LAST month the Meadowrest Memorial Gardens held its annual appreciation awards function for funeral directors at the Knutsford Court Hotel in Kingston.

The event was to honour funeral directors who exemplary delivered service last year.

A total of 20 funeral directors were presented with commemorative plaques during the function.

Five undertakers — the House of Tranquility, Morgan’s, Lindo’s and Sons, Empathy, and Roman’s — were given awards for the most business, while the other 15 including, Lee Mason, Jones Funeral Home and Supplies, and Sam Isaacs and Sons, were awarded for the quality of their business.

Member of Parliament for West Central St Catherine, in which the Meadowrest Memorial Gardens is located, Ken Baugh was full of praise for the operators of the Gardens, for its ambience and aesthetics.

“I commend Meadowrest on the serenity and the beauty of the compound, which I recently visited and can attest to the fact that it induces a sense of spiritual peace and calm. Aesthetics are not to be lightly dismissed. Like melodious music, it is an important respite from the hustle, bustle and the noise of commerce and traffic,” Baugh said.

“Beautification, cleaning and greening are among the more important strategies to fulfil the objective of investors and visitors finding Jamaica the ideal place to live, work, raise families, and do business,” he said.

Crime, particularly murder, has been an albatross around Jamaica’s neck for decades, and has given the island an unenviable reputation. Baugh lamented the fact that many murders were the result of individuals failing to resolve simple disputes without resorting to violence.

“Jamaica must make peaceful co-existence one of its goals in creating a hospitable environment for investment. There is a global index, referred to as the GPI (Global Peace Index), in which Jamaica is ranked 113 out of 158 countries. It would be a worthwhile drive to improve this rating and make Jamaica a peaceful nation, which can only happen if all Jamaicans enjoy a sense of belonging and ownership, because they have identifiable benefits in a growing economy, he said.

The rest of the awardees at the function were:

* Bryan’s Funeral Home;

* Hessie’s Funeral Services;

* Lewis Funeral Home;

* McDonald Brothers Funeral Home;

* Perry’s Funeral Arrangement and Supplies;

* Reliable Funeral Home;

* Rest Haven Funeral Home;

* Roberts Funeral Home and Services;

* Rose Valley Funeral Services and Supplies;

* Taylor’s Funeral Home;

* Webster’s Funeral Home; and

* Young’s Funeral Home.