Broken promise!
resolution to rename the road in her name, in honour of her outstanding achievements,” Mckenzie said then.
But while the road has been repaired, it is yet to be named in Mosse Brown’s honour.
A disappointed former People’s National Party (PNP) councillor for the Sherwood Content Division, Telka Holt, who is among the residents of Duanvale pushing for the naming of the road, said the late centenarian is deserving of the honour.
“At first we were enthused at the news of the naming and we still think that we should ensure that that is done. Mr Mckenzie came and he made his pronouncement and therefore we are expecting that he will live by that. She [Aunt V] has done well for the country by the fact that she has put us in a prominent position which had a worldwide effect, so we actually became more outstanding and recognised,” Holt argued.
The former councillor is also calling on Culture Minister Olivia “Babsy” Grange to deliver on her promise for the erection of a monument in the Duanvale cemetery in honour of the community’s most famous member.
“She made history, among other persons like Usain Bolt from our neighbouring district of Sherwood Content, and therefore Usain Bolt is recognised as an ambassador for Jamaica and so the least we can do for Miss Brown is to recognise her by naming the street in her honour. And not only was a promise made by Desmond Mckenzie for the naming, but Minister Babsy
Grange also made a promise that a monument would have been erected in the cemetery for her since her body was not laid to rest in the Duanvale cemetery, and we also want her promise as well,” said Holt.
Mosse Brown’s grandson Vernon Davis is also urging the Government to fulfil the promise of naming the road in honour his late grandmother.
“I would love to see it come through because that was a promise that was made by the minister of local government at the time. So we were looking forward to having that done and it has not materialised, so we were still looking for that to be done,” said a seemingly disappointed Davis.
But Gager, who conceded that the naming has been outstanding for too long, disclosed that plans are afoot to speed up the process.
“We are still working on that and we will be sending off all the necessary documents to the minister [of local government]. It is really something that we should have followed up with. This should have been done long ago,” he told the Observer West.
He added that the plan is to have the naming of the street on Mosse Brown’s birthdate in March.
“...We are looking and examining to see if we can do it to commemorate her birthday next year. That is something we are considering and I believe it would be befitting that we could honour her on birthday,” said Gager.
Lelieth Palmer, another of Moss Brown’s grandchildren, who lives in Florida, told the Observer West that the restriction of gatherings caused by the novel coronavirus pandemic had derailed plans by the family to stage a slew of events in her grandmother’s memory, last month.
But she argued that the postponed activities could be staged simultaneously with the planned naming of the street, next March.
“We could culminate the day’s activities with the naming of the street,” Palmer told the Observer West from her United States home on Tuesday.
Davis is also enthused about the idea of merging the naming of the street in honour of his late grandmother on her birthdate with the planned family celebrations.
“That would be very good. Because we were planning a thing but because of the restraints with the COVID thing, we put it off until further notice. So that would be very good. That would be very, very good,” he said.
Shortly after Mosse Brown became the world’s oldest person, she was visited by representatives from the Guinness World Records at her Duanvale residence, where she was presented with a framed citation and the 2018 edition of the Guinness World Records.
Prime Minister Andrew Holness also visited the supercentenarian and presented her with the Prime Minister’s Medal of Appreciation.
Kneeling at her bedside, the prime minister commended her for her “tremendous” work ethic and healthy lifestyle practices, noting that from all indications, she had been a model citizen, a community stalwart and someone who embodied proper values and attitude.
A number of dignitaries, including Governor General Sir Patrick Allen, the then Labour and Social Security Minister Shahine Robinson, now deceased; Custos of Trelawny Paul Muschett, and Mckenzie had also met with Mosse Brown.
The much-sought-after infant department of the Glendevon Primary and Infant School in St James, which have been turning away prospective students because of a lack of space, should have a new building of their own in time for the new academic year.
Approximately 80 students are being hosted in four classrooms within the primary section of the education facility, and with the institution being highly recognised and sought-after, many parents have expressed disappointment that they are unable to send their children to the school.
“We have presently 80 infant students, and we still have to be turning away parents. They are coming because we are noted to be one of the best infant departments on the island,” boasted Lee Peynado, the acting principal of the institution, adding “it is really sad when we have to turn them [children] back, we would love to welcome them.”
In a bid to appease the disappointed parents and to increase enrolment, the school more than a year ago, reached out to Food for the Poor (FFP) for assistance