Local

Lawmen Rewarded & Presented With Medals

Over 200 members of The Barbados Police Service (TBPS) were recently rewarded and saluted for their contribution to the organisation during an Awards Ceremony and Presentation of Service Medals of Honour.

And acting Attorney General Wilfred Abrahams lauded them for their commitment and dedication to TBPS and Barbados and encouraged them to continue exercising discretion while carrying out their tasks.

Mr. Abrahams said: “Let us divert people even before they get into the system. Sometimes, the police officers can exercise discretion; sometimes you can have a word; sometimes the strict, forceful enforcement of the law may not actually yield the result that you want. See yourself as your name implies as a service organisation….

“You have to be nimble enough and care enough about your job, your profession, The Service and the public of Barbados, to be able to exercise your discretion in a way … that promotes law and order, but also maintains a harmonious relationship between the police and the public of Barbados because I think that is critical and crucial.”

He explained that his Ministry (Home Affairs and Information) would be taking the child justice legislation to Parliament. He pointed out that this legislation “kicks in” after somebody has been charged.

“Once you’re charged, there are certain avenues for diversion where we can, instead of going down a strict criminal process, try to give you every opportunity based on accepting what it is that you did, and being penitent and actually learning from what it was that you did. We give every opportunity to divert you out of the system….

“If you speak to a man, …and you show him a level of understanding and reason with him, or a child, you have a better chance of converting that person to becoming a useful citizen than you have if you enforce their compliance by force,” Mr. Abrahams surmised.

*Sgt. Kim Harris receives her award from acting Attorney General Wilfred Abrahams at The Barbados Police Service Awards Ceremony and Presentation of Service Medals of Honour last Friday.*

In praising The Barbados Police Service, including its band, he commended the Commissioner and officers for their community policing initiative.

He said the organisation had evolved significantly and the lawmen were now more highly trained, with more resources at their disposal to effectively carry out their work.

Commissioner of Police, Richard Boyce, stressed the importance of police officers living by the motto “more than my best I cannot do, and less than my best I will not do”.

He said The Service’s leadership was “very pleased” with their performance and urged them to “keep on doing what you are doing; it can only redound to our benefit”.

Mr. Boyce continued: “We are very proud of each and every one of you. I ask you to keep on the right track. There is a lot more work to be done, and we can only reach and achieve our goals and objectives for the organisation if you the members…keep the light burning….”

He encouraged the lawmen to continue embracing and following the ideals of The Service. During the afternoon ceremony, held at the Barbados Workers’ Union, Solidarity House, Harmony Hall, St. Michael, 147 persons were given the Barbados Service Medal; 49 received commendations; and 37 were presented with the Service Medal First Clasp.

Local

SPECIAL POLLING DAY NOTICE

Local

FundAccess To Host Legal Clinic Workshop from May 13th

Entrepreneurs will soon get another opportunity to learn about critical legal matters that are key to the operation of their businesses.

FundAccess will be hosting The Legal Clinic Workshop, which will commence on Tuesday, May 13, and continue each Tuesday, until May 27, from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

The workshop will be facilitated by Attorney-at-law Ondene Kirton and participants will discuss Understanding Business Legal Structures; Contracts & Agreements; Employment Law & Compliance; and Examination of the Various Laws Relating to Small Business.

During those sessions, the participants will be exposed to sole proprietorship, partnerships, corporations – pro and cons; how to choose the right legal structure for a business; the importance of contracts in business operations; avoiding common contract pitfalls; and employee rights & employer responsibilities, among others. Some of the pieces of legislation to be examined include the Employment Rights Act and National Insurance and Social Security Act.

Interested persons may attend the workshop in person at FundAccess’ Pinfold Street, Bridgetown location, or online via the Zoom Platform. To register, click on the following link: https://bit.ly/3Fu09Jv.

Local

Centenarian Built On Firm Foundation Set By Grandmother

“Trust God first” is the mantra of one of Barbados’ newest centenarians, Athelstan Browne, who celebrated his 100th birthday on April 29, 2025, at his home in Montrose, Christ Church, surrounded by family and friends.

One of his specially invited guests was President of Barbados, Her Excellency, The Most Honourable Dame Sandra Mason.

Mr. Browne shared that he grew up “not knowing a mummy” as his mother passed away at age 23, when he was two years old, and his brother was only one year old.

Crediting his grandmother for his upbringing, Mr. Brown remarked: “I had a real good, good grandmother that raised two of us, and everything we learn before we went to school, she taught us.”

Pointing to a humble yet deeply religious upbringing, Mr. Browne said: “I and my brother slept on the floor. Our grandmother spread things down there, and she just put the pillow under our head.”

He recalled that they had to sing the hymn “Under the Blood” before going to bed, and first thing in the morning before they had breakfast, which usually consisted of “a cup of tea and two biscuits”. Adding that the hymn was “our song”, Mr. Browne sang the hymn from memory.

Stressing that his grandmother was a great provider, he noted: “My grandmother had land, and she would work the land…. We would eat raw potato, raw okras, (green) peas, cucumbers…. The only thing we did not eat was raw yams and eddoes.”

Mr. Browne continues to enjoy his ground provisions “with a little rice”, as he likes his rice with green peas, and if available, chicken boiled with the rice. “I am a fish man,” he remarked, eating it either fried or with a “stew sauce”.

Continuing to nurture his Christian beliefs, he joined the Mount Ararat United Holy Church (currently in Dayrell’s Road, Christ Church) in 1967, at age 33, and has continued there ever since.

Once the Superintendent of the Sunday School at the church, Mr. Browne is still instrumental in providing leadership to the youth there. “I have a crowd of young people at church that love me…especially when I have to talk to them…. It is what they should hear and what they should have,” he said.

The centenarian was raised in Montrose, Christ Church, and attended the Christ Church Boys’ School (now Milton Lynch Primary School). After leaving school, Mr. Browne initially took to agriculture but then worked cutting soft stone in two quarries in Christ Church.

In 1947, at the age of 22, he decided to join the US Farm Labour Programme and took the first Pan American Airlines flight out of Barbados. Over 10 years later, Mr. Browne returned to Barbados and married Monica Browne (deceased). Together, they built the house where he currently resides.

Returning to his roots in agriculture, the centenarian worked at the Ridge Plantation, Christ Church, until retirement. He also planted and reaped ground produce at home, as well as planted and cut canes.

Mr. Browne, who is generally in good health and has a sharp memory, still works around the home and enjoys reading, which he does without glasses. He also keeps in touch with his family in New York and North Carolina, and will do some travelling, but he is always ready to return home.

After toasting the centenarian, Her Excellency remarked: “You are in the midst of a lot of love, and I am sure you are going to enjoy the rest of your birthday. I am really happy to have met you. I am grateful for the work that you still continue to do with our young people because a lot of them lack direction, and we, nowadays, don’t take enough time to sit down and speak with them…. We don’t remind them that they are important, that they are somebody.”

Mr. Browne responded: “You got to make them understand what … the Lord expects of them… We have to acknowledge the Lord.”

Mr. Browne has two children, 10 grandchildren, 11 great-grandchildren and two great-great-grandchildren. (PR/GIS)

Caption: President of Barbados, Her Excellency, The Most Honourable Dame Sandra Mason, and Barbados’ newest centenarian Athelstan Browne take a walk outside during his birthday celebrations in Montrose, Christ Church