THE Government, through Jamaica Post, has released the Jamaica Civil Service Association (JCSA) commemorative stamp to celebrate the association’s 100th anniversary.

Five postage stamps in denominations of $60, $120, $140, $180 and $200 were unveiled during a ceremony on Monday at JACISERA Park in Kingston.

The stamps are to be made available for purchase by the public shortly. First-day covers will also be available at a cost of $1,000.

President of the JCSA, O’Neil Grant said the organisation is the first of its kind to release a series of commemorative stamps.

“It speaks to the JCSA as a national institution; it speaks to the JCSA as a part of the fabric of the union movement of this nation. It speaks to the fact that, as a public service, without us, the civil service as we know it today would not be as it is,” he said.

Postmaster general, Jamaica Post, Michael Gentles said the initiative was born out of the longstanding relationship between the entities.

“Being over three centuries in operation, the Post and Telecommunications Department fully appreciates what this achievement represents and, with this in mind, we saw it fitting to collaborate and celebrate with the JCSA on the launch of this commemorative centenary stamp,” he said.

He noted that the combined years of the organisations represent 448 years of Jamaican history, and that the commemorative stamps are reserved for events or occasions of national and international significance, such as major anniversaries and other important landmarks.

Director, Post and Telecommunications, Ministry of Science, Energy and Technology, Cecil McCain congratulated the JCSA for reaching this important milestone.

McCain, who represented Minister Fayval Williams, said it was a historic day as the JCSA is not only celebrating its 100th year of existence but is also taking its place in the annals of Jamaica’s postal history with the launch of this commemorative stamp.

“This commemorative stamp allows the JCSA to join a long list of individuals, organisations, and partnerships that have been memorialised in this way,” he added.

Director general, Public Sector Transformation and Modernisation Unit, Cabinet Office, Veniece Pottinger-Scott also congratulated the association for its achievement.

She said the issue of a commemorative postage stamp is a fitting recognition of the valuable service of the association to generations of public sector workers.

“A centenary is a significant marker in the life of any institution, and the JCSA has made its mark in promoting and protecting the interests of its members and others in the civil service. It has also been a bulwark in the context of the national trade union movement,” Pottinger-Scott said.

“The public sector has benefited from over 100 years of service by the association — not only in relation to gains in the conditions of service but also in the context of national development,” the director general said.

A centenary garden was also established at the association’s Molynes Road headquarters, marking 100 years of service by the public sector union.

The JCSA also hosted a banquet at Jamaica Pegasus hotel, New Kingston, on Monday to commemorate the centenary milestone.

On October 31, 1671 the Jamaican Post Office was established in Spanish Town under King Charles II, making Jamaica the first British colony to have a post office. Jamaica started procuring its own stamps in 1860, the first of which bore the profile of Queen Victoria with an inscribed frame ‘Jamaica Postage’ and a pineapple-design watermark.