The winners of the 2018 Anguilla Public Service Recognition Awards were announced at a reception at Government House on Thursday evening, June 21. The ceremony was headlined by Mrs. Tracelyn Hamilton, Principal of the Adrian T. Hazell Primary School, who won the Public Servant of the Year Award.
The winners in the eight categories were as follows:
• Above and Beyond the Call of Duty – Mr. Henderson Burgess, a Teacher at the Pupil Referral Unit;
• Outstanding Customer Service : Mrs. Shancia Richardson, Acting Executive Secretary, Department of Youth & Culture;
• Innovativeness: Energy Efficiency Committee, a combination of the Department of Environment, the Ministry of Infrastructure, the Building and Electrical Inspectorate, Ministry of Finance and Economic Development, the Treasury Department and the Department of Information Technology and E-Government Services;
• Security/Safety Achievement Award: Mrs. Sabrina Boodram, a Teacher at the Adrian T. Hazell Primary School and Red Cross Volunteer;
• Anguilla Public Service Image Award: Mrs. Carolyn Richardson-Hodge, Audit and Compliance Officer at the Customs Department;
• Collaboration Award: Mr. Greggory Woodley and Mr. Laredo Gumbs, SIGTAS System Administrators at the Inland Revenue Department;
• Inspirational Leadership Award: Mrs. Tracelyn Hamilton, Principal of the Adrian T. Hazell Primary School;
• Public Servant of the Year Award: Mrs. Tracelyn Hamilton.
The presentation of awards was preceded by a motivational address, to the nominees and the winners, by Mrs. Sandra York Gumbs of the Department of Infrastructure, Communications, Utilities and Housing -and Manager of her privately-owned Comprehensive Learning Centre.
“As top nominees it is implied that a high level of respect for quality is rooted in your performance on the job,” she told them. “Customers expect that you would always function with a high degree of excellence and professionalism. Our customers expect the Anguilla Public Service to live and breathe its core values of honesty, integrity, impartiality and objectivity. Complacency and utterances of ‘I ain’t harassing myself’, when the work gets tough, would not be expected from you or your colleagues as you will be instrumental in injecting a spirit of leadership and excellence into your department.”
Mrs. York-Gumbs spoke about the importance of such characteristics as empathy and self-discipline. “As public servants, we must be able to discern what it feels like to stand in another’s shoes,” she continued. “We must be able to experience and relate to the thoughts, emotions and experiences of our colleagues and others. In the past few years, I have had some life-impacting family situations which tore at the very heart of my existence. While it may have appeared so, on many days, life did not cease around me.
“The demands from my family, my job at MICUH, the Comprehensive Learning Centre and all the other commitments persisted. I had to decide how to bets survive amidst all the upheavals, pain and sorrow. Empathy from my family, my friends, and my colleagues in the Public Service – all contributed to my determination and resilience. The empathy of others played an important role in my steadfastness. When the expression of empathy is part of the organisation’s culture, the human element is more assured.”
She added: “Awardees, be filled with gratitude. Be clothed in humility. Steadfastness and leadership must be our watchwords. You belong to the most active, service-driven generation, the most tech-savvy. You can raise the image of the public service. You don’t have to have any special degree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace and a soul generated by love. We are here to lead and serve and, in so doing, we encourage others to do the same. Despite the myriad of challenges, there is hope. You are the hope. Congratulations on your prestigious recognition.”
The Deputy Governor, Mr. Perin Bradley, who has responsibility for the public service, joined in congratulating all the nominees. “You are the very best of us and we are so very proud of you,” he said. “I wish to thank the entire public service for all it does, on a daily basis, to keep this country running and functioning smoothly. Governor Foy, we would like to thank you for your service over the last nine months. You had a baptism by fire [Hurricane Irma] but you came through it in good form. You have taken a keen interest in the public service and we are very appreciative of your support. On a personal note, I would like to say that it is an absolute pleasure working with you. I get the sense that you are genuinely interested in Anguilla. You care about this country and its people and I look forward to working with you closely in the future.”
The Deputy Governor also thanked the various Permanent Secretaries and Heads of Department for their work in running the public service and meeting the demands of the public and Ministers of Government. He also took the opportunity to express thanks to a number of public servants who have retired; and to recognise those who will be retiring this year whom he named as being: Mrs. Sandra York-Gumbs, Mrs. Marilyn Connor, Mr. Charles Harrigan, Teacher Daphne Jacobs-Richardson, Mr. Ashford De Souza, Mrs. Oronica Hughes, Mr. Bernard Wattley, Ms. Marguarita Lloyd-Boland, Mr. Vernon Hodge, Mr. James Carty and Ms. Daphne Armantrading. “We thank all of you for your service and wish you the very best in your retirement,” he added.
Mr. Bradley informed the gathering of public servants about some of the medium term plans for the improvement of the public service. “We would like to develop a shared plan and a road map for public sector transformation – and I am not using the term ‘shared’ lightly as I expect every single public servant to be involved and to participate in this process. I consider these as activities of high priority and I am calling on you for your support. In the coming days you will be hearing more about this, but with your help the team will be able to develop such an active plan to transform the public service.”
He also spoke about a number of short-term activities including the revision of General Orders, the regulations governing the public service, and other matters affecting the Anguilla Government employees, and his responsibilities as Deputy Governor.
The award presentation ceremony was chaired by Ms. Avon Carty, Programme Officer at the Department of Youth and Culture, who also delivered the welcome remarks.
