He graduated from the University of Manchester, England with the degree of BA Commerce, with distinction. He also qualified as a chartered accountant. He was a fellow of both the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Jamaica and the Institute of Chartered Accountants of England and Wales.

Roy Collister was made a Jamaican citizen in 1965. Friends have described Roy as being a very special friend; loyal, dependable, hospitable, ever gracious and utterly sincere.

Always by his side, smiling and bright, supportive and astute was Sylvia, mother of his two beloved sons – Keith and Paul. They keenly supervised their sons’ education and their upbringing, their confidence and excellent manners, their ambition and their accomplishments.

Both sons made their father extremely proud. Paul and his lovely wife, Natalia, gave Roy two beautiful grandchildren and they both made their grandfather extremely happy and proud. Keith will be getting married shortly to his beautiful fiancée, Carole. Roy was reportedly delighted with this union, and very pleased to know that both his sons are successful in business and in their personal lives.

The great love that Roy had for his wife, children and grandchildren was clearly shown in the pain and suffering that he endured night and day, year after year, just to stay alive to be with them as long as was humanly possible. As we say in Jamaica, ‘nuff respeck’ to Roy.

The quantity, but in particular the quantity of his service to Jamaica was a testimony to his commitment to his adopted country. Hon. Roy Collister used, and was invited to use his acumen, business capacity and vision in the development of a list of superb Jamaican enterprises.

He served T. Geddes Grant Ltd. for 32 years, and built that company into a fantastic organisation. He retired as chairman and CEO of the Caribbean-wide Geddes Grant Group of Companies – a conglomerate comprising over 40 companies with operations in most of the CARICOM states.

Over the years, he served as Director of:

• Courts Ja. Ltd.

• Mussons Ja. Ltd.

• West Indies Development Company Ltd. – a subsidiary of the Commonwealth Development Corporation.

• Pan Jamaican Investment Trust Ltd.

• First Jamaica Investment Company Ltd.

• West Indies Alliance Insurance Company Ltd.

• Amalgamated Distributors Ltd.

He also served as a trustee of the Washington-based Caribbean Latin American Action Organisation and the US-based International Executive Service Corporation.

For many years, Roy was extremely active in the financial services field and served as:

• A founding director of Trafalgar Development Bank, now Pan Caribbean Financial Services Ltd.

• A founding director of Pan Caribbean Merchant Bank Ltd.

• Chairman of Royal and Sun Alliance Insurance Jamaica Ltd.

• A director of Royal Bank Jamaica Ltd., which later became Mutual Security Bank Ltd.

• A director of the Republic Bank of Trinidad and Tobago.

• A director of the Insurance Company of Jamaica.

• A director of Employee Benefits Administrator Ltd. – an associate company of Life of Jamaica.

• A director of First Global Stock Brokers Ltd. – a subsidiary of Grace Kennedy & Co. Ltd.

• He also served as a member of the Council of the Jamaica Stock Exchange.

Roy Collister was a past president of the Jamaica Chamber of Commerce, a past president of the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica and a past president of the Caribbean Association of Industry and Commerce.

His public service was most outstanding. He served as a director of the University of the West Indies Development and Endowment Fund and was the chairman of the fund’s financial committee.

He also served as chairman of the Jamaican Government Tax Reform Committee which was the predecessor of the Matalon Committee, which was responsible for major reforms of Jamaica’s personal and corporate tax systems which were implemented in the 1980s as well as for the design of the general consumption tax.

He also served as chairman of the Jamaica Bauxite Institute and chairman of the Jamaica Bauxite Trading Company.

Roy Collister was a director of the Government Trade Board, the Jamaica National Investment Promotions Ltd., the Jamaican Export Credit Insurance Corporation and the Export Development Bank, both subsidiaries of the Bank of Jamaica.

He also served as a member of:

• The Government’s Divestment Committee

• The Government Hotel Divestment Committee

• The working group of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on CARICOM affairs, appointed by CARICOM to deal with economic convergence criteria and the development of CARICOM capital markets including a Caribbean Stock Exchange.

• The Industry Advisory Council on International Business Services, appointed by the then minister of Industry and Tourism.

Hon. Roy Collister was also a member of the Caribbean Law Institute’s Advisory Committee. He participated in the drafting of a model CARICOM Insolvency Bill – a joint project of the University of the West Indies Faculty of Law and the Florida State University College of Law.

He accompanied successive prime ministers to Washington to lobby Congress and the US Executive for the easing of trade restrictions on CARICOM exports. To further this easing of trade restrictions, he also worked with the Miami-based Caribbean Latin American Action Organisation of which he was a trustee.

Roy had always been heavily involved in the stock exchange and the securities industry. If he himself were to be listed as a stock, some say that he would be blue chip and oversubscribed. Listed as one of his assets if he was to issue a prospectus on his IPO would be the word ‘FRIENDSHIP’.

He was a man of integrity,

He was a man of humility,

He was a man of dignity,

He was a man of dedication,

He was a man of loyalty,

He was a man of family,

He was a man of God,

He was a friend.

Roy Collister passed away on April 11, 2010 after a long illness. He was 75 years old.

A former student of Vaz Preparatory School in Kingston, Jabari, who now attends Campion College, attained the highest GSAT scores in Science, as well as Composition and language Arts.

Described as a consistent all-rounder, his accomplishments include being the KFC Quiz Captain of the Year, first speaker of Vaz’s debate team, in addition to being captain of the chess team.

While at Vaz, he won nine awards at the school’s prize-giving ceremony, having emerged the top performer in every category.

Prudence Dyer, Jabari’s grade six teacher, says it came as little surprise when he was awarded Scotiabank’s prize for the top GSAT boy performer as he was consistently at the top of the class.

A student who does not settle for mediocrity, Jabari remembers when he placed second in fourth grade; a period which he said was a ‘wake-up’ call for him to improve his performance. He has not looked back since.

He describes his teachers’ GSAT preparation classes over the years as being far much harder than the actual exam itself, acknowledging if it hadn’t been for that hard work, he would not have excelled as expected.

Jabari says he was encouraged to attend Campion College because of its high standards and excellent CXC passes.

He has found it a great school since he began attending there last September. He rates math, history and science as his favourite subjects, adding that the work at his new school is quite challenging.

Although he can be extremely competitive at academics, Jabari sees himself as an average person who simply makes the best use of his abilities. He is also an avid swimmer and lawn tennis player.

While he reads a lot, he modestly admits that he does not study “very often” during the week, although playing chess makes him a better thinker.

At home, he can often be found playing chess on his computer with online opponents, preferring instead to leave the television to his sisters.

Heather Hastings says her son, who delights in provoking his two sisters, is also a tough drillmaster when they have school tests, frequently reminding them they cannot afford to disgrace the family name.

Jabari’s form teacher, Rayan McIntosh, who also teaches him math, describes him as “a very bright, curious student and problem solver who is not afraid to ask teachers what he could have done better to improve his work.”

Occasionally, he will challenge her over a math problem during class, which she welcomes, as it opens the minds of his classmates to other possibilities in solving problems.

A firm believer in maintaining a balance between academics and sports, Jabari has some sound advice for students.

“Don’t value sports over schoolwork, because if you get injured, it can affect your entire career. And if you value books over sports, don’t overstress it. Try to maintain a mix.”

The quiet, reserved 13-year-old student, who now attends Campion College, achieved the highest GSAT scores for Mathematics and Social Studies, at the same time scoring full marks for Composition.

A keen geography student who’s also a member of he school’s science club, Alanna says she chose to attend Campion because of the high academic standards associated with that institution.

Lorna James-Dobson, who is Alanna’s form and geography teacher at Campion, describes the quiet, oft-spoken student as a friendly, disciplined and extremely hard worker who is consistently a top performer.

“She always strives for excellence and always provides neat work. A few times, she’ll make careless mistakes, but don’t even think about that. She’s an ‘A’ student,” said James-Dobson.

This is clearly supported in Alanna’s results in the school’s end-of-term examinations last year, in which she scored straight A’s in at least six subjects.

Ava Campbell, Alanna’s former sixth-grade teacher at St. Peter and Paul, recalls her past student as being extremely focused when completing class assignments.

“When you give her the work, she starts right away and finishes very quickly, usually in a matter of minutes. She’s not going to get anything wrong as she’s always scoring perfect marks.”

Alanna reserves time each day during the week to study, as well as review class notes in preparation for school the next day. However, she usually takes a break from the books on weekends, particularly Saturdays, which are usually reserved for dance classes.

Although her parents assist with homework from time to time, Alanna is extremely independent when it comes to researching her assignments, which she does at the school library, as well as on the internet.

Veronica Duncan-Taylor, Alanna’s mother says her daughter, who is extremely creative with her hands, particularly in art and crochet, also possesses superb organizational skills.

“Usually, when I ask her what help I can give, she’ll look straight at me and say, ‘Mommy I’m fine. I know what to do.’ I am confident knowing that her success rests with her as well as her teachers.”

One of Alanna’s goals is to own and operate her own company someday, although right now she’s not sure exactly what type of business.

For students who are seeking the formula for success, Alanna advises that they keep focused as well as study hard so they can achieve great things.

Born in Falmouth, Trelawny, on February 3, 1933, Professor Nettleford climbed to the pinnacle of academic success and attainments in the arts. He was a devoted nationalist – one who understood that the sustainable growth and development of Jamaica depended on the nurturing of the nation’s people and on the attention paid to empowering them as individuals who could become full participants in the national effort.

A former Rhodes Scholar, Professor Nettleford saw education as one of the most potent empowerment tools, and he gave his active support to the lifelong process of learning. He had a passion for education, and strongly believed in community participation in identifying workable solutions to educational issues. He also provided unstinting support for trade unionism and workers rights; one of his most notable achievements was his founding of the Trade Union Education Institute, which provided the vehicle through which factory and farm workers could connect with scholars to help bridge the education gap between the classes.

Professor Nettleford was unfailingly loyal to exploring the dynamics of the unique Caribbean and Jamaican culture, and this led to him playing a part in the establishment of one of Jamaica’s treasures – the National Dance Theatre Company (NDTC), whose founding dovetailed with the attainment of Jamaica’s independence. Truly, his scholarly exploits and his nurturing and exportation of the best of Jamaica’s culture, made him well-deserving of the titles of leading Caribbean intellectual, visionary and cultural icon.

His conviction that the Jamaican spirit was as indomitable as the very Middle Passage that caused us to be here, drove him to extol that spirit in all areas of his endeavours. He was “bigging up” Jamaicans long before there was a popular phrase of such.

Professor Nettleford excelled in everything he undertook, and his death has undoubtedly left an irreparable void for Jamaicans and Caribbean nationals. May his soul rest in peace.

At the age of 13, while attending the Alexandria Secondary School in St. Ann, Green became pregnant. For many young women, this would have meant the beginning of the end; but for her, it was just the beginning, as she got a second lease on life and made very good use of it.

After having her baby, Green went to the Women’s Crisis Centre, and after attending classes for six months, she went to Brown’s Town Secondary and completed grades 10 and 11. After that, she went to the Brown’s Town Community College where she completed several subjects.

Throughout this time, Green had to do domestic work in order to take care of her child and to sustain herself throughout. Thankfully, her mother (although she was upset about the early pregnancy) offered encouragement and was very supportive of her, and so too were her teachers.

She continued to strive to prove to herself that she was not a failure, and started in the HEART/Trust NTA’s on-the-job training programme, which landed her at Charley’s Windsor House in Brown’s Town. She worked there for three years while awaiting a call from the Jamaica Constabulary Force. The call eventually came in 1997.

After being posted at the Mobile Reserve, then Trelawny, and then the St. Catherine South divisions, Green was still not satisfied. She headed back to school, to the Northern Caribbean University (NCU), where she completed a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and graduated in 2009.

Even still, she yearns for more. Kudos to Policewoman Shermin Green, for taking her trials, and turning them into triumph.

From a young age he wanted to “…cut people, the right way”, and noted that when he used to tell people in Seaview that he wanted to be a doctor, they all laughed. He attended St. Anne’s basic and primary schools, and passed his Common Entrance exam a year earlier than normal (in Grade 5). He then attended Kingston College, and left there in 1998 with 14 subjects overall. Then, it was on to the natural science programme at the University of the West Indies which he did for a year, but was forced to drop out, as his family could not afford the tuition and other fees.

At that time, he heard about the Cuban scholarship programme, applied for it, was successful, and left Jamaica in September 1999. For the next seven years, he studied at the Medical Sciences University of Gramna, eastern Cuba, graduating with honours in 2006, having been twice named Jamaican Student of the Year.

Since returning to Jamaica in 2006, he has worked at the Kingston Public Hospital, Victoria Jubilee Hospital, the Bustamante Hospital for Children, and now the Annotto Bay hospital in St. Mary.

Dr. Hamilton is another of the many Jamaicans here and abroad who are making us proud. Kudos to him, for using the Seaview Gardens experience as motivation for greatness.

The JaipurKnee is made of self-lubricating, oil-filled nylon, and is both flexible and stable, even on irregular terrain. It comprises five pieces of plastic, and four nuts and bolts. It requires no special tools and takes just a few hours to manufacture. It is currently being tested in India.

But what about Sadler? Though he currently resides in California (where he attends Stanford University), USA, and has no immediate plans of returning to Jamaica, Sadler, a former Wolmer’s Preparatory and Campion College student, has said that he will continue to design products that would help Jamaica and other developing countries.

Kudos to yet another Jamaican making a valuable contribution to the world.

Brown, a graduate of Montego Bay High School, will begin an intensive course this month (January 2010), taking lessons from various international relations and public policy experts, including Madeleine Albright herself (a former US secretary of state and a member of the Wellesley College class of 1959).

Brown is one of just 40 students selected to participate in the Institute’s inaugural year, and later this summer she will participate in a Wellesley-funded internship in the United States or abroad – with the goal being to apply what she has learned in a real-life setting. She is currently a political science and Spanish double major, with a strong interest in serving in the Jamaican diplomatic corps one day.

Through the Institute, she hopes that she will be able to delve deeper into issues such as gender equality, international development and poverty eradication – all perennial concerns for developing countries such as her homeland, Jamaica.

Kudos to Danielle Brown, a Jamaican star shining brightly now and for the future.

Dr. Smith grew up in Darliston, Westmoreland, and completed studies up to 5th form (CXC level) at Mannings High school in 1995. That year, at the age of 18, she migrated to Canada, where her CXC results were not recognized and she was forced to repeat her final year in a Canadian high school. She excelled and obtained a scholarship to attend the University of Ottawa, where, upon graduating, she received the highest average in her graduating year and was awarded a medal by the Ottawa-Carleton education school board.

Her interest in brain research peaked after a summer research job in a neuroscience lab at the University of Ottawa. After completing her doctorate in 2005, she received a scholarship from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) to attend Harvard University, where she did two years of research. She is currently working on extending this research in her own lab in Canada, in order to look at ways of functionally repairing damaged nerves, following spinal cord and brain injury.

In 2008, Dr. Smith married Ryan, her best friend and biggest fan, and she currently heads a medical research lab in Canada. Kudos to Dr. Patrice Smith, one of many Jamaicans who’re making waves globally.