Cayman Islands Seafarers enjoy social and give more

Colin Wilson

The Cayman Islands Seafarers Association recently held their 3 monthly social with plenty to eat and wonderful music to dance to but above all the comradeship between everyone was superb.

The biggest enjoyment for me was watching old friends meet again and listening to the tales the seamen shared with us. Most were funny but there was sadness, too.

Looking at the age of the people there I had to ask aloud where are all the young persons? So very few. At 71 I was one of the youngest!

There was also a presentation made to the National Trust of the Cayman Islands for $1,000 to help with making everyone here realise the need for preserving what we have. Once it has gone it is lost forever. It is a valuable treasure and many are disregarding it.

A few days later (Monday 21 September), the Seafarers announced, along with government, a new scholarship offering $240,000 for specialist medical studies to be paid over four years. This will benefit two Caymanian doctors.

The first of these cheques ($60,000) was handed over and Leonard Ebanks of the Seafarers Association said, “We’ve always been grateful for government’s contribution to the seamen. Most of us are aging, there’s no question about it, and obviously we rely heavily on the Health Services Authority for care. If we are able to make a contribution to assist in reducing that cost, and also if we get specialists on the ground here, our own people, then we are able to reduce that cost.”

Finance Minister Marco Archer was there to receive the cheque.

And the Finance Minister was also there at the Social along with Education Minister Tara Rivers. And did I mention dancing? Yes! And the music was provided by the brothers, Bunny and Edlin Myles and friends. And they played every style of music you could thing of. They were superb.

I even rocked my body onto the floor. Of course, Joan beat me to that! And beat she did along with almost everyone who could move their two legs.

Thank you Seafarers.