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RE-OPENING OF LANCASTER HOUSE

Maintenance of government buildings has to become a priority.

This was emphasised today by Minister of People Empowerment and Elder Affairs, Kirk Humphrey, as he addressed the re-opening of Lancaster House, a facility offering emergency transitional housing and support services for displaced members of the community.

Mr. Humphrey, while giving the assurance that the facility, located at Lancaster, St. James, would be a priority in this respect, explained the rationale behind its refurbishment.

He said: “When we came here… a number of the rooms were out of use. There was mould in the walls. I mean, the building was basically in a state of serious dilapidation and people were actually still in it. And in keeping with the mandate of the Ministry, we determined that persons should not have to live and/or work in those kinds of conditions.”

Attendees at the reopening of Lancaster House

Pointing out that the facility, which falls under the National Assistance Board (NAB), would not be the only one refurbished, Mr. Humphrey said attention would be paid to all other buildings under the Ministry of People Empowerment.

“The Government committed just around three million dollars to the repairs of this building and the Vauxhall Senior Citizens Village, which we hope to open in December…. and you will see the amount of work that we too put into the Vauxhall Senior Citizens Village.

“And so, we’ve lifted the two main provisions of housing in the Ministry. There are a few more in the National Assistance Board …. The estimates reflect that we need to renovate those as well this year so to make sure that people live and work in conditions that are up to standard. And, the other thing that we made a commitment to do as a Government, and you would have heard the Prime Minister announce it, is in relation to building newer facilities,” he explained

He noted there would be collaborative efforts with the Barbados Association of Retired Persons and the Soroptimist International to build out a couple of these facilities and this would hopefully be undertaken next year and the year after, depending on the planning, among other things.

Minister Humphrey, acknowledging it was not just about building buildings, said the country had “to get back to the point where families are taking care of the elderly”.

He added: “We also have to be aware that as we’re intentionally rebuilding families, we also have to build some facilities. And we made a point that we were going to work with BARP and Soroptimist to be able to do so. We would like to be able to build a small facility perhaps in every parish to allow persons to be able, as they get older, to get older in dignity and in grace.”

Meanwhile, Chairman of the NAB, Reverend Wayne Kirton, noted that Lancaster House was in the vanguard of the NAB reaching out and setting the example of what this society needs to return to.

“The days when we sought to reach out to those less fortunate within our communities, where as a people we were proud to make sure that our neighbours were fed, where we made sure that their needs were met.… People only went into homes when the care of them was beyond their families and beyond the community,” he remarked.

Adding that it was through facilities like the Lancaster House, the NAB must give of its best, he said it was important that it also recognise its duty to the people it serves.

Explaining further, he said: We have to get away from where people believe that the only time you should care for the elderly is twice a month when checks are to be changed….

“We need to value our elderly… see the contribution that they would have made and we need to honour them and I believe this facility would give us the opportunity to make sure that they are well taken care of as we seek… to transition them back into society.” (PR/GIS)

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Dame Graça Machel Visit to Barbados August 21-26

Dame Graça Machel, African stateswoman, educator, humanitarian, and the widow of former President of South Africa, Nelson Mandela, will visit Barbados from today, Wednesday, August 21, to Monday, August 26.

Mrs. Machel’s visit coincides with the Season of Emancipation and she will participate in a number of related activities.

Dame Graça will visit the Barbados Museum and Historical Society and take part in Barbados/Africa Connections, where she will meet with South Africans living here. She will also meet with Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley and other government officials during her six-day visit.

Mrs. Machel will visit places of interest which are tied to the island’s intangible cultural heritage, such as Historic Bridgetown and its Garrison, the Emancipation Statue, Rock Hall Freedom Village and Golden Square Freedom Park. The ‘Story of Sugar and Rum’ will also be shared with her.

The highlight of the visit will be her participation in the discussion ‘Dame Graça Machel in Her Own Words: Reflections on the Road to Freedom’, at Frank Collymore Hall, on Friday, August 23, at 6:30 p.m.

This date commemorates the United Nations International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition.

Dame Graça Machel, who was also a former First Lady of Mozambique, was one of Mozambique’s Ministers of Education and has been known to dedicate her life to advancing the rights of women and improving the lives of children. In 2018, she was awarded the World Health Organization’s (WHO) highest honour, the WHO Gold Medal, for her tremendous contribution to the health and well-being of women, children, and adolescents. (PR/GIS)

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Nominations Open For National Independence Honours 2024

Barbadians are invited to submit nominations for the 2024 National Independence Honours to the National Honours and Decorations Advisory Council.

Nominees should be outstanding in sport, science, the arts, culture and civic or other areas, or have provided meritorious service in the military or protective services.

Section 9(2) of the Barbados National Honours and Decorations Act 2021 states that “a person other than a citizen of Barbados is eligible to be appointed as an honorary member of the Order”.

The categories and criteria available this year are as follows:

ORDER OF FREEDOM OF BARBADOS – awarded for distinguished and extraordinary service to Barbados, the Caribbean, the Caribbean Diaspora or to humanity at large.

ORDER OF THE REPUBLIC – awarded for distinguished national achievement and merit.

GOLD AWARD OF ACHIEVEMENT – awarded for meritorious service or achievement in Barbados or a community within Barbados.

THE TRIDENT OF EXCELLENCE – awarded in two grades (Gold & Silver) for highly meritorious service or achievement in science, the arts, literature, sport, civic duties or any other endeavour worthy of national recognition.

THE BARBADOS SERVICE AWARDS – awarded in two grades (Service Star and Service Medal) for meritorious work in the public, fire, military, police, prison or other protective services or in any other similar field of endeavour.

THE BARBADOS BRAVERY MEDAL – awarded for acts of bravery in hazardous circumstances.

THE BARBADOS STAR OF GALLANTRY – awarded for acts of conspicuous courage in circumstances of extreme peril.

Nominations will be made via the link: https://eforms.gov.bb/f/2024nationalhonours and will close on Monday, September 30.

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National Honours Committee To Be Involved In Renaming Facilities

The National Honours Committee will be tasked with the responsibility of renaming public buildings and facilities thereby removing that function from those “in the corridors of political power”.

Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley made the announcement recently while delivering the feature address at a dedication ceremony for The Leroy Trotman Customs House, University Row, Bridgetown.

The facility was named after Sir Roy Trotman, a stalwart in the trade union movement, who was employed with the Barbados Workers’ Union’ (BWU) from July 15, 1971. He was the BWU’s General Secretary from August 29, 1992, until August 30, 2014.

The Prime Minister told the gathering that Cabinet had decided that the naming of facilities and institutions should not be an arbitrary exercise or in “the province of those who happen to occupy the corridors of political power”.

Ms. Mottley stated: “We therefore ask the National Honours Committee that exists and may act only on the eve of Honours conferred at Independence or with ‘We Gatherin’ Pride of Barbados next year…that it also takes responsibility for consideration and recommendation to Cabinet for the naming of facilities and grounds.”

The Prime Minister stressed that over the last six to eight weeks “two sets of letters” from communities recommending persons had been received, and she believed that the process should be encouraged but in a more structured arrangement.

“We believe this is something that ought to be encouraged rather than just left as an ad-hoc arrangement. It allows the country to own and consume pride and to reward appropriately people outside of the immediate vision of the newspapers . . . and to give appreciation and due honour where it is deserved.

“This is important because that little girl or that little boy watching you and listening to you, Sir Roy…must come to understand your name adorns this building, not simply because we love you but because you put in the effort, stood for something and that made a difference in the lives of tens of thousands of Barbadians and tens of millions of workers across the globe,” Ms. Mottley underlined.

During the ceremony, Sir Roy accompanied by his daughters Dr. Paula Trotman-Hastings, Lesley Trotman-Edwards and grand daughters Amber and Michaela Hastings, thanked his immediate family, his trade union family and well wishers.

“I want to thank all those dear souls from either side who have dared to stand with us in difficult times and have now joined with us in these blessed times,” he said. (PR/GIS)

Caption: Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley, Senior Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office, Dr. William Duguid, Minister of of Tourism and International Transport, Ian Gooding-Edghill and Sir Roy Trotman, savouring the moment before cutting the ribbon to officially declare the building open