Governor General Dame Sandra Mason officially conferring the title of Knight of St Andrew to Sir Patterson Cheltenham for his stellar career in the legal profession and achieving the deserving accolade of judicial luminary.
Those who have been at the front-line of Barbados’ fight against the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) during 2020 will be conferred next year with the Barbados Humanitarian Medal.
Prime Minister, Mia Amor Mottley announced this on Monday as she addressed the nation during this year’s 54th Independence Day Parade and National Awards Ceremony in National Heroes Square, the city.
“Our Parliament will have laid before it a special piece of legislation for the conferment of the Barbados Humanitarian Medal for all of our front-line workers in this country regardless of where they fought. We also will amend the National Heroes Act in order to be able to ensure that we can confer more than one gold medal of achievement for extraordinary service in causes that literally have protected this country over the course of the previous year,” it was explained.
She added, “When we pass that legislation it was always contemplated that it would be conferred on one but we must now recognise that this truly has taken a village not simply to build the nation, but also to protect the nation.”
Mottley further said “a date in early January” will be selected for this honour to be bestowed on the front-line workers. She said individuals to receive the award will be wide and vary.
“We shall bring from the doctors, the nurses, the lab assistance, the lab technologist, the supermarket workers, the Port officers, the Customs, the Immigration, the list too long to mention but which we all know that have allowed all of us now to stand before this country today comfortable that our future is still secure against the background of those who stood and protected us in this a moment of one of our gravest challenges since becoming an independent nation,” it was pointed out.
The Prime Minister in her address also commended all who in a small or big way worked throughout the year to ensure nationals remained safe and the island manage the COVID-19 pandemic. She selected for special mention the Minister of Health and Wellness, Lt Col Jeffrey Bostic, the former COVID-19 Czar, Richard Carter, Head of the isolation facilities, Dr. Corey Forde and Laboratory Director at the Best-dos Santos Public Health Laboratory, Songee Beckles for the contributions they made.