 Mr. Francis Percival MacDonald, for contribution to community service development and outreach programs towards alleviating poverty. Mr. Francis Percival MacDonald is described as a living example of an exemplary citizen who has devoted his life to serving and helping others, particularly the less fortunate. He is a community activist who hails from the community of Souffre and who has pioneered several initiatives that have been to the benefit of his community. Mr. MacDonald served as a Eucharistic Minister of the Church in Souffre from 1988 to 2013, where he was the lead organizer for many of the parish bazaars used to raise funds for the less fortunate within the community of Souffre and its environs. He is also the Chairman of the St. Vincent de Paul Society, where he served for 25 years. He established a soup kitchen in Souffre from 2012, where warm meals were delivered to the less fortunate within the community three times a week. This kitchen now serves three meals per day, seven days a week, to over 60 individuals with the assistance of many donors. Even those who are disabled and unable to get to the location are cared for. Mr. MacDonald served as Vice Chairman and Chairman of the Souffre Regional Foundation from 1997 to 2004 and as Chairman of the Souffre Marine Management Authority from 2000 to 2008. For contribution to community service, development and outreach programs towards alleviating poverty, Mr. Francis Percival MacDonald is being awarded the Commander of the British Empire Medal. Investiture of the Officer of the British Empire Medal, OBE, Mrs. Jacqueline Louise Vite. For contribution to community service, development and outreach programs towards alleviating poverty, Mrs. Jacqueline Louise Vite is a graduate of the University of the West Indies Cave Hill campus and holds a master's degree in business administration, majoring in human resource management. She is the Director of Human Resources at Cox & Company Ltd. Her decision to pursue a career in human resource management was fueled by her desire to assist and develop people and create an equitable and enabling work environment. Mrs. Vite is an active member, is active in her home community of Marsha, enhancing the quality of life of the people within that community. She serves on the Castries East Disaster Management Committee, NEMO, and on the Board of St. Lucy's Home. She has been the main planner for the annual fundraising dinner, which was established to help pay staff and maintain the St. Lucy's Home. From this project, the Home has successfully achieved the financial goal of approximately $40,000 each year. She has been a member of the Marsha Catholic Choir from the age of nine. Further, she has been part of the Church's liturgy for the past 16 years and has served as President of the Parish Council. She is the Youth Advisor for the Marsha Parish, providing guidance and mentorship to young people in the community and helping them plan and execute their projects. Additionally, for the past 10 years, she has been part of the organized summer workshops in the Marsha and Grozny communities, volunteering her time to prepare young people for the working world. Approximately 250 youngsters have benefited from this initiative. Assisting the elderly of this nation is another of her passions. She serves on the Justin Foundation Board, as well as on the HR and Health Committees. She also serves on the HR Committee of the Montenegro Patrick Anthony Folk Research Center, and she's a member of the St. Lucia National Trust. Mrs. Vite is the first female president to be elected in the Kiwanis Club of Castries, an organization that was predominantly male for over 30 years. She held the post of president for four consecutive years, 2014 to 2018. During her tenure, she was awarded distinguished status each year by Kiwanis International, the highest award bestowed on a president for extraordinary community work done in their country. On Independence Day 2017, Ms. Vite was instrumental in arranging the donation of care packages for all babies born on that day at both major hospitals. Expectant mothers who attended the clinic at the Jackmill Health Center were also recipients of these care packages. Most of Ms. Vite's life has been dedicated to volunteering, and she has given much service, especially to the less fortunate and to young people. She's convinced that service and volunteering are embedded in her DNE. For contribution to community service development and outreach programs towards alleviating poverty, Mrs. Jacqueline Louise Vite is awarded the Office of the British Empire Medal. Investiture of members of the Civil Division of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, MBE. Mr. Peterson-Charles. Mr. Peterson-Charles is a career farmer with decades of experience, especially in the cultivation of bananas. A dedicated member of the St. Lucia National Fair Trade Organization, he served as vice chairman of the Kako Vige Fair Trade Group for 12 years. Mr. Charles also served on the executive of the National Farmers and General Workers Cooperative Credit Union as a director and on the supervisory committee during the years 2011 to 2015. He worked with the Banana Productivity Improvement Project and with farmers, ensuring that their fields were treated on time to combat the deadly Black Sigatoka disease. Mr. Charles is also a community activist, heading the vibrant Piero Mothers and Fathers Group and serving the community through his involvement and support in sports and community organizations for over 30 years. For service to the community, Mr. Peterson-Charles is being awarded the Member of the British Empire Medal. Dr. Hilda Rosemary Husband's Mathre for National Public and Community Service. Dr. Hilda Rosemary Husband's Mathre is an educator, leader, and pioneering community activist. She graduated from the University of the West Indies where she obtained a BSc Honours Degree in Natural Sciences and from the University of Sussex in the United Kingdom where she obtained a Masters of Arts in Teacher Education and a Ph.D. in Education Management. She started her teaching career in 1976 at the Castry's Comprehensive Secondary School and Secondary Teacher and retired from the South Louis Community College, Division of Teacher Education and Education Administration in 2006. In September 2006, she founded a school for children with learning difficulties who have been homeschooled called the Educator Learning Centre. She was the first female elected to the post of President of the Senate in 2007 and was appointed Speaker of the House of Assembly in November 2008. She is presently the Parliamentary Commissioner on Budsman for Public Sector Administration, a member of the National Staring Committee on Human Rights, a member of the National Staring Committee for the Small Grants Programme of the UNDP Global Environment Facility, and she is presently serving as the President of the Caribbean Association of Ombudsman of the Region and Latin America. For many years, Dr. Husband's Mathra conducted reading summer camps in the Grand Revere community with student teachers from the Teacher's College for children with reading difficulties. With the assistance of Drs. Remy and Suraj, she was able to organize examinations of sight and hearing and assist with eyeglasses and hearing aids through this program. Since 2010, Dr. Husband's Mathra has chaired an Interfaith Committee which organized national days of prayer for independence and national day celebrations, and this committee continued to develop strategies for engendering peace in our nation. This committee further developed a Code of Ethics for Parliamentarians during a general election campaign which was presented to the House of Assembly and signed by both ruling and opposition parties. Following the passage of Hurricane Maria and its devastating impact on the island of Dominica, Dr. Husband's Mathras perheaded an initiative designed to accommodate expectant mothers from Dominica for delivery during the months of October to December 2017. She also provided support for infants with supplies of baby milk, formula, items of clothing and other baby needs. She was the brain behind a non-for-profit organization supplying about 30 families every month with some basic needs and delivering hot meals to homes once a month. She is an active and vibrant church leader with a passion for music, singing, youth activities and cultural activities. She served as head of the Liturgical Commission of the Archdiocese. She and her husband have begun a ministry dedicated to building family life, working with ministries of different faiths in conducting workshops and seminars for dating couples, unmarried couples with children and married couples. For national, public and community service, Dr. Hilda Rosemary Husband's Mathras is being awarded the member of the British Empire Medal. Sister Marie Bridget Saincroix MBE for service to the community. Sister Marie Bridget Saincroix attended the Avamaria Girls School and the St. Joseph's School where she developed a passion for helping people and for community service. In 1968, she attended nursing school which was located at the Victoria Hospital. In 1970, she joined the fight against Malaysia in St. Lucia under the Rockefeller Foundation. In 1972, she then completed her education in Midwifery. Due to her position as a midwife, she was promoted to the district in 1974. She has served the communities of Tirochet-Castries, Mongolian Shrizel and Cavary Hill Viewfort. She was promoted to ward sister in 1980 and later she became the manager of the maternity ward at the Victoria Hospital. Her passion, dedication, experience and knowledge of nursing and midwifery gained her another promotion in 1985 to departmental sister at the Victoria Hospital. She then managed the obstetrics and gynecology wards. However, there were occasions especially on the night shift where she managed the entire hospital. Her training continued in 1989 when she worked and studied at the hospital center, University of Fort de France in Martinique. Sister St. Croix retired in 2001 after years of exceptional service in the field of gynecology and obstetrics at the Victoria Hospital. However, in 2006, she was recalled to active nursing and to impart her knowledge further at the Victoria Hospital. In April 2007, Sister St. Croix received a further call to serve her country. She had the distinct honor of privately nursing the father of the nation, Sir John George Melvin Compton during his illness. Thereafter, she returned to her previous position at the Victoria Hospital and accepted the task of managing the gynecology outpatients clinic and the oncology outpatient clinic at the hospital until 2011, where she finally left the nursing profession at the age of 65 years. Sister St. Croix has given 43 years of service to St. Lucia in the field of nursing. She has also served as a counselor on the Cassie's constituency council from 2006 to 2011. Currently, Sister St. Croix still renders medical advice to members of the community. She still enjoys nursing family and close friends as needed. She enjoys feeding the poor and serving her community in any way possible. For service to community, Sister Marie Bridget St. Croix is being awarded the member of the British Empire Medal. Investiture of the British Empire Medal Civil Division, BEM. We have three awardees, but only one is here to receive. The three awardees are Mrs. Marie Zeta-Selis, Mr. John Ince, and with us today is Mr. Louis Delayon. Mr. Delayon will receive the award for contribution to community, infrastructural service, and development. Mr. Louis Delayon, better known as Amigo, started his early education at the Larissus Primary School in Dennery, but dropped out to work in the garden and bakery owned by his mother. As a hard-working young man with demonstrated potential, he got the opportunity to migrate to Curacao in 1948, where he joined the Shell Storage Facilities Company as a pick and shovel attendant. Within a year of working with the company, he was promoted to the mechanical workshop as a cleaner, where he learned quickly and became a self-taught mechanic. He remained as an assistant mechanic for six months and was transferred to the crane department as an operator, where he remained for about 20 years during the construction of the Shell Refinery in Curacao. Mr. Delayon returned to St. Lucia in 1964 and took up a job as a mechanic, operator, and driver for the government funding scheme in St. Lucia. While there, he was part of the team that built several infrastructural projects, including the bridge in downtown Castries, Key Bridge, the Rosa Bridge, and also the removal of railway tracks and straightening up of the Rosa River. He returned to Curacao in 1968 and joined Anne A. Bramsome as a construction operator and worked his way to the position of supervisor by his last year. He then joined Hess Oils in St. Croix, operating the cranes during the construction of the oil refinery. He returned to St. Lucia in 1977 as an equipment instructor and superintendent with Hess Oils to train employees as crane operators. On completion of this role with Hess, he joined the C. O. Williams operations in St. Lucia, during which time he worked on a number of key projects, including the extension of the VG Airport 300 feet runway. Mr. Delayon was responsible for training many young crane operators in the construction industry in St. Lucia. He has remained active in his community, contributing in various ways to the development of his country. For contribution to community, infrastructural service, and development, Mr. Louis Delayon is being awarded the British Empire Medal Civil Division. Thank you. His Excellency, Mrs. Natalie Jolie-Fannes, and Ms. Adeline Alexander. Let us all give another round of applause to our recipients here today. I now have the honor of inviting the Honorable Philip J Pierre, Prime Minister of St. Lucia, to deliver the closing remarks. I thought I deserved a bigger round of applause. Let me recognize the Excellency, Mr. Errol Charles and Mrs. Charles, Governor-General, the Emeritus in Pulet-Louise. Members of the Cabinet of St. Lucia, I see the Honorable Senior Minister Stevenson King, the Honorable Moses Shabbatis, and the Honorable Dr. Piot, other members of the diplomatic corps, President of the Senate, ladies and gentlemen, awardees. Good afternoon. I find the air here very subdued. I wondered what happened. I expected it to be an air of jubilation, but everybody seems very subdued. I guess the aftermath of carnival, and I'm sure no one wants to offend his grace, the Archbishop, and by mistake, think they're on the wall. But let me recognize his grace, Archbishop, and the awardees and honorees here this afternoon. In a very special way, I feel very proud, to the very proud of the people who are being awarded or being honored this afternoon, particularly Mr. Poussival Magnoir. I'll give you a story about Poussie. I was a young minister in 1997, and in those days, ministers drove themselves. So, my first day in office, I drove myself to work, and I saw a guy waiting for me by the corner of the car park, and he says, are you the minister? I said, yes. He says, you can park there. So, I reversed and I parked, and I came out and he said, good morning. I am Poussival Magnoir. I am the poorman secretary. He says, your office is up there. I'll take you there, and you can do, you are right now, you are in an environment where you can only change three people. You can fire me or change me, that's him, and the cleaner and the office assistant. And apart from that, everybody else, you have to work with them. These were his instructions to me, and he said to me, one thing, you must read your flimsies. Your flimsies is a document, all correspondence before we were in the computer age, all correspondence used to go in a document called the flimsies. So Poussival Magnoir must read my flimsies. And Poussival Magnoir was my poorman secretary. He always said to me, minister, that is what these are things you can do, this, that, that. Now choose whichever you want, but if you choose one that is breaking the law, I will tell you that you're breaking the law. And if you insist in doing it, I will tell you to instruct me. Poussival Magnoir always says that to me, he says, I will tell you to instruct me, if you want me to do something that I figure should not be done, and you instruct me, I write on the letter, I have been instructed. And, you know, these are the kind of, of public servants, or the kind of public servant that Poussival Magnoir was. You never knew. I mean, it was 1997 and all of us were young and rock stars and such. And you never knew what is Poussie's political agendas, never. I remember there was a guy working in the office who was the postal assistant to, to the, the former minister and Poussie says to me, you know, his name and he was Mr. Lanzico's postal assistant. That's all he said to me. He didn't say keep him. He didn't say, he says all, and he stopped there, you know. Then there was another lady who was a cleaner. And then the Sunday before the elections, we were driving somewhere in Bishop's Gap. And the lady opened the door and saw me there. And she said something that was what I would not say in public. So the next, when I went back in the office, I saw her there. So Poussie says to me, she is the cleaner. So you could do whatever you want, sir. Poussie. I said, I'll keep her there, but make sure she doesn't make coffee for me. I said, I really have very, very fond memories of Poussie. And Louise is in my church. Why go every Sunday? She calls me. And when I'm late, she says to me, you're late. Why were you late? And Louise always says to me about what's happening at church and what I should do and gives me lectures on all kinds of things. I'm very happy to see Louise being honored today. Mr. Charles is a farmer of good repute. Again, a very community-based person. I'm happy to see Dr. Rosemary's husband. Dr. Husband, again, always advises me whether solicited or not, always advises me. Sometimes I don't agree for, sometimes I'm going to tell a manga business. But I always accept it. I always accept what she says. Then Nus Senkwa. Nus Senkwa called with me once or twice already. She knows why. But Nus Senkwa was always a real professional. And Nus, a serious professional. And even though sometimes we disagreed on certain things, Nus Senkwa never allowed her beliefs to interfere with her professionalism. Never allowed it. So, very happy that Nus Senkwa has been honored today. Congratulations, Nus Senkwa. And Mr. Amigo. I remember Amigo as a young man. Amigo used to live here. And there was a drinking, a drinking, a rum shop, language, you know. I tried to be, I tried to be officious, drinking place, a rum shop. There was a rum shop just by the bridge. And when Amigo left work, he used to go in his rum shop and take a drink or two, what happened after, I wouldn't say. But Amigo again, professional, did his work, always did his work. And I know that he was responsible for a lot of the work that went over at his. So, it's a very, it's a very diverse group of people here with great talents. All have contributed to the well-being of Nus Senkwa. And in spite of what some people may think, I'm very, I'm very proud of St. Lucia. I'm very proud of our country. I'm very proud of all our country does. We have our faults. We are not perfect, but we have guidance. We can be guided and we accept guidance. We accept guidance from people who have gone there before us, people of the experience, who have the knowledge. And we accept that guidance. We are not arrogant to say we can't accept guidance and we can't accept. We are not perfect. We make errors. We need, we make mistakes and we accept our errors. But what do you want to do? We want to have a better St. Lucia. We want to have a St. Lucia where each man and woman can make a contribution to this country. And this is all we want, a better St. Lucia. A St. Lucia where the people come first, a much better St. Lucia. And these individuals have contributed to a better St. Lucia. They are an example of how we as a nation can produce people. We as a nation can do things, can excel. I want to thank them for the service to St. Lucia. I want to thank your excellency for hosting us here this afternoon. And Mrs. Farnes and the assistant department secretary and the staff of Government House for hosting us this afternoon. Thank you very much. I hope that when you start, when you drink a drink of wine, you can be a little, you can be a little lighter. I think we should, it's a time for, for celebration. It's time for us to have, to have a nice time. And thank you very much and congratulations. Thank you, Prime Minister. The Excellencies, Prime Minister of St. Lucia, members of Parliament, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, thank you all for taking the time to celebrate with us, the investiture of the recipients into the most excellent order of the British Empire. And we invite you to partake in the refreshments which will be served after the National Anthem has been played. The recipients are kindly asked to remain here for a short while with the Prime Minister and the Acting Governor-General for the, for the group photographs. Ladies and gentlemen, can we please stand for the National Anthem of St. Lucia?