DAME Marguerite Pindling accepting the Government High School Alumni Phoenix Award for Sir Lynden Pindling from Minister of Education Glenys Hanna Martin.
THE Government High School Alumni Association held its inaugural Phoenix Award presentation on Saturday at the University of The Bahamas Performing Arts Centre.
Minister of Education and Technical and Vocational Training Glenys Hanna Martin attended, as 19 alumni were honoured with lifetime achievement awards.
Ten others received posthumous Phoenix Awards.
Most of the former students attended Government High School during the 1940s with the exception of Robert Bailey, M Louise Symonette, Dr Cleveland Eneas and Coral Taylor.
Mrs Hanna Martin said: “Nearly a century ago, when the Government High School was formed and in the many years thereafter, it was a rare opportunity for a black student be able to receive a free secondary school education in a colonial-ruled Bahamas.”
She said many of the students “are today recognised as the freedom fighters who forged forward to create the new, democratic state that we proudly call home”.
She added: “Many helped to lay the foundation for our institutional strength in education, healthcare, the public service, the arts and sciences and all of the professions.
“It is imperative that future generations understand the sacrifice, the courage, the supreme capitalisation of this then rare opportunity of access to education which opened new possibilities, ignited fresh hope in generations of Bahamian people. The lives and accomplishments of these proud sons and daughters of Bahamian soil continue to be an inspiration to us all.”
The association intends to make the awards an annual event, with next year’s awards scheduled for January 13, 2024.
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