The Observer continued its 10th anniversary celebrations Monday night by hosting a thank you reception for the newspaper’s columnists and contributors at the Terra Nova Hotel in Kingston.

At the same time, veteran journalist John Maxwell was recognised for 51 years in journalism, and Barbara Gloudon and Lloyd B Smith, who have been writing for the newspaper for the past 10 years, were hailed for their contribution.

“We value your contribution to the Observer,” Paget deFreitas, editor-in-chief, told the group of more than 38 columnists and contributors whom he congratulated for displaying the discipline necessary to excel at what he described as a “lonely process”.

DeFreitas extended special praise to Maxwell, Gloudon and Smith whose writings, he said, remained relevant and fresh over the years and thanked the trio, as well as the other writers for helping to enrich the Observer’s readers each day.

Dr George Phillip, an Observer director, also praised the writers for being reliable, providing articles that were relevant and easy to read.

The company’s managing director, Trevor Riley agreed, saying that the newspaper’s high quality content was a result of its internal team of editors, writers and “dynamic columnists and contributors”.

This high quality content, Riley said, not only reflects the lives and times of Jamaicans, “but also puts our story in context… is not afraid to take strong positions on issues… and is not afraid of being unpopular in the search for truth and justice in our democracy”.

Added Riley: “We could not adequately recognise our achievement and mark this anniversary without arranging a suitable tribute to you who produce our ground-breaking content.”

Gloudon replied on behalf of the columnists by thanking the Observer for the gesture and making an appeal to the newspaper’s young journalists to recommit to the principles of truth, fairness and accuracy in reporting.

She also urged Jamaican journalists to display in their work, respect for Jamaica.

At the start of the function, a minute’s silence was observed for Andrew Hope, who for most of the Observer’s 10 years reviewed art; and Hector Bernard, who served the newspaper as a journalistic consultant for its 10 years. Hope passed away last year, while Bernard died in January this year.