THIS DAY IN OUR PAST
The following events took place on June 19 in the years identified:
1960:
Some 300 people are at Flamingo Hotel’s swimming pool to see the 11 aspirants for the Miss Jamaica title parade in swimsuits before the judges. No girl wears a bikini; none appear in a ‘two-piece’, none tries out the high-front and daringly low-back designs now making fashion headlines. All wear one-piece suits, most of them made of lastex. Black and white are the only colours worn. One by one, as their names are announced, the girls walk out into the bright sunshine, some smiling confidently, others a little nervously. Crowd favourites are Avril Baylis (Miss Homarama), Judith Willoughby (Miss Issa’s Retail), Marva Morrison (Miss Nathan’s) and Pat Rogers (Miss Appleton Special).
1962:
Passage is given by the US House of Representatives in Washington, DC, to the bill which the House Agriculture Committee drafted last week in regard to the US sugar supply situation. The voting was 315 for and 72 against. The bill is a replacement of proposals which President Kennedy made to Congress earlier in for a new US Sugar Act as from July 1, 1962. So far as Jamaica and the British West Indies (BWI) (including British Guiana) are concerned, the outstanding feature of the bill is that it raises the BWI from the status of a recent casual supplier to the US sugar market, to that of a permanent supplier for at least the next five years. It is provided in the bill that the BWI should have a permanent quota of 100,000 tons per annum and an annual allocation of 150,000 tons in addition until and if Cuba resumes friendly relations with the USA.
1970:
Governor General, Clifford Campbell launches the first tag drive of the Royal Life Saving Society of Jamaica at King’s House. The tag drive is launched in connection with Water Safety Month for the purpose of raising funds to assist the work of the society in providing teacher training for lifeguards and promoting general life-saving procedures throughout the island. The drive is being held in collaboration with the society, the Youth Development Agency (YDA) and the Beach Control Authority and will continue through to June 26. Present at the launching are Mr John Elliott, president of the society; Mr Larry Wirth, vice-president; Mr Owen Bachelor, director of the YDA; Mr Daniel Eason, YDA; Miss Weeda McCalla, YDA; and Mr Dudley Ainsworth from the Royal Life Saving Society.