COMMUNICATION ON NATIONAL HONOURS

Receives the nations highest civilian honour Rt Hon Philip Bethel OB

The following communication was delivered in the House of Assembly by Fred Mitchell, Chairman of the Advisory Committee on National Honours. He read into the record the names of all of those who were honoured by the Governor General on 10 July 2022:

COMMUNICATION BY THE HON FRED MITCHELL

CHAIR THE ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON NATIONAL HONOURS

ON THE NATIONAL HONOURS AWARDS 2022

House of Assembly

Nassau

20 July 2022

This morning it is my privilege and honour to read into the record of the House of Assembly the names of those persons who were awarded national honours by the Governor General on Independence Day 10 July 2022.  The awards will be conferred on the individuals or presented to their families in the case of those receiving them posthumously on National Heroes Day  which is 10 October 2022.

In reading them into the record, I wish on behalf the Government to add our thanks and appreciation to these dedicated and loyal citizens who made seminal contributions to the public good in the Commonwealth of The Bahamas during their lifetimes. I add my personal appreciation to those who have accepted these awards in the spirit in which they were given by your Government on behalf of your countrymen and women.

I know that I can say without fear of  contradiction that the Prime Minister has been gratified and deeply moved by  those who have reached out to him to thank him for his advice to the Governor General which led to the awards.

It is the intention that award ceremonies will be held where appropriate and practical in the islands in which the awardees live and work.

I wish to explain first the public policy behind the issue of National Honours generally.

I wish to explain the regime behind the legislation.

I wish to explain the rationale behind the advice given to the Prime Minister which advice he has accepted.

I wish to then read into the record the awardees.

THE PUBLIC POLICY

A nation is not hills and dales, reefs and waters. It is a human thing.  It is people.

People are motivated by both tangible and intangible things.

Nation Honours are one such intangible thing which binds us together.

On 1 January 1973,  Prime Minister Lynden Pindling as he then was spoke to the nation following his return to The Bahamas at the conclusion of the Independence Negotiations with the British.  In his national broadcast, he reported to the country the terms of the settlement with the British on the Independence of The Bahamas.

He said he following inter alia:

“ The Government of The Bahamas agreed that, until further notice Bahamian citizens will remain eligible for United Kingdom honours following independence. That means we will continue to take part in the British honours system until we have devised a system of Bahamian honours.”

The National Honours Act was passed in 2016 and brought into force in 2017.

There is a still a dual system but in time, the British awards must fall away as the National Honours gain currency. It is my hope that all Members of This Parliament will encourage and congratulate those who have received the awards

The Societies of Honours pursuant to the legislation are:

Order of National Hero

There are four such national heroes: Sir Lynden Pindling, Sir Milo Butler Sir Roland Symonette, Sir Ceil Wallace Whitfield, Sir Randal Fawkes.

No awards were given in that category this year.

There is the Order of the Nation to which all Governors General and Prime Minister are entitled in law.

No awards were given this year. All Governors General have accepted the awards. Only one Prime Minister has accepted the award.

There is the Order of The Bahamas.  This is the highest civilian honour in The Bahamas and entitles the recipient to carry the honourific Right Honourable.

There is the Order of Excellence which is reserved for non-nationals including foreign dignitaries who visit The Bahamas

There is the Order of Distinction

The Order of Merit

The Bravery Medal

The Distinguished Service Medal

The Badge Of Honour

The Governor General’s awards

The Lignum Vitae award for those under 25

Members may recall that earlier this year, we had to amend the legislation to add the Bravery Medal, the  Distinguished Service Medal, the Badges of Honour and the Governor General’s Awards.

I served on a previous committee and during the four years that I served there, the Attorney General’s office pointed out that we could not give those awards without amendments to the act.  Those amendments were made this year and so there was a long list of those who had been previously recommended over four years for community based service who had to be considered. The Committee was pleased that we were able to advise the Prime Minister on those awards for the first time.

THE REGIME OF THE LEGISLATION

The Governor General makes the awards as the Chancellor of the Societies of Honour.

The Governor General in making those awards is guided by the advice the Prime Minister, save those reserved to the Governor General in his own service at Government House.

The Prime Minister is guided though not bound by the advice of the Advisory Committee.

I am the Chair of the Committee and I serve with the following members:

1.  Minister Frederick Mitchell from Houses of Parliament nominated by the Prime Minister , Chairperson

2. Shanondon Cartwright MP from Houses of Parliament nominated by Leader of the Opposition

3. Commander Granville Adderley nominated by the RBDF

4. ACP Della Reece Ferguson nominated by the RBPF

5. Dr Keith Tinker nominated by the PM in consultation with the Leader of the Opposition – Historian

6. Ms. Constance McDonald nominated by the PM in consultation with the Leader of the Opposition – Northern  Bahamas

7. Ms. Anita Collie nominated by the PM in consultation with the leader of the Opposition – Southern Bahamas

8. Mr Frances Carey nominated by the PM in consultation with the leader of the Opposition – Central Bahamas

9. Mrs. Tameka Lundy nominated by the Council of the University of the Bahamas

10.   Justice Camille Gomez  nominated by the Chief Justice

I wish to thank them all for their service.

I wish to acknowledge the work of my predecessor in office Mark Humes  MP, who guided the process of the awards for four years.

The Advisory Committee begins to take nominations from the public beginning in February and the nominations close on 31^st March each year.

There are hundreds of nominations each year.

I encourage in this our fiftieth year the widest participation of the public in this process.

THE RATIONALE BEHIND THE ADVICE TO THE PRIME MINISTER

We determined that the community based awards should be populated as fully as possible, having regard to the fact of the number of nominations of persons previously overlooked.

We determined that the crew of the HMBS Flamingo ought to be honoured. Each member of the crew is therefore awarded with the bravery medal which was not possible before this year.  There will be a special ceremony to honour these men as part of the fiftieth year celebrations.

The four young men who died were awarded the lignum vitae award posthumously in addition to the Bravery Medal.

Commander Amos Rolle is awarded the Order of Distinction posthumously as the Captain of the HMBS Flamingo

I mention in particular retired Police Sgt Michelet Merounard who while doing close protection in Haiti guarded the life of the Ambassador  the late Eugene Newry and his wife, the latter of whom was injured in Haiti.  He has waited a long time for this and was simply over the moon in appreciation for the honour.  My congratulations. He is simply a decent human being who did his best as they all did.

We consulted the sporting community and tried to honour pioneers in sports, given that his was the beginning of our 50^th year of Independence.

Sir Durward Knowles, the first gold Olympian is honoured posthumously with the Order of The Bahamas as R H Bobby Symonette, former Speaker of the House and one of the founders of the Family Island Regatta.

We sought to honour in this 50^th  year  of our independence all those who were  party to the articles of independence which  established our country in 1973.  They received the highest award, the Order of The Bahamas. All but two have accepted the award.

The Governor General has awarded those specific to service at Government House.

We continued he practice of honouring Judges of the Courts for  their service with the Order of The Bahamas. The Chief Justice Sir Brian Moree was consulted on these awards.

I am truly honoured to have been the advocate and in some respects the architect of this legislation since my activism with Rev Canon Sebastian Campbell and Loretta Butler Turner starting in 1990 and then  moving the legislation for Majority Rule Day and National Honours as Chair of the Select Committee of the House, then serving on the Advisory Committee from 2017 to 2021 and now I am Chair of the Committee. This has been  a seminal experience for me and the opportunity of  a lifetime.

I need to thank Mrs. Lisa Adderley for her work as the Secretary to the Committee along with her staff at the Cabinet Office. I thank Idris Reid, the Consultant on the Honours legislation for his important contributions as well. I thank Jack Thompson, Secretary to the Governor General for his efficient work in ensuring the announcements were made on time.

But more important than what it means to me personally, I am deeply humbled, moved and gratified by the thousands of Bahamians, some moved to tears who have said thank you.

This is our country. The framers passed the baton on to us and this is what we designed. Sir Lynden said we would keep the British honours until we had our own.  The time has come for the British Honours to fall away.

The parliament passed the act unanimously. The Committee’s reports have all been unanimous and without dissent. This is not a joke. Statecraft is serious business. It behooves us all then without exception to applaud the honourees today and thank them for their service as I read their names into the record:

Order of The Bahamas

• Hon. Philip Bethel, Companion 
• Dr. D. Gail Saunders. Companion
• Rev. Dr. Michael Symonette, Officer
• Rupert Roberts Jr., Officer
• George Myers, Member
• Judge Joseph Strachan, Member                 
• Hon. Henry Bowen, Companion (Posthumously)
• Hon. Cadwell Armbrister, Companion (Posthumously)
• Sir Clement Maynard, Companion (Posthumously)
• Hon. Carlton Francis, Companion (Posthumously)
• Anthony Roberts, Companion (Posthumously)
• Sir Kendal Isaacs, Companion (Posthumously)
• Hon. Norman Solomon, Companion (Posthumously)
• Hon. J. Oswald Ingraham, Companion (Posthumously)
• Robert Hanlon Symonette, Companion (Posthumously)
• Sir Durward Knowles, Companion (Posthumously)
• Emmanuel Osadebay, Officer (Posthumously)
• Judge Neville Smith, Member (Posthumously)

Order of Distinction

• Dr. Conville Brown, Companion
• George Weech, Companion
• Neko C Grant I, Companion
• Raleigh Butler II, Companion
• Obie Ferguson Jr., Companion
• Vylma Thompson Curling, Companion
• Paul A. O. Rolle, Companion
• Ellison Greenslade, Companion
• Anthony Ferguson, Companion
• Paul Farquharson, Companion
• Reginald Ferguson, Companion
• Michael Major, Officer
• Ishmael Lightbourne, Officer
• Gene Sands, Officer
• Dorcena Nixon Rolle, Officer
• Dr. Nelson Clarke, Officer
• Sybil Curtis, Officer
• Celeste Lockhart, Officer
• Barbara Cartwright, Officer
• Kenrick O. Murray, Officer
• Senior Commander Amos Rolle, Companion (Posthumously)
• Captain Simpson Penn, Companion (Posthumously)
• Persis Rodgers, Officer (Posthumously)
• Godfrey Eneas, Companion

Order of Merit

• Pastor David Burrows, Companion        
• Warren Rolle, Companion
• Cecil Thompson, Companion
• Frankie Hinzey, Companion
• Bishop Ellis Farrington, Companion
• Ansel Saunders, Companion
• Romeo Farrington, Companion
• Gregory Burrows, Companion
• Austin Knowles Sr., Companion
• Paul Smith, Companion
• Bishop Lawrence Rolle, Companion
• Wellington Miller, Companion
• Pastor Jeremiah Duncombe, Companion
• Anthony Robinson, Companion
• Maurice Tynes, Companion
• Mario Donato, Companion
• Louis Hanchell, Officer
• Khandi Gibson, Officer
• Alpheus “Hawk” Finlayson, Officer
• Philip Burrows, Officer
• Sonia Cox Hamilton, Officer
• Denise Mortimer, Officer
• Pearlene Cartwright, Officer
• Elder Cora McPhee, Officer
• Francina Horton, Officer
• Gloria Ferguson, Officer
• Nathe Russell, Officer
• Andrea Gibson, Officer
• Lawrence Burnside, Officer
• Mark Knowles, Officer
• Della Thomas, Officer
• Mychal Thompson, Officer
• Dr. Norman Gay, Officer
• Winfred Russell, Officer
• Oswald Moore, Officer
• Churchhill Tener-Knowles, Officer
• Leo Rolle, Officer
• Ali Culmer, Officer
• Winston “Tappy” Davis, Officer
• Andy Knowles, Officer
• Rex Burnside, Officer
• Allan Ingraham, Officer
• Ed Smith, Officer
• Phil Antonio, Officer
• Florence “Flo” Rolle, Officer
• Captain Ekron Pratt, Officer
• Rev. Dr. Alonzo Hinsey, Officer
• Frances Ledee, Officer
• Yonell Justilien, Officer
• Marie Ferguson, Officer
• Sonja Knowles, Officer
• Pericles Maillis, Officer
• Vernal Sands, Officer
• Cynthia Wells, Officer
• Mario Simms, Officer
• Bobby “Baylor” Fernander, Officer
• Shelton Beneby, Officer
• William Munnings, Officer
• Rev. Dr. Charles Rolle, Officer
• Angela Pratt Rolle, Officer
• Tammy Ferguson Culmer, Officer
• Edward Penn, Member
• Anita Doherty, Member (Posthumously)
• Rev. Gilbert Rolle, Officer
• Jason Albury, Member
• Randy Ferguson, Member
• Richard Manning, Member
• Jenson Burrows, Member
• Sean Smith, Member
• Brad Thompson, Member
• Ricky Martin, Member 
• Bishop B. Wenith Davis, Companion (Posthumously)
• Edison Armbrister, Officer (Posthumously)
• Bertram “Cowboy” Musgrove, Officer (Posthumously)
• William “Yahama Bahama” Brennan, Officer (Posthumously)
• Elisha Obed, Officer (Posthumously)
• Carl Minns, Officer (Posthumously)
• Leon “Apache” Knowles, Officer (Posthumously)
• Leonard “Boston Blackie” Miller, Officer (Posthumously)
• Natasha Newbold, Officer (Posthumously)
• Kevin “Kimbo Slice” Ferguson, Officer (Posthumously)
• Sloan Farrington, Officer (Posthumously)
• Cecil Cooke, Officer Posthumously)
• Rolle Gray, Officer (Posthumously)
• Billy Lowe, Officer (Posthumously)
• Osborne “Ank” Rahming, Officer (Posthumously)
• Hezron Moxey, Officer (Posthumously)
• Willard Cunningham, Officer (Posthumously)
• Bishop Albert Hepburn, Member (Posthumously)
• Rev. Fr.  Addison Turnquest, Member (Posthumously)
• Billy Rolle,  Member (Posthumously)
• Andre Rodgers, Companion (Posthumously)
• Ursula Chisholm, Officer

Order of Lignum Vitae

• Marine Seaman Edward Williams (Posthumously)
• Marine Seaman Austin Smith (Posthumously)
• Marine Seaman David Tucker (Posthumously)
• Able Seaman Fenrick Sturrup (Posthumously)

Medals for Acts of Bravery

• Able Seaman Trevor Sands
• Michelet Meronard
• Captain Anthony Allens
• Force Chief Petty Officer Denzil Clarke
• His Excellency, Captain Whitfield Neely
• Chief Petty Officer Anthony Russell
• Chief Petty Officer Eugene Thompson
• John Wallace
• Leading Seaman Willard Saunders
• Force Chief Petty Officer Peterson James
• Samuel Mackey
• Able Seaman Cladwell Farrington Sr.
• Force Chief Petty Officer Gregory Curry
• Petty Officer Leo Kirby (Posthumously)
• Marine Seaman Edward Williams (Posthumously) 
• Marine Seaman Austin Smith (Posthumously) 
• Marine Seaman David Tucker (Posthumously)
• Able Seaman Fenrick Sturrup (Posthumously)
• Chief Petty Officer Oscar Miller (Posthumously)
• Sub Lieutenant Wilfred Sands (Posthumously)

Distinguished Service Medal

• Deslene Cumberbatch-Lowe
• Melford Clarke
• Aldeka Thompson
• Beverly Thomas Taylor
• Winifred Murphy
• Patricia Bethel
• Vanderson Ferguson
• Yvonne Moncur
• Sharon Rose-Hutchinson
• Alice Inniss
• William Saunders
• Olive Minnis
• Debra Strachan
• Jeffery Forbes
• William Swain
• Christine Lightbourne
• Mirley Conyers
• Wellington “Butch” Johnson
• Dr. Nizamuddin Bacchus
• Helen Stubbs
• Diana Thompson
• Joshua Culmer, Sr., JP
• Cheryl Lloyd-Pinder
• Fredrick Bonaby
• Margarette Thompson Bain
• Claudine Virgil
• Dr. Francina Thurston
• Christine Newbold Saunders
• James Pinder
• Inez Spence
• Daphne Sawyer
• Nurse Linda Stuart
• Ashley Saunders
• Fabian Stuart
• Barbara Checkley
• Mark Scott
• Henry Bain
• Luden Gibson
• Francita Neely
• Charlene Curry
• Rev.Irene Rolle (Posthumously)

Badge of Honour

• Nyoschi Brown
• Kennard Mackey
• Letita Campbell Parker
• Father Don Haynes
• Lofton Neely
• Levada Ingraham
• Diane Smith
• Stephen Hanna
• Valdamae Rahming
• Maryanne Colebrooke Marshall
• Robertha Edgecombe
• Pandora Evans
• Vyreen Bain
• Sheila Blatch
• Maxwell Roberts
• Mable Stubbs
• Veronica Saunders(Posthumously)
• Patrick Roberts Sr.
• Vera Chase(Posthumously)
• Jacqueline Estevez

The Governor General in his own deliberate judgement

• Evardo Cox
• Albertha Nairn
• Sheila Andrews 
• Sandra Curry-Gibson
• Michelle Ferguson 
• Steve Pennerman

• Beverley Wallace-Whitfield
• Bernice Bowe
• Jacklyn Murray (Posthumously)
• June Maura (Posthumously)
• Juliette Barnwell (Posthumously)

I thank them all again and it is only left for me to say: God bless the Commonwealth of The Bahamas

End