President of the Alumni Association, Jeffrey Broomes as he explained the Alumni's reasons behind creating the Hall of Fame.
Eight worthy stalwarts are the first of many to be inducted into the Coleridge and Parry Hall of Fame.
Speaking during the Hall of Fame ceremony on Saturday night, President of the Alumni Association, Jeffrey Broomes revealed these eight men: Sir Elliot Belgrave, Keith Boyce, Professor Sir Hilary Beckles, Sir Clifford Husbands, Sir Lloyd Sandiford, the Right Reverend Rufus Brome, the Right Honourable Owen Arthur and the Right Reverend Sehon Goodridge.
“Today, we take our first step in identifying and honouring members of this exceptional family, who have excelled and will now claim their prize. Our motto was not chosen coincidentally, but with a clear understanding that for generations on, this place will be remembered as a place of excellence worthy of acknowledgement and celebration,” he said.
“We are honouring two former Governor Generals, two former Prime Ministers, two former Bishops, one outstanding education and community leader and one former Test cricketer.
But that is just the tip of the iceberg. Leadership is in our DNA and cannot be removed.”
Broomes went on to highlight some of the amazing and outstanding contributions that past Coleridge and Parry students would have made to the development of Barbados throughout the years, expressing that Coleridge and Parry has proudly produced a Chief Education Officer, University presidents and University principals, as well as secondary school principals, outstanding lawyers, doctors, law enforcement officers, top hotel and tourism executives and incredible sportsmen.
He explained that honouring these stalwarts was the aim of the Hall of Fame. “There are many who sat on these benches and played on this pasture that have excelled and we have chosen to begin the process of presenting them with their much deserved prizes,” he said.
This year, the persons in the Coleridge and Parry Alumni Association would have chosen who they wished to highlight, however Broomes noted that, next year, they planned to have the alumni vote for the inductees in agreed categories and consistent with the determined data.
It is against this background that he encouraged persons to join the alumni.
Finally, Broomes made a plea to the Minister of Education to give Coleridge and Parry a sixth form.
He believes that, based on the success stories of the past students, Coleridge and Parry deserves a six form.
“We are the beacon on the hill and deserve the opportunity to speak loudly and cogently for the north of the island,” he said.