Defenceof a nationTHE DEFENCE Act(1962) speaks to: Theestablishment of the JDFas a military body to be overseenby the Defence Board.The JDF’s mandate included:■ The defence of <strong>Jamaica</strong>■ The maintenance of order in<strong>Jamaica</strong>■ The performance of suchother duties which may bedefined by the Defence Board■ Empowering the chairman ofthe Defence Board to givedirections to the chief ofdefence staff for the operationaluse of the JDF, commensuratewith the directives ofCabinetThe police in their all-out search for five fugitives checked all cars that passed along the road way.SNAPSHOTSCONTINUED FROM 13were there. I can’t say much about theIndependence celebrations other than it wasreally a lovely occasion.On Independence Day, I can’t remembergoing to any special occasion in particular. Iremember it was a holiday and that people werehappy. It seemed to be a great occasion for us as<strong>Jamaica</strong>ns, to become a nation. There weremany good wishes for the future.We had imagined more progress by now.Clearly, there’s still a lot of poverty, and we’dhoped for <strong>Jamaica</strong> to be achieving more, economicallyand so on. There’s still a lot to bedone. But, on the whole, I’d say it was definitelya positive change.‘Independence is good’– Bertram HenryI was seven years old, a big girl in my mind,because I had just moved from little school tobig school. <strong>My</strong> mom worked at the library andan older aunt lived in Allman Town. I was sentto Allman Town little school and then moved tothe all-age when <strong>Jamaica</strong> got Independence. Wetravelled daily from Norman Gardens to thatarea so my aunt could pick me up after school. Iwas given a mug with the coat of arms, flag anda button.Most of all, I remember a little part of a songthat went like this: ‘Independence is good forthe young and old, also for you and me,Independence is good for the whole generation(forgot the rest).’<strong>Jamaica</strong> was so peaceful, innocent, virtuousand full of pride then. Mrs Blair, my first teacher,was wonderful, and Ms Johnson would be calledabusive now but really she knew how to puteveryone in check (she was better known asRecke Tecke Johnson).Happy anniversary, <strong>Jamaica</strong>! May we one dayrecapture some of that peace nationally, withoutburglar bars and fear, to live and move aroundfreely. God bless <strong>Jamaica</strong>!jokrick@yahoo.comVeronica Elaine Brimm is my mom. She was bornon January 4, 1962. She is mother to five children:Roy Baily; Robert White; Leighton Minott, USmarine; Nicole Rodgers, cosmetologist; and me,Troy Rodgers, primary-school teacher. She workswith the Ministry of Education Region 2.– TroyMay Pen float paradeA large crowd watches as the float parade passes through May Pen on IndependenceDay 1962.■ Empowering the governorgeneral to declare units of theJDF to be on active service toengage persons and groupsengaged in armed operationsagainst the JDF or any cooperatingforce■ Empowering the governorgeneral to order the whole orany part of the JDF to beemployed outside of <strong>Jamaica</strong>■ Empowering the DefenceBoard to order any member ofthe regular (full-time) force toproceed to any place outside<strong>Jamaica</strong> for training, duty oremployment■ Mandatory compliance onthe part of all members of theregular force who are orderedto deploy overseas, whether bythe governor general or theDefence Board.<strong>Jamaica</strong>’s murdercount hasgone from 66 in1962 to 1,674 in2005 – a 26-foldincrease. Sincethe startof 2009, themurder counthas shattered the900 mark.18 JAMAICA <strong>CELEBRATE</strong>S | TUESDAY, AUGUST 4, 2009
Rendering first aidMembers of the Boys’ Brigade putting on a first-aid display atthe third annual <strong>Island</strong> Display at Sabina Park. This was part ofthe final item, ‘Independence’, which showed some of the workbehind the scenes in the Boys’ Brigade to help equip youngmen to be helpful in an independent <strong>Jamaica</strong>.Alexander dancesPremier Alexander Bustamante dances with Chloris Muschette at a party given by HerbertMcDonald at his residence, 206 Mountain View Avenue. The party was in honour of the visit ofmembers of the Central American and Caribbean Sports Organisation and two foreign membersof the organising committee of the 11th Games.Tinson Pen workshopIn the presence of hisconstituents, ClementTavares (right), minister ofhousing, presents the keys ofthe workshop at Tinson Pento Edward Seaga, ministerof development and welfare.Erected by the Departmentof Housing at an approximatecost of £1,000,the workshop was operatedby the Ministry ofDevelopment and Welfare.‘Tell Me Why’ featureRuby Steer, 16-year-old student of Claremont Primary School,was the winner of a 15-volume set of the ‘EncyclopaediaBritannica Junior’. These books were awarded to her by theEncyclopaedia Britannica Company of Chicago USA, through TheGleaner for her contribution to ‘Tell Me Why’, a daily feature on theback page. Ruby, who was preparing to take the first <strong>Jamaica</strong>Local Examination, lived in Beechamville district, St Ann.JAMAICA <strong>CELEBRATE</strong>S | TUESDAY, AUGUST 4, 200919
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