A committee comprising public and private sector representatives is in the early stages of planning the search for recipients of next year’s National Heroes Day (NHD) awards, to be handed out on 25th January 2016.

The committee will oversee a nomination process to identify deserving persons, based on each nominee’s contributions to the development of local farming. The agricultural theme will encompass the growing of fruit and vegetable crops, as well as the rearing of poultry and animals in order to produce food and other products.

Agriculture Minister Hon. Kurt Tibbetts remarked: “I am pleased that Agriculture has been chosen for NHD 2016, and I am looking forward to the public getting involved to help recognise those men & women who have contributed to this increasingly important sector; indeed, a sector that has been the historical basis of the development of Cayman Islands.”

Minister Tibbetts went on to note that his ministry is currently working on the development of the Food & Nutrition Security Policy with support of the Caribbean Agricultural Research and Development Institute (CARDI).

Participating agencies include the Cayman Islands Agricultural Society, the Department of Agriculture, as well as officials from the Ministries responsible for Agriculture and Culture. Other committee members include the National Archives, the Protocol Office, Government Information Services, and representatives from each district, as well as vendor representatives from the Market at the Grounds and the Camana Bay Market.

Welcoming the team to the first meeting on Thursday, 18 June 2015, Councillor Roy McTaggart remarked, “I am pleased with the interest and enthusiasm of this committee, and Government eagerly anticipates the results of your endeavors in this area, which is vital to the sustenance and well-being of our Islands”.

Agriculture’s traditionally prominent role in the Cayman Islands is reflected by the fact that, over the past 48 years, the annual Agricultural Show has remained one of the largest and best-attended one-day events in the Cayman Islands.

The Heroes Day nominations period will begin in early September 2015. At that time members of the public will be able to identify and nominate outstanding persons who have made significant contributions to agriculture over the decades.

Government’s Protocol Office organises the National Heroes Day ceremony with assistance from the Ministry of Culture. For more information on this event, contact [email protected], or call (345) 244 3612.

Photos: Photo by GIS

The 2016 National Heroes Day Committee: (L-R) Eziethamae Bodden, Sheila Alvarez, Brian Crichlow, Delmira Bodden, Adrian Estwick, Nancy Barnard, Tanya Vasquez-Ebanks, Tristan Hydes, Roy McTaggart, Errol Watler, Neils Godfrey & Jennifer Ahearn.

(Not pictured are Leyda Nicholson-Coe, Charles Gilman, Kimlon Lawrence, Meloney Syms, Ellen Eden, Mark Tibbetts, Hamlin Stephenson & George Smith).