 |
|
Photo: (Left to right) Mr. Cedric Armbrister, Mrs. Lillian Armbrister, Mrs. Millicent Walters and Mr. Donald Daniel, four of the five awardees for the 2005 Independence Awards. |
Charlestown Nevis (September 19, 2005) Nevisians celebrated the Federations 22nd Anniversary of Independence with the adapted ceremonial parade and national awards ceremony on Monday at Grove Park in Charlestown.
During the ceremonial parade the Deputy Governor General, His Hon Mr. Eustace John and Premier of Nevis, the Hon Mr. Vance Amory inspected the armed and unarmed uniformed bodies, followed by a march past in slow and quick time.
Meanwhile, five nationals were awarded by the Nevis Island Administration for their outstanding contribution to nation building. The Deputy Governor General presented them with their plaques.
Each honouree, who was exclusively interviewed by the Government Information Service, vividly recalls their illustrious journeys into the career path that they took.
Mr. Michael Walwyn was awarded for Community Service, Mr. Cedric Armbrister for Public Service, Mr. Donald Daniel, for Agriculture and Mrs. Lillian Armbrister and Mrs. Millicent Walters for Nursing.
Michael "One Cocoa" Walwyn, who was born at New River in Ginigerland envisioned himself as a heavy equipment operator in his early years. He continued to follow his vision and saw the need for a trucking service and sought to provide the service during the year 1993.
Today, he owns "The Environmental Solution Company" located at Hardtimes and has become a successful young entrepreneur. Walwyn later saw the need for more equipment as well as hired help, and in 1993 he employed his first worker. To date he has three employees.
Following a series of surveys on the island's sewage disposal needs, Mr. Walwyn executed another one of his dream plans. He bought a sewage truck in 2001 and introduced portable restrooms. His goal is to provide quality and efficient services, thus his newest introduction is mobile air conditioned restrooms and offers that services to the Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis.
Mrs. Lillian Armbrister and Mrs. Millicent Walters, who gave a total of 69 years of nursing, both said that their contribution was a love from within. Mrs. Walters who is known to many as "Nurse Walters" recalls, "I always enjoy being kind and thoughtful, and also reaching out to people in the community in a meaningful way."
Her illustrious career began in 1952 at the Alexandra Hospital performing duties as a general nurse. In 1959, she was transferred to the Gingerland Health Centre as a District Nurse/Midwife and then to the Brown Hill Health Centre in 1965.
She regarded nursing as being an honourable profession, citing that one had to have a calling from within to perform effectively. She dedicated 36 years to that service.
Mrs. Armbrister, who gave 33 years, described her passion for nursing as one of enjoyment; attributing it to the fact that it was a privilege to see sick people, whom she nursed back to health, return to their homes and families.
She spent most of her years serving various communities until she retired in October, 1988. She has also worked at the Pogson Hospital in St. Kitts.
In the area of Agriculture, Mr. Donald Daniel who has been in that field since 1994 and prides himself as being the best watermelon farmer to ever exist in Nevis.
Being a successful farmer of watermelons, carrots and tomatoes, Daniel has now ventured into citrus farming. "I realised that limes I used to play ball with are very expensive on the market, so I decided to work on that and have over 80 lime trees under cultivation."
Referring to the competition as a result of the visiting agricultural vendors, Daniel said his next project would be one of banana cultivation, whereby his success story of the sweeter produce would be key to the competition. "My stuff is ten times sweeter, ten times better."
In the area of Public Service, Mr. Cedric Armbrister served the Government and people of Nevis with diligence and pride in his quest to maintain a high level of efficiency and reliability of the public service.
During his three decades of service, he was involved in many expansion and developmental projects aimed at increasing capacity and improving the social and economic development of the country.
He worked at both Electricity Departments in St. Kitts and Nevis and finally retired in 1996 as the Engineer Manager of the Nevis Electricity Department.
