“MY JOURNEY THROUGH THE PUBLIC SERVICE”
Book Launch
The Consular Corps of Barbados held its Annual Christmas Get-together at
the Southern Palms Hotel last Tuesday 13 December 2022.
The Dean pointed out that it was an opportunity for Members of the Corps to pay tribute to the outstanding work which is done by members of the Consular Corps for their individual countries as well as for Barbados. “It is a contribution which most of us make every day and sometimes at night in an honorary capacity.”
There are (24) individual countries from across the globe represented here in Barbados and provide invaluable service to both the sending countries as well as to the host country.
The Award to Mrs Katheryn Angella Connie Smith, Honorary
Consul for Spain, who was decorated by the Ambassador of Spain,
with the Cruz de Official de la Orden del Mérito Civil (Officer’s Cross
of the Order of Civil Merit), in recognition of her outstanding work to
the Kingdom of Spain as the Honorary Consul of Spain in Barbados
was highlighted as well as,
The Award to Dr Philomena Ann Mohini-Harris, Former Honorary Consul
to India who received the Order of the Republic of Barbados for her sterling
contribution to medicine and distinguished service to the Indian community as honorary consul for India.
The Minister also addressed the members of the Corps and their guests which included the President of the Senate as well as members of the Diplomatic corps,
Heads of regional and International institutions, distinguished guests; Heads of Public and Private sector organisations.
He spoke on the important role which Honorary Consuls play in the country and indicated his intention to improve the status of Honorary Consuls and ensure the benefits that could be derived through focused collaboration with the governments they represent here.
A high point of the evening was the Launch of a Book entitled: MY JOURNEY
THROUGH THE PUBLIC SERVICE written by the Dean of the Corps, Selwyn P Smith, a former Public Servant in Barbados and the region.
Sir Trevor Carmichael, Honorary Consul for Mexico introduced the
Book and spoke highly of the work and style and recommended it to
all those present.
In response, Mr. Smith paid tribute to a number of persons who
made the Book possible, his family, his editors and Mr. Stuart
Gittens who provided some of the focus and impetus to write the
Book.
Mr. Smith concluded with the reading of an excerpt from the Book
about Jackie Opel whom he met in Jamaica during his student days
and the impact it had on him.
Mr Smith concluded by presenting Complimentary copies
of the Book to the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade,
Mrs. Caroline Gardiner, one of his editors and Ms. Resa Layne,
Chief of Protocol in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The Book is expected to go on sale in Bookshops before Xmas
The excerpt from the Book which captures the young Jackie Opel
performing on the front end of a Sparrow show in Kingston:
Book Launch Speech by Selwyn Smith the Author.
I am really pleased to be here tonight and I must confess that
listening to Trevor talk about the Book, I felt inspired.
You know, last week, my phone rang and when I answered, the
caller was asking for someone and I didn’t quite
understand what he was saying and then he blurted out:
Selwyn Smith the Author, and for a moment there I was
confused before he continued by saying, the man who wrote
My Journey through the Public Service and it was then that I
realised that he was calling for me and I needed to own up. He
was calling from the Library Service and he wanted to order
copies for the Public Library.
Worst yet, they are some members of my family who have
begun referring to me as Stephen Mason and I could not
understand what that was all about until it struck me that they
were reading the Book and that I had used that name to sign a
letter to the Daily Gleaner back in 1964.
I want to start by thanking you Trevor for making me see how
significant the Book is. In my Literature classes long ago, my
lecturers used to insist that it didn’t matter what the author
thought about his work, it was the reader, the analyst who had
the right to interpret it. In this case, I must happily confess
that the Author and the appraiser agree. I couldn’t have done it
that well
Of course, I would like to take this occasion to thank my Editors
Caroline Gardiner and
Sonia Mills of Jamaica, my Editor in chief who kept me
focused and helped me to produce something worthwhile
To my publisher – Mrs. Margaret Hope who was Barbados’
Chief Information for almost two decades and an Author herself.
To Mr. Curtis Challenor, who is responsible for the Design,
typesetting and production under the name of Genesis Graphics.
May I say that he is also for the cover photograph which has so
much significance since I spent most of my working life in that
building
To a young man called Stuart Gittens who prodded me with the
following message:
“Please start writing your journey, your experiences in civil service and
how integrity & transparency of service translates to stronger societies.
You have an invaluable set of experiences and knowledge that could
continue to influence others for some time to come.
Lastly, our race suffers from a lack of transfer of knowledge and
experience. Where we excel in academic tutelage, we fail in written
sharing of our success from our own perspective.
A biography that teaches the value of civic integrity…. needed.
Please start today.”
Of course to my wife Sheila who could not be here, and my children
Simone and Sean who with Mark, my son-in-law are here tonight
and who have contributed to this Book in so many ways.
And the many others who helped to make this book possible.
It’s been a long journey, and hence the title of the book, My Journey
through the Public Service. I could not have done it without all your
support.
The Book is indeed a kind of a Memoir as Sir Trevor has explained.
I have struggled with this format because I thought the story I
wanted to share was more important than me; but my editors
ultimately forced me into the narrative. It was my story, they insisted
and that I was not writing case studies.
It is true that they were certain events which I wanted to highlight,
but I soon realised that I could not pull them together without
hanging them on something. I tried them out on my children but
there was not enough feedback to go forward.
The book spans the period 1950 to 2000, the latter half of the
twentieth century but its subject is as relevant today as it was then.
It is historical in nature and deals with the watershed moments
evolving from colonial government to internal self government and
Independence. It is a reflection of the state of the country and
maybe the region and how we were addressing the issues.
I guess it is how I saw the Public Service in Barbados and the
region and in some instances how the Public saw me.
I must conclude that I have had the honour to work with with Public
Services and Public Servants in Barbados and throughout the
region. I have served on and chaired Public Sector Corporations
with the culminating experience of Deputy Chair of the Barbados
Public Service Commission. I think it has been a rare and
comprehensive experience.
The Book of course does pay tribute to the first Premier and first ?
Prime Ministers of Barbados and the numerous Public Servants
who have made Barbados the nation that it is. It also recognises the
Contribution which persons and experiences have contributed to
this achievement.
I name for instance:
Sir Carlisle Burton,
Dr. Colin Hope
Dr. Jose Jacome
The Lodge School
Jamaica
The University of the West Indies
Bahamas
Before I close, I need to pay tribute to Dr. Peter Laurie, a Former
Ambassador, a permanent Secretary and author of many books; Dr,
Aubrey Armstrong, a regional and international consultant with
whom I have worked and have the highest respect.
They have both endorsed this work and I am deeply appreciative
I did find my journey through the Public service of Barbados and the
region most interesting and challenging.
I hope that I have been able to capture the essence of my
experiences in the book for those of you who might read the book.
I know there are persons who may think that my experience is not
unique, and maybe not, but I have chosen to write it down.
I hope too that I have remained throughout a Professional Civil
Servant in the face of the changing Civil service.
Unfortunately there are no purple passages in the Book that I can
read quickly but my Publisher suggested that I should read about
my meeting Jackie Opel to give you some flavour
JACKIE OPEL
It was really a Sparrow show, the Mighty Sparrow himself, was expected
to perform at the old Drama Theatre on Campus where there was limited
capacity, and that night it was packed; it was overflowing. There was
standing room only. Numerous off-campus patrons were there to see
Sparrow perform. Sparrow as you know, was a big deal; has always been.
He had appeared earlier in the week at a hotel in downtown Kingston to a
sold-out crowd and many people had been turned away, I understand.
Unfortunately, Sparrow was late that night, very late for the show. It was
difficult to tell if there would even be a show. The crowd was restless,
noisy and disgruntled. It felt like any moment, there could be an
explosion of some sort. Then there were many false starts before the
Show was finally started. I could not tell how Sparrow or anyone else
could really pacify this crowd. I was sure that the atmosphere was so
loaded that anything could happen, and then it did: the MC who was
having a hard time with the crowd, announced above all the noise that
the show would begin with a singer from Barbados, one Jackie Opel.
There was an angry uproar; I feared what would happen next. Shouts of
“nooooo” and I joined in too. I had never heard of, nor seen Jackie Opel
before that night. My heart sank; this was surely going to be a major
catastrophe and I, as well as Barbados, was going to be humiliated. You
can’t try that in this situation.
But I have never seen anything more dramatic; I have never seen
anything like it. Jackie Opel, the singer from Barbados, rushed on to the
stage and literally took it over. He sang and danced himself into our
hearts. You had to be there to see it and hear it. It was phenomenal. I was
suddenly uplifted, happy and proud. The crowd had lost its fury. Jackie
had it eating out of his hands. It was exhilarating and by the time he was
down on his knee, wailing: ‘you got to go down on your knees and cry…,’
there was no one in there who was not completely blown away. When
Jackie finally ran off the stage. I don’t know how long he was on, the
crowd was on its feet shouting for more. He did not come back but
Sparrow came on almost to our surprise; but as good as Sparrow was, he
was like a let-down. It took us some time to get over what had just
happened. Sparrow sang that night too, almost every hit in his repertoire,
until the equipment broke down, but no one in that room could ever
forget that experience and what had just happened. That is how I was
introduced to Jackie, the magnificent, the matchless Jackie Opel; and that
is how I remember him.
I left thrilled and proud.
Jackie was in this mix of Jamaican music and contributed significantly to
it, topping the Radio Music charts in Jamaica for weeks on end. It warmed
my West Indian heart to see how this mainly Jamaican audience
responded to the calypsonian from Trinidad and the singer from
Barbados.
listening to Trevor ( Sir Trevor Carmichael ) talk about the Book, I felt inspired.”
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The Programme
MC – Ella Hoyos, Honorary Consul for Jamaica
Welcome by Mrs Britta Pollard, Vice Dean of the CORPS, Honorary
Consul for Denmark, Our Host and General Manager of this wonderful
Hotel
Remarks by the Dean, Selwyn Smith, Honorary Consul for Bahamas
Recognition of Award to Mrs Connie Smith, Honorary Consul of
Spain, Presentation by Mr. Tony Gittens, Honorary Consul of the Kingdom
of the Netherlands
Recognition of Dr. Harris’s Award- Presentation by Britta Pollard,
Vice Dean
Remarks by the Honourable Kerrie Symmonds, Minister of Foreign
Affairs and Foreign Trade and Senior Minister coordinating the Productive
sector
The Book Launch- My Journey through the Public Service
Sir Trevor introduced by Mrs Connie Smith, Honorary Consul for Spain
Sir Trevor Carmichael, Honorary Consul for Mexico
The Author responds.
Presentation of complimentary copies of the Book to the Minister,
Mrs. Caroline Gardiner and Ms. Gail Atkins, Director General of
Governance
MC thanks everyone, encourages them to stay for refreshments
and for the signing of the Book for those who wish to buy a copy
Group picture
Entertainment. Saxophonist David Niles, accompanied by violinist Okera
Hill
NOTES
The Cruz de Official de la Orden del Mérito Civil (Officer’s Cross of
the Order of Civil Merit)
Our colleague, Katheryn Angella Connie Smith, Honorary Consul for
Spain, was decorated by the Ambassador of Spain, on Spain’s National
Day this year, with the Cruz de Official de la Orden del Mérito Civil
(Officer’s Cross of the Order of Civil Merit), in recognition of her
outstanding work to the Kingdom of Spain as the Honorary Consul of
Spain in Barbados.
THE ORDER OF THE REPUBLIC (Formerly Companion of Honour) For
Distinguished national achievement and Merit
• Dr Philomena Ann Mohini-Harris, Former Honorary Consul to
India received the Order of the Republic for her sterling
contribution to medicine and distinguished service to the Indian
community as honorary consul for India.
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THE CONSULAR CORPS OF BARBADOS
COCKTAIL RECEPTION, Southern Palms Hotel
13 December, 2022
REMARKS by Selwyn P Smith
I want to extend a special welcome to:
Minister, the Hon. Kerrie Symmonds, Minister of Foreign Affairs & Foreign Trade and
Senior Minister coordinating the Productive sector
His Honour, Senator Reginald Farley, President of the Senate,
Dr. Hyginus Leon, President of the CDB
My colleagues of the Consular Corps, wives & guests
- Ambassadors and High Commissioners, present, resident in Barbados
- Heads of International & Regional Organisations,
- Senior staff of the MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS & Foreign Trade
- Chief of Protocol
- Director General, Governance
- Airport Manager
- Port Management
- Immigration
- Mr. Mark St. Hill, the new CEO of CIBCFCIB
- Distinguished Guests
- Members of The Press
- It is an honour and a pleasure to welcome you here again at Southern
Palms. - COVID 19 has kept us apart in more ways than one but we are thankful
to our Honorary Consul for Denmark, Mrs. Britta Pollard who is also the
Managing Director of this beautiful property for having us here again.
This Annual get together is envisaged to bring us closer together
especially at Xmas time and it provides us with an opportunity to
express our appreciation to a number of persons and organisations
which have worked with us during the year and overtime. It gives us
a chance to bring warm wishes and hope for a better times.
It also gives us an opportunity to extend a special welcome to our
colleagues from the diplomatic corps, regional and international
organizations. We believe that your support of the Corps is
important to our success.
Of course, We also recognise the support & facilitation which we
have received from a number of Departments of government:
Central Government
The Airport Management
The Port Authority
The Immigration Dept
Customs
The VIP lounge at the Airport
The Government Information Service
Our Private Sector partners as well: Massy through our own Michael
Armstrong, Honorary Consul General of the Republic of Poland and Jeremy
Nurse, Vice President, Corporate Strategy and Transactions, Massy Group
Mr. Mark, St. Hill, the new CEO of CIBC FIRST CARIBBEAN
Mr. Ian McNeel of Walkers Reserve and WIRRED
Of course, it gives us an opportunity to pay tribute to the outstanding
work which is done by members of the Consular Corps for their individual
countries as well as for Barbados. It is a contribution which most of us
make every day and sometimes at night in an honorary capacity. There
are (24) individual countries from across the globe represented here in
Barbados and provide invaluable service to both the sending countries as
well as to the host country.
We are especially thankful to the Government of Barbados for its
continuing support and recognition and we pledge to uphold all the
requirements of our Exequator.
I believe our individual and collective relations with Government are of a
very high standard and we hope to work towards deepening this
relationship.
It is clear that our work as Honorary Consuls could not succeed without
the continuous support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, its Minister and
Officers and so I wish Minister of Foreign Affairs & Foreign Trade who has
kindly accepted our invitation to be our GUEST of Honour.
Minister, I wish to assure you that the Consular Corps of Barbados gives
you and the Ministry our full support.
We take this opportunity to wish all of you a wonderful Xmas and a great
2023.
