Dionne Rose, Staff Reporter

Young farmer Karen Tamasa from Highgate, St. Mary, receiving her pin from Lady Rheima during the Governor-General Achievement Awards 2007 ceremony at King's House, last Thursday. - Ricardo Makyn/Staff Photographer

The faces of the recipients of the Governor-General's Achievement Award and the Youth Award of Excellence glowed with pride and joy Thursday when they were recognised by Governor-General Sir Kenneth Hall.

The more than 40 recipients turned up for a pinning ceremony at King's House, the Governor-General's official residence.

The recipients were from the 14 parishes and were being honoured and recognised for their sterling contribution to their individual parishes.

The Governor-General's Achievement Award has been presented for the past 16 years while the Youth Award for Excellence was established just last year by Sir Kenneth.

Twenty-year-old Karen Tamasa, a farmer and recipient of the Youth Award of Excellence for St. Mary, oozed with pride as she was pinned by Lady Rheima, wife of the Governor-General.

"I feel truly delighted knowing that as a female farmer, I could really get an award from the Governor-General," she told The Gleaner.

Tamasa was recognised for her entrepreneurial skills. A 2006 recipient of the Prime Minister's Youth Award, Tamasa was first recognised by the 4-H Club for the most outstanding performance in agriculture when she started her own chicken farm.

Unexpected

Businessman and philanthropist Earnest Hoo receiving his pin from Lady Rheima in recognition of his achievement in the county of Middlesex during the Governor General Achievement Awards 2007 ceremony at Kings House last Thursday.

She represents a breed of young Jamaican achievers who have chosen non-traditional occupations. Today, her business supplies chicken products to supermarkets in Highgate, St. Mary and Kingston.

"It was very nice unexpected, as far as I am concerned but it is one of my objectives in life to be of help," was Ernest Hoo's reaction to his recognition.

A recipient of the Governor-General Achievement Award for the parish of St. Catherine, Mr. Earnest Hoo, a businessman, humanitarian and philanthropist has been showing his generosity to the Spanish Town, May Pen and Lionel Town hospitals.

He recently donated six dialysis machines costing US$60,000 to the Spanish Town Hospital. He also provided funds to construct a building at a cost of $5 million to treat patients at the hospital.

While addressing the recipients, Sir Kenneth, in congratulating the awardees, also urged them to influence their peers to strive for excellence in their everyday life. This, he said, would ensure a prosperous and bright future for the nation.

Since its inception, the Governor-General's Achievement Award has recognised more than 200 persons.

Sponsors of the event include The Gleaner Company, the Jamaica National Building Society, The Victoria Mutual Building Society, The Scotia Jamaica Building Society and FirstCaribbean.

Recipients of the Governor-General's Achievement Award

Maxine Evans, Hanover

George Brown, St. Elizabeth

Melita Samuels, St. James

Victor Wright, Trelawny

Melvin Honeyghan, Westmoreland

Kenneth Burrell, Clarendon

George Powell, Manchester

Leon Gordon, St. Ann

Ernest Hoo, St. Catherine

Cinderella Lyons-Badroe, St. Mary

Nora Henriques, Kingston

Denroy Palmer, Portland

Phillip Hamilton, St. Andrew

Nona Williams, St. Thomas

Recipients of the Youth Award of Excellence

Sanika Allen and Oral Stone, Hanover

Dania Dwyer and Keith Wellington, St. Elizabeth

Wayne Brown Jr. and O'Neil Simpson from St. James

Kamar Brown and Tanya Brown-Plummer, Trelawny

Claudia Miller and Keisha-Ann Miller, Westmoreland

Jermaine Case and Ferdinand Sappleton, Clarendon

Victoria Cole and Tamara Swaby, Manchester

Horane Henry and Japhia Langley, St. Ann

Chavette Burke, St. Catherine

Stephanie Fletcher and Karen Tamasa, St. Mary

Nnerka Cooke and Omar Dacres, Kingston

Ricardo Bryan and Calene Shirley, Portland

Shomari Blake and Ralph Walker, St. Andrew.