Our Readers' Opinions
June 18, 2004
How can I say thanks?

EDITOR: It is so easy for you to take all the credit for your accomplishments; creating a self-contained fallacy that you are an island, self-sufficient. It is also easy for the wrong people to take such credit, even if they did not have anything to do with your achievement.
I have been a serving member of the Royal St. Vincent and the Grenadines Police Force for the past nine years, ten months and 14 days which came to a pre-determined end at 10:00 a.m., on May 20, 2004. {{more}} I must say that the past nine plus years have been filled with many colourful personal accomplishments for me. It was a fruitful and rewarding experience, which I am going to attempt to do again, unfortunately in another country.
I have been very blessed as a police officer in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, to be placed in a working environment where a family network was recreated. I was fortunate to have had big brothers in the persons of Cpl. Walter Ballantyne and Sgt. Noel Patterson (both of whom took early retirement) who were there to look out for me and ensure that I stayed on board. Fathers like inspectors Nicholas Dougan (Ret.), Adam Billingy and Sgt. Earl Pope who exhibited confidence in my ability and provided the opportunity for me to grow and develop as a police officer. (Ret.) Inspector Norman Cuffy, S.Sgt Calbert Straker and Sgt. Adolphus Delpleach: these gentlemen allowed me to drink freely from their fountain of police knowledge.
To all my police brothers and sisters who supported me and aided my growth in any way – thank you.
As a police, I have had many manufactured problems that provided many rewarding experiences. These problems were aimed at my desecrated downfall. All those who had planned, created and provided obstacles, stumbling blocks or in any way tried to discredit me, have only helped to make me smarter, sharper, wiser and stronger.
You reminded me that this Bottom Town boy had to put ten times the effort in his work and in keeping his nose clean as the next person in order to be recognized with a “but”. It was a task I was willing and able to get done. You have also managed to reinforce certain values and beliefs I had in myself and in my ability. In so doing, you have contributed to the most important aspect of my growth and development; that is my character, Allan the person. To all who fall in this category, I sincerely and honestly thank you.
To all those who had taken me into their homes, their hearts, their confidence and trusted me with their problems, cares and concerns, thank you for making me feel useful, wanted, appreciated and most of all, allowing me to touch your life. This in itself gave my life meaning and sense of purpose.

Allan Palmer