by Donald De Riggs

“20 Years of meaningful accomplishments in the area of emergency communications and mass casualty management is no mean achievement.”

So said Master of Ceremonies Floyd Dowden of Grenada, as he addressed an audience comprising sponsors, supporters, RRL members and invited guests during an awards dinner held on Mayreau on Saturday, April 4, 2015.{{more}}

The awards ceremony was held to recognize those agencies and persons who contributed to the work of the Rainbow Radio League Inc over the last two decades and to say thanks in a tangible way to sponsors, who were presented with a specially minted medal to mark the 20th anniversary of voluntary service to SVG and the wider region.

The guests of honour at this event included Elna Michael – J88NEK from Fancy; local businessman Omroy T Mayers; Sylvester Tannis – J88DT; and Floyd Dowden – J39JX and Grenadian team leader and sponsor, who, among others, were presented with gold and platinum medals for outstanding service and sponsorship.

The director and founder of the RRL, Donald De Riggs, during his brief report, said that “…at 20 years we need to pause, to reflect on the journey thus far, thanking those who contributed to our success by giving our sponsors and members a token of appreciation. We prefer to give roses when their beauty and fragrance can be enjoyed by the recipients.”

The awards dinner, which was held at the Combination Café, comprised mainly seafood, including the dessert. The programme also included a video, which focused on the work accomplished by the RRL and the way forward, culminating with a cultural performance by RRL dancers. The highlight of the evening was a Chinese auction for a gallon of seamoss flavoured ice cream, with the highest bidder, OT Mayers, taking home a tub of healthy ice cream. Seamoss. besides being a health food/drink, has also been proven to be 30 per cent more effective in curing breast cancer than generic drugs in recent clinical tests in Europe and US.

On Easter Sunday, a group of Grenadian and Vincentian radio operators, who came for the awards ceremony, attended a service at a packed Mayreau RC church and later that day journeyed to the Tobago Cays for a day of relaxation.

To make this awards ceremony possible, the following sponsors and persons come up for special mention; the Grenada Coop Bank, Mustique Airways, Right Stuff, Gibson Building Supplies, Bank of St Vincent and the Grenadines, OT Mayers, Dr Chic Stephens, NEMO, CKG, SVG Port Authority, the MV Barracuda, MV Gem Star, Jaden Sun Fast Ferry, Sean Patterson – J88CU and Anselm, Michael and Marijke De Riggs.

While in Mayreau, several families provided the visitors with fresh fish and assisted with the preparation of meals, notably Versil Ollivierre, Curtis St Hillaire and wife, Patrick Forde and Combination Café (Zannie Adams). Gratitude is also expressed to Evelyn Forde and John Forde, for the use of facilities under their purview, and captains Owen Isaacs, Patrick Forde and Vennor Ollivierre, for transporting the visitors safely to and from the Tobago Cays. The RRL once again wishes to acknowledge the kindness of these persons and agencies for their sponsorship and assistance. May the Good Lord bless you all.

The RRL wishes to join with all other well-wishers to congratulate the Searchlight for their sterling contribution in the print media over the past two decades … your standard approaches the impeccable.