By Neil Armstrong
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| Photo credit: Tom Sandler Photography Award recipients from left to right: Joy Spence, Damian 'Junior Gong' Marley, Mohamad Fakih, Dr. Juliet Daniel, Gordon 'Butch' Stewart, Deborah Cox and Justice Gregory Regis |
The University of the West Indies had a lot to celebrate in
Toronto – not only was it marking the 10th anniversary of the UWI
Toronto Benefit Gala but it was also proudly telling its story of presenting
$2million worth of scholarships to 500 students across the Caribbean as a
result of the signature fundraising event.
Howard Brown, a 2018 scholarship recipient who is from May
Pen, Clarendon and completing an undergraduate degree in social work at the UWI
Open Campus, said at 16 his mother died and he had to take care of his younger
brother and sister.
The eldest of six children said the scholarship from the
gala provided him with a lifeline to pursue tertiary education. He plans to attain
a master’s degree and contribute to youth development through policy making.
“Though faced with many obstacles the aspiration of starting
university remained in my mind but seemed to be a far-fetched dream. I had to
step out by faith in order to break the culture of being the first in my family
to pursue tertiary education.”
Meanwhile, Jermaine Nairne, one of the first scholarship
recipients who has completed his undergraduate and master’s degrees and is now
pursing a doctorate in governmental political communication, said having
invested in him he has given supporters of the gala a return on their
investment.
“I can tell you with the greatest sincerity that without
having been given a hand up I would not have been able to reach where I am
today, especially given that the statistics show that the odds are stacked
against children born to teenage mothers – mine was 17 years old.”
Both spoke at the event held at The Ritz-Carlton at which Canada’s
business, academic and philanthropic communities came out to celebrate the work
of six honourees and to support scholarships for students at the UWI.
Singers Damian ‘Junior Gong’ Marley and Deborah Cox received
the Luminary Award which is given to people of Caribbean heritage who are
outstanding achievers on an international scale in their respective fields or
people who have brought prominence to issues affecting the Caribbean.
Mohamad Fakih, a Lebanese-Canadian businessman and philanthropist,
is the recipient of the G. Raymond Chang Award which honours the late business
leader, philanthropist, and the gala’s patron for the first five years. It
honours outstanding individuals who exemplify the leadership and ideas of Chang
who embodied great humility and commitment to his fellow persons throughout his
lifetime.
Sandals Resort Limited, represented by founder and chairman
Gordon ‘Butch’ Stewart, received the Chancellor ‘s Award which is given to
Canadian organizations that have contributed to the University of the West
Indies and/or the Canadian or outstanding organizations owned by people of
Caribbean heritage.
The Vice-Chancellor’s Award, which is given to people of
Caribbean heritage who have risen to the pinnacle of success in their field, was
presented to Joy Spence, UWI alumnus and master blender at Appleton Estate Rum;
Dr. Juliet Daniel, professor in the Department of Biology at McMaster
University; and Justice Gregory Regis, former regional senior judge from the
Ontario Court of Justice and a distinguished visiting professor at Ryerson University.
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| Photo credit: Eddie Grant Joy Spence, recipient of the Vice-Chancellor's Award, and Professor Sir Hilary Beckles, Vice-Chancellor, University of the West Indies |
In 1997, Spence became the first woman to hold the position
of master blender in the spirits industry globally – the discovery of this was
quite shocking to her.
“I really didn’t believe it because being a Caribbean woman
I didn’t expect a Caribbean woman to actually accomplish this, but I feel very
happy with the fact that I was able to break the glass ceiling and allow other
females now to be appointed in this position,” said Spence who has been working
at Appleton Estate since 1981 when she became their chief chemist.
She said several women have been appointed master blenders,
not just in rum but in the whiskey industry too.
Since Spence graduated from the UWI in 1972 with a Bachelor
of Science degree, First Class Honours, she has kept close contact with the
chemistry department and has presented several guest lectures and motivational
talks.
A few weeks ago she was in the department encouraging
students who are about to graduate how to pursue their career and their passion
and that they can think outside the box for a career.
In 2014, the university conferred on her an honorary Doctor
of Laws and in that year she was also a recipient of an honorary Doctor of
Science degree from the University of Loughborough UK.
Believing in giving back what she has learnt and recognizing
that students feared chemistry she decided to teach students at her alma mater,
Holy Childhood High School, the science in an applied fashion so that they
could fall in love with the subject.
“So many females have gone into science as a result of my
teaching them chemistry at Holy Childhood, including professors of chemistry at
the university.
Spence travels around the world giving master classes where
she educates people on the joy of rum and what makes Appleton Estate Jamaica
rum so unique and different from the others.
“I think one of the most touching things that has ever
happened to me is I was doing a tour in New Zealand and when I arrived at the
airport and I looked up there was a massive billboard saying ‘Tēnā koutou, Joy Spence. Welcome
to Auckland’ and I said oh, my gosh, look how far I’ve come and the people are
welcoming me to their country.”
In Jamaica, visitors can go on the Joy Spence
Appleton Rum Experience and there is a Joy Spence Appleton Estate Anniversary
Blend.
Campari asked her to create a blend to not only
celebrate her 20 years as master blender but also her 38 years in the industry.
“I was very touched because when I investigated no
other master blender was actually given the opportunity to name a rum after
them. And so I thought long and hard and I said I’m going to create a rum that
not only rum connoisseurs but whiskey connoisseurs and cognac connoisseurs
could enjoy and appreciate it.”
In every market where the rum was launched it sold
out in two weeks – which was very emotional for her.
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| Photo credit: Eddie Grant Gordon 'Butch' Stewart of Sandals Resorts receives the Chancellor's Award from Robert Bermudez, Chancellor, University of the West Indies |
Stewart said Sandals has been fortunate to win ‘the
world’s best’ for nearly 23 years in a row but to do that required having the
world’s best staff.
He said he has been blessed with 14,000 people
making up the staff and that the ATL Group celebrated its 50th
anniversary in 2018.
“Of those 14,000 people, probably 97 per cent are
Caribbean people. We train, we train, we train and we train, and we train
again. We train for the perfect. Our hotel, most hotels, I don’t care what the
names are, the big names, the little names, they hire people and say to them do
a good job; give them a little crash course. We train them.”
Stewart thanked the UWI for participating in Sandals
on-the-job university [Sandals Corporate University].
“We graduate people with all sorts of degrees and
the University of the West Indies participates with us. Somebody mentioned the
name Ryerson, Ryerson is involved with us. We train these folks and get
degrees,” he said, noting that as a result of this they can get jobs anywhere
in the world.
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| Photo credit: Tom Sandler Photography From left to right: Robert Bermudez, Chancellor, UWI; Wes Hall, Honourary Patron; Brigette Chang-Addorisio, Co-Patron; Donette Chin-Loy Chang, Co-Patron; Professor Sir Hilary Beckles, Vice-Chancellor, UWI; Christine Hall, Lady Mary Beckles, Andrew Chang, Co-Patron; and Bruce Bowen, Honourary Co-Chair |
Elizabeth Buchanan-Hind, chairperson of the UWI Toronto
Benefit Gala Committee and executive director of the Institutional Advancement
Division at the UWI, said the university is humbled by the outpouring of
support in Canada.
“We could not ask for anything more and Canada has been
great to us. We’ve had a long and fruitful relationship for decades but we are
appreciative of all the support that we’ve received and the students, their
lives have been changed forever, transformed. Their communities, their children
will benefit from this. It is a gift that will keep on giving,” she said,
noting that the gala was sold-out three months ago.”
Meanwhile, Donette Chin-Loy Chang, co-patron of the UWI
Toronto Benefit Gala, noted that one of the aims of the event is to create
awareness of education in the Caribbean.
“I think that after 500 scholarships awarded in ten years in
the English-speaking Caribbean and Scotiabank has stayed with us for 10 years
it means we’re doing something and it means we’re helping students in the
Caribbean.”
She said alongside her stepchildren, co-patrons Andrew Chang
and Brigette Chang-Addorisio, they carry on the legacy that was started by Ray
Chang, who passed away in July 2014.
Bruce Bowen, honourary co-chair of the gala team and who led
Scotiabank’s Caribbean operations when the event started ten years ago, said it
was amazing to have stayed connected for ten years. He said it is great to see the gala continuing
to build and it has impacted the lives of many students over those years.
In the meantime, Wes Hall, honourary patron of the gala, said it is fantastic that the event has
been going on for that long in a place where it is really Caribbean people
supporting a Caribbean university.
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