Salute to service
Gary, Glenroy among more than 140 conferred with national honours and awards
THE LATE Gleaner journalists Gary Wayne Spaulding and Glenroy Wayne Sinclair are among 46 Jamaicans appointed to the Order of Distinction, Officer Class, in this year’s national honours and awards.
The two, who died within hours of each other in June, were awarded for their outstanding contribution to the field of journalism.
Another outstanding journalist, Clifton ‘Cliff’ Hughes of the Nationwide News Network and Power 106, was appointed to the Order of Distinction, Commander Class, for his work in media and communication.
Veteran politician, the retired Dr Ken Baugh, who served as head of government in the past; Professor Denise Eldemire-Shearer, widow of former Prime Minister Hugh Shearer; Ambassador Anthony Johnson, Dr David Boxer and Professor Renn Holness have been appointed to the Order of Jamaica.
Baugh has been recognised for his service to the Parliament, the public service and medicine, while Boxer’s OJ is for his work with the National Gallery of Jamaica and the development of the arts.
Eldemire-Shearer has been recognised for her outstanding work in advocating for the welfare of Jamaica’s senior citizens, Ambassador Johnson for his role in the public and private sectors and his contribution to the foreign services, while Holness was awarded for his contribution to the field of medicine, in particular neurosurgery.
President of the Senate, Tom Tavares-Finson, QC, heads the list of persons appointed to the Order of Distinction, Commander Class.
The other 45 persons appointed to the Order of Distinction, Commander Class, include High Court judges Lennox Campbell and Carol Lawrence-Beswick; internationally acclaimed dub poet Allan Roy ‘Mutabaruka’ Hope; former Speaker of the House of Representatives Michael Peart; businessmen Joe Issa and Adam Stewart; and dancehall star Rexton ‘Shabba Ranks’ Gordon.
POSTHUMOUS AWARDS
The late Third World lead singer, Williams ‘Bunny Rugs’ Clarke, and Gregory Isaacs have also been awarded posthumously for their outstanding contribution to the Jamaican music industry locally and overseas.
In the meantime, Orland Brown, the resident of Ackee Walk in the Corporate Area who flung himself into a raging body of water to rescue a child who was being swept away, has been awarded the Badge of Honour for Gallantry. Schoolgirl Antini Anderson, who braved a raging fire which had engulfed her house to rescue her 15year-old mentally challenged sister, was also awarded the Badge of Honour for Gallantry.