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Former Jamaican Prime Minister Hugh Shearer’s Birthplace To Be Declared A Heritage Site

Minister of Culture, Gender Entertainment and Sport, Olivia Grange, addressing the congregation during the National Heritage Week Thanksgiving Church Service at the William Knibb Memorial Baptist Church in Falmouth, Trelawny, on Sunday (October 18). Photo credit: Okoye Henry/JIS.

Former Jamaican Prime Minister Hugh Shearer’s Birthplace To Be Declared A Heritage Site

TRELAWNY, Jamaica (Tuesday, October 20, 2020) — Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, Olivia Grange, announced that the birthplace of the late former Prime Minister, Hugh Lawson Shearer, in Martha Brae, Trelawny, is to be declared a heritage site.

Additionally, she disclosed that the family house in the community, in which he grew, is to be restored.

The Culture Minister was speaking during the National Heritage Week Thanksgiving Church Service, at the William Knibb Memorial Baptist Church in Falmouth, Trelawny, last Sunday.

Among the dignitaries attending the service were: Minister of National Security, Dr. Horace Chang, who represented Prime Minister, Andrew Holness; State Minister in the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport. Alando Terrelonge; Speaker of the House of the Representatives, Marisa Dalrymple-Philibert; North Trelawny Member of Parliament, Tova Hamilton; and Senator Janice Allen, who represented Opposition Leader, Dr. Peter Phillips.

Grange also announced that a life-sized statue of decorated Jamaican Olympian, Usain Bolt, will be erected in the historic town of Falmouth in December 2020.

“It is my pleasure to say to you… that his (Usain Bolt’s) statue is ready to be erected here in the town…. [and] this is a gift to the parish of Trelawny,” the Minister stated.

Sculptures of Bolt and fellow Olympians and athletes – Shelly Ann Fraser Pryce, Veronica Campbell Brown, and Asafa Powell — have been erected in Statue Park at the National Stadium in Kingston.

A section of the congregation taking part in the National Heritage Week Thanksgiving Church Service. Photo credit: Okoye Henry/JIS.

A section of the congregation taking part in the National Heritage Week Thanksgiving Church Service. Photo credit: Okoye Henry/JIS.

Minister Grange further advised that Troy Primary School in Trelawny will, in short order, be renamed the Veronica Campbell Brown Primary School, in tribute to the athlete.

She noted that Trelawny, which is currently celebrating 250 years as a parish, has contributed significantly to Jamaica’s cultural diversity and development.

The Minister pointed out that Trelawny is the third largest supplier of domestic agricultural products, and provides the perfect environment that the upcoming generation needs to flourish.

“Trelawny boasts an inspiring history of resilience, dating back to its inception in the 17th century. This parish has given so much to Jamaica,” Grange said.

National Heritage Week 2020 is being observed under the theme ‘Celebrating a Heritage of Resilience and Pride’.

Against this background, Mayor of Falmouth, Councillor Colin Gager, implored citizens of Trelawny and, by extension, Jamaica, to adopt a unified approach that will enable the nation to overcome its challenges.

“We must be our brothers’ keepers, instead of tearing down each other. We must seek to uplift those, who are weak, and protect the vulnerable, as we celebrate our heroes and bask in the milestone of 250 years as a parish. Let us embrace our past and, with resilience and pride, embrace the future,” Councillor Gager urged.

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