Montego Bay Marine Park honours those who have made a difference
Six individuals who have played significant roles in the operations of the Montego Bay Marine Park over the last 10 years were recently inducted into the park’s newly established Hall of Fame.
Annual awards will be given, in all their names, to young Jamaicans who have excelled in science, diving, fishing, education and tourism.
Civil engineer Paddy O’Callaghan, for example, played an integral role in the establishment of the facility. In 1989 he co-authored a feasibility study which paved the way for the Montego Bay Marine Park to become a reality. The study was funded by the Organisation of American States and was conducted with the help of Doctors Jeremy Woodley and Karl Aiken.
Another honouree, Elizabeth Dobson, is an American-born educator who started working in Montego Bay’s five high schools to set up the Environment Watch Organisation in 1992. Through this avenue, she educated the city’s youngsters about the critical need for the protection of the environment.
And Bill Taylor, who came to Jamaica in 1985 as an investor in the milling and distribution of rice, was also inducted in the Hall of Fame. He was instrumental in the setting up of the Montego Bay Marine Park and served on the board of directors until 1997.
And while not directly involved in the Montego Bay Marine Park, former head of the world-renowned Half Moon Hotel, Heinz Simonitsch, OD, has earned a reputation for being very supportive of and generous to the facility’s efforts. In addition, Half Moon has become one of the most environmentally friendly hotels in the world under his direction.
For their part, Hall of Fame inductees Hannie and Theo Smit who have become fixtures at any Marine Park-related activity – have jointly had underwater photos published in several dive magazines, the 1991 Shell Calendar and Marine Park displays. They are the authors and photographers of The Diving and Snorkelling Guide to Jamaica, published by Pisces Books in 1996.