As we approach another Heroes Day, Flair takes a look at three of the women who will be honoured for service to their country.

Helene Davis-Whyte

Helene Davis-Whyte.

Helene Davis-Whyte is a negotiator for the people and she will soon be rewarded for her contribution by the Jamaican people.

She is the first female general secretary of the Jamaica Association of Local Government Officers (JALGO), a 67-year-old union that represents over 5,000 workers in local and central Government and statutory bodies.

Some of the groups include people in the health service, schools parish councils, fire-fighters, officers, sub-officers and civilian staff of the Jamaica Fire Brigade.

National award

The Jamaican people will honour Mrs. Davis Whyte with a national award, the order of distinction with the rank of commander for service to the trade union movement and community development.

A former Queens High School student, she is married to Frederick Whyte, former commissioner of the Jamaica Fire Brigade and mother of two children.

One of her prized possessions is her plants; the orchids are most precious.

Dr. Barbara Carby

Dr. Barbara Carby.

Say the name Dr. Barbara Carby and disaster management comes to mind.

Now, her efforts will be rewarded by the Governor-General Prof. Kenneth Hall on Heroes Day when she receives the Order of Distinction in the Rank of Commander. Dr. Carby was the face of the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM) serving as its director general for a decade. She joined the office in that position.

Honour for dedicated service

She will receive the honour for dedicated service in the field of disaster management. Much of the strategies Jamaicans have become familiar with, especially when a hurricane nears our shores, were expounded by Dr. Carby. She left the post and moved to the Cayman Islands to assist with the establishment of their national risk management office. She is currently director of hazard management.

Pioneer of sorts

Dr. Carby has always been a pioneer of sorts. She was the first woman to be awarded a Ph.D. in geochemistry. She was also awarded the first ever scholarship to study natural sciences in France by the French government. She was also elected vice-chair of the U.N. Scientific and Technical Committee; another first for a Jamaican. She successfully executed the full-scale evacuation exercise for the city of Portmore and an earthquake drill for New Kingston, which involved some 100 businesses.

She is a member of the Geological Society of Jamaica. Her research interests are disaster mitigation, policy development, hazard management and environmental management.

Love for the environment

Dr. Carby has a love for the environment; of that, there is no doubt. But she is also quite the animal lover. Why else would she spend hours dedicated to obedience training for dogs?

A native of St. Ann, she has spent most of her life in St. Andrew before going off to Cayman. She has been described as a consummate professional with a passion for her work. Now, she's being giving her just reward.

Dorothy Pine-McLarty

Dorothy Pine-McLarty

She is the lone female who was nominated to receive the country's highest honour of distinction, the Order of Jamaica (OJ).

And for attorney Dorothy Pine-McLarty it has been a long time in coming. She was nominated for her contribution to public service.

For over 32 years, Mrs. Pine-McLarty has been practising law and has been a partner with the law firm Myers, Fletcher and Gordon for over 27 years.

Served the public

She has served the public as a member of the Electoral Advisory Committee (EAC) and more recently, the Electoral Commission.

Her accomplishments include: serving as the head of the Property Department of Myers, Fletcher and Gordon, 1992-95, and managing partner of the firm's London office between 1995 and 1998.

She was admitted as a solicitor to the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom in 1995.

Several boards

Mrs. Pine-McLarty's service to her country also extended to several boards; these include: Charities Evaluation Services Board of England and Wales, The Jamaica Basic Schools' Foundation (United Kingdom) Limited, Jamaica National Building Society and Jamaica National (Overseas) U.K. Limited.

She also holds memberships on the board of governors of the St. Andrew High School for Girls, and the Chancellor's appointee to the council of the University of Technology, is also on her résumé.

Source: The Electoral Office of Jamaica.