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St Elizabeth gets a glimpse of '50 Golden Moments'

Published:Thursday | April 5, 2012 | 12:00 AM
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Councillor Errol Hummingbird, of the Ipswich division, cuts the ribbon to mark the opening of the 'Journey of Champions' exhibit as (from left) Conrad Romans, chairman of the St Elizabeth Parish Library committee; representatives from the local school population; Sheldon Roberts, rural development librarian; Byron Buckley, associate editor, special projects - Gleaner, and Neysa Ebanks of event sponsor Scotiabank Jamaica look on. - Photo by Mark Titus
From left: Renowned art curator Susanne Fredrick gives Neysa Ebanks and members of the St Elizabeth Parish Council Errol Hummingbird and Stallyn Brown a tour of the exhibit room.
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Mark Titus, Gleaner Writer

Western Bureau:

The book 50 Golden Moments, which will take readers on a colourful journey through the half-century since Jamaica gained Independence, will not be available to the public until July. However, on Wednesday, residents of St Elizabeth got a taste of what to expect.

The early exposure came during the launch of The Gleaner's Scotiabank-sponsored archival exhibition dubbed 'Journey of Champions: 50 Years of Athletic Excellence' at the St Elizabeth Parish Library in Black River.

"Sports, culture, politics, industry and more are captured in this 200-page book that climaxes with the visit of Prince Harry last month," said associate editor at The Gleaner, Byron Buckley, while speaking at the ceremony. "We believe the book, 50 Golden Moments, is a valuable addition to personal and corporate book collections."

The book is being published by Ian Randle Publishers in collaboration with The Gleaner Company.

The exhibition, which showcased The Gleaner's rich collection of photographs and clippings of Jamaica's track-and-field history, captured the country's pre- and post-Independence athletics exploits.

Part of Dynamic programme

Funded entirely by Scotiabank Jamaica and ably supported by the Jamaica Library Service, the exhibition is part of The Gleaner's dynamic and unprecedented 14-month track-and-field coverage programme, dubbed 'Daegu to London', which kicked off last June.

"In this our nation's jubilee year, it is even more wonderful that we have come into our own as an athletics powerhouse," said Neysa Ebanks, branch manager of Scotiabank Black River. "When the world's attention is directed to London this summer, more than anything else, the excitement will be about the Jamaicans."

Ebanks added: "As a sponsor, it was important to Scotiabank that the exhibition be shared with as many people as possible and, of course, we are delighted that the parish-library network will serve as host. The libraries remain an important touch point for Jamaicans, including students, and for us at Scotiabank, we want to see more people engaged and inspired by the creative art," added Ebanks.

According to Buckley, another Jamaica 50 initiative by The Gleaner Company is the recognition of trailblazers - people who have been outstanding in their professional fields since Independence in 1962.

The St Elizabeth leg of the exhibition will end on April 13, then move to the Hanover Parish Library (April 25-May 11), St Ann Parish Library (May 30-June 15), and the Kingston and St Andrew Parish Library (June 27-July 13).

The exhibit also displayed photographs from the just-concluded Inter-Secondary Schools Sports Association/GraceKennedy Boys and Girls' Athletics Championships, which should be a source of inspiration for participants in the upcoming Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association/Supreme Ventures Limited National Senior Championships in June.

mark.titus@gleanerjm.com