MANDEVILLE, Manchester — Eighteen Justices of the Peace in Manchester were among 43 persons who received National Heroes Day recognition at a ceremony here.

The justices were awarded for their service in assisting the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) when its rank and file members stayed off the job for several days in June, as a result of a breakdown in wage negotiation between the Government and the Police Federation.

With limited staff at police stations, Justices of the Peace John Minott, Sophia Morgan, Marcel Barham, Derrick Allen, Derrick Reid, Junior Clarke, David Beadle, Vivien Morris-Brown, Donald Wallace, Trevor Heaven, Danny Roumell, George Findlay, Gloria Lyn Levy-Griffiths, Timothy Scarlett, Garfield Green, Deventon Smith, Councillor Donovan Mitchell, and Luther Chantiloupe offered their time.

“During this period (Justices of the Peace) responded to a call made by the custos of this parish to volunteer for service to man the police stations.

They volunteered to work shifts at the Mandeville and Porus stations working from 6:00 pm- 6:00 am. Their duties were to go inside the lock-ups every hour to ensure that no negative action was taken by those incarcerated and that there were no attempts to escape.

“Justices were also required to patrol the boundary of the stations to ensure that there was no attempt at a break-in,” said Vivien Morris-Brown, Jamaica Cultural Development Commission parish manager, at the Heroes Day Parade and Awards Ceremony.

She said that Manchester was the only parish in which the initiative was undertaken.

At the awards ceremony centenarians Virginia Burrell, Amy Darby and Lister Richards were also honoured.

Recognised in the category for Bravery and Gallantry were Shamoy Nation, Gavianna Johnson and Edwin Jones; for Education Reverend Dr Kenneth Thaxter, Hyacinth Dixon, Ivy Russell, Joyce Gavin Sparks, Garth Smith, and Sister Mary Noreen Gray posthumously; for Community Development Oneil Bryan and Hudlin Pitter; for National Security, Detective Corporal Peter Miles; for Agriculture, Berris Salmon; for Community Security, Devon Shields; for Household Engineering, Victoria Campbell; for Senior Citizen Empowerment, Hazel Foster; for Library Service, Iradel Rattray; for Philantrophy Alfred Daley; for Research and Literature Vaughan Turland; for Tourism Judy Schoenbein and for work in the Girl Guides movement Doris Alexander and Paulette Anderson.

In his response on behalf of the other awardees Rev Dr Kenneth Thaxter commended the level of volunteerism, excellence and resilience in the various endeavours.

“As good (citizens of Manchester) we can stand up to pressure in any situation and make a success of that situation. We hold the respect of everybody in what we are doing. We have a way of coming to the rescue of somebody else who has a difficulty. Whatever anyone in Manchester has to do there is always somebody else who is willing to lend a hand,” he said.

–Alicia Sutherland