It was a wonderful mix of Jamaicans and Canadians when High Commissioner Denis Kingsley and his wife Joanne threw an anniversary shindig at their home in St. Andrew recently. 

The dress code stipulated that guests should go for bright red and white attire which was fine with most persons as the humidity made wearing white tops and easy choice. Upon the arrival of the Governor General Professor Sir Kenneth Hall, High Commissioner Kingsley welcomed his guests just before the singing of the Jamaican and Canadian national anthems by the Area Youth Foundation members out of Mountain View. 

In his welcome the High Commissioner said that July 1, his country’s national day, is an occasion to express their pride and recognise the immense privilege they enjoy as citizens of a peaceful, free, democratic an multicultural country.  He added that Canada’s prosperity is dependent on trade and openness to the world and that its security is found in an international order that is peaceful, stable and based on international law and human rights. 

Canada was one of the first countries to respond to Jamaica’s need following Hurricane Dean and is one of the largest international contributors to humanitarian relief and reconstruction efforts. He expressed his joy at having welcomed some 150 members of the Jamaican Diaspora in Canada to Jamaica a few weeks before,  for the third biennial Diaspora conference.  

He noted that as Canada celebrates its 141^st birthday,  Canadians proudly celebrate the country’s many accomplishments, past and present, at home and abroad. All Canadians, he added, reflect on the country’s good fortune to live in such a wonderful country, and are willing to work with others to make the world a better place. 

A music video sponsored by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), was shown in which the Area Youth Foundation relayed a message of non violence and harmony amongst people.