeches and other cultural items depicting the life and work of the National Heroes.
Bringing greetings at the function was Custos Rotolo-rium of St. Elizabeth, the Hon. Alfred Farquharson. He said the time had come to rid the country of the negatives, "and to set our people on a path of positive thinking."
"We have an obligation to use, develop and continue to embrace our heritage if we are to achieve a better Jamaica," he added.
Mr. Farquharson also used the occasion to praise the Electoral Office of Jamaica (EOJ) and the security forces for the role they played in the election period. He also took note of the "maturity" displayed by the citizens of the country which, he said, was to be highly commended.
Her Worship the Mayor of Black River, Daphne Holmes, told the audience that, "as a people, we have a lot to give thanks for, especially for the freedom which was made possible by our forefathers."
"What is imperative now is that we rescue our young people and to see to it that they are put on a path of moral and social development", Mrs. Holmes stressed.
Guest speaker at the function, Director of Culture in the Ministry of Education, Youth and Culture, Sydney Bartley, said the time had come for Jamaicans to start portraying the positives, so that the children could learn about the positive things.
"In 1773, America was a colony of England, they had to fight just like any other country for their independence and it took them 200 years before they could gain world power," Mr. Bartley said.
Among the persons awarded were: Rachael Buchanan, senior citizens volunteer; Valrie Rose Williams, police; Viris Smith, early childhood education; Pansy Redwood, nursing; Audrey Rodgers, community service; Denzil Nembhard, firefighting; and Donald Horne, local
government.
