THIS DAY IN OUR PAST

The following events took place on August 17 in the years identified:

1983: A group of 13 students

from Brixton Neighbourhood Community Association, England, pays a courtesy call on Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Hugh Shearer during which discussions are held on current events in the country. Shearer is questioned at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on a wide range of topics, including the impact of tourism on the economy, political relationships, housing and unemployment problems within Jamaica, as well as the contribution made by Jamaicans abroad to the development of their homeland. Led by Courtney Lawes, coordinator of the association, the students, all of whom are of Jamaican parentage, arrived in the island on August 4, 1983 for a three-week stay. Since their arrival they have visited communities in St Elizabeth, Clarendon and St Thomas. They are also expected to call on Governor General Florizel Glasspole, as well as tour youth camps and national and historical sites of interest. 1993:Jamaica remembers

the life and work of its first national hero, Marcus Mosiah Garvey, at National Heroes Park in Kingston. Floral tribute is paid in commemoration of the 106th anniversary of his birth, at a ceremony organised by the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission. Red, green and black, the colours symbolic of his struggles and goals, adorn the printed programmes for the ceremony and the flags held by the guests. At the end of the morning, the National Heroes’ Shrine is covered with anthuriums and pink and white roses. One high point of the occasion is Jimmy Tucker’s compelling rendition of the Universal Ethiopian Anthem, which stirs the hearts of many who join him robustly in a salute to the hero.

– The Gleaner Archives