HEAVY afternoon showers Sunday did not prevent residents of Stewart Town in Trelawny from turning out in their numbers and packing the Webb Memorial Baptist Church to pay homage to 26 of their own, who have contributed years of service to the district and the wider community.

The honourees, drawn from various sectors of the society, including health, education, religion, social service, security and the postal service, were given plaques by the Stewart Town Citizens Association in recognition of their years of service in their respective fields.

Among those honoured were:

* Basil Ferguson, former university lecturer;

* Velma Hutton, National Housing Development Corporation mortgage officer;

* Monica Smith, vice-principal of the Bog Walk high School;

* Olga Barnett, who has worked with the postal office for 34 years,

* Lynford Boyd, past principal of Stewart Town All Age and his wife, Ivy Boyd, a teacher.

Guest speaker, Rev Basil McLeod, pastor of the Mandeville Baptist Church, described the awardees as unsung heroes and identified three qualities that each possesses that made them worthy of the commendation. According to McLeod all the awardees were caring, challenged the odds and contributed to the community.

“Today we need more caring persons — people with compassion. We have become so careless and self-centred, thinking of no one but ourselves; but the honourees here today know only too well that if they can help others, their living will not be in vain,” McLeod said.

He added that the society needed more people with the calibre of the awardees in order to reflect positive attitudes and values in the society.

“Role models nowadays make us fret about the future,” he said, adding that today’s youth “need instant money and this is what leads to crime, that’s why gambling and drugs are so popular”.

Basil Ferguson, who replied on behalf of the awardees, described Stewart Town as no ordinary town

“It is said that a man is without honour in his own land, this town has done otherwise. This award is better than one from King’s House as this comes from your own people,” Ferguson remarked.

The full list of awardees:

* Olga Barnett

* Rossetta Belford

* Clifford Black

* Ivy Boyd

* Lynford Boyd

* Jean Glasgow

* Joyce Grey

* Myrtle Jarrett

* Orville Jarrett

* Samuel Lowers

* Eglon Minto

* Clarissendra Montgomery

* Lloyd Moulton

* Samuel Mussington

* Thomas Stephenson

* Valda Wallace

* Gloria Clarke

* Cynthia Duckworth

* Basil Ferguson

* James Gibbs

* Rion Hall

* Velma Hutton

* Mervin Johnson

* Olwen Moore

* Monica Smith

* Iris Tulloch.