THE first recipients of the country’s National Honours were announced yesterday, with the top honour of the Order of National Hero awarded posthumously to Sir Lynden Pindling, Sir Roland Symonette, Sir Milo Butler and Sir Cecil Wallace-Whitfield.
The Order of the Nation was bestowed on 12 people, including: Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis; former Governors General Sir Orville Turnquest; Dame Ivy Dumont; Arthur Hanna; Sir Arthur Foulkes; and former Prime Ministers Hubert Ingraham and Perry Christie. It was awarded posthumously to Sir Milo; Sir Gerald Cash; Sir Henry Milton Taylor; Sir Clifford Darling and Sir Lynden. This honour can be bestowed on all persons who have been appointed governor general or elected prime minister.
The Order of the Bahamas, conferred on any citizen who has achieved outstanding distinction and given exemplary service, was awarded posthumously to Dame Doris Johnson and Dr Myles Munroe.
The Order of Distinction has three ranks of membership: companion, officer and member. Persons who are given this order are recognised for exemplary service provided to the country.
Former Deputy Prime Minister Cynthia “Mother” Pratt, Anita Bernard and Tribune Publisher/Editor Eileen Carron were awarded the rank of companion. Officers are Merceline Dahl-Regis; Dr Elwood Donaldson; Lowell Mortimer; Barry Rassin; Sandra Dean Patterson; and Patrick David Roberts, while William Sands received the honour of Member of the Order of Distinction.
The final honour, the Order of Merit, is given to any Bahamian citizen who has achieved eminent national or international distinction in science, education, public service, the arts, literature or any other endeavour.
Reverend Sebastian Campbell and Pauline Davis-Thompson have been given the rank of companion under this order; Monsignor Preston Moss and Rev Dr J Emmette Weir were honoured under the rank of Officer and Rev Ervin Clarke; Rev Dr Gary Curry; and Rev Walter Hanchell were honoured as Members of the Order of Merit.
These awards will be presented on National Heroes Day, October 9.
Queen’s Honours
The recipients of the 2018 Queen’s Honours, who were first announced in January, were honoured during a ceremony at Government House on Monday.
During the event, Dr Minnis congratulated those who have received Queen’s Honours this year.
“These honours have been bestowed in recognition of the tremendous, and stellar contributions, of these citizens to our national development over many decades,” Dr Minnis said.
“These contributions have been made in myriad areas including: commerce, public service, the arts, medicine, religion, community service, civil society and other areas of national endeavours.”
He also said: “A nation’s wealth and well-being must equally be measured by the quality of service, and generosity of its people, in the promotion of the common good, and in the fostering and development, of the talents of citizens and residents.
“We are blessed to have so many Bahamians who have contributed to the common good by rendering service toward the charitable, cultural, athletic, artistic, political, governmental, commercial and social development of our country.
“In honouring those who served with distinction; we offer current and future generations fine examples of national and community service.”
As reported earlier this year, Mark Holowesko, Lawrence Cartwright and Rev Dr Ranford Patterson received the Companions of the Most Distinguished Order of St Michael and St George (CMG), awarded to those who have given important service in the Commonwealth and foreign countries.
Antonius Roberts, Dr Robin Roberts, Pastor Rex Major and David Thompson received the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (MBE), an order of chivalry.
Those appointed as Members of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire for outstanding service to the community include: Elma Garraway; Nancy Kelly; Nigel Lewis and Dr. Jonathan Rodgers.
The British Empire Medal recognises “meritorious civil or military service.”
The recipients of the BEM this year include: Ronnie Armbrister; Willis Bain; Llewellyn Cartwright; Kendal Culmer; Elisha Miller and Quintin Woodside.
The Queen’s Police Medal is awarded to police officers for distinguished service or gallantry.
This year, Commissioner of Police Anthony Ferguson has been awarded the QPM.
Comments
proudloudandfnm 6 years, 4 months ago
Why is Minnis on that list???
Pure nonsense...
Well_mudda_take_sic 6 years, 4 months ago
What a farce. Most of us would be embarrassed to have our name included alongside many of those named above. There was a time too when QC after a lawyers name meant something, but those days are long gone too thanks to the likes of Elliot Lockhart, Fred Smith, Allyson Maynard Gibson and so on.
sheeprunner12 6 years, 4 months ago
Mudda ........ these awards are given to PEPs ........ ass-kissers
joeblow 6 years, 4 months ago
This nation is do desperate for heroes that it will lower the bar and select those who were quite the opposite. Many were political parasites sowing their oats while not taking care of their bastard offspring!
The fact that Minnis is on that list BEFORE he has even completed his term in office along with Perry Christie destroys any credibility this list might have had!
How can anyone honor those who have not proven themselves or destroyed this country?
banker 6 years, 4 months ago
LOL.
sheeprunner12 6 years, 4 months ago
The first four Heroes of The Bahamas should be: William Sayle, Woodes Rogers, Andrew Deveaux and Pompey.
sheeprunner12 6 years, 4 months ago
Sooooooo, a PEP can get lucky and have a political career and you are rated FIRST ........ You bust your ass doing "grunt work" to uplift the community and you are rated LAST ......... Nothing has changed from the colonial awards ......... Ronnie Butler and Elisha Obed still cannot get top honours ......... Those honours are preserved for PMs and GGs ............ SMDH
TalRussell 6 years, 4 months ago
Sweet Jesus Ma Comrades, of all current and past generations colours t- shirts - finding yaselves 45 years after Independence and 50 years Majority Rule - still clinging on to bygone passed down grudges.... of which many you were not even born at the time. Remember, a colony of islands history is told and repeated by those with lopsided political viewpoints. There is no Africa which blacks want to relocate to - nor are the whites planning their exit. We is One Peoples. Bahamaland works much better with blending whites and blacks. Get it? Matters not if black or white if your mail delivery and health care are broken - or that neither this nor the previous government have enough money in public purse pay Lunch Vendors to feed we school age children's. Tis time unite fix we broken things,
DDK 6 years, 4 months ago
Amen!
Alex_Charles 6 years, 4 months ago
Roland Symmonette was not a hero to majority of Black Bahamians. He was a racist crook just like most of that cabinet that took money from mobsters...
But if we examine most of our politicians from the latter half of the 20th century, almost all were crooks or thieving cocksuckers.
Who didn't take Coke money, stole land and gave themselves contracts.
licks2 6 years, 4 months ago
Sir Roland Symonette was a giant of a man for black poor Bahamians. . .more land, able to educate their children, became business persons and had representation in HOA!! He stood for the right of blacks in HOA than our own color!! Check our significant movements in HOA that greatly impacted the plight of the poor black man before the 1967 election of the PLP was lead in HOA by Sir Roland!! So to be dumb and hide ya heads in the sand and just talk fool makes no sense to me. Sir Roland was a big help to my family. . . sold my father land for little of nothing. . .employed my pops for many years. . .was kind to my family and more families I knew about. . .only the PLP though he was racist!!
Alex_Charles 6 years, 4 months ago
Character is a complex business. He may have been kind to you and many other black Bahamians but his policies were racist to maintain the status quo of white minority dominance over the economy. To pretend that that wasn't the case is disingenuous. Sir Stafford Sands did good too, but all of them had major policy flaws when we look at them through the lense of hindsight from today.
But like I said, if we examine the policies and character of all our leaders for the latter half of the 20th century, all of thieves and crooks.
joeblow 6 years, 4 months ago
what do you call it when people do the exact same thing to others of their race except their friends, families and lovers?
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