What a privilege it has been to follow the exciting career of Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, who participated in her final National Trials last Friday evening at the National Stadium to the applause of her adoring fans.

We were at the 2008 Beijing Olympics when she made her second international appearance, storming to the finish of the 100m event to earn her spot in Jamaica’s historic 1-2-2 result. We walked with her mother, Maxine Simpson, on the grounds of the Bird’s Nest stadium, learning about the discipline and focus of her daughter, whose photographs decorated the buttons on her blouse.

After that, there was no stopping Fraser-Pryce. Her regional and international outings began with the Central American and Junior (Under-17) Championships in 2002, where she and her teammates won the 4x100m relay gold medal. Year after year, she has won gold and silver in World Championships and Olympic Games.

She married Jason Pryce in 2011, and in 2017 they welcomed the birth of their son Zyon. About her pregnancy, she wrote, “All my focus heading into training for my 2017 season was on getting healthy and putting myself in the best possible fitness to successfully defend my title in London 2017, but… here I am thinking about being the greatest mother I can be.” Shelly-Ann’s deep faith shines through her posts, where she regularly quotes Bible verses.

With baby Zyon in her arms, she triumphantly acknowledged the cheers of spectators at the Doha World Championships in 2019 as she scored yet another gold. Shelly-Ann and her husband Jason have been a model couple and nurturing parents of their son.

Fraser-Pryce’s success on the world stage is matched by her brilliance at corporate and award events. She has been a brand ambassador for Digicel, GraceKennedy and Nike, all of which have featured her in promotional videos. PROComm had the pleasure of collaborating with her on a road safety video, where her charisma brought joy to Mona Preparatory students. She has authored the book I Am a Promise, a reminder to every child.

From her own funds, she created the Pocket Rocket Foundation to assist young athletic hopefuls and is serving as a UNICEF national goodwill ambassador. The young entrepreneur started her hair salon business 13 years ago, popularising her multi-coloured wigs. Interestingly, for her final local outing at the National Stadium, she harked back to her earliest days, with a natural hairstyle.

In 2012, when Fraser-Pryce received her first Sportswoman of the Year Award, she schooled the audience on the importance of patience, as each year since 2008 she was passed over for the award, which she later won four times. Having received two national awards, she was conferred with one of the most prestigious, the Order of Jamaica, in 2022. Internationally, she has won the Laureus World Sports Award for Sportswoman of the Year, the World Athletics Female Athlete of the Year, and Best Female Athlete at the inaugural Panam Sports Awards.

In her 38 years, Fraser-Pryce has developed into a role model for every Jamaican. She fulfils the words of our national pledge “to work diligently and creatively, to think generously and honestly, so that Jamaica may, under God, increase in beauty, fellowship and prosperity…”

There are really no words to thank this phenomenal Jamaican for the glory and inspiration she has brought to our country.

Mercy International Centre in Dublin, Ireland

Beautiful Ireland

We had the pleasure of touring Ireland recently and learning about her brave history. I have always felt a connection to this great country as my widowed mother had scrimped to ensure that we attended the best prep school in Savanna-la-Mar, the St Mary’s Academy, run by the Sisters of Mercy, a religious order founded by Irishwoman, the venerable Catherine McAuley. Later we attended the Mercy Alpha Prep and then us three sisters went on to Convent of Mercy Academy. Having been steeped in the Mercy way, it was moving to visit the Mercy House on Baggot Street in Dublin, where we met with CEO Mary O’Donovan, Sister Philomena Murphy, and Sister Arlene Reed.

Catherine had inherited the beautiful mansion and decided to use the funds she received to protect and nurture the poor young women of the area in the early 19th century. In 1831 she founded the religious Sisters of Mercy, remaining in this rich area of Dublin to draw attention to the country’s less fortunate. Meanwhile, back in Jamaica, in 1880, our own Jessie Ripoll founded the Alpha Orphanage, and as demands grew, the Sisters of Mercy were brought to Jamaica to assist her. The Sisters of Mercy is now a worldwide organisation, spawning leaders in education, medicine, and social justice.

We visited The Rock of Cashel, an ancient church where St Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, conducted services. It survived the armies of Oliver Cromwell, which marched across the country in the 17th century, destroying every Catholic church to impose the Protestant religion on the country. We learned of the heartless Great Hunger brought on because of a blight on potatoes, which was the staple of the Irish people. From 1845 to 1855, 1.2 million Irish people died while their British masters continued to export the other crops instead of coming to the aid of the suffering people. Over two million migrated from the country, and by the beginning of the 20th century the population of nine million was halved. Guided by their strong faith, the Irish rebuilt their country, and it has become one of the most developed in Europe.

At the famous Trinity College, we saw a religious treasure, the centuries-old Book of Kells, a magnificent illustration of the four Gospels. The Writers Museum celebrated the greats, many of whom we have studied here — Jonathan Swift, GB Shaw, Yeats, Beckett, Oscar Wilde, James Joyce, and, yes, the creator of Dracula, Bram Stoker.

We visited the Guinness Storehouse in the complex where my husband had trained while working as an engineer at Guinness Jamaica. We enjoyed the amazing theatre scene in Dublin where the Tina Turner Musical was touring and learned that the Riverdance Show was a beautiful journey highlighting the music of the country, the amazing dancers, and contemporary items.

This unforgettable visit was hosted by our generous Irish friends, who are like family.

JCF – a winning force

We missed the JCF Transformations Expo 2.0, but have been hearing and seeing reports of the most impressive display of our new-era police force, assisted by technology and better equipped than ever before.

It did my heart good to see the higher level of respect being paid to our officers by their fellow Jamaicans. I remember excellent police officers speaking of the negative image cast upon them by surprising sections of the Jamaican population. It became so bad, they told me, that at school their children would hide that their parents were members of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF).

Their recent success in the dramatic 42 per cent reduction in murders and their crisp social media and communications centre, led by Senior Superintendent of Police Stephanie Lindsay, have resulted in a great turnaround in public perception.

Jean Lowrie-Chin is an author and executive chair of PROComm, PRODEV, and CCRP. Send comments to lowriechin@aim.com.

Drones were among the popular items on display at the JCF Transformations Expo 2.0.