FORMER governors general, Sir Howard Cooke, Sir Kenneth Hall and reigning Governor General Sir Patrick Allen were among 62 distinguished Jamaicans dubbed 'Living Legends" who were honoured with Living Legacy Awards for sterling contributions made to the development of the island since independence.

Cooke and Hall were among eight persons who were presented with honorary awards while Hall was among 54 others who were awarded by the Caribbean Community of Retired Persons Limited (CCRP) on Wednesday at the Jamaica Pegasus as a part of Jamaica's celebration of its first 50 years of Independence.

Among the honorary awardees were Professor Denise Eldemire Shearer, widow of former prime minister Hugh Shearer; RJR Group Chairman Lester Spaulding; and noted businessman Lascelles Chin.

The other awardees, who were drawn from the fields of business, arts and culture, sports, media, entertainment, religion, health community and social service and science, included well known radio personalities Alan Magnus and Barbara Gloudon, Catholic Priest Fr Richard Ho Lung, hotelier and Observer board chairman Gordon 'Butch' Stewart, musician Ernie Smith, Evangelis, Bishop Herro Blair, and Professor Edward Baugh, who expressed thanks on behalf of the recipients.

Founder and chief executive officer of CCRP, Jean Lowrie Chin, also received a surprise award.

Guest speaker, Governor General Allen congratulated all the awardees whom he described as "living treasures", representing all the things that are right with Jamaica that can be used to fix what is wrong in the nation.

He also encouraged the awardees to extend their knowledge and experiencesto the younger generation and to remember the importance of mentoring.

"With the social challenges currently facing our family, our communities, guiding, befriending and encouraging the young is more urgently needed than ever," he said.

"Our young people need somebody, need folks to stand beside them even though they may give the impression that they don't actually need you around. They need us.

"We must engage the youth and adapt to a changing world. We must believe in them. We must train them and have faith that they will not betray the values of fairness, morality and justice that we have instilled in them," Allen added.

Minister of Labour and Social Security Derrick Kellier, in his remarks, lauded the awardees for their outstanding contribution and promised to develop and strengthen existing social programmes and policies to create an appropriate environment for older persons to thrive and succeed.

"There is no denying that older persons are a valuable resource in our society. They have contributed much to nation building and many are still actively engaged in the developmental progress. This is demonstrated in the critical roles they are playing through volunteerism, transfer of knowledge and through their participation in community affairs.

"We prize and value their contributions and acknowledge all their efforts. We use their lives as examples, as living legacy and inheritance for future generations," he said.

Older persons, Kellier said, should be mobilised and empowered as they represent a large percentage of the country's population which is projected to move from 11 to 16 per cent by 2030.

The CCRP was launched in April 2010. Its objective is to be a vital resource for both retired persons and those preparing for retirement. It provides financial planning advice, information on health and wellness, opportunities for volunteering and for mentoring young persons, free educational seminars and many other benefits.

The CCRP now boasts over 560 members across Jamaica.

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