Rural electrification charges set to soar

Final touches

Long & faithful service

Mo’ CCTV money

As supporters of the PNP inNorth West Manchester metfor their annual constituency

conference at the Mile Gully HighSchool on Saturday September 5, byfar the biggest surprise of the eveningwas the appearance of JLP councilorTimothy Scarlett.

However, despite his political leaning,Mr. Scarlett was for the most part wel-comed by the gathering, several of whomseemed convinced that he was present to'cross the fence'. Mr. Scarlett howeverwasted little time in setting them straight.He explained that his presence at themeeting was to welcome PNP candidate-in waiting Mikael Phillips, who is slatedto represent that party in the constituency

in the next general election, replacing MPDean Peart, who has signaled his inten-tion to soon retire from active politics.

Mr. Scarlett in welcoming Phillips tothe constituency stated that despite theircontrasting political views, there was noreason why both sides could not live inharmony.

"What we want in North WestManchester is progress and I am deter-mined (to achieve this) whether we win,we lose or we draw... I am here to help tomake the community better... all myambition is to bring North WestManchester to better, that's all I want," hesaid.

According to Mr. WainsworthSkeffery, Chairman of the PNP's RegionFive, the appearance of Mr. Scarlett waspossibly a sign that the country was

returning to the old style of non-con-frontational politics.

"Mr. Scarlett believed he could be wel-comed as an opposing politician in a PNPfamily, and nothing bad would happenand he proved that point. And I think thisis a testimony to the maturing of the

political culture in Jamaica," he said.Still, not everyone at the PNP meeting

was welcoming to Mr. Scarlett. One PNPsupporter in particular berated him forwhat she said was her 'suffering underLabour'.

Page 2

New People’s National Party N.W Manchester caretaker-candidate Mikael Phillips (left) greets a constituent at the constituency conference, held atthe Mile Gully High School on September 5, 2009. Mr. Phippips will represent the constituency on behalf of the PNP in the next general elections

September 15 - 30, 2009 • southcoastnews@yahoo.com• A community newspaper serving the parishes of Clarendon Manchester, St. Elizabeth and Westmoreland

$502008 Press Assn. of JamaicaDouble Awardee

See “Tim steps in”on Page 7

Workmen going all out to complete the refurbishing of the oldNCB Perth Road building which on September 28 became thenew COK Co-op Credit Union Mandeville branch office.

JLP Councillor and caretaker for NorthWest Manchester, Timothy Scarlett (right),making an appearance at the PNPConstituency Conference held at the MileGully High School on September 5, much tothe amusement of PNP Caretaker CandidateMikael Phillips and St. Ann South EasternMP, Lisa Hanna.

...but Tim steps in

Mandeville Mayor, Her Worship, Councillor Brenda Ramseypresent a cheque for $1.3 million to Manchester Chamber ofCommerce President Winston Lawson, representing a contri-bution from the Local Government dept. towards the installa-tion of CCTV cameras in Mandeville. Councillor SallyPorteous and Deputy Mayor Irwin Facey share the occassion.

Mr. Vesta White, J.P. former Board of Supervision member,receives a citation from Poor Relief Officer, Mrs. JudithThompson, in recognition of 37 years of service to theManchester Parish Council. Dr. Adlyn White, wife of the hon-ouree, is at left.

N.W MANCHESTERMEETS MIKAEL

The Manchester Chamber ofCommerce (MCOC) and variousstakeholders, recently signed a

Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)aimed at improving discipline within thepublic transportation sector in the parish.

Under the 'Ride with Pride' programme,public transportation operators are encouraged

to improve the level of service they offer to thepublic by operating as per the conditions oftheir licences, obeying the rules of the road,offer passengers good service and seeing to thewelfare of all users of public transportation.Under the programme, the traveling public willbe able to report errant operators, as well as tohighlight those offering exemplary service.

At a press briefing held at the MandevilleHotel, on August 25, 1st Vice President of theMCOC, Keith Smith, emphasised that the mainobjective of the initiative is to weed out thosewho operate without proper licences and prop-er insurance; who play inappropriate music intheir vehicles, and who engage in inappropriaterelationships with female students.

"Every member of the Manchester commu-nity will have a critical role to play in this pro-gramme. This 'Ride with Pride' idea is not anevent, rather it is a situation. We want to estab-lish this as a model, and we want to ensure thatwe work along with it over time," he said.

The Vice President said that players in thetransport industry could influence young peo-ple, and hence the need for them to operate atan acceptable level of discipline and decorum.He suggested that good operators be awardedon a monthly or quarterly basis.

"Transport operators are regarded and seenas leaders in their community, and so the younglook to them, and if they operate with dignity,they will be good examples for the young tofollow," Mr. Smith said.

Other stakeholders in the programmeinclude the Transport Authority, JamaicaConstabulary Force, Mandeville MinistersFraternal, and public transport operators in theSouthern Region.

Speaking at the signing, Manager ofOperations at the Transport Authority, CecilMorgan, reiterated the agency's resolve toensure that proper service and order is main-tained in the public passenger transport system.

"We intend to make sure that persons com-ply with laid down rules, and we will be forth-right with the mandate that has been given to

us to bring order to the environment," heemphasised.

He pointed out that much of the breachesthat players in the industry have committedwithout being detected would no longer bepossible, as technology is enabling theAuthority to clamp down on those offenders.

"We are able to sit in our offices and seewhat is happening in specific locations, and weare committed to invest and make sure that thiskind of monitoring capability is within ourreach. We are building a database on personswho are in violation two to three times, wherewe can say to them that because of these, thereis a cause for suspension or revocation of yourlicence," Mr. Morgan said.

The manager said that with the Transport Authority stepping up its drive to clean up thesystem and have persons who are providingtransport service to the public fully adhering tothe rules on the road, misleading and inaccu-rate information has been given to the mediaregarding the motives behind the drive.

The recent installation of CCTV cameras inthe town of Mandeville, is also expected toplay a vital role in the monitoring of the publictransportation sector.

The $42,000 charged to homeown-ers to wire their premises underthe Rural Electrification

Programme (REP) is set to increase fol-lowing a decision by the entity to boostthe voltage of electricity to 220 volts,from the current 110 volts.

Currently, householders are required topay 10 per cent of the $42,000 cost up-front to bring the electricity to their homesand to pay the difference over four years atno interest. This balance is reflected on themonthly electricity bill of the householderas the Jamaica Public Service (JPS) col-lects the outstanding amount on behalf ofthe REP. The new rates have not yet beenmade public.

According to Managing Director of theREP, Keith Garvey, the Government is

seeking a US$9.4 million loan fromVenezuela for the wiring of 6,000 homesand the construction of 307 klometres ofdistribution lines island-wide, as it aimsfor full electrification of the island overthe next three to four years.

Mr. Garvey who was addressing arecent monthly meeting of the ManchesterParish Council in Mandeville, said that theVenezuelan loan will be matched byUS$2.4 million of local funds.

The project, once implemented, willbring the island's electricity coverage to 97per cent, Mr. Garvey said, noting that thereis a plan on board now by Minister ofEnergy and Mining James Robertson,where over the next three to four years, thegoal of which is to have all of Jamaicafully electrified.

He said that over the past two years theREP has completed some 87 kilometres ofdistribution lines with about 2,000 cus-tomers benefiting, with another 50 kilome-tres being targeted for which material ispresently being sourced.

"We realised that the rural household-ers are really poor persons, farmers pre-dominantly, so they would not be able tocome up with all the money to wire thesehouses. So what we do is to give them aloan, and it is a no interest loan," Mr.Garvey said.

"We encourage the customers to payback that portion because the money thatyou pay back goes into what is called arevolving fund and this is monitored bythe JPS for us in terms of the collectionportion and that money now goes into apool of funds, which comes back to theREP to do more houses," Mr. Garveyinformed. He said that the compliance rateamong rural households in repaying theloan is between 97 and 98%.

The REP was incorporated in 1975 asan executive agency of the Government, toundertake the expansion of electricityservices to rural areas where such serviceswould not be a financially viable invest-ment for a commercial entity. The agencyprovides the infrastructure, while thewiring of the house is the responsibility ofthe householder.

The REP, since inception, has enabled74,000 householders to receive electricity.Eight per cent of Jamaicans are currentlywithout electricity, amounting to between17,000 to 18,000 persons.

2 MANCHESTER & SOUTHCOAST NEWS September 15 - 30, 2009

Keith Smith, First V.P of the Manchester Chamberof Commerce, displays the Ride With Pride policydocument while speaking at the signing ceremony.

Public Relations Officer for operators of public transport in the Southern Region, Shirley Johnson (left),General Manager for Operations at the Transport Authority, Cecil Morgan (second left) and Acting head ofthe Manchester Police Division, Superintendent Howard Francis (right), signs the Memorandum ofUnderstanding (MoU) between the Manchester Chamber of Commerce and key stakeholders in the PublicTransport Sector to improve discipline in the parish. Witnessing the signing are President of the MandevilleMinisters Fraternal, the Reverend Dr. Roy Notice; Vice President of the Chamber, Keith Smith and Presidentof the Chamber, Winston Lawson.

MANDEVILLE &SOUTH COAST

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Editor M. Clive Williams

Writers Howard HendriksJanice WilsonBeverley WrightPaul JonasM. Clive Williams

Photographers M. Clive WilliamsPhillip LemonteCarl LevyJessica Williams

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Rural electrification charges to soar

Ride With Pride MoU signed

Submissions welcome but we do not guarantee publi-cation. All requests for the return of submitted materi-al must be accompanied by return postage. Somematerial courtesy of the Jamaica Information Service.

Consultant to the Minister ofEducation, Robert Miller, hascalled on students of the

Northern Caribbean University(NCU) to reach out and provide serv-ice to the wider community.

Mr. Miller was addressing the firstmeeting of the NCU's United StudentsMovement (USM) for the new academ-ic year, held on Saturday September 5at the institution's main campus inMandeville.

According to Mr. Miller, the commu-nity is one of the NCU's main stake-holders and should feel the institution'spresence through its outreach pro-grammes.

"Encourage and motivate the stu-dents as to the value of volunteerismand make an impact on the communi-ty," he urged, while encouraging theUSM to speak out against corruptionand immorality in the society.

In the meantime, he called on thegroup to provide quality leadership tothe student body. "You must be able toengage your student body through yourvision and present a plan that willaccomplish that vision," he stated.

"We need to bring out a leadershipstyle that will uplift for a better tomor-row, and work with the people," Mr.Miller added.

The USM represents students' inter-ests on campus. It assists in the promo-tion of the ideals and objectives of theuniversity and coordinates a number ofactivities and services, including sport-ing activities, which serve as an impor-tant link among the university adminis-tration, faculty and staff, and the stu-dents.

All students are voting members ofthe USM, and are eligible to takeadvantage of the opportunities themovement provides.

Following a US$10,000 upgrade, theHanbury Home for Children in Manchesternow proudly boasts a nicely outfitted

library and computer lab, which will go a long wayin improving the educational standard of wards ofthe institution.

The funds to provide the computers and other edu-cational items were donated by the Davis Projects forPeace, a United States-based foundation, following arecommendation made by Jamaican born academic atHoward University, Dr. Grace Virtue.

Dr. Virtue encouraged two of her students to seekfunding from the foundation to do a project at theHome, as part of their studies.Florence Maher, one of the two who traveled toJamaica and spent several months in the island toimplement the project, expressed her delight at inter-acting with the children at the home, who she said hadan insatiable appetite for learning. She added that theeducational software installed on the computers willreinforce the children's in-school learning, and makeworking on a computer fun and friendly.

"To ensure the long-term sustainability of the proj-ect, we are bequeathing $90,000 (US$1,000), underthe supervision of the Rotary Club of Mandeville, toprovide for improvements, repairs or other needsrelated to the computers. With this money, the lab canstay up and running for at least two years," she said atthe handing over ceremony at the institution onFriday August 28.

Manager of the Home, Major Rudolf Richards,

agreed that the computers will help the children man-age school assignments with more efficiency, as theyhad previously being using the sole computer belong-ing to the office. He added that the Home has somebright youngsters who would benefit from the equip-ment in terms of their school achievements.

"My whole life has been spent helping these chil-dren have a better life. They come here with almosteverything against them, and the idea is to see thatthey can be given a chance, other than that they hadknown prior to coming here," he added.

Rotary Club of Mandeville President, Dr. OlajideAdekeye said that when the club was approached tomonitor the project, the decision was an easy one.

“We are glad that Jamaicans abroad are thinking ofthe less fortunate in Jamaica. The Mandeville RotaryClub is glad to be chosen to monitor the project,” hesaid.

Adam Kummer, the second Howard studentinvolved in the project, took time to thank local com-pany Simartsoft, which was instrumental in sourcingand installing the computer equipment.

Hanbury, a youth facility run by the SalvationArmy, currently accommodates 70 residents, but hasa capacity for 79.

Now in its third year, Davis Projects for Peace,allows undergraduates at the American colleges anduniversities to design grassroots projects that they canimplement during the summer break. The projectsjudged to be the most promising and feasible arefunded at US$10,000 each.

A resident of the Hanbury Home cuts the ribbon to officially open the upgraded library

Howard University student Florence Maher giving an overview of the Hanbury project. Sharingthe moment are (2nd l-r) Major Rudolph Richards, Manager of the Hanbury Home; Dr. OlajideAdekeye, President of the Mandeville Rotary Club and Adnan Kummer, the other Howard stu-dent involved in the project.

Adnan Kummer (2nd left) outlines some of the capabilities of the new computers installed in theHanbury Home library to Rotarians Albert Francis and Wendy Freckleton (partly hidden).

3MANDEVILLE & SOUTHCOAST NEWS September 15 - 30, 2009

Mandeville Rotary to monitor upgradedHanbury Home library

NCU Students Urged to GiveService to Communities

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4 MANCHESTER & SOUTHCOAST NEWS September 15 - 30, 2009

GG lauds business community for spearheading crime fight

Mr. Winston Lawson, President of the Manchester Chamber of Commerce welcoming Governor-General, HisExcellency, Sir Patrick Allen, to the Evening of Elegance, put on by the Chamber at which he was the special guest.

Audrey Sang, Lakishma Thomas, Lloyd Black and NinaChang-Strong of First Global Bank

Mrs. Lisa Gomes, President of Guardian AssetManagement presenting a contribution cheque to theGovernor General and MCOC President WinstonLawson.

Mrs. Lorna Cameron of Cameron Industriespresents her company’s contribution towardsthe CCTV system.

Mrs. Patricia Chen presents the GovernorGeneral with a token of appreciation Digicel’s Craig Fisher presents one of two

gate prizes donated by his company

(l-r) Anastacia Garye, Brenda Francia, Vanessa Williams, ConroyRose, Katrine Neil and Loven McCook of Pan CaribbeanFinancial Services.

Juliet Bodley and Kaysi-Ann Spence, President ofthe Optimist Club of Mandeville.

Kim Edwards, VP Corporate Finance andMarketing at Guardian AssetManagement.

Bobette Levy was truly elegant

The Governor General greets Lay Magistrates Assn. President, Mrs.Jean Anderson.

The packed Mandeville Hotel ballroom.

Sir Patrick addressing the function.

Excellent ‘white glove’ service was provided by the Mandeville Hotel.

MCOC Adnin. Assistant KeneshaMitchell

Governor-General, His Excellency theMost Hon. Sir Patrick Allen, hascommended the Manchester business

community for spearheading a crime fightinginitiative in the parish.

"The 'Closed to Crime' initiative is a bold stepin the right direction. It will enable you to takeback the streets of Manchester from those whoare denying you the right to walk freely. Withthis system you can conduct your businessfreely," he said.

The Governor-General was the keynotespeaker at a fund-raising dinner organised by theManchester Chamber of Commerce to raisemoney to garner funds to assist with the pay-ment for CCTV security cameras that have beeninstalled in the town of Mandeville. The func-tion was held at the Mandeville Hotel on August29.

"As a community, we have to work togetherwith all stakeholders, as the results that we arelooking for are safer streets. We also have tolook at interventions which bring us into contactwith each other, because the instruments cannottake over from the personal relationships thatexist between individuals," the Governor-General argued.

He pointed out that while plans are put inplace to prevent crime, measures must be takento point youngsters, who might be attracted towrong doings, to other areas that enrich lives.

"In addition to placing the CCTV, we alsoneed to find ways that can encourage our young-sters to participate in youth organisations, and toseek ways of getting them involved, so that bybeing involved in organisations, and activities in

these groups, our young people will not be leftidle," he said.

The Governor-General said he was delightedwith the many groups that are working to ensurethat the streets are safe for everyone, and help-ing to chart ways for the young people. "I urgeyou to continue to nurture and mentor them. Asyou guide them to a better way of life, build onthe spirit of community, brotherhood and part-nership," he implored.

According to DSP Gosford Cole of theMandeville Police, the CCTV cameras havefrom day one provided an effective new tool inthe fight against crime in the town, resulting inseveral arrests for a variety of crimes andinfringements. Over $250,000 in additionalfinancial support was pledged at the dinner,which will also go a long way in meeting theobligations to the suppliers of the cameras.

5MANCHESTER & SOUTHCOAST NEWS September15 - 30, 2009

Prime Minister, the Hon. BruceGolding, has lauded Mandeville busi-ness couple Calvin and Sylvia Lyn, for

investing in the Hargreaves MemorialHospital, which will continue to operate andprovide quality health care service to thepeople of Manchester.

"It is a tremendous opportunity to improvethe quality of life in Mandeville, and the parishof Manchester," the Prime Minister said at theopening of the refurbished and expanded facil-ity on Thursday August 27.

He noted that the Lyn family has given out-standing service to the parish and "the develop-ment that has taken place here is just anotherexample of the kind of service that they havegiven."

"The decision they took to acquire this facil-ity, and to invest as significantly as they haveinvested in it is a courageous one, because evenin the best of times, private hospitals in Jamaicaare not known to be profit centres, but theyhave not lost faith; they are demonstrating a

conviction and a vision," Mr. Golding said.Custos of Manchester, the Hon. Dr. Gilbert

Allen, said that the re-opening of the facility "isa significant milestone in the development ofhealthcare in this part of Jamaica".

"The Lyns purchased the HargreavesMemorial Hospital, paid off its debts and res-cued it from closure. I congratulate them for thevast capital outlay, and the confidence to pro-vide a first-class facility," Dr. Allen said.

Mr. Lyn, for his part, said he was encouragedby friends to purchase the hospital about twoyears ago.

"I heard that the building was going to bedemolished and the area would have become acommercial operation. Friends encouraged meto acquire the institution. We knew it was achance, but we took it on to preserve its legacy,and continue what it was constructed to be," hestated.

In giving the overview of the work done,Director of the hospital, Maxine Walker, point-ed to several improved facilities including anupgrade of the laboratory services to meet inter-national standards.

"New machines have been purchased, otherswere reconditioned, and software was updated.Our radiology department was transformedwith a new digital fluoroscopy system pur-chased along with an ultrasound unit, showing

cutting edge tech-nology," Mrs.Walker said.

In his address tothe gathering wit-nessing the open-ing, Minister of Health, Hon. Rudyard Spencer,has reiterated that the Government welcomesand encourages private investment in the healthsector, as it provides easier access to qualityhealth care for the public.

"The new complex provides the consumerwith choices, which is a fundamental precept ofa free market economy," the Minister remarked.

He said that the Government was committedto having a vibrant private health sector in

Jamaica, that will push the country forward inachieving the objectives of Vision 2030, as wellas the United Nations' MillenniumDevelopment Goals.

In congratulating the management of theHargreaves Memorial Hospital, Mr. Spencersaid the investment and addition to the facilitywill enhance customer and patient care to thepeople in Mandeville and its environs.

"The Prime Minister has said repeatedly, that

this Administration is eager to explorepublic/private partnership opportunities. Anyexpansion to the private health sector offerings,presents an opportunity to strengthen partner-ships in the sector, and could create the policyframework that will set the parameters for otherpartnerships," he said.

Prime Minister, TheHonourable BruceGolding addressingthe ceremony mark-ing the re-opening ofthe newly refurbishedHargreaves MemorialHospital inMandeville. Themulti-million dollarproject followed thetake-over of the loss-making medical facility by popularManchester business-man Calvin Lyn andhis wife Sylvia.

Several dignitaries brought greetings to the function including (from left) HerWorship, Brenda Ramsay, Mayor of Mandeville; Hon. Rudyard Spencer, Minister ofHealth; Mr. Peter Bunting, Member of Parliament for Central Manchester and Hon.Audley Shaw, Minister of Finance.

Prime Minister Hon. Bruce Golding unveiling one ofthe plaques commemorating the official opening ofthe hospital.

Finance Minister, Hon Audley Shaw greets DoreenLawson following the function.

Ann-Marie Stone, a member of staff at Hargreaves,in her head-turning outfit

Sylvia and Calvin Lyn unveil a plaque heralding theofficial re-opening of the hospital.

Mrs. Sylvia Lyn presents Garth Thomas with a tokenof appreciation for work done to refurbish theHargreaves Memorial Hospital.

Calvin and Sylvia Lyn, investors in the Hargreaves Memorial Hospital, seems to be tickled pink by some of the comments of guestspeaker, Prime Minister the Honourable Bruce Golding, at the opening ceremony for the newly-refurbished private medical facility.

Mrs, Juliet Lyn-Chuck (left), Director of HargreavesMemorial, joins Mrs. Sylvia Lyn in cutting the rib-bon signalling the official opening of the hospital.

Lyns praised for Hargreaves investment

The National Housing Trust (NHT) hasunveiled five new policy initiatives,some of which take effect immediate-

ly, that are designed to make it easier forfirst-time homebuyers to own a home.

At a press briefing held at the NHT's headoffice in New Kingston, Chairman of the Trust,Howard Mitchell, stated that the initiativeshave become necessary to assist contributors toqualify for loans. He noted that the situation has

worsened in the current economic climate."In today's Jamaica, where incomes are lag-

ging far behind increases in house prices, it isvery difficult for some persons to overcome theaffordability hurdle to homeownership," henoted.

Effective immediately, persons able to makemonthly loan payments but unable to come upwith a deposit for a house can benefit under aShort-Term Lease policy. This measure will

allow qualified applicants to lease a house in anNHT scheme with the option of buying the unitwithin the three-year lease period. During theperiod, they are expected to pay at least 15 percent of the price of the property in monthlylease payments.

At the end of the lease period, persons canaccess the balance of the cost of the property ata regular NHT mortgage. Mr. Mitchell statedthat the NHT has committed to allocating up to10 per cent of the units in all NHT schemes forthis lease programme.

Another of the measures announced is theShared Equity facility, which will allow quali-fied applicants to share ownership of their unitswith the NHT. The facility is designed for con-tributors, who cannot afford the full or sub-sidised price of an NHT scheme unit.

Under the Shared Equity facility, the appli-cant's interest in the property must not be lessthan 60 per cent and the beneficiary can sellhis/her interest in theproperty at any time. Thebeneficiary can also pur-chase the NHT's interestin the property at anytime.

The date for implemen-tation of this facility is tobe announced, as Mr.Mitchell noted that somelegal issues are yet to beworked out.

The NHT has also mod-ified its Combined Loanfacility to make it easierfor two qualified contribu-tors to combine their indi-vidual loans to build orbuy a house.

"If you are joining witha spouse to take up anNHT loan and you couldafford $5 million whileyour spouse could onlyafford $2 million, thenunder the old policy, youcould only both havereceived a loan of $5.5million. As of today whatwill happen is that youand your spouse canaccess $7 million as thecombined loan, based onyour ability to afford $5million and your spouse's

to afford $2 million," Mr. Mitchell explained.Come April 1, 2010, contributors will be able

to use up to 50 per cent of their contributions tohelp bridge any funding gap they may havebetween the loan amount they can afford astheir NHT benefit and the price of the unit or lotthey are buying. However, only contributionsmade prior to the year of the application for thebenefit and which have not yet been refundedcan be accessed under this facility.

As of immediately, NHT mortgagers can alsobenefit from an Extended Loan Term, whichwill see the tenure for loans under the benefittypes - Build-on-own Land, Open Market, andNHT Financed Scheme Unit, moving from 30years to 40 years. In addition, the loan repay-ment period for NHT Financed Service Lot,House Lot, Home Enhancement Loan Plan andHome Ownership by Exception will move from15 years to 20 years.

6 MANDEVILLE & SOUTHCOAST NEWS September 15 - 30, 2009

NHT announces measures for new home buyers

Legal authority for Custodes soonPrime Minister, Hon.

Bruce Golding, hassaid that legislation is

being drafted to give legalauthority to the functions ofCustodes.

He made the announce-ment at the installation cere-mony for the new Custos ofSt. James, Hon. Ewen GeorgeCorrodus, held on September16 at the West JamaicaConference of Seventh-Day

Adventists Auditorium inMount Salem, St. James.

According to the PrimeMinister, the move is part of alarger effort by government totransform and strengthen theroles and functions ofCustodes and Justices of thePeace (JPs).

He informed that already,JPs have been exposed to spe-cialised training in law andlegal issues, which will be

intensified. The plan, he said,is to prepare JPs for "a mis-sion and a charge to take theleadership role in helping torecreate the kind of structuresand values that are necessaryat the community level for thedevelopment of the country".

He also called on JPs tobecome ambassadors forchange and growth in theirrespective communities.

Chairman of the Board of the National Housing Trust (NHT), Mr. Howard Mitchell (2nd left), addresses persons attendingthe Trust's recent press conference at the NHT's head office in New Kingston. Others (from left) are: NHT's ManagingDirector, Mr. Earl Samuels; Senior General Manager, Mr. Donald Moore and Chief Information Officer, Mr. BenedictRanger.

Project Manager of the ConstituencyDevelopment Fund (CDF), CavellFrancis-Rhiney, has urged rural com-

munities to form community groups todevelop project documents to benefit fromthe Fund.

Mrs. Francis-Rhiney was addressing a com-munity consultation meetingin South-WestClarendon, convened to identify some of thedevelopmental issues facing the constituency,and to determine how best they can beaddressed through the CDF.

She said that for projects to be approved forCDF funding, they must meet a set of criteria,including the ability to be self-sustaining.

"We cannot just approve projects and thereis no sustainability, there's no justification,there is no indication that the project will ben-efit a majority of the community," she said.

Mrs. Francis-Rhiney added that the assis-tance of teachers and university students living

in the community should be enlisted, in aneffort to ensure the proposals and project doc-uments are properly formulated, or they wouldnot be approved.

According to Member of Parliament forSouth West Clarendon, Noel Arscott, the CDFwas a source of funds through which particularissues could be addressed, and was "useful inmany ways."

"On a community basis, we have been ableto do quite a bit in terms of education, back toschool programmes, minor roads in terms ofmarl or grading them, clean some drains, anddirect our sports programme, (including) domi-no, football and cricket," Mr. Arscott said.

"The CDF has been useful, in the sense thatwe have been able to address a lot of minorproblems. We are able to help in small ways toalleviate some of the pressures and problemsthat people face in the various communities,"he stated.

Residents should start communitygroups to access CDF FundThe Jamaica Public Service Co. Ltd.

(JPS) has stepped in to give sup-port to one of the country's signifi-

cant employment generating areas - thesmall business sector.

The electric utility has committed$800,000 toward the Incubator Office Projectof the Small Business Association of Jamaica(SBAJ), which is designed to address the via-bility of small operators.

Under this project, small businesses areprovided with affordable operating space, ascontainers are converted into minimallypriced offices - thus allowing small operatorsto grow without crippling overheads.

The project commenced in late 2008, atthe Trafalgar Road headquarters of the SBAJ,where containers have been converted into12 office spaces. Immediate Past Presidentof the SBAJ, Edward Chin-Mook, disclosedthat while the Incubator Offices were gearedtoward accommodating Back-Office SupportServices, such as consultancy, marketers, taxprofessionals and other support services - tra-ditional business offerings are also being

included. The objective, Chin-Mook explained, is

for Back Office Businesses to benefit fromnetworking opportunities, and support serv-ices available through the SBAJ office. Thisis significant given the prevailing statisticswhich show that 80% of small businesses failwithin the first five years, for, among otherreasons, the absence of support services.

Successful applicants for the office space,are allowed to rent the facilities at a minimalcost for a period of up to 3 years in order togive the business time to become established.

According to Manager, EconomicDevelopment at JPS, Heather Rowe, thesponsorship of $800,000 to the SBAJ, is partof a wider programme of support for theJamaican economy.

JPS, she pointed out, has also been heav-ily involved with a number of businessorganizations, including the JamaicaManufacturers' Association, the JamaicaExporters' Association and the Jamaica Hoteland Tourist Association.

SBAJ Incubator Office Project gets $800,000 JPS sponsorship

7MANDEVILLE & SOUTHCOAST NEWS September 15 - 30, 2009

Pig farmers have stepped up to the plate - JPFA President

More focus onagricultureneeded- PDC Chairman

Sydney Pagon High lifts Pesticides Control Quiz Trophy

President of the Jamaica Pig FarmersAssociation (JPFA), Mrs. AngellaBardowell, has said that despite the

challenges faced by members of the associa-tion during the 2008/09 fiscal year, pig farm-ers "stepped up to the plate and produced."

Mrs. Bardowell was speaking at the AnnualGeneral Meeting of the JPFA on September 17,at the Golf View Hotel, in Mandeville,Manchester. She said that some of the majorchallenges faced by pig farmers were the glob-al economic recession, the outbreak of theH1N1 virus, praedial larceny and increasedoperational costs.

The President said that to face these chal-lenges and move the association forward, afive-year strategic plan has been developed,focussing on administration, research anddevelopment, production, marketing and pro-motion, and finance and funding.

Mrs. Bardowell said the association also col-laborated with the Jamaica Information Service(JIS) and mounted an advertising campaignabout the JPFA, which prompted enquiriesfrom persons who wanted to get involved in pigfarming and to join the group.

"We also wanted to increase our presence at

the Denbigh Agricultural and Industrial Show,and for the first time, the JPFA had its ownbooth at Denbigh this year," she said.

The JPFA also recorded other achievementsduring the 2008/09 year, having been recog-nised in the Inter-American Institute for Co-operation on Agriculture (IICA) Youth in Agri-business Awards, with Ms. Kadeon Davis, ayoung pig farmer, placing second in the largescale category, for her management of a suc-cessful livestock enterprise.

Mrs. Bardowell said that the association iscurrently conducting a survey, "because weneed to determine the number of pigs and pigfarmers, as we are aware that a number of pigfarmers are not a part of the association, and weneed to capture that data." There are an estimat-ed 4,000 pig farmers in Jamaica.

The President said that improvement in hus-bandry practices and genetic stock, have result-ed in better carcass quality and weight, leadingto meat processors being able to meet theirdemand for the Christmas season, and for thefirst time, all hams for Christmas 2008 wereproduced locally.

In his address, Chief Technical Officer in theMinistry of Agriculture and Fisheries, Dr. Mark

Panton, argued that increasing the productionof pork could play a major role in the agricul-tural sector, as there is a high demand for themeat locally. He also noted that there was alsoa strong demand for Jamaican pork in theCARICOM market.

National Animal ID Programme ComingDr. Panton, informed the gathering that there

are plans in place to roll out a National AnimalIdentification Programme. starting with cattleand pigs. However, he stated that the pro-

gramme has limitations that would have to befirst addressed, if the country plans to meetinternational standards as dictated by the WorldTrade Organisation.

In rationalising the need for such a pro-gramme, Dr. Panton said that a cut of meat

should be traceable."The reality is that a piece of meat that is

served in a hotel, in a supermarket, or is export-ed overseas, must be able to be traced back tothe farm where the animal came from," he said.

He added that the programme is a require-ment in order to have access to internationalmarkets, and that all players in the agriculturevalue chain have to buy into the programme inorder for Jamaica's meat industry to meet mini-mum certification standards, such as those setby the Humane Slaughter Association (HSA).

"Therefore, the farmer, the abattoir, the dis-tributor, and processor, everybody will have tobe registered. You will have to, at least, meetsome minimum certification standards, such asHSA. A system has to be put in place that allrecords, from each player in the value chain,can be uploaded to our main data base, so thatagain we can be allowed to provide traceabilityfrom farm to form and from form to farm," hesaid.

Dr. Panton said that the national animal iden-tification programme looks very promising, asit not only offers excellent traceability, but alsothe potential to be a deterrent to praedial larce-ny.

Chairman of the Manchester ParishDevelopment Committee (PDC),Clarence Myers, has reiterated the

need for the agricultural sector to be giventhe focus needed to be sustainable.

Mr. Myers was speaking at the end of aworkshop at the Ridgemount United Church,Mandeville, on life after bauxite, held onTuesday September 15.

According to Mr. Myers, "Agriculture is theway to go, bauxite won't be here forever.Agriculture is more sustainable, and ouractions must be to do more than we have beendoing, and get the younger generationinvolved in agriculture, and let them see theearning potential in the sector."

In endorsing this call, Manchester ParishManager of the Social DevelopmentCommission (SDC) Rose Griffiths said thatthe downturn in the bauxite industry has,“Helped us to look at the issue in a real way,and will help to force the creative energies andminds to come together to see, ultimately,what we, as a parish, can make of the ideaspresented."

Chairperson for the Newport ConsultativeCommittee, Elrett Gooden, said that the ses-sion also provided needed information ontitling for bauxite lands.

"The information presented can help com-munities to move forward, we need to findways to empower our communities, and meet-ings like these are what we must use to provideinformation," she said.

The suspension of mining operations atWindalco and Alpart has affected the economyof Manchester, and several organizations inthe parish have been staging forums to look atalternative industries and sectors throughwhich persons in the region can find employ-ment.

The event was organized by the PDC, incollaboration with the SDC and the JamaicaInformation Service (JIS).

In an exciting nail biting finish, SydneyPagon Agricultural High School defeateddefending champion, Knockalva

Agricultural High, and newcomer, EbonyPark HEART Academy, to win the secondPesticides Awareness Week AgriculturalSchools Quiz Competition.

The contest, sponsored by the PesticidesControl Authority (PCA), was held on ThursdaySeptember 24 at Sydney Pagon AgricultureHigh, Elim, St. Elizabeth. The host schoolscored 46 points to Clarendon's Ebony ParkHEART Academy's 44 points and the Hanover-based Knockalva Agricultural High's 43 points.

The competition was divided into three sec-tions, consisting of questions on general agri-culture and pesticides and their use, and formedpart of the PCA's observation of PesticidesAwareness Week, September 21-25, under thetheme "Improving Pesticides Managementthrough Public Education and Participation".

Pesticides Awareness Week is observedthroughout the Caribbean every year, towardsthe end of September.

Registrar of the PCA, Michael Ramsay, saidthat the objective of observing PesticidesAwareness Week is to recognise that pesticidesare a part of every day life, but that they have tobe used safely.

"Pesticides have to be used safely becausethey are toxic substances, and they can damagehuman life and they can damage the environ-ment. Not only do people have to know, butthey have to put it into practice," he said.

The quiz competition is "the big attraction"during Pesticides Awareness Week, and the aim

is to help students understand what pesticidessafety is all about, he said.

Lebert Taylor, one of the coaches for theSydney Pagon team, said that he was elatedwith the win and thanked the PCA for makingthe competition possible. The school's othercoach was Andre Gordon.

Captain of the winning team, Patrick Myrie,said they were overwhelmed with the win andthat, having placed second in last year's compe-tition, they put out a special effort to make num-

ber one this year.He said that the preparations were challeng-

ing, as they received the materials late, requir-ing extra effort to come out on top. He addedthat, although he will be absent from the teamnext year, he will assist in their preparations.

Each member of the second and third placedteams received medals for their efforts, whilemembers of the winning team and their coachesreceived trophies.

Mr. Scarlett seem to take the com-ments in good humour, promisingto help the woman through herhardship. Who knows, he mayeven make her a convert.

On more serious matters, theconstituency conference had along schedule of matters on theagenda including the tabling ofreports and the election of con-stituency officers.

Guest speakers included

Senator Mark Golding, who wasmaking his second visit to theparish in three days, havingaddresses the ManchesterChamber of Commerce on the pre-vious Thursday. As then, his pres-entation addressed the economicrealities of the worldwide financialcrisis and the Government'simpending turn to the InternationalMonetary Fund (IMF) for budget-ary support.

Member of Parliament and for-mer National Security Minister,Peter Phillips (father of Mikael),took the government to task for its

silence on the extradition requestby US authorities for Tivolistrongman Christopher 'Dudus'Coke. This matter, he stated, wasnot one on which the governmentcan remain silent as it affects notonly the course but also the rule oflaw. This situation, he said, affect-ed international agreements thathave been entered into by all previ-ous governments of Jamaica andfailing to continue this policywould bring the impartiality of thecurrent government into question.

Other high ranking members ofthe party present included PNP MP

for South East St. Ann and newly-elected chairman of the Party'sRegion One hierarchy, Lisa Hannaas well as Eastern WestmorelandMP Luther Buchanan.

Caretaker Candidate MikaelPhillips in addressing the gather-ing, confirmed his commitment toworking hard to improve the livesof the people of the constituency,particularly when he take his seatin Gordon House.

The meeting was chaired byPNP Councillor and MandevilleDeputy Mayor, Irwin Facey.

“Tim steps in” Continued from page 1

An elated Patrick Myrie (3rd left), Captain of Sydney Pagon Agricultural High School, hoists the Pesticides Control Authority'sAgricultural Schools Quiz Competition Trophy, after his school placed first in the competition. Other team mates (from left) are:Mickel Allen, Chevanese Spencer and Trudy Ann Franklyn.

8 MMANCHESTER & SOUTHCOAST NEWS September 15 - 30, 2009

At nearly 200 ft long, Bubbling Spring could easily qualify forthat title… if it was a swimming pool.

What it actually is, is anatural spring that rises fromthe ground and has beenchanneled into a paved areawith a natural bottom,before it continues its jour-ney into the marshes of theBlack River watershed.

Located just outside ofMiddle Quarters in St.Elizabeth, three miles heading west from Holland Bamboo, BubblingSpring was a community landmark for over 100 years prior to its operationbeing formalized into an attraction in 2000. The spring is said to run under-ground from the distant Cockpit Country (a good reason to prevent baux-

ite mining in that area if there ever wasone), bringing with it a cocktail of min-erals that are reputed to have healingproperties. The water has a steady rateof flow that constantly refreshes theswimming area.

Back in the day, the spring wascalled 'Healing Stream' because of themiraculous cures that people bathing in

it were said to have received for ailments like arthritis, back pain andswollen feet. Whether or not these were cases of mind over matter, wecan't say, however scientific testing has proven that a number of mineralsdo exist in the water, so who knows?

The reputation of BubblingSpring has gone far and wide,attracting persons from as far asEurope. Locals however make up thebulk of persons utilising the spring,especially the many retirees andreturning residents who reside on theSouth Coast. On weekends, youngpeople flock to the facility for a dayof fun and excitement.

There are changing rooms, a bar and restaurant on site, and the spaciousgrounds can accommodate concerts and other events of that nature.

Plans are being implementedto boost the annual produc-tion of cocoa, and to ensure

its viability and sustainability with-in the agricultural sector.

Cocoa Industry Board (CIB) con-sultant, Neville Condappa, made theannouncement while addressing aseminar to encourage investments inthe sector, at Jamaica Trade andInvest's (JTI) offices in Kingston onThursday,September 17.

Mr. Condappa noted that cocoa isone of few export crops that has aready and open market, and which"sells itself". He was also optimisticthat cocoa production will increaseby about 15 per cent during this cropyear, compared to last year's produc-tion, adding that while it would notbe a "big" increase, it would be sig-nificant.

"We are moving from approxi-mately 400 to 440 tonnes, the end ofthis crop year, and we are hoping thatwithin the next three (to) four years,we should move to beyond 2,400

tonnes of cocoa per year," he project-ed.

"This is a crop that has tremendouspossibilities, at the primary level, forboosting the foreign exchange earn-ings of Jamaica, income earningcapacity at the local level and have

multiplying effects throughout ourcommunities," he explained.

He said that, if concerted effortsare made to take care of the cocoatree, to bring it to bear what is need-ed, it can be a viable, self sustainingcrop. The consultant also pointed outthat 95 per cent of cocoa in Jamaica

is grown by small farmers, and thatthe taste of local cocoa is as good asit has ever been, and attributed this toits well established infrastructure.

"We have the infrastructure to dealwith over 3,000 tonnes of cocoa inJamaica; we have the fermentariesand we have a group system and awell established network to deal withthe collection and the payments forthe cocoa beans," he said.

"Cocoa has maintained its prizedrelationship on the market. Despitethe recession, we have maintainedrelative price stability on the marketand the price to the farmers has notbeen impacted negatively," he point-ed out. Strategies which, he suggest-ed, farmers could implement includeexploring other crops to plant atintervals when replanting cocoa.

"We need to look at farming sys-tems. That is how we are going toteach our farmers to reorganise theirfarms to take them to a next level. So,instead of just planting coconuts, weare looking at planting ackee, plantedat intervals in your cocoa fields, as

well as other tree crops to supple-ment the income of the cocoa farm-ers," he said.

Mr. Condappa noted that whilecocoa is a subsistence crop, the aim isto move it to a sustainable crop,adding that models which are used inother countries, including Trinidadand Tobago, are being explored toboost the sector.

Discussions are also being heldwith PC banks to explore credit termsfor farmers. He implored the farmersto keep the flavour, profile and qual-ity of the products high in the market.Mr. Condappa asserted that there is anew will within the sector to moveforward, as the Government isfocussing more on agriculture.

The seminar, held in collaborationwith the JTI, the Ministry of

Agriculture and Fisheries and theCIB, sought to promote potential andbusiness opportunities in the cocoasector.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries hassecured international assistance in the resusci-tation of the island's cocoa industry.

On Thursday September 17, Portfolio Minister, Hon.Dr. Christopher Tufton; United States Agency forInternational Development (USAID) Mission Director forJamaica, Dr. Karen Hilliard and President of the WorldCocoa Foundation, Mr. Bill Guyton signed a declaration

of intent, which will provide technical assistance, train-ing, business systems, among other support, to boost pro-

duction and ensure the sustainability of the sector.Under the agreement, USAID and the World Cocoa

Foundation will provide technological transfer, educa-tion/training, and develop market and business systems,which will help to empower small scale cocoa farmersand improve the industry.

The cocoa industry will also receive assistance in dis-ease and pest control, proper land use, as well as assis-tance in research and environmental practices.

Speaking at the signing ceremony held at the WorldCocoa Foundation's headquarters in Washington DC, Dr.Tufton said that Government had made a decision torestructure the sector and the assistance would help tomove it forward and improve its attractiveness to privateinvestors and new players, so that the sector can take itsrightful place in the overseas market.

"This will benefit the farmers and earn well-neededforeign exchange for the country. It is hoped that with thesigning of this agreement, we can create a more sustain-able industry locally," Dr. Tufton said.

Dr. Hilliard, in her remarks, stated that the project wasideal for Jamaica.

"We look forward to a relationship that will moveJamaica's cocoa production forward, which will lead toincreased income for the Jamaican farmer," she said.

Mr. Guyton, for his part, said that the foundation wasvery excited to be a part of the initiative and looked for-ward to the benefits that could be derived to improvecocoa production in Jamaica as well as assist the farmers.

Jamaica’s longestswimming pool?

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Cocoa production to increase

Tufton Secures Cocoa Deal

Agriculture and Fisheries Minister, Hon. Dr. Christopher Tufton(2nd right), presents a bottle of Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffeeto World Cocoa Foundation President, Bill Guyton (left), whilePermanent Secretary in the Ministry, Donovan Stanberry (2ndleft) and United States Agency for International Development(USAID) Mission Director for Jamaica, Dr. Karen Hilliard, sharethe moment.

9MANCHESTER & SOUTHCOAST NEWS September 15 -30, 2009

The Jamaica AutomobileAssociation (JAA) haslaunched a campaign to

slash mortality in road accidentsthrough increased seat belt use.

The target of the ‘Make it Click,Lives Depend on it’ seat belt aware-ness project is to reduce fatalities onJamaica’s roads below 300 this year,stated the head of the JAA, EmileSpence. Initiated with assistancefrom the London based FIAFoundation under its Make Roads

Safe programme, the JAA campaignis supported by an alliance of localpartners.

“Our primary aim is to focus onthis one element of road safety, andto highlight the impact that behaviourchange toward the use of seatbeltscan have,” Mr. Spence said. “We arelosing too much human capital toroad crashes.”

Road traffic incidents remain amajor public health problem inJamaica despite the introduction of

breathalyzer, seat belt and motorcy-cle helmet legislation since 1999.

A study conducted in Kingston in2004 showed that seat belts wereused by 81 percent of private motorvehicle drivers and 74 percent offront seat passengers, which was sig-nificantly improved from the 21 per-cent and 13 percent respectively in1996 before the introduction of legis-lation.

Statistics show a steady decline intraffic fatalities from 381 in 2006 to350 in 2007 and 341 in 2008.Nevertheless, more than half of thefatalities this year were not wearingseat belts, said Kenute Hare, Directorof Road Safety at the Ministry ofTransport and Works.

This represents some progressfrom a peak of 444 fatalities in 1991when the traffic density was muchlower than the 378,000 vehicles cer-tified to operate on the island roads in2007, but when the necessary safetylegislation did not exist.

In any incident, it is the collisionof the occupant with the inside of thevehicle which usually causes death orinjury. An unbelted occupant is thus a

substantially higher casualty risk inan accident.

Speaking at the ‘Make it Click’launch ceremony in Kingston recent-ly, Mr. Spence said the UN’s GlobalStatus Report on the implementationand monitoring of road safety legisla-tion in 178 countries showedJamaica’s highest score was 5 out apossible 10 for effectiveness ofimplementation.

“The JAA has partnered with theNational Road Safety Council onlocal initiatives such as the ‘Below300 Project’, Mr. Spence said atlaunch. The project aims to lowerroad deaths below 300 by encourag-

ing road users to obey speed limits,wear seatbelts, ride with helmets andavoid drinking and driving.

Road incidents are costing thecountry overall and lives are beingneedlessly lost, stated Minister ofTransport and Works, the Hon. MikeHenry. He championed the launch ofthe new seat belt awareness cam-paign to help stem the slew of fatali-ties and injuries.

“It is our individual responsibilitythat we Make it Click,” MinisterHenry said of the seat belt usagedrive. “I endorse it (the campaign)wholeheartedly.”

Paula Fletcher, Executive Director, National Road Safety Council, speakingat the launch of the JAA ‘Make It Click’campaign.

Hon. Mike Henry, Minister of Transpory & Works signals his committment tomake it click, witnessed by Saffrey Brown, General Manager of the JNFoundation.

PNP Senator Mark Golding has the full atten-tion of the media and members of theManchester Chamber of Commerce as hespoke at the business organisation’s Septembermonthly meeting. Senator Golding spoke atlength about the economic challenges facingthe country as the world goes through the cur-rent financial meltdown and the implications ofthe Jamaican government’s decision to returnto a borrowing relationship with theInternational Monetary Fund (IMF).

SUPPORT SOUTHCOAST NEWSTel: 961-0066 (Office) • 305-0435 (Claro)

381-3564 (Digicel) • 531-4785 (LIME)

Time to make it click

The Jamaica Foundation forLifelong Learning (JFLL)has extended its pro-

gramme beyond literacy training,and is now offering computercourses and training up to the highschool level.

"We have introduced computertraining; basic, intermediate andadvanced, and that is for everybody,"said Manager for Public Relationsand Marketing, Gerry McDaniel, not-ing that persons can also matriculateinto the HEART Trust/ NTA pro-grammes.

He explained that a High SchoolEquivalency Programme is alsooffered, which will enable persons toadvance to the tertiary level. Theequivalency programme, heexplained, "is a compressed pro-gramme geared towards adults,which will take them from the pointthey are, to pass a Grade Seventest...and then to be taught five sub-jects - Literature and Culture in theArts, Language and Communica-tions, Mathematics, Science and

Technology and Society andCitizenship, so that they can functionwell."

"So, it's like the CaribbeanSecondary Education Certificate(CSEC) but they are geared towardsadults, so we take them at that leveland we hand them over to what isnow equivalent to Grade 11, into ahigher level of education," he pointedout.

Mr. McDaniel also noted that par-ticipants in the JFLL programmes areencouraged to do things like plantkitchen gardens and start their ownbusinesses.

JFLL, formerly JamaicanMovement for the Advancement ofLiteracy (JAMAL) was founded in1973 as a government-assisted initia-tive, aimed at addressing illiteracy inJamaica. The name was changed in2007 and the programme revampedto meet the changing needs of thepopulation.

Larkland Williams, who benefit-ted from literacy training, has credit-ed the programme for his current job

as a tour guide with CaribicVacations.

"I went there because I couldn'tread and write properly, so I decidedto go there to improve on my readingskills. I went there and it was goodand it was successful, and I wouldn'tbe where I am today. When you can-not read and write properly, (it is asif) you are blind," Mr. Williams said.

He has encouraged other personsto go and get help to read and write ifthey cannot do so. "Don't be ashamedor afraid to go," he urged.

Mr. McDaniel agreed, noting thatit is never a shame to learn. "We havea learner in Portland, who is 72 yearsold and she is still learning. You havegreat value; just enhance that valueby getting a little top-up on the read-ing side. Be in touch with us, we haveoffices in different parish," Mr.McDaniel informed.

Persons, who are interested in theJFLL's programmes can call 928-5181-5, or visit any of the regionaloffices.

Members of the ParentTeachers' Association (PTA)of the Lewisville High School,

in St. Elizabeth, have welcomed the$400,000 expansion work done at theinstitution by the Ministry of Education.

President of the group, Pauline Foster,said that with more space at the school andadditional facilities to enhance extra-cur-ricular activities, students should performat their optimum.

"It is a welcomed expansion, and we arevery grateful to the Ministry of Education,and hope that our students will see whatthis investment is geared to achieve and dotheir best. With this well needed expan-sion, our students are now able to 'spreadtheir wings' and launch out into differentareas that they have not done before," shesaid.

"As parents, we have to instill in ourstudents that they will have to help to carethe facility, and to make sure that they

don't deface the walls. And, we will do ourbest in whatever way we can, to help todevelop on this investment," the Presidentadded.

Meanwhile, Principal at the institution,Ardith Forbes, informed that prior to theadditional nine class rooms, a number ofclasses had to be conducted outside thebuilding, which posed a challenge when itrained.

"When you take into consideration thatwe used to have four classes on the corri-dor, and that we experience a rain patternsimilar to that of Portland, you wouldrealise that the students learning processwas severely hampered. When we puteverything together, it is great to havethese enclosed buildings," Mrs. Forbessaid.

Additional amenities at the schoolinclude a netball court, football field,perimeter fencing, storm water drains anda sewage treatment and disposal system.

Fourteen high school studentsfrom Manchester andClarendon, who received 5-

year scholarships last year frombauxite/alumina producer,Jamalco, were handed the secondtranche of the funds on FridaySeptember 4.

The scholarships are valued at atotal of $420,000 and were awardedlast year to children selected fromcommunities falling under each ofthe seven operating Jamalco commu-nity councils, by their principals,teachers, and guidance counsellors,

based on need and academic per-formance.

These funds, which will assistthem with non-tuition costs, are dis-bursed through the schools. Eachrecipient receives $30, 000, annually,on condition that he/she maintainsgood grades and discipline at school.

The handing over ceremonieswere held at three Jamalco locations:Halse Hall Great House, Clarendon;Williamsfield Lands Office,Manchester; and the former MinesOffice, St. Jago, Manchester.

Public and Community Relations

administrator at Jamalco, PamelaWhite, said at the Clarendon ceremo-ny that these are students who areachieving despite the odds, and thecompany was giving them a chanceto do better.

"We are proud of this programme,because it gives the company anopportunity to give back to our com-munities in a meaningful way," shesaid, while imploring the students todo their best and involve themselvesin extra-curricular activities at theirrespective schools.

The Somerset community inManchester received thetop prize of $500,000, in the

recently held Digicel BestCommunity Competition.

The Social DevelopmentCommission (SDC) facilitated eventsaw 27 communities entering thecompetition, with last year's thirdplaced participant, Somerset, comingout on top.

Community Development Officerof the SDC, Shamarrah Gilbert, wasupbeat that the community memberswere wiling to work with her.

"Somerset is a rural communitywith mainly farmers, and they werewilling to come out and supportactivities that were planned, and thatis what I believe got them on top,"she said. "The Best CommunityCompetition is geared at assistingcommunities to unite, and to worktogether to achieve their goals incommunity development. I willencourage communities to participatein this venture, as we can't wait forthings to come to our communities.

We must work to put them in a posi-tion to get funding for developmentprojects, and this competition helpsin that regard," Miss Gilbert pointedout.

Meanwhile, President of theSomerset Community DevelopmentCouncil, Faith Williams-Powell,explained that their beatificationproject, and the plans they had devel-oped for a cave in the communitycontributed to their success in thecompetition.

"We zeroed in on the heritageaspect of our community, and the nat-ural resources that we have. Welooked at our primary school and didsome upgrading work there, and theplans to improve agricultural skills inthe area all helped," she said. TheCouncil is now looking at a yam proj-ect to create employment in the com-munity.

Grove Place took second place inthe competition, winning $250,000;while Pike placed third, receiving$100,000.

10 MANDEVILLE & SOUTHCOAST NEWS September 15 - 30, 2009

Community Development Officer with the Social Development Commission (SDC), ShamarrahGilbert (left), engages residents of Somerset, in Manchester, as they celebrate the community win-ning the Best Community Competition, in the parish, recently.

Lewisville High expansionwelcomed by community

Jamalco scholars get more

JFLL now offering much more than just literacy training

Somerset wins BestCommunity competition

The Duke of Edinburgh's Award Jamaica, recently hosted a two-week camp and expedition in theBlue Mountain area for over 130 persons from over 13 countries. Here, Vernon Derby - National Director for the Duke of Edinburgh's Award Jamaica, Errol Miller,Regional Vice President- Corporate Communications at LIME, and Christine Morrell-Lewars,Administrative Officer - Duke of Edinburgh's Award Jamaica, are caught admiring one of the t-shirts which was presented by LIME to the Duke of Edinburgh's Award Jamaica. These shirts weredistributed to the participants in the camp and expedition. The Duke of Edinburgh's Award, is aprogramme of activities that can be undertaken by anyone aged from 14 to 25, regardless of per-sonal ability, that involves undertaking service to individuals or the community.

Minister of State in theMinistry of Labour andSocial Security, Hon. Andrew

Gallimore, says the Government isadding another incentive to theProgramme of Advancement throughHealth and Education (PATH), to keepbeneficiaries on the right track.

Starting this October, every singlechild who has graduated from highschool, who lives in a PATH household,who apply and is accepted to an institu-tion of higher learning, will receive agrant from the Ministry of Labour andSocial Security through the PATH pro-gramme for $15,000, Mr. Gallimoreannounced.

He says that the Government is hopingthat the incentive will encourage moreyoung people to make that next step intheir educational development.

Mr. Gallimore was giving the keynote

address at the official opening of the Stepsto Work Summer Camp, being held at theAlbert Town High School, Trelawny,Monday, August 17. The Camp, a compo-nent of PATH's Steps to Work Programmewas funded by the World Bank and endedAugust 28.

More than 100 students who haverecently left grades nine and eleven inHigh, All Age and Junior High schools inSouthern Trelawny, and are from house-holds receiving PATH support. participat-ed, in the Summer Camp. It was aimed atproviding productive options for studentsduring the summer holidays, and also toassist in character building and the devel-opment of social, community and lifeskills.

Mr. Gallimore encouraged the partic-ipants to set clear goals for themselves,and make use of the opportunities thatcome their way. He stated that theGovernment is fully committed to assist-ing children in PATH participating house-holds, adding that there are over 350,0000PATH beneficiaries.

"We have seen a three percent differ-ential between children who are on thePATH programme, and children who arenot; meaning that children who are on thePATH programme are outperforming chil-dren who are not, where school atten-dance is concerned", he noted.

He said that a differential payment planbeing implemented will encourage youngpeople to stay in the school system, withan additional incentive for boys whodecide to continue on to grades ten andeleven.

An all day 'Educulture'Workshop that focuseson teaching young peo-

ple how to "Create a Vision" toachieve the United Nations (UN)Millennium Development Goalsand the Organisation ofAmerican States (OAS) HumanProsperity Goals, is beingorganised for 75 JamaicanNational Secondary SchoolStudent Council leaders,Jamaican Youth Ambassadors,Community YouthOrganisations and the NationalParent Teachers Association of

Jamaica.A one-day event, the workshop

known as Taking PersonalResponsibility 'Educulture'Workshop Forum, will take placeon Friday, October 16, 2009 at theInternational University of theCaribbean, 47 Old Hope Road,Kingston from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30p.m.

In highlighting some of theobjectives of the United Nationsand the OAS development focus,the workshop will discuss areaswhich countries such as Jamaicaare pursuing in order to overcomechalleneges of poverty, hungerand issues impacting nationalwell-being.

Delegates at the conferencewill target the creation of a visionto respond to challenges of eradi-cating extreme poverty andhunger, HIV/AIDS, malaria andother diseases; as well as ensuringenvironmental sustainability.Delegates will also focus on waysof developing a global partnershipfor development.

Jamaica will once again wel-come Caribbean Vizion 16-year-old Chief Executive Officer andyouth social activist, Ms.Choc'late Allen and her team,which include a number of young

Jamaicans who participated in therecently held Fifth Summit of theAmericas - Youth Forum inTrinidad. A mandate from thatforum, which also dealt withissues of development, was toidentify how the themes affect andimpact young people across theregion and to educate themaccordingly.

The workshop is supported byUNESCO, UNAIDS, Ministry ofEducation, Ministry of ForeignAffairs & Foreign Trade, NationalCouncil for Youth Developmentand Scotia Bank Ltd.

As a follow-up to Choc'lateAllen's 2008 'Children Must BeSeen and Heard' school and com-munity tour of all 14 Parishes inJamaica, the workshop will alsoencourage young people to acceptthe challenge of "Taking PersonalResponsibility" for their futureprosperity.

Caribbean Vizion is an organi-sation that lobbies for cultural andeconomic co-operation betweenCaribbean citizens and their gov-ernments. The organisation wasfounded in 2001 and has beenendorsed by the CARICOMSecretariat and Heads ofGovernment.

The Manchester Health Department and theDevon Community DevelopmentCommittee have signed a Memorandum of

Understanding (MoU) for the establishment of ahealth centre in the community.

The facility will be housed at the Devon commu-nity centre, which was spruced up from a $50,000grant the community received for placing third in theBest Community Competition about two years ago.

"We used the $50,000 to do the electricity (wiring)and buy our chairs," stated Secretary of the DevonCommunity Development Committee, MarleneSmith, at the signing ceremony held recently at thecommunity centre.

"We are using the facility for our club but then wewere saying that Devon lacks something...we lack ahealth centre," she noted.Subsequently, a proposal to operate a health facilityfrom the community centre was submitted to theManchester Health Department.

"We came to an agreement and they came andlooked at the facility and I am so happy to say wel-come, enjoy the clinic facility, use the clinic facilityand do not destroy the facility," Mrs. Smith urged.

Acting Parish Manager for Manchester Health

Services, Stanhope Scott, welcomed the move, not-ing that Devon once boasted a very active health cen-tre.

"When it was brought to my attention that thecommunity of Devon was willing to provide theaccommodation for health services here, I said 'yes itis great'," he said, noting that often people are of thebelief that the provision of health care is the soleresponsibility of the Government.

Among the services to be provided are antenatal,postnatal and child health care and "we are also look-ing at aspects of health promotion," Mr. Brooks said.

Under the agreement, the health team, inclusive ofdoctors, nurses and orderlies, will utilise the spaceprovided at the community centre three to four timesper month between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 5:00p.m., with the Devon Community DevelopmentCommittee to approve any additional days and hours.

The health team is required to organise quarterlyworkshops to discuss topical health issues and willassist the Community Development Committee inthe general maintenance of the centre.

The Community Development Committee isresponsible for the provision of electricity to the cen-tre.

The Government of Jamaicahas received a 100,000 Eurogrant from the Government

of Spain, to carry out a feasibilitystudy for the introduction of solarenergy systems in 34 public schoolsacross the island.

The project, which will allow forthe introduction of best practices inthe energy sector of Jamaica whilehelping to substantially reduce theenergy bill of the schools, was fund-ed through the Spanish Ministry ofIndustry and Trade.

Addressing the grant signing cer-emony held on June 24 at theEducation Ministry in Kingston,

Portfolio Minister, Hon. AndrewHolness, welcomed the projectwhich, he said, would provide aviable alternative to carbon-basedenergy, and reduce the cost of elec-tricity to schools, which amounts tosome $500 million each year.

The Education Minister pointedout that already, a number of schoolshave been using renewable energy intheir day-to-day operations, citing awind turbine project at MunroeCollege in St. Elizabeth and a "verysophisticated solar system" at IrwinHigh School in St. James.

He informed that as soon as thestudy is undertaken, the findings will

be implemented as the first step inmoving towards having all schoolshaving some form of alternativeenergy system.

Minister of Energy and Mining,Hon. James Robertson, commendedthe project as a major step towardsthe use of solar as an alternative ener-gy source. He noted that solar as anenergy source is best suited for insti-tutions, as schools use their energy inthe day.

Ambassador of Spain, HisExcellency Jesus Silva, in noting theimportance of the project, said that:"If we teach the young Jamaicans inschools that there are other ways of

producing energy, we are teachingthem one of the most important les-sons that we can teach to the nextgeneration."

Spain is currently one of the lead-ing countries of the world in the pro-duction of energy renewable sources,with energy needs being producedfrom wind, solar or hydro energy. In2008, Spain was the leadingEuropean country in the productionof solar energy.

The schools selected are located inthe six educational regions across theisland. Seven schools have beenselected from Region One encom-passing Kingston and St. Andrew and

the Western part of St. Thomas;Region Two will comprise fourschools in Eastern St. Thomas,Portland and Eastern St. Mary.

Region Three includes six schoolsin Western St. Mary, St. Ann andTrelawny; Region Four will see sixschools in St. James, Hanover,Westmoreland benefiting: fiveschools in St. Elizabeth andManchester will benefit in RegionFive; and Region Six, will involvesix schools in Clarendon and St.Catherine. The initial study will beundertaken by Kingston-based com-pany, CALA Telcom Services.

MANCHESTER & SOUTHCOAST NEWS September 15 - 30, 2009 11

Prototype Youth Centre for Manchester

Incentive for PATH studentsseeking higher education

Choc’late Allen

Euro 100,000 for schools solar energy study

To advertise in

SOUTH COASTNEWS

Please call961-0066 (Office) • 305-0435 (Claro)

381-3564 (Digicel) • 531-4785 (LIME)

Development Workshop for youth coming

12 MANCHESTER & SOUTHCOAST NEWS September 15 - 30, 2009

NCB takes clients to themovies

Mandeville Roaryinstalls new President

Ride WithPridelaunched

The Manchester Chamber of Commerce and other stake-holders kicked off the Ride With Pride public transporta-tion discipline programme with a church service at the

Mandeville New Testament Church of God on September 6. The programme aims to improve the attitude and service provid-

ed by public transportation operators and those who use the service.Special guest speaker, Hon. Mike Henry, Minister of Transport andWorks (pictured below), called on the various stakeholders in the pub-lic transport sector to play their role in ensuring that nothing less thanquality service is provided and vowed that his Ministry would dowhatever is necessary to improve the sector.

Nicole Walker, group marketing manager,National Commercial Bank, shows off herfabulous style at the movie premiere.

The Odeon Cineplex is under threat of closure,a victim of a flood of pirated movies being soldon the streets of Mandeville.

Julia Wright-Kennedy, Manager of theJamaica Police Co-op Credit UnionMandeville branch, makes her mark for cancer research.Jessica Williams and Nicole Thomas getting

in the right spirit prior to the start of themovie.

Mandeville businesswoman Doreen Lawson and attorney Sean Clarke(centre) raps with Winston Lawson, manager of National CommercialBank, Mandeville.

National CommercialBank recently treatedclients to the premiereof the movie MySister’s Keeper at theOdeon Cineplex inMandeville. SouthCoast News was onhand to catch the movieand of course bring youhighlights of the event.

New President of the Rotary Club of Mandeville, Manchester, Dr. OlajideAdekeye, has said that the group will continue to raise funds to providemore equipment for the Mandeville Regional Hospital.

"It is part of ourcommunity responsi-bility to equip thismajor medical facilityin central Jamaicawith state-of-the-artequipment, and weintend to provideequipment worth overUS$50,000 to theinstitution," he said.

The new Presidentwas installed at theclub's 2009 annualinstallation banquet,held at the MandevilleHotel, on July 1.

He pledged to con-tinue the work under-taken by his predeces-sors, particularly in the area of serving communities, by providing needed equip-ment for health facilities, and to support persons in need.

The President asked his fellow Rotarians to direct their efforts in the areas wherethe greatest needsexist in the communi-ty, such as literacy,water for basicschools, and generalservice to communi-ties.

Winston Lawson, manager of National Commercial Bank,Mandeville welcomes clients to the premiere of the movie MySister's Keeper at Odeon Cineplex in Mandeville.

Outgoing President of the Rotary Club of Mandeville McClooney Blairadjusts the chain of office on new President Dr. Olajide Adekeye

Rotarian McClooney Blair,Immediate Past Presidentof the Mandeville RotaryClub (left) being presentedwith the Paul HarrisFellowship in recognitionof his contributions to theFoundation 's charitableand educational program.

Representatives of the Ride WithPride programme and taxi operatorsjoin Minister Henry in showing off“How is my driving’ bumper stickersthat also display a toll-free numberwhich can be called to report orcompliment taxi operators. In photoare (from left) Garfield Roache ofSilver Streak taxi service, KeithSmith, VP of the ManchesterChamber of Commerce; ChamberPresident, Winston Lawson; MinisterHenry, Daniel Dacres, ManagingDirector of the Transport Authority;Taxi driver Rupert Knight andShirley Johnson, President of theCentral Manchester Taxi Assn.

Reverend Oliver Daley is the centre of attraction at the receptionprior to the start of the movie.

Attorney at Law Keith Smith ‘holds court’ at the OdeonCineplex

Top Loaf Bake Shop’s Pat Chen seemed reallyhappy to be there.

13MANCHESTER & SOUTHCOAST NEWS September 15 - 30, 2009

After its June start, theYoung EntrepreneursProgramme has produced

its first loan recipients. Threeyoung secondary school graduatesfrom rural St. Thomas with expe-rience in their fields of endeavourand good prospects of success,have been selected for fundingunder the programme.

Their funding is being providedthrough JN Small Business LoansLimited.

Movet Murphy, Raniel McGregorand Richard Durrant are the firstthree young school leavers to begranted loans under the YoungEntrepreneurs Programme (YEP)

that was announced by PrimeMinister Bruce Golding in hisBudget Presentation earlier this year.

“We are happy to provide loans tothese budding entrepreneurs,” saidMr. Frank Whylie, General Managerof JN Small Business Loans Limited(JNSBL), at the cheque handingover ceremony in St. Thomas recent-ly. The Morant Bay JNSBL officewill be providing technical supportto the new business operators.

The YEP is a government initia-tive to provide 2009 school leaversat the high school and tertiary levelswith training and access to financingfor viable small business projects. Atotal of $200 million has being madeavailable through the Development

Bank of Jamaica to microfinanceorganisations such as JNSBL, theCredit Union League, NationGrowth, Access Financial ServicesLtd. and Micro Credit Ltd. to on-lend to the graduates.

“We are hopeful that this demon-stration will be a catalyst to othergraduates to make use of the oppor-tunity,” Mr. Whylie said.“Graduates, particularly those whoattended the business managementtraining sessions, can come in withtheir applications as we are ready toreceive them.”

A series of training sessions wereheld across the island starting inJune, providing more than 1,000graduates with an orientation instarting and running their own busi-nesses. The graduates also wentthrough an EntrepreneurshipWorkshop to develop their BusinessPlans, which is the pre-requisite forthe granting of a loan.

“If there is a risk, I am willing totake it,” Movet Murphy said. “Whenyou have your own business, you getrespect.”

Movet, 17, got her loan to open ashop, while Raniel McGregor andRichard Durrant, both 19, are start-ing separate chicken farming ven-tures. The trio all live within com-muting distance of Morant Bay inrural St. Thomas.

Miss Murphy, who plans to man-age a retail enterprise, declared thatshe is going to “sell rice, flour,sugar, cornmeal, meat, milk, juicesand sweets.”

The prospective shopkeeper saysshe has some experience in retailingas her mother, Merline Johnson,already sells biscuits and other itemsfrom the family home and she isinvolved in this operation. She plansto operate Murphy's MiracleGroceries from her home inCheswick District where she saysthere is no shop in the immediatevicinity.

“I have a passion for farming,”said Raniel. McGregor's ChickenFarm is to be located in the MountLebanus Area on family land andwill target consumers within thecommunity. Richard has a similarmicro-targeting concept to Raniel's.He plans to rear chickens to serveresidents of his community ofMoffat District from Durrant'sChicken Farm located on familyland, and like Raniel, he comes froma farming family.

The two young farmers say freshchicken meat is tastier; and, there-fore, it sells for a distinct premiumover the frozen product. That pricedifferential allows a small and expe-rienced poultry producer a niche inwhich to thrive.

“There is always a steady demandfor chicken meat,” Richard said. “Ithink this will be a profitable ven-ture.”

“We are confident that theseyoung entrepreneurs can managetheir projects and loan obligations,”Dorrian Lynch, JNSBL RegionalSupervisor, said. “All three of themhave some experience in theirrespective ventures and should suc-ceed if they apply themselves.”

Raniel McGregor (second left), Movet Murphy and Richard Durrant display envelopes containingcheques presented by Dorrian Lynch (left), JN Small Business Loans Limited (JNSBL) Regional Officer,while Barrington Lennon, JNSBL Field Officer, looks on. The three recipients got funding through JNSmall Business Loans Limited at their Morant Bay office recently and are the first 2009 school gradu-ates to get loan funding under the Young Entrepreneurs Programme.

First YEP loans granted by JN

The Manchester HealthDepartment observedCaribbean Wellness Day at

Mandeville Park on FridaySeptember 11.

Persons were encouraged, by var-ious health professionals to manageand prevent chronic non-communica-ble diseases. The event also featuredlive demonstrations of gym exercisesas well as sack races, a squat compe-tition for males and females, dancecompetitions and other forms ofphysical exercise.

Medical Officer of Health forManchester, Dr. Beverly Wright,noted that chronic non-communica-ble diseases, which place a signifi-cant burden on the population, are

preventable."They last for a long time, and also

take a longer time to develop, asoppose to infectious diseases. Theinfectious diseases develop in a shortwhile and, if properly treated, in ashort while most persons are over theinfections. But, the chronic diseasestake a long time for the developmentof the conditions, and some peopledie before they can be treated," sheexplained.

Dr. Wright added that, with theGovernment establishing free healthcare at public health facilities, thereare no excuses for not having propermedication. Improved access to med-ication is available, but there is aneed for individuals to play an activerole in their health management, shesaid.

She added that information isavailable for persons to manage theirhealth, and that the HealthDepartment will be embarking onother public outreach projects to pro-mote healthy living.

"We are calling on the individualto prevent non-communicable dis-eases by practicing healthy lifestyles,by focusing on proper nutrition andincreased physical activity," sheemphasised.

Caribbean Wellness Day is a col-lective effort by CARICOM to pre-vent and control heart disease, stroke,diabetes, hypertension, obesity andcancer in the region, by addressingcasual risk factors includingunhealthy diets, physical inactivityand tobacco and alcohol abuse.

Cabinet has given approvalfor an amendment to theBetting, Gaming and

Lotteries Act regulations to allowfor the introduction of sports bet-ting and the payment of a 9% grossprofit tax on sports betting offeredby licensees.

This will allow bookmakers to paya total gross profit tax of 16.5%. Thedecision was announced by Minister

with responsibility for Information,Telecommunications and SpecialProjects, Daryl Vaz at the PostCabinet Press Conference at JamaicaHouse on September 9.

This approval paves the way forthe introduction of betting on over-seas sports matches, such as theNational Basketball Association(NBA) games in the USA andEuropean club football matches.

The Government will bespending some $628 millionover the next 24 months to

develop water systems in the parishof St. Elizabeth.

Minister of Water and Housing,Hon. Dr. Horace Chang, making theannouncement at the commissioningof the Santa Cruz water supply sys-tem in Content recently, said that themove is in keeping with nationaldevelopment objectives.

"Part of our social and econom-ic infrastructural development iswater supply. We have set out, as aGovernment, to ensure that potablewater supply is within the reach of allJamaicans, and is part of what wehave to do to provide for the sustain-able growth and improvement in thequality of life of every singleJamaican," he stated.

The Santa Cruz water system wasconstructed at a cost of more than

$90 million and the scope of workincluded putting in a new well atContent, and upgrading of transmis-sion and distribution lines.

The system will serve the towncentre, and communities such asLong Wood, Olive Park, BybrookPark, Glenco, Lovely Point, Beadle'sBoulevard, Waterloo, Burnt Ground,and Leeds.

It will supply two million gallonsof water per day to augment existingsupplies, with room for future expan-sion.

In addition to the Santa Cruz sys-tem, there is the newly establishedFlagaman system, which was devel-oped at a cost of $10 million, and willbe turned on soon.

Some $180 million will be spentto get water to the vast section ofSouth St. Elizabeth, Nain to Junction,which currently has serious problemsin the dry season, the minister added.

A section of the audience at the Caribbean Wellness Day

14 MANDEVILLE & SOUTHCOAST NEWS September 15 - 30, 2009

Caribbean Wellness Day observed again in Manchester

CIB seeks support for coffee development project

Cabinet approves sportsbetting amendment

Gov't increases access topotable water in St. Bess

Medical Officer of Health for Manchester, Dr.Beverly Wright, addressing the CaribbeanWellness Day function

The Coffee Industry Board (CIB) is seeking pri-vate sector funding for the development of a1,000-acre coffee farm as part of efforts to

boost production of the crop.Board Chairman, Howard Mitchell, said that the CIB

has already written proposals for financing for the ven-ture, which will be designed in 200-acre modules. "Thetotal development cost for this project is at least $7.7 mil-lion. This project is designed to bring the latest in technol-ogy and a high level of management discipline to effect anincrease in coffee production per acre in the Jamaica HighMountain region," he informed.

Mr. Mitchell was speaking at the official launch of thenational registration programme for non-Blue Mountain

coffee farmers, held recently at the Montego Bay CivicCentre.

The registration programme, he said, is important insecuring the future of the industry, which is a key employ-er and foreign exchange earner.

"Coffee is the second most important agricultural cropand the most efficient earner of net foreign exchangeearnings. Last year, the industry earned more than US$40million, and it provides employment for over 100,000people. Coffee can provide employment and a decentstandard of living for twice that many people and, for thatto happen, important changes have to be made," he stated.

In his address to the farmers, Director General of theCIB, Christopher Gentles, informed that the United StatesAgency for International Development (USAID) hasgranted some US$100,000 to provide inputs for farmerswho suffered losses as a result to Tropical Storm Gustavlast August. He urged farmers to register with the CIB inorder to benefit from the assistance.

"We have observed that there are some farmers whohave gone beyond the call of duty to ensure the growthand expansion of the farms. Based on recommendations,the CIB has selected a few of these farmers for the receiptof fertiliser and seedlings to further increase their produc-tivity," Mr. Gentles said, noting that the CIB is in theprocess of purchasing some 200 ferdin pumps for theeffective distribution of fertiliser on farms.

Some 40 farmers from Western Jamaica other parish-es including Manchester and St. Ann were successfullyregistered at the launch.Approximately 7,500 Blue Mountain farmers havealready been registered under the Blue Mountain segmentof the programme.

Chairman of the Coffee Industry Board (CIB), Howard Mitchell, address-es the launch of the CIB's registration programme for non-Blue Mountainfarmers held recently at the Montego Bay Civic Centre in St. James.

South Africa's WillowridgeHigh School plans to send 35students to Jamaica early

next year for a 10-day visit, duringwhich they hope to compete withtop Jamaican high school athletesengaged in the annual Boys andGirls Champs.

The tour was initiated by theschool's head coach, 2006Commonwealth silver medallist,Geraldine Pillay, and confirmed byJamaica's Minister of Youth, Sportsand Culture, the Hon. Olivia"Babsy" Grange, on her return froma visit to South Africa.

Pillay lived in Jamaica in 2007,when she trained with Stephen

Francis and the Maximising VelocityPower (MVP) Track and Field Clubat the University of Technology(UTech). This allowed her to trainwith Jamaican tracks stars SheroneSimpson, Brigitte Foster-Hylton andAsafa Powell, among others.

Miss Grange says that, throughthe agreement for the tour, her min-istry was opening up another win-dow of opportunity created by thesuperb performances of Jamaicanathletes at Beijing in 2008 and inBerlin last month.

"You can depend on our support,as we want you to have a life-chang-ing experience in Jamaica," theMinister reportedly told the

Willowridge High School students,during a visit to the school recently.

"You will be totally blown awaywhen you visit Jamaica and witnessthe atmosphere surroundingChamps," she told the gathering. Shealso took the opportunity to exposethe students to aspects of Jamaica'sculture and heritage.

Pillay said that she was excitedthat that her team will be able toshare her experience in Jamaica,which helped her to develop as aninternational athlete.

Miss Grange said that while theWillowridge students would not beable to compete at Boys and GirlsChamps at the National Stadiumnext year, she was sure that therewould be ample opportunity forthem to compete against topJamaican high school athletes duringthe period.

She expressed the hope that thiswould be the start of a new era, inwhich foreign high school athleteswould visit Jamaica, to experiencethe coaching environment in whichthe country's top athletes developtheir skills.

Miss Grange was in South Africafor the Fourth World Summit on Artsand Culture, which was staged by theInternational Federation of ArtsCouncils and Cultural Agencies(IFACCA) and the National ArtsCouncil of South Africa, inJohannesburg.

The NCB Sunshine Series isnow a reality. The two-mil-lion dollar NCB sponsored

series was launched on Tuesday,September 29 at the NCB WellnessCentre on Phoenix Avenue.

The series will feature top rankedAustralia, #2 team New Zealand andfourth place Jamaica who will playeach country twice (there will be nomatch-up between Australia andNew Zealand).

All matches will be played at theNational Sports Centre in Kingstonwith Jamaica playing Australia onOctober 17 & 18 and New Zealandon October 20 and 22. The October17 & 18 matches will begin at 5:00pm while the 20th and 22nd matcheswill begin at 7:00 pm. All the match-es will be preceded by a pre-gameshow featuring some of this year'sDigicel Rising Stars finalists. Thepregame shows will begin one hourprior to the matches.

The matches in the series whichwill be played under IFNA rules, willfeature Jamaica's senior team includ-ing captain Simone Forbes andRomelda Aiken. Australia and NewZealand are expected to field theirstrongest teams. Australia willarrive on Wednesday, October 14while New Zealand will touch downon Friday, October 16.

President of the Jamaica NetballAssociation, Marva Bernard wel-

comed the staging of the series atthis time while praising NCB fortheir sponsorship of two million dol-lars. Marva stated that “we at theJamaica Netball Association aretruly grateful to NCB for coming onboard to sponsor this series. Thestaging of a series like this can onlyhelp to improve the standard of ournetball while showcasing netball atits best to the country. We imploreall of you to come to the matches andsupport our team as we seek todefeat our competitors”.

In her remarks she indicated thatthe Jamaica Netball Association wasin the process of developing a pro-fessional league which could comeon stream in 2012.

Mrs. Bernard stated that the othersponsors of the NCB SunshineSeries are Digicel, Burger King,Supreme Ventures, Jamaica PublicService, Gatorade, SportsDevelopment Foundation, TelevisionJamaica, TVJ Sports Network, Hitz92 and Klas Sports Radio.

Simone Forbes, captain of theSunshine Girls who spoke at thelaunch expressed joy and anxiety forthe opportunity to play Australia andNew Zealand who they only get toplay during world championships.She also indicted that the entire teamis looking forward to a great and suc-cessful series against the world'snumber 1 and 2.

15MANCHESTER & SOUTHCOAST NEWS September 15 - 30, 2009

South African Minister of Culture,high school athletes to visit here

$2-M for NCB netball series

Minister of Youth Sports and Culture, Olivia Grange holds Jamaican and South African flags, sym-bolizing the partnership between the two nations, while visiting students at the Willow Ridge HighSchool, Pretoria recently.

Prime Minister Bruce Golding, (2nd left) took time out this afternoon at Jamaica House to sharesome memorable moments with athletes 2009 IAAF 400 metres silver medalist Sherika Williams(3rd left) and 100 metres hurdles World Champion Brigitte Foster-Hylton (3rd r). Determined toshare in the pleasure of welcoming home the athletes were Minister of Finance and the PublicService, Audley Shaw (l); Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports Olivia Grange (r) and Minister ofIndustry, Commerce and Investment, Karl Samuda (2nd r)

400 meter silver medalist, Sherika Williams (left) is all smiles as Minister of State with responsibil-ity for Local Government, Robert Montague shows his delight in meeting her. World Champion100meter hurdler, Brigitte Foster-Hylton shares the moment. The two athletes paid a courtesy call onPrime Minister Bruce Golding at Jamaica House today (September 28). The athletes returnedhome on Saturday after their successful performances at the IAAF World Championship Games inBerlin and other subsequent meets.

Athletes meet Ministers

Students of Manchester High School prepare for the upcoming school ath-letic season. Last year Manchester High girls placed a respectable 4th inthe annual ISSA/Grace Kennedy Boys & Girls Champs. The school’s boysteam however finished way down the list. Maybe we will see better resultsfrom them this year?

Training DaySee Something Happening?

Our readers want to know!

Call us at 381-3564

24 MANCHESTER & SOUTHCOAST NEWS September 15 - 30, 2009

Content’s Jevaughn Rose helping his side to a first innings total of 133

Owaine Holness celebrating hitting the winning run off the first ball ofthe final over.

Holness swarmed by celebrating Junstion fans following his team’s vic-tory over Content in the SDC 20/20 Community Cricket Competition

Manchester High vs. DeCarteret High Manchester High’s homegrown football fanaticManchester High finds the back of the net in their match with May Day High

The Social DevelopmentCommission's (SDC) 20/20Community Cricket

Competition continues to be a popu-lar event, as was confirmed by thelarge turn-out of fans for the finals,contested between Junction of St.Elizabeth and Content from St.Ann.

Held at the ALPART Sports Club inNain, St. Elizabeth on September 6,the 2009 tournament closer was anexciting affair which ended with thehome team beating Content by 5 wick-ets to take home the SDC trophy andthe accompanying $500,000 cashprize.

Having won the toss and putContent in to bat, Junction immedi-ately regretted that decision whenHoward Harris whacked the first ballof the innings away for four runs. Hethen followed up with two more foursin the first over, further increase levelof the St. Bess residents.

Local fans however breathed a sighof relief soon after however, whenHarris was stumped by Junction'sAlgrove Johnson with the last ball ofthe second over. At 12 for one, CanuteFerguson entered the fray immediatelygot to work with a magnificent six.

By the 10th over, the score hadmoved to 72 for one but Fergusonwent shortly after for 38, with thescore on 74 in over number 11. Morewickets fell at 85 and 103 before even-tually reaching 133 for nine followingthe completion of the allotted 20overs.

In their response, the Junction teamappeared in early trouble, losing twowickets for only 35 runs, but goodknocks by brothers Shane and TroyPowell (41 and 30), saw Junctioncruising to victory at 135 for five witha magnificent four from OrayneHolness in fading light.

In the play-off for third place earli-er in the day, defending championsSouth Stars of Manchester fell to bril-liant bowling from De la Vega of StCatherine, who recorded a nine-runvictory to take the $150,000 prize upfor grabs.

De la Vega, batting first, made 115for eight off their 20 overs, a meagredeficit that South Star should havebeen able to surpass with ease. Not so.The Manchester team struggled miser-ably, eventually being dismissed for106 runs with three balls remaining.

St. Bess hot girls chilling at the match.

Social Development Commission (SDC) Chairman, Lloyd Pommels, presents the championship trophy toJunction captain, Troy Powell following the team’s victory in the SDC 20/20 Community CricketCompetition.

Junction Tops SDC 20/20

Raining goals at Manchester High

Despite a setback against Group F leaders Bellefield , where they went down 1-2, Manchester High hasbeen recording excellent results in their matches in the first half of Round 1 of the 2009 DaCosta Cupschoolboy football competition. The team defeated Cross Keys 6-0, May Day 6-1 then put DeCarteret away5-0 in their latest game. If Manchester High continues in this vein, the team is certainly set to make it intoRound 2 of the competition. From there, only the sky is the limit.