Daviot Kelly, Staff Reporter

Departing Ambassador of Chile Alfonso Silva (right) salutes his Brazilian colleague, Ambassador Cezar Amaral, at their joint farewell reception at the Embassy of Belgium last Tuesday.

Two AMIABLE members of the local diplomatic corps will be ending their tenures on our shores pretty soon.

Spanish Ambassador Jesús Silva (left) chats with Belgian Ambassador Herman Portocarero.

Brazilian Ambassador Cezar Amaral and Chilean Ambassador Alfonso Silva will be jetting off to new assignments (Frankfurt, Germany, and New Delhi, India, respectively). The duo were given a polished send-off at the home of Belgian Ambassador Herman Portocarero recently.

Diplomatic wives Sara Silva (left), Jo Ann Kingsley (centre) and Lidia Amaral in deep discussion.

As Dean of the Diplomatic Corps, Ambassador Amaral should have handed over the post to Silva as he was the vice-dean. Rarely do the holders of the two posts end up leaving at the same time.

Great work ethic

Former Foreign Affairs Minister K.D. Knight (right) was on hand to help the diplomatic corps bid farewell to Ambassador of Chile, Alfonso Silva (second left) and Brazilian Ambassador Cezar Amaral, as both are ending their tour of duty in Jamaica. Looking on is Spanish Ambassador Jesús Silva.

Their backgrounds are different, Amaral excelling in economics, while Silva was in the legal sphere. But what they shared was a great work ethic to serve their countries well; the ties between Jamaica and both countries improving 10-fold. Both expressed their gratitude to the local corps before receiving their commemorative plaques to take with them on their journeys.

Annette Insanally from the Spanish Department of the University of the West Indies engages outgoing Brazilian Ambassador Cezar Amaral (left) and outgoing Chilean Ambassador Alfonso Silva.

Guests included Japanese Ambassador Masahiro Obata and wife, Hiroko; Chinese Ambassador Chen Jinghua and wife, Xiao Linhua; Cuban Ambassador Gisela Garcia; Canadian High Commissioner Denis Kingsley and wife, Jo Ann; Haitian head of missions Max Alce; Venezuelan Ambassador Noel Martinez; Russian Ambassador Victor Zotin and wife, Olga; Senegalese Ambassador Nafissatou Diagne, Panamanian Ambassador Ricardo Moreno; Madai and Marcelo Hernandez; Sandra Grant-Griffiths; Ambassador Douglas Saunders and wife, Angela; Charles and Lisa Johnston; Andrea Bickhoff-Benjamin; Ambassador Maxine Roberts (back from illness and looking as vibrant as ever); her sister Valerie Roberts and Jorge Morales.

Ada Morales (left) and Dr. Barbara Harper (centre) with Dr. Barbara Munske.