High Court clerk passionate about being Vincentian

For High Court Clerk Melaney John-Simon, her love and passion for St Vincent and the Grenadines goes beyond lip-service – she also has the action to back it up!

SEARCHLIGHT paid a visit to John-Simon last Monday at the High Court Registry Office, where she has been employed for the past two years. This year, she decorated the office to reflect an Independence theme.{{more}}

She explained that although she had been planning to splash the office walls with national colours anyway, she put in extra effort when she learnt of an inter-office decorating competition among the public service departments/ministries.

“I like to compete!” she boasted. “The deputy registrar told me about it, and I told her okay, I will just do the front [office]. And then when I found out that it’s a competition, I said ‘oh no, I have to step up the game’. So, I did the inside [office], too.”

John-Simon also said that she has been working in the public service since 2003, and every department she has worked in, it has been her habit to decorate at Independence, Christmas and any other occasion that warrants it.

“I am very patriotic. If you go on my Facebook page, every year you would see I have a new dress,” she explained.

“What I normally do, from the beginning of October, I would wear my colours the whole month. It might be a blue skirt, a yellow vest, a green jacket – and then the last week, I wear everything together.”

She further elaborated that although High Court regulations stipulate that she wear “sober” colours while in court, she successfully requested of presiding judge Kathy-Ann Waterman-Latchoo that she be allowed to wear the national colours for the week leading up to Independence.

“So, from last Monday, I wore all the colours for the entire week!”

However, on Independence Day itself, John-Simon says that she wears white when she attends the Independence Parade at Victoria Park – allowing others to have their moment to “shine” in national wear.

The Campden Park resident said that being Vincentian fills her with pride, and has become so heavily entrenched in who she is that she can’t imagine herself living or being from anywhere else.

“It’s just our heritage and the things that are unique to us,” she pointed out. “I grew up in Barbados, but if I go to Barbados [now], I will speak our dialect… Everywhere I go, they have to know I’m from St Vincent!

“I am so happy I was born right here.”

John-Simon also said that the majority of her relatives live overseas, and when she visits them, they try to persuade her to emigrate from SVG.

“No!” she emphasized. “There is no place like home. I can’t do Christmas outside of St Vincent; I have to be home. And don’t talk about Carnival!”

John-Simon further explained that she is very active in local Carnival, and recently became the treasurer for Lynx Mas Band.

“I’m taking a more responsible role this time,” she enthused.

Decorations at the High Court Registry Office included swaths of cloth in national colours, a mannequin sporting one of the patriotic outfits that John-Simon made and wore previously for Independence month, a national heritage corner displaying locally made items, and a 36th anniversary wall banner.

She also promised that next year, she intends to be more elaborate in both her attire and the office decorations.

“Next year, I’m doing it like a boss – bigger and better!” (JSV)