20 from St George get We Gatherin’ honours

Twenty outstanding individuals from the parish of St George were honoured earlier today during the We Gatherin’ celebrations for their decades of selfless service and dedication to building stronger communities.

Deputy Prime Minister Santia Bradshaw praised the awardees as “an example of the work that needs to be done within community, one by one,” and urged them to pass on their legacy to future generations.

MP Dwight Sutherland thanked them for giving “your time, your heart, your hands to build something bigger than you — a community,” adding, “Too often we wait until people go to the grave to celebrate them.”

Among the honourees was 90-year-old Owen Estwick, GCM, BCH, recognised for mentoring generations of young cricketers in Malvern and Drax Hall, and attorney Janeil Odle — Barbados’ first blind lawyer — who was celebrated for her fearless advocacy for disability rights.

“It’s an amazing feeling to know the work I’ve done is being recognised,” Odle said. “As young people, we must start shaping the future we want.” (SZB)