MONTEGO BAY, St James — Fourteen people from the county of Cornwall were awarded the 2019 Governor General’s Achievement Awards (GGAA) at a function held at the Grand Palladium Jamaica Resort and Spa in Lucea, Hanover, on Thursday.

The recipients were recognised for their academic achievements and humanitarian efforts in aid of their wider communities and country.

The parishes of Trelawny, Westmoreland, St Elizabeth and Hanover produced three awardees each, while the other two were from St James. They were honoured under the theme ‘Engaging, Empowering & Inspiring Jamaicans’.

In his address, Governor General Sir Patrick Allen told the honourees that their selfless contributions will have a “rippling effect” on Jamaica and its people.

“Our recipients stand in the west as beacons of hope [and] waves of transcendence who believe in their capacity and their potential,” the governor general said.

“Through this programme, we are strategically setting out to influence the lives of our nation’s youth while encouraging them to engage and empower their peers. I use this opportunity to congratulate all our awardees. Your acknowledgment this afternoon is well earned and well deserved,” he added.

Recipients of the GGAA are categorised from 18 to 24 years of age — individuals who have excelled academically and are involved in volunteerism; 25 to 35 years of age – individuals who have excelled academically and professionally as well as in their work in community services; and over 35 years of age – individuals who have ‘pulled themselves up’ through difficult circumstances and have made a difference in society.

“I am pleased to say that the recipients of this year’s GGAA have engaged in social consciousness of those around them and, in turn, have not only elevated themselves, but have brought others along the way,” the governor general said.

Custos for Hanover Dr David Stair charged the awardees to strive to become future leaders of Jamaica and work to the benefit of their fellow countrymen.

“I wish to implore all of you that you will be the future leaders of this blessed place that we all call home, and you will have to make decisions as to the type of society in which you all want to live and raise families,” he said.