BASSETERRE, St. Kitts - ELEVEN individuals of the various communities around St. Kitts were yesterday (Sept. 17) awarded for their hard work and dedication to the youths of the Federation and for the positive examples they have and continue to set for the Nation's children.
The awards were given at the Guard of Honour and Wreath Laying Ceremony at the Robert L. Bradshaw Memorial Community Park in St. Pauls.
The awards were as follows:
Mrs. Gwendolyn Natta began her teaching career at the Newtown Primary School in 1980. During her almost thirty years of dedication to education and empowering the nation's youth, she taught at the Epworth/Maurice Hillier Memorial Junior School and the Beach Allen Primary before she retired from active teaching in 2009.
She is an avid netballer and continues to coach, train and manage netballers and teams. She trained and continues to train netballers at primary and high schools and students in track and field disciplines.
She is the founder of the Newtown Activity Garden which is a place where children play, learn to read and learn social skills. Natta has been offering this service to her community free of cost since 2009.
Eugene Allan Rogers has touched the lives of the nation's children for many years through his work in the church and his job as science teacher at the Charles E. Mills Secondary School. His being a science teacher did not limit his engagement to children and young people.
His passion for children has him involved in hosting camps and after school classes in science for children who might have difficulties in this subject or need to make up subjects to sit exams in school. His involvement is not limited to just academics as he started a programme for students who could not afford to purchase lunch and this became the forerunner to the introduction of school meals at the secondary level.
He also serves as a Counselor for both children and parents, lending his ears to whatever issue that may be troubling them at the time, and has recently started teaching upholstery and electronics to vulnerable young men in the community.
Austin Warner has dedicated his whole life to the continuation of the Boys Brigade. He has been known throughout the entire Federation as the 'Boys Brigade man'. His involvement in the Boys Brigade began at the age of five when he became a member of this group, and he has advanced through and excelled at every stage of the ranking system of the organisation. He realised his dream of becoming Commanding Officer at the age of 18.
He is currently the country's Extension Officer and also the Captain for the Second St. Kitts Boys Brigade Company. He continues to use his experiences to shape the lives of the young men of the Federation. He has played an integral role in the growth and development of young men for over 25 years.
Ella Flemming is the Eighth Captain of the Girls Brigade in the St. Thomas parish and has a hand in the molding and cultivating of young girls from as early as five years up to 18 years. Through her involvement in the Girls Brigade, Flemming is able to educate the young girls that she has under thumb in moral and ethical instructions. She also uses the opportunity to instruct them in needlepoint and other artistic work.
Sonia Hector is considered to be a dynamic but quiet and hard working individual and has always lived by the quote "live each day as a blessing". She has spent over 30 years as a teacher dedicated to shaping and molding Nation's children in various activities. She currently teaches at the Washington Archibald High School where she serves as the Mathematics Department Year Head for all first form students and is a member of the Management Team.
She also taught Mathematics at the CFB College and has been a member of the Girls Brigade Company, moving through all the different ranks. She officially became Captain of the First St. Kitts Girls Brigade Company at the Zion Moravian Church in 1987.
Sylvester Huggins started as a drummer in 1979 and continued to play with the police band ever since. In 1982, he started dancing masquerade and having done this for 15 years, started his own masquerade troupe in 1997.
Today his troupe, with age group ranging from five to 16 years, travels to neighbouring islands to play. He is the heart of the Police Senior Drum Corps and is an ardent advocate for promoting folklore arts amongst children.
He currently serves as Scout Leader for the Irish Town Primary School and founder of the Irish Town Drum Corps. He was also one of the inspirations in the creation of the Washington Archibald High School.
Shauna Maynard began her teaching career in 1995 and for the past five years has had the opportunity to serve as the reading recovery teacher, reading coordinator and member of the school management team at the Tucker Clarke Primary School.
She has also been a member of the Eagle Boys Club for the past ten years where she is a driving force in their lives to keep them focused on their school work and motivated, thereby training them to become responsible citizens. She has invested over 17 years in the field of education, serving her church and her community as well.
Pamella Brookes dedicated 42 years to her country in the humanitarian profession of nursing which she began in 1968. To expand her learning, she travelled to Jamaica in 1980 to train in Family Planning, and then again in 1986 was trained in Community Public Health before being appointed Public Health Sister in the Tabernacle and Saddlers District.
She retired from active nursing in 2010 but continues to serve her communities in the profession to many families in various ways. She has also become involved in establishing a community library.
She is known for promoting healthy lifestyles amongst children in schools in the community and actively counsels families on a wide range of issues.
Kimmoye Brathwaite has been serving both the Saddlers and Tabernacle communities in two distinct areas - supporting teenage mothers and with the ‘Brathwaite Kitchen’.
Being a teenage mother herself, this has propelled her to form a group for teen mothers ranging from ages 15 to 20 years, focusing on giving them hope and confidence that their life is not over.
She has organised family planning groups and helps teenage mothers to get regular pap smears. She is also mediator of disputes to foster greater communication between the teenage mothers and their parents. The teenage mothers are also helped with their student-based assessments for CXC and other areas of their education.
She recently opened the ‘Brathwaite Kitchen’ which provides food to children in need and the elderly. In 2009, Brathwaite adopted twin boys after their mother passed away.
Don Farrell is an ardent sports lover. In the area of coaching, he has coached the St. Kitts Under17 Basketball Team and the Conaree Football Team, the S.L Horsford Football Club and the St. Kitts Under 23 Netball Team.
From coaching, he has moved to the hosting of a wide range of sporting competitions. He has not just invested his time in youth sports but has also been a financier of teams participating in overseas competitions.
He is currently the president of the Willful Skilful Sports Club, the Newtown Cricket Club and a member of the St. Kitts Cricket Association.
Tyrone O'Loughlin is a community-minded individual who is very active in a number of areas in the Cayon Community. He has dedicated over 17 years towards the Cayon Football Club as a player.
After the fallout of the Club in 2003, O'Loughlin, being a dedicated member and one who recognised that there were many youths who were just as talented as the senior players, decided to regroup and motivate the young males to prove their skill and talent.
He also volunteers his knowledge, skills and time to coach the Cayon Under 19 Basketball Club and has now organised a female Basketball Club in the community. He also leads and manages the Black Knight Netball Team and the Cayyon Netball League.
The Community Awards were this year given to persons who have dedicated their lives to cherishing children in order to strengthen not only families, but also the Nation.
