In a year when crime, allegations of corruption and the carnage on the roads continued to darken the pages of the Jamaica Observer, and almost every news cycle contained depressing reports, there were stories of hope and inspiration which made it to the front pages and provided an oasis for Jamaicans.

For this year that list of “feel-good stories” selected by the Observer is headed by the tale of Toni-Ann Singh, the 23-year-old from St Thomas who was crowned Miss World 2019 on December 14.

As news broke of the fourth Jamaican to take this global title, Jamaicans everywhere exploded in joy and pride, with her homecoming signalling the pleasure she had brought to her countrymen and women.

From Bath in St Thomas to Emancipation Park in New Kingston, Singh was given a warm reception by Jamaicans, with those opposed to beauty pageants welcoming home the “Queen”.

But there were several other stories in the past 364 days which made Jamaicans say “ahhhhh” as they enjoyed the pride of being from this little piece of rock in the Caribbean.

The pride which greeted the National Anthem as Jamaica’s Reggae Girlz took the field in Grenoble, France on Sunday, June 9, for the first game in the Fifa World Cup was one of those moments.  

Despite losing all three games, the girls made Jamaicans home and abroad proud with their historic achievement and even more so with the goal scored by Havana Solaun in a 4-1 loss to Australia in the final group game.

‘What a stupid girl! — Angry mother curses daughter for handing over large amount of money she found’, was the headline which told the story of Ackaisha Green, the mother of two who found a stash of cash believed to total millions inside an ATM and turned it over to the police.

The refreshing honesty of Green, a then unemployed resident of the inner-city community of James Street in Central Kingston, as well as the slew of assistance, including offers of employment, she received in response was another of the stories which gave hope that all was not lost in Jamaica.

Then there was the image of Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, with her son Zyon, after her gold medal run in the 100m at the IAAF World Championship in Doha, Qatar. That is one that had several Jamaicans shedding happy tears.

Fraser-Pryce’s gold medal, and those of other members of the women’s sprint relay team — Natalliah Whyte, Jonielle Smith and Shericka Jackson — the young man from August Town Tajay Gayle, who jumped his way into the hearts of Jamaicans with an historic leap in the long jump, and all the other athletes, medal winners or not, provided a sense of national pride which lifted the gloom of many.

Rose Hudson-Wilkin, the Church of England’s first black female bishop, declared that she is “a daughter of Jamaica” at her consecration as she posed for photographs with her bishop’s staff, which was hand-crafted locally, leaving Jamaicans beaming in November.  Hudson-Wilkin was also made an MBE in the Queen’s New Year Honours List for 2020.

These are just some of the stories which warmed that heart this year.

Share your memories of the ones we have missed at www.jamaicaobserver.com or email editorial@jamaicaobserver.com