Carlton “Funky Man” Allen staged the annual Funky Man Awards on December 29 at the popular Montserrat Cultural Centre at Little Bay, with Communications Specialist Salas Hamilton as host.
Carlton (Funky Man) Allen and Salas Hamilton
The awards show honours outstanding men, women and students who are making positive contributions to the island, and includes the presentation of the Robert W. Griffith Award which this year went to Justin “Hero” Cassell a former calypso monarch, landscaper and cultural activist.
The presentation brought down the curtains of the show followed by veteran calypsonian De Bear’s Romeo and Juliet, the MC’s thank you’s to all, and the Fyahstone band with Magie de Touch and Tomeika. Host Hamilton announced that the Awards show, which maintains a sport on the Festival calendar each year, will be presented every two years henceforth, the next to be in 2016.
The Funky Man awards committee said Mr. Cassell is “a man of the people who is comfortable with people of all walks of life. He has given freely of his knowledge of calypso to help young people to excel in the art form, and has been mentor and advisor to more calypso monarchs than anyone else.”
Bishop Abraham Riley
Hero has taken part in 13 calypso competitions, winning the local calypso monarch title on 11 occasions and was the First Calypso Monarch of Montserrat held in1962. He’s also claimed calypso titles at the UWI Campus Calypso Competition in 1972 and was the 1987 OECS Calypso Monarch.
He continues to produce songs for artists throughout the region, USA and Europe and notably was the writer for the two biggest soca hits “Hot, Hot, Hot” performed by ARROW, and “Tiney Winey” which he sang with Byron Lee and the Dragonaires.
Student Awardees:
Claribel Figueroa, was born in the Dominican Republic but has lived on Montserrat since 2006. She received the outstanding student award for the Montserrat Secondary School. Figueroa came to the island unable to speak English, but eventually left St. Augustine Primary at the top of her class. She won the National Spelling Bee in 2011; is an avid netball and football player and member of the MSS Student Leadership Team.
Taking home an Outstanding Student award was Teresse Weekes, a Grade Six pupil at the Look Out Primary School. She is a member of Brownies and in 2014 won the National ICT poster competition and is also a talented singer.
Shenique Irish, of the Brades Primary School is considered a model student by her teachers. A budding multi-disciplined artist, she enjoys music, art, crafts, and writing and is always willing to support her school’s efforts in competitions. Her excellent academic performance and strong school spirit were additional reasons she was chosen to receive this year’s student award.
Finally Eleven year old, Aleysia Gerald won the students honours for the St. Augustine Primary School. The Grade Six pupil is an avid reader who dedicates extensive time to research and homework. She is considered a role model and advocate for her siblings and peers. Aleysia is an active member of the school’s steel orchestra, the Glee Club and the National Youth Choir. She is a champion of the Ebenezer Seventh Day Adventist Pathfinder as well as a solo singer.
Adult Awards:
Ann Bynoe Joseph received honours during the evening for her more than 25 years of contributions to Montserrat’s cultural and social landscape. Mrs. Joseph has added her creative talents to the fashion, dance, theatre, costume making, and the calypso art forms. As a dedicated individual working with the Festival Committee she has created several colourful and imaginative troupes in which many revelers participated and had lots of fun. She has also served as a chaperone for the annual festival queen show. In 2012, she joined the Ladies of Alliouagana Masquerade Troupe in which she is still dancing. A keen seamstress, Ann has dressed festival queens and also teaches sewing in the local primary schools.
Honouree Bishop Abraham Riley was just a teen when in 1952 he answered the call to follow Christ. Ten years later he entered full time ministry and has made served the Lord with gladness since then. Bishop Riley has served as a pastor on Antigua, Dominica and since 1970 has worked to build the Pentecostal churches on Montserrat. Now officially retired from pastoral work, Bishop Riley remains one of the island’s outstanding pastoral leaders who can be called on for counsel and prayer. Bishop Riley sought no excuses after declaring his acceptance, as he proceeded to deliver a two-minute mini sermon.
Miss Cheryl White, Manager of the Golden Years Home. She received Funky Man honours for her dedication to caring for the elderly of Montserrat. White and her team have maintained a standard of quality care which has seen at least seven of our senior citizens living beyond the age of 100. She considers it an ongoing blessing to care for the elderly and make their lives comfortable. The opportunity to learn about the past but how to age with grace is a reward she considers an honour to receive from spending her days with these men and women.
Entrepreneur Richard Samuel, received his Funky Man award for his commitment to Montserrat’s community. He is considered a Jack of All Trades and Master of All. A farmer, fisherman, butcher, baker, bus and taxi driver, and shopkeeper, Samuel has also served as a volunteer fireman. He was one of the lead volunteers in putting out two of the major fires in the old capital Plymouth and recovery of passengers and crew from the ill-fated PANAM crash on Chances Mountain in 1965.
His bakery is undoubtedly the oldest on the island providing delicious bread, cakes, buns, and other goodies. As a fisherman his greatest delight is to catch and prepare his own fish to fry and sell as part of daily menu at his food establishment.
The deep-rooted community spirit and kind heartedness of this man was expressly demonstrated during the height of the volcanic crisis.
The Funkyman awards show also collaborated and facilitated accommodated the Montserrat Secondary School Association (MSSA) first annual teachers awards. Mrs. Blondina Howes-Jeffrey and Mrs. Gracelyn White, Mr. Randy Greenaway and Mrs. Edith Bellot-Allen, were absentees, while present and among them receiving awards, Miss Kathleen (Kato) Greenaway, former Director of Education and principal of the MSS; and Mrs. Anjelica Sweeney, who currently teaches at the school. She received the first ‘teacher of the year’ award.
Association president, Miss Sandrene Ryan and vice president Gary Morton made the presentations. Morton before announcing the honourees reminded that the reason behind the idea: “…these teachers, they are our foundation, we build our lives in our success on the teachings and the learnings… for both the current, past and future students because that foundation is critical to continued growth and continued success as the leaders of not only today but leaders of tomorrow…”
During the presentations, Carlton Funkyman donated $2,500.00 to several Non-profit organizations on island. Recipients were the Montserrat branch of the British Red Cross, The Meals on Wheels program, the Golden Years Foundation, the Montserrat Senior Citizens Association and the Sir Howard Fergus Scholarship Fund.
Funkyman says the aim is to give something back to the community and to make a difference. “We all got to work together and make this place a better place…just giving back – we all must give back not necessary money. You can give back your time, anything…” he encouraged.
Sir Howard Fergus accepted for his Scholarship Fund: “I wish to gratefully accept this donation on behalf of Mrs. Sheri Jemmotte-Rodney who is the Chairperson of the Fund and to thank you for supporting the fund over the years,” as he informed, “….to say that Mr. McCloyd White (the saxophonist) was one of our first or perhaps the first recipient of a Scholarship, so that gives you an idea of the work we do.”
Entertainment throughout the evening was provided by a young trio group ‘Chemistry’ (Samuels residing in the USA); Junior Calypsonians Keon Christopher and Keiana Wade, Saxophonist McCloyd White, and calypsonians Black Jaguar and De Bear. The band for the evening’s show featured the Fyahstone with first Miss Montserrat Idol Tomeika Jeffrey and popular female singer/calypsonian Maggie Detouche.
The Funky Man Awards are presented annually by Carlton “Funky Man” Allen during the Montserrat Festival. The Funkyman Award Show was originally “The Mantis Funkyman Award” co-founded by Carlton ‘Funkyman’ Allen and Randy ‘Zunky’ Greenaway.
Hero: This cultural enthusiast has over the years served on the Montserrat Festival Committee and in recent times has been a stalwart in organizing the week long St. Patrick’s Day activities. In his private life, he is a devout Roman Catholic Christian and professionally has excelled in his chosen career field as an Agriculturist. He pioneered the teaching of Agriculture Science programs at the secondary school level, in Nassau, Bahamas and Montserrat.
Richard Samuel: The deep-rooted community spirit and kind heartedness of this man was expressly demonstrated during the height of the volcanic crisis., when he freely provided the Government with some of his land here in the north to build temporary family units for persons who were evacuated from the southern part of the island. At one time he also provided free school bus service for the children from the south who were attending the Montserrat Secondary School.
Gary Morton: I just want to say one quick word before we honor our honorees tonight and that is these teachers they are our foundation, we build our lives in our success on the teachings and the learnings that they delivered to us and I particularly remember allot of the learnings that I had from the teachers in the MSS who are truly the foundational drivers to not only the success that I have been able to have in life but all of us and that’s why we band together and collaborate for both the current, past and future students because that foundation is critical to continued growth and continued success as the leaders of not only today but leaders of tomorrow so I just wanted to say that, thank you.
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