 Here she comes. Here she comes. Our gold medalist, Laverne, the owner of 20 The Dramas, Public Entertainment. Laverne takes a little walk of honor just to remind she's a medal of honor gold recipient for her contribution to sport. She's a Diamond League athlete, a three-time Olympian who carried our national flag. Sportswoman of the Year, 13 times. In 2016, when she was honored by her Babano community, she said, more flowers to come, more dreams to be realized, more goals to achieve. And today she's indeed receiving her flowers. She has realized one dream, and she has another goal of 2020 Olympic Games in Japan. She has been described as a wise, steadfast, faithful, young lady with a long lasting legacy of excellence. Ladies and gentlemen, seated on the tent, we would kindly ask you to stand and stand behind a seat so that Laverne's family and dignitaries with her can be seated so that we can proceed with our ceremony. Thank you so much for your cooperation. We'd like to acknowledge the presence of our Acting Prime Minister, Hon. Stevenson King, Cabinet Ministers, Parliamentarians, SLOC President and Members, our esteemed guest of honour, Miss Laverne Gondolin Spencer and her family, the people of Babano, her fans, Ministry of Sports, the Department of Youth Development and Sports, all federations represented here and associations, sports personalities, students, parents, ladies and gentlemen, our faithful media, one and all, it is a pleasure to welcome all of you here, as well as all of those who have entertained before her arrival. Thank you very much for being here. And soon from now, we will proceed with a few speeches. Mr. Gregory Dixon, Mr. Trevor Hunt, who was the Chef Domitian for the Gold Coast Australia 2018 Commonwealth Games, we acknowledge all our Commonwealth Games athletes and I would like those Commonwealth Games athletes to come forward in front of the stage and take about half a spot that I recognize the audience, Chris Wells, our solution, see you and know who you are. We are Jenna and Stephen Charles for this year, Maverick Pamphill for this year, Jonathan Celaston, Albert Reynolds, who's also our sportsman of the year. We have the Chef Domitian, Mr. Trevor Hunt present, the frozen alien who was the coach for the Athletic Squad, which I just called, Janelle Schaefer is out back in the US, Michael Charles as well, Nick Joseph is not there yet. Boxing was led by Coral Fredericks with Nathan Ferrari, our junior boxer of the year, Lin-Nel Masler, our senior boxer of the year, and absent is Marvin Anthony. Folks, what is the name called? This is not a female procession, it's a celebration. Okay, so let me come in front of the stage now. Okay, now let me come in front of the stage. Now make some noise for the club. The coach was Mr. David Peterkin. He's from KTK, and Janelle Schaefer who's not here, they are on assignment overseas. So ladies and gentlemen, let's give them a big round of applause. And of course, they are Mrs. Laverne, Donaldine Spencer. Thank you gentlemen. And we now invite to the stage for Shock Relax by Mr. Gregory Dixon, who is Mrs. Spencer's local manager. Mr. Dixon, so we shall move on to the chef de mission, Mr. Trevor Hunts. From the beginning, we'd like everyone to take their seats please. Alright ladies and gentlemen, again introducing for his brief remarks, please put your hands together for the chef de mission, Mr. Trevor Hunts. Good evening ladies and gentlemen and children. I stand here very proud to be a Saint Lucia today. This was my first chef de mission for Saint Lucia. I have been part of Commonwealth Games. I was official in Delhi for the tennis team that participated. But I must say today, I am very proud of Laverne Spencer. She has made us an icon in today's world. It brought tears to my eyes when I saw my flag being brought up the pole and to hear the Saint Lucia anthem. And that is all because of Laverne Spencer. And I think we should appreciate all what she has done for Saint Lucia and to give us a name today. We are known now. We are no longer Little Island. And it just shows me that the opportunities are here. The youth is very important to take an example from Laverne because opportunities in sports can take you very, very far. And Laverne is a clear example of this. And once you committed and you can put your heart to what you do and you have the strength like what Laverne has, I think anybody can accomplish what they want. So once again, I would just like to thank Laverne for making us proud today. And Saint Lucia, we are on the map and they are making more to come. Thank you. Thank you very much, Mr. Hunt. And we will be sending you to every single games we have overseas. Clearly you're the good luck charm. We now call on Mr. Gregory Dixon, Laverne's manager. Thank you very much, Mr. Master Ceremonies. Good afternoon to all. Good afternoon to all. Okay, that sounds a little better. What a day it is for Saint Lucia, a day of celebration. A day when, as has been indicated by maybe those before me, just got here. You know, Saint Lucia can celebrate because finally at the Commonwealth level, Laverne Spencer was able to put us on that sporting map. Of course, it has been a long, long journey, 20 years. In fact, ironically, it was around this time, 20 years ago, that Gregory Lubin, then a physical education teacher at the entry post secondary school actually looked at a slim looking Laverne who had just entered school as a sprinter and thought it was necessary for her to take on the high jump. She accepted his invitation and the rest is history. So of course, Mr. Gregory Lubin has to be commended for identifying that talent 20 years ago, nurturing it and getting Lubin to where she is right now. Within a year later, Lubin had broken the national record. At age 14, she jumped 1.69, breaking the old record, which was 1.67. And she was 14 years old, becoming a national record holder. So of course, you would know for 14 years old, you know, she wouldn't know how to deal with that newfound fame. That is when my work really started at age 14, trying to nurture her and tell her to continue that sport. And as I said earlier, the journey has been a long one. Lots of struggles, lots of hurdles, but Lubin stayed the course. She worked hard with support along the way. With support along the way, she was able to continue that great work to get us up to that point. Of course, prior to that, Lubin has done several great things for St. Lucia. Lubin has been a pioneer for the sport, becoming the first to do several things. First to become a full-time professional. First to make it to the finals of the World Championships. First to become, to make it to the finals of the Olympics. First to win an international medal at the World Youth level in 2001. So prior to this one, Lubin has done a bit for St. Lucia. But of course, as I said, this is the big one. Commonwealth champion, something that could never be taken away from her. And so as we continue to celebrate, we continue to thank all those who worked with her through that journey to get us up to that point. But today it's a day to celebrate and I thank St. Lucia for coming up with us to celebrate with us. Celebrate with us because it's not just level time, it's St. Lucia's time. So enjoy the afternoon. God bless and continue to encourage. Thank you very much, Mr. Dixon. Okay, so we move on. And we invite the President of the St. Lucia Olympic Committee, Honorable Senator Fortuna Bellarose, to make her remarks. Good afternoon, everybody. Miss Yolwina Nassau-Dadiola. Good afternoon, everybody. All right. Honorable Prime Minister, Acting Prime Minister, Honorable Stevenson King. I see Honorable Mary Isaac, who is the Minister for Health here with us this afternoon. Lavoon Spencer, our honored guests. We also have her family with us, her mom, her father, her brothers, her sister, her church members, her manager. And of course we have the wonderful people of St. Lucia here to celebrate with Lavoon this afternoon. We are so proud of Lavoon. And you heard from her manager how she started 20 years ago. And as a Commonwealth Games Association of St. Lucia, we are indeed proud, because from 1962 our organization has been trying to win a medal. A gold medal at that, because Lavoon and Dominic Johnson did bronze medals for us in 2002, 2006, 2010, and of course 2014. But we've been striving for that gold medal for a number of years. And so Lavoon was able to deliver that medal with support from the Athletics Association, because if they were not existing, she would not have been able to compete. And so we are happy that this association remained vibrant to allow her that opportunity to traverse across the globe to represent our country, St. Lucia. That's a great achievement. And her achievement is testimony to the work that it takes to be involved in sports. It's hard work, man. And I'm telling you, a lot of people are afraid of hard work. It's hard work as an athlete, because you have to commit to training and being disciplined every day. And then you rely on people who are volunteers around you. People who are just doing it because they love it. And not everybody loves it. And because they don't love it, they bad talk it. And they do all kinds of evil things to distract you from it. But those who love it persevered and stayed the course with her. And her family has been there with her through thick and thin all these years. And today she has realized it, teaching all of us that if your family is with you, nothing can stop you from achieving your goals. So we're happy with the messages that came through Lavoon. We're happy with all what we have learned. And of course, as a Commonwealth Games Association, we continue to look at the lessons of Lavoon to make it better for other athletes. Not necessarily easier, because we need to set standards. And you have to attain standards as you go along to get to the top. The top is not reached by ease in your way. The top is reached by striving and achieving standards. Every day you do something better. And so over the years, we've had a number of persons who have come through, who have served as chefs and coaches within this fraternity and who have been able to provide the support to enable the success that we have today. And so we want to commend Lavoon. It's her time. We want to congratulate her. We want every parent in St. Lucia to understand that through sports, you can achieve your goals. And from what we've seen, Lavoon still has a belly of fire inside of her. And we just trust that she can continue to perform and the good Lord can grant her the strength, the courage and the health to be number one in the world. Not just the Commonwealth, but the world. And let me tell you, on the achievements that Lavoon has had, Lavoon has been able to become the number one athlete, the number one athlete in high jump across the continent called the Americas. So from Canada down to Chile, she's number one. There is no one else to beat her. She's number one. Now, if you recall, during the time of slavery, the British Empire, there was something called the British Empire. And the British Empire was the countries, all the countries that the Queen and England represented. So we're talking about big countries like India and Pakistan. You understand all the English-speaking countries across the globe. And the whole of Africa, Lavoon is number one there. Number one, number one, number one. And so we have to understand the magnitude of the success that she's had. It is a tremendous amount of success. So that when we go to meetings now and we walk in the room, hey man, St. Lucia, we won the gold medal. So I carry it too. And we all, it rubs off on all of us. We feel good when we go to the meetings because we have something to talk about. We can talk about the perils, we can talk about the toys of athletes because we know what it is. We've got people who've lived it. We've got people who've been in it. You understand? And you know, I'll never forget the great Vivian Richards, what he said to me some years ago. He said to me, you know, Fortuna, as cricketers, we were dirt poor. Dirt, dirt, dirt poor. We didn't have any money. But what we had was guts. What we had was the discipline. And we applied ourselves to be able to be where we are today. And I think when you look at Lavoon's story, it's the same thing. And so we really want to commend Lavoon and her family for the effort that they made to get there. And we are there to continue to support. And of course, our government, my government, will be there to ensure that we continue to clear the pathway of those obstacles to ensure that athletes who are serious and who want to earn a living through sport get it right. So with those few words, I just want to say thank you to everybody. Thank you to all the associations who are part of this wonderful organization that I am. Thank you to all the people who have worked. And of course, thank to our executive members who have made it possible for those opportunities to come through for the athletes. So thank you so much. And thanks for turning up as wonderful citizens of this country. Senator Bellrose. And it's now my pleasure to invite to the stage our acting prime minister, Honorable Stevenson King, to address you. People of St. Lucia. People of Babano. Our young people. Good afternoon and congratulations. Today we have gathered here on this square, a historic location to record one more time of history. And in this time, it is sports. Laverne Spencer, who some 20 years ago took the decision to engage in sports, has returned on this afternoon to bring pride and joy and dignity to the entire population of St. Lucia. And therefore, as the representative of the government, acting on behalf of the prime minister, I want to join all of you St. Lucia's in congratulating Laverne on bringing to us such pride and dignity throughout the Commonwealth here in this country. We know how hard she has worked over the years. She has demonstrated to every St. Lucia, particularly our young people, what it is to have the fire, what it is to have the energy, what it is to have the dedication, what it is to fight, what it is to keep trying, what it is to remain disciplined, what it is to remain focused, and what it is to keep her eye on the bar and to jump and jump and jump until now she has brought gold to St. Lucia. Laverne is an example to every young person in this country. And I hope as she continues her journey in sports that young people will look to her for guidance, they will look to her for encouragement, and they look to her for support. Let me therefore assure Laverne that the government will continue to give the necessary support where needed to ensure that you in your career continue to excel and continue to bring gold to St. Lucia to make St. Lucia even prouder than they are this afternoon. I want to take this opportunity to congratulate also those who have supported her over the years. A family who stood strong with her, given to her the discipline, the spiritual guidance and of course stabilizing her as a fine young lady. To her community of Babuno, I want to thank them for having created a perfect example, a perfect environment for her development. And to you St. Lucia, the many of you who have turned out time after time after time to give her support. And those who followed her in the media as she brought medal after medal to our country. I want to thank you for giving her that support and to encourage you to continue to give her the support as I believe that she still has a lot to offer to our country and a lot more pride and joy to bring to the people of St. Lucia. To you Laverne, on behalf of the government and people of St. Lucia I want to congratulate you and to wish you the very best in the not to distant future. Thank you and may God bless you. Thank you very much Honourable Stevenson King, Acting Prime Minister. Ladies and gentlemen, it is now my pleasure to address Miss Spencer on behalf of her coach, Mr. Gregory Lubin. And he says, look what you have done Laverne. Your journey now starts Japan 2020. Who would have thought from Babono to entry post secondary school you would have shown the world such talent that we have. I have three entities I would love to talk to. One, my fellow Lucian coaches, it's our time to take advantage of this golden opportunity to produce small events Spencer's both male and female. Two, parents play your role by knowing where your children are during and after school. And three, corporate St. Lucia your increased support to produce our next generation of Lucian athletes is needed. Thanks, Dame Laverne Spencer. One love for Mr. Lubin. And now, we introduce to you the lady that we have all come here to celebrate. And she has requested this special song. Here we go. Selja's going to stand up there to look at her. Nobody clapping, nobody making noise. It's for something he or she has achieved but there is no feeling that can be compared to the experience of being celebrated or praise for something that you have achieved for your country and that emotion and that is the emotion I am experiencing at present. You see, as of representing St. Lucia in the sport of track and field the satisfaction of knowing that I can place my country on the world map through my achievements is something that has really motivated me. As I travel up where is St. Lucia is one that I have had to answer many times and that question is normally asked after I have defeated my opponents and from so-called big countries. It is in times like these when I have relegated them to the lesser position on the podium that I set out with immense pride and joy to tell them about sweet St. Lucia, the Helen of the West, of one way of promoting my country, St. Lucia. By now, it is well known that the 20-year journey that I have been on since taking up high jump has not been smooth sailing, especially since I am in an individual sport. I have had mountains to climb and rivers to cross. There have been so many hurdles in my path that I sometimes gave the thought of switching from the high jump to hurdling. There have been times when I felt like giving up and calling it a day. But with the help of God the support of my management team, my submission people to help create occasions like today. Criticize for not meeting your expectations. I have looked at it as you wanted me to be the best and so I have used this criticism as a stepping stone in my quest to get to the top and this has really paid off. Thank you so much for that. You see, there is no doubt in my mind that youth and nutrition people genuinely want our sportsmen and women to excel to be the best and to make our country proud. When I come home occasionally, I receive a lot of encouragement from many people I meet on the streets. Some I have never met or even seen and this certainly has inspired me to keep working hard. I sometimes meet children and young people who go past me with a shy smile not knowing whether to call or not and others sometimes quietly argue not knowing I can hear them about whether or not I am indeed loving Spencer. This continues to remind me that eyes are on me as I do my best to be a true role model for not just young athletes but the nation children in general. Thank you children and young people for that constant reminder which has really pushed me and helped me remain a good example for you. As is always the case when we celebrate such achievements I have no choice but to reflect on this journey that I have been on and despite the expected obstacles I remain eternally grateful for the many who have held my hand and helped me along that long winding road which I am still on. To all those persons I say thank you. The Almighty God has always been there for me as he has promised and I have always called on him every single day in my life every single day of my life in good times and bad times and he has never failed me. But I have to also thank institutions like the Saint Lucia Government the Saint Lucia Athletics Association and the Saint Lucia Olympic Committee who have played an integral role in my sporting career. You really helped make it happen. I am also thankful for the strong family support I have. It has been a key contributor to my development. I am not sure where I would be without them. Thanks to Mr. Gregory Lubin my first high jump coach who discovered me and gave me the early nurturing that I needed to set me on my way to greatness. Local coaches like Mr. Bailey, Tuatine and others must be thanked as well because they did help. Of course my local manager Mr. Gregory Dixon who has been there with me throughout my entire career he has been my mentor, advisor, spiritual leader and mentor coach. His contribution to my life is what has made it all happen for me. I definitely cannot forget sponsors like telecommunications provider Flo who have helped in a big way for over a decade. They are truly number one. Also others like First National Bank who contributed greatly and also helped bring up my talent. Fix and lastly SMJ beverages who are still providing today. And last but by no means least you the people of St. Lucia for your continued show of love and faith in me. Even when I sometimes let you down you keep rallying around me and providing that much needed support. Thank you so much for that and I ask that you continue pushing me on because together we still have goals to achieve and dreams to realize. But now it's all about celebrating my solution people. Celebrating the attainment of our first ever Commonwealth gold medal. We made our flag fly proudly in the Australian breeze as we introduce our great sounding national anthem to the world. We have conquered. We are Commonwealth champions. So let's celebrate this massive achievement. Thank you so much for helping me achieve this great goal and dream of mine. It has been a long and lonely road sometimes but as I have always known as I have known now that you are with me. Last Saturday I was presented with the Commonwealth gold medal which I am proudly wearing but this one is for you Saint Lucia. Together. So let's all celebrate. Miss Spencer we would like you to remain right here at this moment. All right. The president of the Saint Lucia Olympic Committee and the permanent secretary deputy permanent secretary in the department of youth and sports will make a presentation to Miss Spencer. Thank you very much. The Saint Lucia Olympic Committee is a voluntary organization but when our athletes do as well as the women has done what we do is try to pull our little together to recognize the effort that she has made and it's not about payment for a service there's nothing like payment here. There's a gift and we are hoping that she can use this gift to buy whatever she wants and so Laverne on behalf of the Saint Lucia Olympic Committee we present to you a token of our appreciation for the effort that you made to bring us home this wonderful piece of metal going. Traveling all over the world there is no place as sweet as home where she go when and come up come up where she want to so why did she push it up and she solution solution ready to wave one I just want to say something just quick something quick for Loven Spencer I just want to say something real quick for Loven you see me I'm proud I'm proud of Aguilai I'm proud of Loven Spencer you know why growing up as a little boy I always used to watch sports and I said Wesson Lucia Wesson Lucia I know we have talent Wesson Lucia Skadi you know which one I have to ask them Wesson Lucia if you know your nationality let me see a signal in the address for one time tell them again Saint Lucia is it open that one there is for you there Saint Lucia we say don't watch Viper we had to get good same time to want to pay the respects to Loven Spencer for doing such a wonderful job at the Olympics I mean she jumped so high they couldn't touch the sky but she touched the sky and she said a gold medal in the deck watch me see that one there Saint Lucia anybody hands anybody hands anybody hands come and show that you're Saint Lucia Loven Spencer I say Lucia cause you are the best Saint Lucia you're so special It's now official Let's take it love us Turn it back with me Let them all party at the show Everybody, show me your hands Let me see your hands Let me see your hands Let me see your hands Let me see your hands