The Tribune

By ALESHA CADET

Tribune Features Reporter

Months after donning 21 trailblazing women with the title "Living Legends" at the annual Zonta Club of New Providence Gala Ball, Zontians are continuing their efforts to raise awareness about the contributions of Bahamian women.

Last night the Zonta Club launched the Living Legends Exhibition at the Mall at Marathon.

Cherise Archer, Zonta Club president, said individuals visiting the exhibit can anticipate and look forward to seeing a group of dynamic women who have made significant contributions to the development of The Bahamas in their respective fields.

"There are elegant portrait collages that display the auto biography of the honoree. The portrait displays the life of the Legends," she said. The exhibition runs up until June 29.

Speaking at the opening of the exhibition yesterday, former Deputy Prime Minister Cynthia Pratt highlighted the contributions of the living legends to the Bahamian community. She said it is an honor to be considered a living legend and it says that you have impacted lives in a positive way.

"To be recognised for the role that you have played and the impact that you have made in the country speaks volumes. Most of the time women have a lot of responsibility and challenges more so than men, because they wear so many different caps being caregivers as well, so this is really an honor," said Ms Pratt.

Speaking about women who took front-line in certain areas in the Bahamas, Ms Pratt mentioned living legend, Elma Garraway, who has been a permanent secretary in education and other ministries, and a council member at the College of the Bahamas for many years.

"There are a few more of them like Rose Mae Bain, who has always dealt with HIV over these many years. When people were panicking and paranoid about AIDS, she was on the front-line trying to educate Bahamians about how AIDS works so that people would not end up with a heart attack worrying about it," said Ms Pratt.

In her biography, Ms Bain, the epidemiologists and former director at the HIV/AIDS Center, said the good thing about retirement is that based on the work she did over the years, persons in the field have not forgotten that she was a part of the team, and they still call on her.

When speaking about living legend Elaine Sands of the law enforcement department, Ms Pratt said: "I was the Minister that promoted the first female assistant commissioner. I want to congratulate Elaine Sands, but I don't want to single out because you have a whole load of people there."

She said during Elaine's time, women hardly took the front-line and top rank on the police force. "Women today are really bringing a new outlook on life as a whole in terms of leadership," she said.

Ms Pratt said she thinks the Zonta Living Legends project is doing a great job at highlighting women who have played positive roles in the country. "It is not only women in politics; we have women coming from all different areas and so this is what I want to stress."

"Sometimes when we look at women in leadership, we just look at politics and we have to be careful of that because we have some other women who have been in the trenches from that time; some in farming, business and the community," said Ms Pratt.

She said these women did not make any arguments, they just went on working and impacting lives. "Zonta has come in and decided to look at all of them and encourage them to say thank you in our own way."

Congratulating the Zonta Club, Ms Pratt said the organisation spent many years trying to encourage and motivate women in general and they are doing a great job.

Zonta Club 2012 Living Legends:

1. Agriculture

Diane Cartwright-Thompson

1. Arts

Joanne Callender

1. Banking & Finance

Suzanne Black

1. Business

Ivis Carey

1. Civics

Elma Garraway

1. Education

Sadie Curtis

1. Cottage Industry/Craft

Elsie Knowles

1. Fashion & Design

Sabrina Francis

1. Engineering

Melanie Roach

1. Government

Missouri Sherman Peter

1. Fine Arts

Jessica Colebrooke

1. Labour/Unions

Theresa Huyler

1. Homemaker

Elva Moxey

1. Law Enforcement

Supt. Elaine Sands

1. Law

Claire Hepburn

1. Medicine

Dr. Colleen Fitzcharles-Bowe

1. Media

Joan Albury

1. Religion

The Rev. Kenris Carey

1. Nursing

Rose Mae Bain

1. Tourism/Hospitality

Velma Ferguson

1. Sports

Shonel Ferguson