HE is the reason a mother of three is alive today after preventing her suicide attempt last year, but Jermaine Hurst says he was just doing what he had to do as a decent human being and was not seeking accolades for his act of valour.

The bubbly and refreshingly pleasant 45-year-old barber, along with two other people (one posthumously), will be presented with the national award for gallantry this year. A total of 150 people are being honoured this year.

Hurst is being recognised for having demonstrated exceptional courage and compassion in preventing a potential victim attempting suicide, thereby saving a life and inspiring hope in others facing similar struggles.

“I’m feeling super great [about the award]…and I’d do it again… I’m so overwhelmed to know, just the fact that I did it, and I didn’t do it to get publicity,” the father of three told the Jamaica Observer.

With no formal training in crisis management, social work or counselling, Hurst’s sharp wit and good sense of humour, no doubt had a key part to play in the two-hour talk he had with the grateful mother, as he tried to put a smile on her troubled face.

Hurst says he has not seen her since that incident, but he has kept in touch with her and he believes she is now in a better frame of mind, noting that in follow-up conversations, she has expressed gratitude to him for saving her life.

It is reported that that about midday on April 19, 2023, Hurst visited a section of the Portmore Causeway to partake in his pastime of fishing, when he noticed a woman in her mid-40s walk past him, towards the sea, without saying a word.

Hurst was not only curious as to why the woman was at that lonely spot by herself but became concerned, as the car that she drove to the location was left running with the air-conditioning on and the windows halfway down.

This unusual occurrence propelled him to approach her and begin the conversation which changed the trajectory of her life.

Hurst said that on reflecting on what transpired that day, he said that the woman is now at a place where she can laugh about some aspects of the encounter.

He said that the woman shared with him that during that period, she was dying for him to go away and wondered why he wouldn’t leave.

He said he jokingly responded to her saying that she drew his attention to her and that he had his eye on her from the moment she arrived at the spot.

“That’s what I was saying to her, ‘yuh draw mi attention because I see you alone in the vehicle, a lone female, come all the way to that lonely area, and two of us eyes mek four, yuh nuh seh hi, yuh nuh wave, yuh nuh smile’. So, I kind of found that strange,” he said.

Realising she needed assistance, Hurst had eventually called the police discreetly, who arrived along with a rescue boat with medical personnel, and members of the Jamaica Fire Brigade.

Hurst said the first responders marvelled at what he had accomplished without any formal training.

Since his act of gallantry became public knowledge, Hurst said this has led to him doing multiple interviews and the incident also caught the attention of persons overseas. But he noted that people who know him say that his action “nuh strange to me, that is Jermaine”.

He said the publicity is amplifying what he had always been doing informally — offering solid advice to those in need, including in the area of law and health. He said that since that incident more persons have reached out to him for help, including persons from colleges. He noted as well that people have approached him to tell him he has impacted their life in one way or another, which he was not aware of or didn’t recall.

Hurst said the recognition of his good deed has also brought good publicity, good energy, positivity and excitement to his community of Kitson Town in St Catherine, noting that two weeks before, the community had made the news due to a double murder.

In showing their gratitude to their resident hero, Hurst was given a community-based award for the positive impact he has had on Kitson Town.

Additionally, Hurst was among 40 men who were honoured at the 2023 staging of the Bureau of Gender Affairs (BGA) Outstanding Father Awards Ceremony; and he also entered and won a Super Dad competition.

Though not ruling out doing formal training, Hurst says he is a bit hesitant to venture into that as schooling was not his strongest point.

“However, as a result of that, I know that I’m not going to make that stop me. Anything I put my hands on or anything I decide to do, I do well in it and I do the best in it,” he said.

One venture that he has embarked on that he hopes will be a success is setting up a ‘chill spot’ beside his barber shop where persons can come by and relax and de-stress. He is now working through fund-raising activities to add a roof to the area.

In the meantime, Professor Randolph Henry, is being awarded for saving the life of a man in 2019, who had been shot multiple times, by rendering assistance until the police and ambulance services arrived.

In addition, a Medal of Honour for Gallantry has been posthumously awarded to Constable Ricardo Fairclough who, earlier this year, displayed great courage in the face of extreme danger.

Fairclough went above and beyond the call of duty to challenge an armed man who shot and injured a vendor in St Ann on April 15. During an ensuing gun battle, Fairclough was shot and later died in hospital.

The National Honours and Awards will be presented during a ceremony at King’s House on October 21 — National Heroes’ Day.