The Prime Minister of Belize, Hon. Dean Barrow, honoured eighteen distinguished Belizeans at the Tribute to Belizean Patriots ceremony on Thursday, September 17. The ceremony was held at the Bliss Center for Performing Arts.
Two individuals were honoured with the Order of Belize. Those individuals were Hon. Dean R. Lindo, who received the award for his contribution to the development of party of politics in
Belize, and Mr. Campton Fairweather, CBE, who received the award for his service to the Belizean Community in New York.
Four individuals received Order of Distinction honours. Those individuals were Dr. Kendrick R. Leslie of the National Meteorological Service, Mr. Gregory C. Gibson, Dr. Errol G. Elrington, and Captain Monrad Siegfried Metzgen, OBE, JP. The honour was bestowed upon Captain Metzgen posthumously. His daughter, Louise Metzgen MBE, received the honour on his behalf. She said that her father loved this country and fought boldly on its behalf. Louise Metzgen has served the United Kingdom as a diplomat for many years but stressed that by the blood which ran through her father’s veins – she will always be Belizean. Dr. Errol Elrington has dedicated his life to the advancement of medicine in Belize. In his application to medical school he said that he wanted to bridge the gap between medical services in developed countries and developing countries. He is also the brother of Belize’s Attorney General and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Hon. Wilfred Elrington. His other brother, Hubert Elrington, is also an accomplished attorney. When asked why he didn’t take up law like his brothers, he said with a smile, “We scientists have always said that if medicine was too difficult for us we would do something else. Fortunately for me, medicine was not too challenging. If it was, I would probably be doing something easier – like law.”
Twelve individuals received Meritorious Service Awards. Those twelve individuals are Mr. Glenville Anthony Stuart, Mr. Halston Chan JP, Mr. Calistro Animo Caliz, Mr. Michael Lewis, Mr. Godfrey Blades, Mr. Pablo Mesh, Mr. Armando Valdez, Mr. Cesar Ismael Gomez, Ms. Idalicia Melva Zetina JP, Reverend Linda Carmita Moguel, Ms. Nadia Cattouse and Mrs. Nellie Arnold.
The individuals honoured this year were politicians, doctors, attorneys, educators, athletes and community organizers. The National Honours and Awards Act was passed on August 16, 1991. It says that each year honours and awards may be conferred to individuals, living or dead, who may have rendered outstanding and meritorious service to Belize.
