At a town hall meeting last Saturday, September 27, the St Vincent and the Grenadines Relief Committee of New York, chaired by Consul General Selmon Walters, handed over a cheque of US$20,000 to Minister of Foreign {{more}}Affairs Camillo Gonsalves, who received it on behalf of the National Emergency Relief Organization (NEMO).

Walters told the gathering that the money was donated by Vincentians, Vincentian organizations and other well-wishers in the diaspora, as a result of an appeal made for assistance in response to the flooding in their homeland on Christmas Eve, 2013.

According to Walters, the donations totalled just over US$34,000. The expenses incurred to ship the containers and register the relief organization totalled just over US$5,000. He said the remainder of the money will be kept by the committee to use to replenish future donations to NEMO.

The town hall meeting was called to accommodate government officials who attend the United Nations General Assembly and is an annual event. This year, notably absent was Prime Minister Dr Ralph E Gonsalves, who is in Cuba seeking medical attention.

However, the Prime Minister was able to address the gathering through a telephone link-up and brought the listeners up to date on a number of national issues.

The meeting also heard addresses from Curlina Edwards, barrister-at-law, who outlined immigration matters affecting Vincentians in the diaspora. Edwards outlined the steps to be taken by those wishing to regularize their status in the United States.

Other speakers were Dr Rudy Matthias of the International Airport Development Company (IADC), who got rapt attention as he brought the diaspora up to date on the progress of the international airport at Argyle.

But the featured speaker was Camillo Gonsalves, who spoke on a wide range of national issues. He reminded all that St Vincent and the Grenadines is our homeland and that we seek its upliftment and reject those whose agenda it seems is to pull down and tear down the country.

The meeting, which saw an attendance of about 250 persons, ended with a vote of thanks from Marsena Ballantyne of the SVG New York Mission.

Permanent Representative for SVG to the United Nations Rhonda King introduced Minister Gonsalves, while consul general Walters chaired the meeting.