‘Executive aide’ among local gong winners
(CNS): The premier’s 'executive aide' and the driver for the former premier and the current deputy premier are two of a long list of Caymanians who will receive local honours at this year’s National Heroes day on Monday. Paul Leonce and Wilburt Ewin Myles join a list of local artists, cultural icons, community leaders and others who the authorities deemed worthy of the medal of merit, one of the people’s awards created by the former premier under his nation building initiative. Alongside the recipients of the medals for the national awards will be a number of pioneers honoured for their contribution to the development of youth services in the Cayman Islands, which is the theme for the 2013 Heroes Day.
The late Estella Scott-Roberts, the former head of the Cayman Islands Crisis Centre and outspoken advocate for women who was brutally murdered in a shocking attack over four years ago, has received a posthumous Commander’s medal of honour. Some 14 other local people have been named as medal of honour recipients and another 22 people have received gold and silver merit medals.
The day will also see the recent recipients of the Cayman Islands Certificate and Badge of Honour which is part of the queens New Year’s and birthday honours receive their medals.
The celebrations take place in Heroes Square in George Town and all members of the public are invited to the event which includes local entertainment and refreshments.
See full list of recipients below along with details of Monday’s event.
Category: Local News
Thanks for the Holiday
BUT there's more fat in this lot than in a Turtle Meat Pattie.. Right Hon Mr. B?
Too bad GIS didn't proof the insert before having it printed….spelling error in the first headline.
The sad thing is they DID proof it.
I can say I KNOW they didnt edit it…
(transposed & missing names also!)
They will blame it on cutback$$ I guess
I like what you have done. This would work well in my country too.
Please Could I be considered for two of these shiny medals?
Everything about Cayman has “gong show” written all over it
Congratulations Mr. Jean -Eric Smith! Rasta internationally will celebrate this victory considering the history of persecution and discrimination still being endured by many positive brethren like yourself who wear JAH covenant.
" The lord shall count , when he writeth up the people,that this man was born there. Selah. As well the singers as the players on instruments shall be there; all my springs are in thee."
Keep up the good fight honourable soldier, this is merely an award but your reward will be in heaven. Selah
There are many others who have done way more in the music industry than Jean Eric Smith. If my memory serves me correctly there was a Mr. Solomon who I operated a music store and who gave far more service to the music industry and music culture in the Cayman Islands – dont hear nothing bout that though. I guess he not favoured by the current politricks.
Many Caymanians (born and paper) who arent being honoured this year are worhy of such an honour, but that does not mean that those who are being honoured now have not contributed greatly or sacrificed of themselves.
More than likely it simply means that someone took the time to nominate those being honoured tomorrow which is what you should do if you feel so strongly about Mr. Solomon's or any others contribution.
Surely the hatred and venom expressed here by a few against those currently receiving this honour is nothing more than the malicious jealousy of a few brooding vipers. To you I ask this pointed question, what has your contriution been? I also offer these words of advice, tearing down of others does not build up those you admire or yourself! Grow up and focus on your contribution, our country needs us all so stop being crabs in a barrel!
Jeezuz, take it to a smoky tent meeting would ya bro’
Jeeeeesus-piece, wa happen to Not-Today-Bobo Charles Ebanks and his friend who risked their lives to chase down a robber and hold em down til the police come???????/
Juuuuuuuuulie, these men were protecting the public, using their own lives.
WHAT are you going to give them???????
eh????
Eh????
EH????
ask the white tip sharks….
Dem sharks ain’t talkin. Dey daid!
There were other ‘environmental’ issues bobo
LMFBAOOOOOO. this must be 101 For Dummies.
Or for giving dick-torials!!!
Heroes (or Heroines) are people who selflessly give themselves without expecting a reward. People like Estella Scott Roberts and Andrew Powery should be given these awards.
Paul Leonce, WHAT THE F'K?????
My days of waking up many mornings to cycle from Queens Highway to Prep School to raise money for the Light House School (when it first started) has generated much more EFFORT than sitting behind a car wheel, sitting in first class on airplanes, eating 6 course expensive meals, stayibg at expensive hotels and ordering room service, airfares paid by our country, possibly free asphalt, and much much more, ALL AT THE EXPENSE OF OUR COUNTRY, and Julie, you're telling us that this warrants a MEDAL???????????????????
WOMAN, ARE YOU FOR REAL????????????? YOU obviously have forgotten what hard work is all about!!!!!
Whatr a shame and disgrace!!!!
You should try and put that stunt with the Queen.
It is for the people in the Brac to remember this and some of the other stunts and make a change! What will you Bracers value more – your drive way paved for free or someone with some sort of morals and ethics? Just remember, it is in your hands and no whining afterwards!
If Paul Leonce is deserving, why not some of the many hard working Nurses and Doctors?
What he done to deserve this? Nothing but be her companion, travel first class world wide, drive up and down in style and make a hefty paycheck and by now has racked up a pretty pension! Ah boy good old fashion neopotism…..why not give that job to a real deserving caymanian?
It's a shame to mix in Estella Scott (RIP) with some on this list.
mickey mouse wears a cayman islands wristwatch…..
Congratulations to all receiving such flatulent honors. Anyone servicing our country's leaders assuredly deserves a medal in my book. Hat's off to you Sir.
It ain’t easy wearing the rubber handcuffs
Rather than Juliana taking time to ensure that Paul is being rewarded for his services. She should have used that time to seek to improve the economic situation in Cayman Brac.
FYI Miss O'connor-Connolly Cayman Brac is dying because of a lack of meaningful employment. Perhaps in the remaining time until elections ,you could restrain yourself from travel or awards and devote yourself to doing something more useful to Cayman Brac's economy. (Useful does mean paving, hurricane shelters or the old favorite toilet blocks)
But you all have such wonderful roads to drive on!!! What more do you all want or need?!! I mean after all, you all keep putting her in!!!
Don’t think any of this matters because the National Honours Awards Law is not in force, so none of the awards issued under it are real……
i feel sorry for caymanians…when all they have left are these worhtless awards…..
reminds me of the mythology surrounding great caymanian 'sea captains'……zzzzz
I do not agree with all of these awards as some are to persons who do not really deserve them .
However whomever you are you do not know anything about Caymanian history in speaking about mythology and possibly you are an arrogant, condesceding foreigner who has made a good living in Cayman, far better than you could have made in your own country.
There are twenty five or thereabouts sea captains who descended from my great great grandfather who possess his surname ( the same surname I possess), plus other sea captains with other surnames descended from him, and many of those twenty five, as well as many of the other descendants, captained ships throughout the world and were fully qualified and competent
Which one fought the Kraken?
ebanks/bodden/scott!!!!!!……zzzzzzzzzzzzzz
You are mixing up Norse legends with Caymanian history.
And your surname is? Anonymous?
Presumably as a Caymanian you are also a British Citizen, like me. So who's a foriegner then bigot?
And exactly which ships were these great sea captains master of and what was the displacement tonnage of the ships concerned?
Oh yes, and what were their names oh mysterious decendent? zzzzzzzz
Lets get a couple of things straight, and I speak as a Caymanian who's father's family goes back to the original settlors of our country and was a seaman from the age of 19 until his retirement.
Whilst I agree that the term 'Captain' has been regularly applied often in the loosest terms which even has made me raise my eyebrow, albeit with a smile on my face, the term locally is often applied as a reference to what someone does for a living, not necessarily what real professional rank/qualification they have achieved.
However, there are small number of Caymanians who over the years attained the highest possible Merchant Marine qualification, and more, eg piloting qualifications. I know this for a fact as my father was one of, if not the first, Caymanian to achieve this. He, along with some others, achieved this neccesarily overseas, and commanded the largest ships in their class in the world at that time.
That is fact so sweeping generalisations do nobody any good.
Respect.
Very well done But so what. Doingyour job and doing it well does not or should not qualify you for an award. Awards should only go to ,those who go above and beyond not to those who,just do what they are paid to do well
Many thousands of Caymanians are not British
i come from a huge island compared to cayman and i have never once heard of any nonsense about 'sea captains' from my country…….
Huh? So because your big Island doesn't have sea captains no island does? lol.
What 'mythology'? Enlighten us, please.
From time to time this sort of ignorance about Cayman's seafaring tradition creeps into a post from an expat. Let us be clear: while there are a number of local boat captains involved in watersports who are informally called "Capt." Caymanians rose from being captains of schooners to being fully qualified master mariners some of whom are/were licensed to and did master some of the largest ocean going vessels in the US. merchant marine. The Cayman Seafarer's Association has actually published a book (the name of which I cannot recall off hand) which lists Cayman's mariners, the positions they held, and the vessels they crewed. Please purchase a copy and educate yourself. In the meantime a visit to their website can start you off http://www.caymanseafarers.ky/CaymanSeafarers/Welcome_Aboard.html. In any event please stop posting malicious nonsense.
Your ignorance is astounding. For your benefit, having a captain's license is possible under several different classifications. Not every Captain is piloting a megatanker.
Are you aware that many Caymanian seamen attended the United States Merchant Marine Academy in New York? http://www.usmma.edu Are you going to dishonor the reputation of that fine institution?
Other Caymanians attended programmes offered under the auspices of the United States Coast Guard and qualified as "Master Mariner" or "Able-bodied Seaman". They were fine seamen also without having the title of Captain.
Any truth in the rumour that everyone with a boat over 50ft is to be called "Admiral"?
If you can successfully back it in to a berth repeatedly, you get to be a rear admiral.
Or anyone who rents out snorkels is a Sea Captain!
It might be a good idea to place an eight year ban on these awards, similar to that imposed on fishing in the grouper-spawning holes.
Shameful that these clearly undeserving persons tarnish the award granted to REAL community advocates, like Mrs. Estella Scott Roberts!
Congrats Ms. Sharon Marie Martin, this is well deserved. Thank you for dedicating your life to the children of the Cayman Isands.
I agree, what an insult to Estella's family.
When this equated into real world terms – this equates to being awarded with the square root of f… all!
What amazes me most is that McKeeva didn't nominate himself. Progress?
Not really. He's after the Victoria cross………… soon come, just as soon as Gowerment can buy one he'll award it to himself.
Paul Leonce!!!!! Now it official Juliana O'connor Connolly has no shame!
Yup.
I wish I could give you a billion thumbs up on this one!!!
Hopefully the days of Caymanian leadership worshiping themselves will soon come to and end.
Don't bet on it!
And this years award of The Honourable Order of the Booty Call goes to …..
What equates to a hero in Cayman. Being a personal body guard for Julianna sure don't make you a hero Mr. Leonce. You need to refuse that honour sir. I have not heard of any heroic actions that you have done other than splurging off of our Government monies. Is this man a Caymanian? I don't think so, maybe a paper one, but not a born one. What a disgusting act! Julianna you should be ashame of yourself.
What equates to a hero in Cayman? About the same as what apparently equates to an (eternal) Honourable person in Cayman.
In other words, more wasted public money.
I agreed with everything you said until you got to the paper Caymanian v born Caymanian tripe. There should be NO DISTINCTION between Caymanians otherwise.
What on earth is a born Caymanian and how does that differ from a 'paper' Caymanian? Most Caymanians can only trace their heritage on these islands back one or two generations, three at most. Many have dual nationality because one of their parents were one of the evil 'foriegners' that have invaded their lands over the past 50 years and the vast majority are decendants of paper immigrants themselves anyway.
What a disgusting manner in which to conduct yourself, especially against people who have come to these islands and invested their lives. You are just as vile as the tin pot politicians you berate.
The difference is that a "Paper" Caymanian had to qualify for that, wheras a "Born" Caymanian is merely that, born – Caymanian.
A born Caymanian came by pain not plane and didn’t have to apply or pay to be a born Caymanian signed a proud born Caymanian! Who can trace my anscestors back to the 1800’s!
No, your type of 'real' Caymanian is a pain, plain and simple.
So you think, as a decendent of immigrants yourself, that new immigrants don't qualify to consider themselves good citizens or honest and hard workers. Did your forefathers who you claim came to these islands in the 1800's, (although you fail to say which end of the 1800's) pass police and health checks, did they invest a minimum of 7 years into this community. Did they have to pay thousands of dollars in fee's and be held to ransom by uneducated politicians before they called themselves Caymanians?
No, they just turned up and claimed their nationality without proving their worth or investing anything for the good of the country.
And that's why some Caymanians still view life with a sense of entitlement. Because never had to work for it before, so whyshould they now.
O for heaven's sakes, people who came here in the 1800s had to endure a great deal of hardship compared to the luxuries you have now. Life was so hard that some of them left. Those that remained are the people who actually made this place habitable. How dare you belittle them! You should look at your own sense of entitlement. You didn't come here to "invest in the community" but for your own benefit. No one promised you that you would have Caymanian status.
People like you really p!ss me off.
Me Too!
Indigenous Caymanians do not have to use indicators whilst driving, paper caymanians do.
Err… lots of expats who don't use indicators and don't know how to use roundabouts so cut the racist nonsense.
Not in my car!
Indiginous Caymanians do not exist, they are all immigrants.
Paper Caymanians use “indicators”. Born Caymanians use “Trafficators”.
A born Caymanian are those people whose culture you constantly insult, whom you stereotype as lazy, poorly educated, whom you discriminate against in the workplace. When it suits them you say they are an ethnicity and when it doesn't you claim not to know who they are
Obviously a paper Caymanian is one who has been granted Caymanian status. Clear enough for you?
FYI, thousands of us have ancestry going back to the 1800s and before.
What at an ignoramus.
I am not the author of the post you are responding to, but I think you are overreacting a tad. In all honesty, 99% of the Cayman Status Holders I know do not consider themselves Caymanians, but Americans, Jamaicans, Canadians etc. I am a Cayman Status Holder myself and I don't consider myself Caymanian. So why is it so offensive when a born (and by my definition, that is someone with some ancestors in the local grave yard) refers to Status Holders and Paper Caymanians when they themselves identify with another nationality?
In regards to investing their lives – come on, I am sure they weren't forced to be here and came and stayed by free will and choice.
What is a born Caymanian. I guess you can say that its one whose third and fourth generations were born here. However you all seem to take umbrage at the fact that we were here before you all came with your arrogance and separatist attitude.
You started this separation yourselves, how, you come here on a work permit and quickly adopt to the elite status. You do not mingle with the locals, you send your kids to private schools, you throw party's right next door to your neighbor without an invite. I can go on and on, on the way you treat us born Caymanians. We as" lame" as you refer to us, welcomed you here and accepted you all, only to be treated like dirt.
We do not want the crumbs from the table, we want to be Caymanians with pride and we are being denied that daily by you and our government allowing you all to do so.
I accept you as what you portray, deceiving and denying the facts.
Caymanians born, whether 10 years ago or 500 years ago, we were born on this rock and deserve better
These medals should be for our people . Look at the history of who received them over the last 30 years. How many truely born Caymanians have received them? I rest my case.
A paper Caymanian is one whose loyalties lie elsewhere, who is a product of another culture, who has no Caymanian heritage, but for economic convenience has the legal status of Caymanian.
Well, some of the names are definitely curious…what’s the criteria, besides being a UDP loyalist or relation?
Actually many of them are neither but perhaps he is hoping to win them and their families over by this award. The list does not accurately give the awards already received by some.
Ouch. I can’t lie, that one stings!
I despise the UDP, it’s loyalists and supporters.
Juliana has no shame!
Paul only gets silver? Considering the service he's been rendering the country, I'd say to give him a gold at least!
Naw – there was definite strategy there. Give him just silver this year and maybe he will try harder to please in order to get gold
Silver is for coming second. OMG, I just puked on myself.
Well; not every Man manages that!
They're gonna run out of people to award if they keep going at this rate…
Once all the awards are given out, it is then time to make more national heroes, UCLA awards, Golden Apples, Golden mangoes and the eleusive Order of the Platinum Pineapple.
There are still plenty to go around, I am just looking forward to the email sign offs in the future!
Give the Cat boat another one! Then start on the Silver Thatch plants.
Once this happens, it will be forwarded as a motion to the executive committee that all are considered as 'Probationary Martyrs' to the cause.
These awards always had the potential to become an embarrassing joke, it looks like that outcome has been fulfilled to the fullest extent possible.
Good Lord, the medals are tarnished also. Throw them out along with McKeeva.
Geeesh..did you really need to pick on just this man when there is so many other that could have made a more positive headline…oops forgot good news doesn't sell!
Sorta devalues the National Hero thing don't it…?
It never had any value in the first place.
Take that.
Leonce will get a medal of merit…
OMG Can anyone define the word "HERO", because no one in the Cayman Islands knows the definition of this word because Premier, Ex Premier, etc ARE NOT HEROS!!!!!!!!
Heroes are found in places like Helmand, Lashkar Gar and Southern Iraq.
Heroes are generally not pre planned and come from unfolding events occurring at that time.
Heroes are rewarded as they have gone above an beyond their call of duty and placed others above their own life and welfare.
Heroes are not there for financial gain or to further their own standing, they are there as the situation dictated it there and then.
On the other end of the spectrum ….. there are the Cayman Islands.
On the other end of the spectrum….there was Estella Scott Roberts (RIP)
There are many heroes throught the world, not just the places you have mentoned, that are never and many never want to be recognised.
I agree. I can’t think of a single hero here, except perhaps those have-a-go people who were recognised at the last police ball. Heroism means physical courage, period.
It certainly does not mean the likes of National Hero Jim Bodden, although I suppose it could be said that his efforts at self-enrichment were indeed heroic.
Real heroes no doubt exist, but are in a tiny, tiny minority even in those places in Afghanistan. Putting on camouflage and serving in a foreign country do not of themselves make you a hero. Most grunts there are just doing their jobs. And some, a minority of uniformed thugs and bullies and torturers, are doing it very badly, very unheroically, indeed.
Incidentally, this habit, emanating from my home country America, of idolising the military is not “patriotic” in fact it’s the opposite: it’s dangerously craven and anti-democratic, even fascistic. A true democracy regards a standing military with the deepest suspicion, and for good reason.
'HERO'. One meaning is as follows:
North America food long sandwich: a sandwich made from a long roll or loaf of bread with a filling of meat and cheese with lettuce and tomato.
Sounds about right for Cayman.
Or, the alternative could be a figure from mythical history, someone admired (normally a movie lead) or, in its true context:
A remarkably brave person: somebody who commits an act of remarkable bravery or who has shown an admirable quality such as great courage or strength of character.
Really, a government ministers bag man, a procession of sycophants and a few youth workers, that's what passes for national heroes here on Cayman?
Surely there are persons who do brave and extrordinary acts of selflessness here. What about those who risk their lives trying to rescue boats or bathers in distress, what about law enforcers from all branches of government departments who frequently hold the line against those who would do them, the environment or other people serious harm and what about the expats who stand for the rights of Caymanians to live in peace and safety, yet when they assist to stop or deter a crime, they are ignored and rarely recogised officially for their humanity and bravery.
Come on Cayman, stop this mutual back slapping exercise and give Heroes Day some credibility.
In the Cayman dictionary "HERO – someone who was known for being quite good at fishing".
Words cannot even begin to describe the levels of stupidity on display here.
I have tried to reach that level in words, however I am still stuck on the Christian Heritage park. This has taken it to a whole new level.
What do we have to do to get some sort of administration by the United Kingdom?
Can we get a referendum as to who we would like to be administered by?
It would be fair and democratic and would be guided by the majority, even if we went further than the 50 +1 vote and went to 75%, I think it would still be a landslide.
You ain't seen nothing yet …. just wait until election time!
Has anyone noticed that seemingly established people who have been here for a long time are suddenly on their way to the BVI, Canada and the far east?
People who integrated, bought property and made their lives here.
Political stability, order and common sense was the product to attract business.
Now it has been eroded from within and revealed to the world repeatedly, it kind of makes the place a little bit of a third world joke.
I guess you have only just arrived here ….. stick around, it gets better on a weekly basis.
From whipping people with bulls penis whips, DUI'S, Punch ups, Honorary degrees and seemingly closing your eyes and hitting a calculator really fast to get the government expenses for that year.
If you then turn the calculator upside down, it also gives you the projected surplus for the next year too!
It just gets better and better.
The best advice, is to pour yourself a Gin and Tonic and sit back and watch the meltdown.
Paul Leonce – are you kidding me! All this guy has done is travel first class around the world on our dime. This makes me sick.
I think it would be fitting for Pauls wife to get a medal too.
Are you sure thats what really makingyou sick?
I sure hope these gold medals are not real gold. That metal costs 1700 an oz. Let’s fix the dump trucks instead!
I disagree; just think for a moment what he has been through. I think his award is in the wrong category…………… should've been a medal of honor for bravery. 'nuff said.
Ummm he did alot more than that
For playing Kevin Costner to Juju's Whitney Houston? He deserves a knighthood!
There are so many unsung indigenous Caymanians that go beyond the call of duty without fanfare in delivering service to their country with no scope of reward.
What's an indiginous Caymanian, I thought that you were all decendants of immigrants from many differing country's. There isn't a tribe of long lost Cayman Indians hiding in the mangroves is there?
Oh I see, you're referring to those brave turtles that fight the forces of nature and local poachers, (or disgusting thieves as we like to call them) to lay their precious eggs on their home beaches around Cayman.
Yep, they definately deserve a medal before any of the listed back slappers and sycophants.
They are truly brave and definately 'indiginous' Caymanians.
Learn to spell and then you might be taken seriously:
"indiginous", "decendants", "country's", "definately".
is there any way we could get them to work at the Post office?