 Ladies and gentlemen, please stand for the arrival of His Excellency Mr. Cyril Errol-Charles, acting Governor-General of St. Lucia. We remain standing for the National Anthem of St. Lucia. We will now be led to recite the National Pledge by members of the SALCC Interact Club. I would like to please invite everyone to place their right hand on their chest as we get ready to recite the National Pledge. With God as my guide, I pledge allegiance to my country St. Lucia. I proclaim that I will serve my country with pride and dignity and will defend it with vigor and valor in the pursuit of excellence, justice and equality for all. Thank you so much, students, and let us now raise to the skies our ceremony this morning. Ms. Deborah De Law, Administrative Assistant at South Lewis, will lead us in praise. Good morning. Sign yourself, those in need too, please. Dear Lord and Savior, we are grateful this day for the breath of life that you are supplying and as such we humbly bow in your holy presence. As we gather here today in celebration of the legacy of our two Nobel Laureates, Sir William Arthur Lewis and Sir Derek Walcott, we lift up their family, friends and loved ones, and by extension, all solutions to you. We also pray for the family and loved ones of our beloved past principal, Sir Lytton F. Thomas, who was a stalwart of a leader, a generous and kind man, who has now joined the rounds of the greats who've gone to the beyond. We ask, Lord, for your continued guidance and direction for our lives and that of the leadership of the Sir Arthur Lewis Community College. We may plan, but it is you who disposes that will. Merciful Savior, while there is a lot about our little island to lament, there is also much that we can celebrate and boast about. We thank you for this. We are indeed honoured that we can continue to share in the legacy of our Laureates and Sir Thomas. May we emulate the good characteristics and habits that served as an impetus for their exploits. We pray that excellence will be our way of life as fellow Saint Lucians. But Lord, we cannot do it without you, for you are the giver of life, the giver of gifts and talents, the giver of wisdom and of blessings. You are provider, sustainer and the greatest inspirer. Please inspire us to do great things. But in our greatness, Lord, teach us to be humble, to have positive attitudes and if we should boast, may it be in you. Help us to be mindful always of your existence and that with you all things are possible. This and other mercies we ask in the name of your only Son Jesus. Amen. And the congregation says, amen. Thank you and be seated. I think that prayer really deserved a big amen. It put us in the spirit of what we are here to do. Before I get into my welcome remarks, I would like to recognise the presence of His Excellency, Mr. Cyril Erol Charles, Acting Governor-General of Saint Lucia, Her Excellency, Dame Prolette-Louise, Governor-General Emerita and the Chairperson of the Nobel Laureate Festival Committee, Members of Parliament may be present, Honourable Dr. Pauline Antoine Prosper, Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of Education, Sustainable Development, Innovation, Science, Technology and Vocational Training. Members of the Diplomatic Corps and please allow me to recognise two of our strongest supporters, Ambassador Life Escalona from Venezuela and Ambassador Peter Chen from Taiwan, who are really good friends of the South Lewis Community College. Monsignor, Honourable Dr. Patrick Anthony, our featured speaker today. Mr. Cletus Springer, Chairman of the Board of Governors of the South Lewis Community College and other members of the Board. Dr. Marjorie Jameson-Charles, Principal of the South Lewis Community College, Vice-Principals, Dr. Meryl Sinclair-Odevis and Dr. Winston Folgens, Managers, Staff and Students of the College. Sir Vaughan Lewis and Lady Shirley, who represent the Lewis family every year. Ms. Sigrid Namo, widow of Sir Derek, representing the Walcott family and other friends and family of Sir Derek Walcott. Ms. Beverly Josie, former Registrar of the South Lewis Community College, representing the St. Lucian community and she oversaw the ceremony for I think the number of years that it was held here so we are so happy to have her in that capacity, please. Members of the National Nobel Laureate Committee who are present, other specially invited guests, ladies and gentlemen, it is so great to see you here. We will begin our ceremony with a melodious rendition from our choir led by Ms. Alra Omi and you can join in singing you are my all-in-all found in your booklets. The treasure that I see, precious jewel, Lord to give up, I'd be your cross, my shame, rising again, I bless your... Another amen for this rendition. The showers of blessing have us here for this partly solemn occasion but partly celebration of the lives of our two Nobel Laureates. On behalf of the South Lewis Community College and the National Nobel Laureate Committee, it is my pleasure to welcome you here to this wreath-laying ceremony which for the first time this year, we are not the only ones who can participate but we are live streaming to a wider audience and we want to take the opportunity to welcome them to this ceremony as well where we honour and celebrate the lives of our two Nobel Laureates who have placed us on the map, who have brought global recognition to St. Lucia but who have also set a legacy for us to follow, one of excellence. And as we work to deal with the showers of blessing and the bipolar weather that we have been having, partly maybe due to climate change which Dr. Fletcher chose not to address last night and maybe he should have to give an explanation of this phenomenon that we are going through right now. I want to remind you of the theme for this year, 2024 Nobel Laureate Festival, celebrating excellence, inspiring our collective imagination, fostering national pride. And I'm sure our speaker today will dissect the theme but I really hope this resonates with us that the core of the theme always is celebrating excellence and we celebrated by our actions as well. I think that came out last night as well. And we see our imagination, our collective imagination coming through in so many different ways and I hope you can join us this afternoon to see our young people portray that and the national pride takes a leap and we see the result. So officially welcome to this ceremony. It is a short ceremony. Let me just tell you that after our featured speaker presents on our laureates we will be laying wreaths at the gravesites of both Sir Arthur Lewis and Sir Derek Walcott and that will be done by members of his family, accompanied by members of the college community and our wider community as well. So with these words I now invite Ms Monique Anthony, Deputy Chair of or coordinator of our ITS unit to introduce our featured speaker. Please welcome Ms Anthony. Good day everyone. Adopting the protocol as already established. Monsignor the Honorable Doctor Patrick Parber Anthony ordained in 1972 as a renowned St. Lucian cultural figure. He founded the Folk Research Center now carrying his name in 1973 advocating for the inclusion of the Creole language and Caribbean elements in church services. His efforts led to the creation of Juner Creole in 1984. Now a national celebration. Elevated to Monsignor in 1984 he has actively addressed social issues. With a master's in theology from the University of Chicago and a doctorate in English literature from the University of the West Indies he received the St. Lucia Cross in the year 2000. The Queens Diamond Jubilee Medal in the year 2012 and was named a national cultural hero in 2013. In November 2023 he was awarded an honorary degree from the University of the West Indies. I should say an honorary doctorate degree. Described by the extinguished orator Mrs Leslie Crane Mitchell as a distinguished servant leader leaving an indelible mark on the Catholic Church and the entire Caribbean diaspora we welcome our featured speaker Monsignor the Honourable Dr Patrick Parber Antony. You know she is. The protocol established recognising its excellence here and all others you know it's I was just saying to Sigrid when I was thinking of this address today I thought of the day that Derek died and I've been working on a piece the day Derek died and it begins like this the day Derek died it rained and there it is it's raining not the kind of rain of which he rode to here waking at night the rain driving its nails into the ground into his hands no not that kind of rain not a kind of rain that brings dreaded premonitions like when Harry died on such say such days he says when the postman's bicycle was dryly like a locus that brings rain I dread my premonitions today we are guarded at a time when as McDonnell Dixon reminds us a new kind of rain is falling from our skies boring from metal devouring flesh banana leaves proud heraldic emblems wave contradicting fury tumbling from the skies nothing is this hopeless cause we fight with tooth and nails our hopes and futures consciously suspended it's a different kind of rain you see for today there are monsters cloved in human flesh with a hole in the space meant for a heart who slaughtered so viciously that even walls complain of too much blood as Palestinian poet Nasser Ab who should know explains in those days we didn't pay attention to the complaints of the walls so much blood was on them who cares about the walls that complain one morning we didn't find homes just heaps of red words spied like dirty clothes on sidewalk no one cares about them today we gather less we forget today we gather to remember because we care you see we are here on a mountain where rivulets of blood have flowed and murderers of yesterday have left us monuments of atrocity like in the Skilling Monument in memory of a vicious battle fought but those who savagely fought for fair helen that was so valuable up to this day Britain's black debt remains unpaid and how Britain and Europe underdeveloped Caribbean is still not officially acknowledged I'm sounding serious yes you see because the walls of Khmer barracks barrack A technical school barrack B barrack C the college still remember the blood even if those walls no longer complain however we do remember for the French and English cemeteries and not too far from here since 1782 the buried major generals David Stewart 1829 major general George Mackey 1831 major general Ferguson 1834 Sir Harry Thompson 1902 not too far from here what am I saying I'm saying that here this mountain has been a mountain of battles blood and there it reminds us that those wars and battles were real wars but we now must change this mountain into a mountain of excellence where we celebrate woundless wars as Lowes and Magritte with wooden swords it says what would our scarred earth could contain so sweet of violence flowers fighting to remain not enemies but friends that's the battle and as we gather here we hope that those walls will no longer remember and complain about blood from those walls to radiate the excellence of our students our theme is inspiring our collective imagination fostering national pride here lies the remains of Sir Arthur Lewis on this mountain we said when Derek died this should be the place where all our heroes our national heroes are buried and when we suggested that Derek should be buried in what is now called the square we thought no Sir Arthur Lewis is already here Sir Ira Simmons do you know where he is? he's here, yes he's here Sir Ira Simmons, yes so we already have a son here and now we have Sir Arthur here and we felt it appropriate that we should have Sir Derek there but not only Sir Derek but all those icons Sir Leaton should really be here should be here and we have been pushing to make this place transform the history of this mount of violence into the mount of excellence and achievement Sigi has a little project which we've been pushing Jali Mudevik has prepared a headstone a headstone of Derek Walcott it's a headstone in which we can see the image of Derek but there are sheets of paper on which we can put all his beautiful poems I carry a small cemetery in my head which you can see from here all of those, we can see it whom there's battles we can put them here it costs only $150,000 to do you know how much one of the missiles that is part of the defense of some of our countries one missile cost it can buy us several headstones but yet still those countries that have exploited the Caribbean including this nation will not even acknowledge the debt and so publicly today I challenge Europe all those who are representing Europe help us as we try to lift up elevate this place and transform the memory of this place from a memory of violence into a memory of excellence and let us put Derek's headstone there you can write a check and send it to us and Jali Mudevik will put it there first tomorrow you see, here every day tourists come and they come to see what? monuments or battles that's a nice way of putting it Israeli monuments or atrocities I read the account of the Innist killing battle well, Winston can tell you the writer himself who was in the battle talks about the barbarity the number of the head this is what this place has been however through the imagination talk about collective imagination through the creativity and imagination of Rwanda Francois and others like that this place has been transformed into what we are only beginning to see this place is like a flower beginning to blossom the petals are only now unfolding hey, hello, wait this place can radiate into such an ecstasy of excellence for Saint Lucia and this is why we want to lord all those who have dreamt of transforming the history of this place into a history of excellence for Saint Lucia and we say to those who are reluctant come and dream with us because our young people are coming here they are coming here and we want to inspire them when they come here because what you are offering does not inspire them we have a battle in which the minds of our young people are being challenged by such false values and attitudes and ideas but here we have the opportunity to truly elevate them so that they can join that legacy of achievement of Saint Lucia and so while the rain falls we pray that it will no longer be what Dixon says a different kind of rain but it will be the rain that we are accustomed to the blessings of God that have soaked this land that despite the savagery and the butchery human beings of compassion understanding love people of our hearts have emerged from this land as we see a world today that is increasingly becoming less human may the students of this complex have to promote a new humanity may we teach the world what it is to be a people of heart a people of joy a people of love a people of togetherness let us celebrate as our flower festivals continue to celebrate let us celebrate what we are Lucia's friends we thank God for the legacy of Seaffa and Cedric and we look forward to many Aleutians who will one day grace those beautiful lones our heroes back thank you thank you so much Paver as your legacy to lives on and as our laureates battle with and theories we pledge to keep here a mountain of excellence where we celebrate woundless wars thank you so much Paver let me invite the chair of the board to make a presentation in thanks to Paver a round of applause again for I was very inspired I must say so Paver has done so much work and I really hope that someone continues to build on the work that Paver has done I don't think we should expect much more from Paver but we need to build on his legacy so as we celebrate excellence we do have a theme song and we are so proud that it was spent by our own lecturer here at Sartre de Wis community college Mrs. Elra Ome Glasgow and we invite her now to perform you can be next please welcome her pleasant good morning to everyone let's celebrate excellence yeah oh yes we come from smallness yet still we achieve greatness just look at Sir Arthur Lewis just look at Sir Derek Wolcott oh yes they set the example and showed showed us it is possible for us in ocean's work to be deserving of the highest highest recognition Lewis made us proud a pioneer was he developing our small economy give us the cure for poverty I know it's not money it's knowledge that will elevate this country oh yes we come from smallness yet still we achieve greatness just look at Sir Arthur Lewis just look at Sir Derek Wolcott oh yes they set the example and showed showed us it is possible for us in ocean's work to be deserving of the highest highest recognition doesn't a field of literature Sir Derek Wolcott made his mark he's a great creator lover of the arts rich history and doubtful our people and our culture inspire the works of oh yes we come from smallness just look at Sir Derek Wolcott oh yes they set the example and showed showed us it is possible for us in ocean's work to be deserving you can be next try for excellence in all you do you can be next try for excellence in all you do yeah so we're celebrating excellence and this is also a portrait of excellence in her own way and with our parliamentary secretary in education here I want to challenge that every primary school child knows that song because it tells the story of the Nobel laureates in song something that they can relate to let us do those things the simple things Mrs. Elra Ome Glasgow we appreciate you, we love you the Sir Arthur Lewis community college would like to present a small token needs to be something you know more symbolic but every yes since she has written the song she performs it at every event you don't have to ask her twice before you ask her she's there her music there, her words there, the lyrics there I know the whole song by heart now it's the small things I really appreciate you, a soloist since she was what age Elra my mother's bell wow mentored by our late great Joyce O'Gee's somebody else that we need to recognize thank you for continuing that legacy that's how we do it at Sir Arthur Lewis community college with a chair like Tracy Bill George you know what I mean, if you know you know so we come from this high and like I say it's a mix of celebration and calamity we come from this high to remember another great one who was again located right here ladies and gentlemen we lost Soliton Thomas in the middle of last week and we want to take this opportunity to pay tribute to him and to remember him today and also before his burial we will do something here at the college but at this time I would like to invite the chair of the Board of Governors of the Sir Arthur Lewis Community College Mr. Cletus Springer to pay tribute to Soliton Thomas thank you and good morning everybody Governor General what a call already established Soliton Felix Thomas I knew him all those years and I never knew him as Felix 1926 to 2024 the Board of Governors Principal Management Faculty and Staff and students of the Sir Arthur Lewis Community College received a deep sorrow news of the passing of Soliton Thomas on Wednesday the 17th of January 2024 Soliton served as the first principal of our college from 1987 to 1995 he assumed the Principalship to nearly 50 years of Distinguished Public Service including 14 years as a teacher and as a teacher trainer 4 years as an Inspector of Schools 11 years as Chief Education Officer and 7 years as an International Civil Servant working exclusively in the education sector Soliton drew on this rich and varied experience to set the foundational policies, strategies, procedures and regulations that continue to support our college support its organizational structure as well as the expansion of teaching and learning programs Soliton's vast and imposing legacy as principal included the establishment of the college's Viewford campus a substantial increase in scholarships to enable more teachers to pursue higher education overseas attractive salaries and compensation packages to support the recruitment and retention of talented faculty and staff and the delivery of adult education programs that help to give our college its community character in addition to his immense contribution to the growth and development of our college we acknowledge with sincere appreciation Soliton's transformational leadership of our country's educational sector he presided over the steady expansion of the school system particularly in the increase in the number of secondary schools in addition he pioneered the adoption of many innovative approaches to teaching and learning in tandem with his career wife Lady Madri Thomas who served as the first female principal for the Centusia Teacher's College from 1975 to 1982 we consider Soliton to have been a model citizen and a devout patriot whose love for beloved Centusia served as a beacon to many generations of our people we pray that the good Lord grant his soul peaceful and eternal rest and that perpetual light will shine upon him thank you I ask that we stand and just offer a moment of silence for Soliton Thomas after which we will have a musical rendition may he rest in peace thank you very much ladies and gentlemen you may be seated I believe the choir now has a rendition that is in honour of Soliton Thomas so this took me back to my days in my little uniform with my flag waving I knew that song so well and we didn't even think about who wrote or composed it so thank you Mrs. Omeglasgo for taking us back to that time of national pride of national pride of national pride of national pride of national pride and we have quite a few independent songs that are a joy they sustained through generations so we need to go back and teach them to our young ones so ladies and gentlemen at this time we move to the wreath laying and this is where we place wreaths on the graves of both Sir Arthur Lewis and Sir Derek Walcott and we invite first the wreath bearer that is students and members of staff who will bear the wreaths for the wreath layers so we have representing the Sir Arthur Lewis Community College Ms. Theodora Sylvester who's a lecturer and the president of our staff association Mr. Jacob Filomen a student of the SA of the Sir Arthur Lewis Community College Ms. Genet La Force also a student of the college and Ms. Naima Epifan who is a member of our operations unit at the college and they will bear the wreaths for our wreath layers and I will call them one by one unfortunately we have a challenge with the so we first invite his excellency Mr. Cyril Errol Charles to lay the first wreath can we please have some soft music accompanied wreath bears the second wreath will be laid by Dr. Marjorie Jameson Charles and she will be accompanied by Mr. Jacob Filomen representing the St. Lucian Community we invite Ms. Beverly Josie former registrar of the Sir Arthur Lewis Community College accompanied by Ms. Genet La Force a student of the college representing the Lewis family will be Sir Vaughan Lewis and he will be accompanied by Ms. Naima Epifan of the Sir Arthur Lewis Community College so we will invite you all to move to the grave of Sir Derek Walcott but that will be led by the wreath bearers and let me invite Mr. Matthias Francis of our finance department Ms. Althea Lake of our institutional remind me internationalization office Ms. Shadeh Gustave a student of the college and Mr. Darren Leslie a student of the college Mr. Matthias Francis will accompany her excellency Dame Proleta Louise Ms. Althea Lake will accompany our honorable parliamentary secretary Ms. Shadeh Gustave will accompany Mr. Cletus Springer chairman of the board of governors and Mr. Darren Leslie will accompany Ms. Sigrid Naima representing the Walcott family please allow his excellency to follow and the rest of you can it's optional but you it's a short walk and we have some sunshine now