2010 Queen’s Birthday Honours List Announced

Her Majesty the Queen has recognized the following persons in her Birthday Honours List 2010; Conchita Consuelo Ming to be an Officer of the British Empire [OBE], Calvert Kelly Zuill to be a Member of the British Empire [MBE] and Dr. Juanita Guishard, John Wadson, WO2 Neilson DeGraff, Julia Patton, Allan ‘Forty’ Rego, Betty Howes, Carlton Wilkinson, and Vivienne Jones received Queen’s Certificates and Badges of Honour.

Read more about each recipient below:

Mrs. Conchita Consuelo Ming, OBE

Mrs. Conchita Consuela Ming, CBE was the Chair of the Bermuda 2009 Committee that was responsible for coordinating events and activities to mark the 400th Anniversary celebrations of continuous permanent settlement in Bermuda. She is credited for demonstrating tremendous energy and enthusiasm and contributing to making 2009 an extraordinary and historical year.

Mrs. Ming is also an icon in the Bermuda dance community. She is a co-founder of the National Dance Theatre of Bermuda (NDTB) and many of her dances have earned wide acclaim including: A Woman Named Prince; Church Cave, Tubular Images (performed before Her Majesty in 1994) Bermuda Tapestry; Sally Bassett, Earth Tones (A tribute to the Bermuda Gombeys) and Mary Prince.

With degrees in Education and Counselling, and Certification in Early Childhood Education, Mrs. Ming was instrumental in setting up the Child Development Programme and incorporating services and approaches that respected the different cultures of families within the community. This included educating her staff about cultural differences in the community; translating materials into Portuguese to make it easier for Portuguese-speaking families to avail themselves of the Child Development Project services; and having staff members take introductory Portuguese-speaking courses to help them converse with Portuguese families in Bermuda. Under Mrs. Ming’s tenure, the Child Development Programme was administered by the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Health and the programme now services all families with pre-schoolers in Bermuda. Mrs. Ming and her husband Henry, have two adult children.

Calvert Kelly Zuill, MBE

Mr. Calvert Kelly Zuill, MBE who hosts “The Gospel Train” radio show on ZBM, has been Bermuda’s top Gospel DJ since 1963 and his Christian listeners fondly refer to him as “Mr. Gospel.” He is also-well known for the annual “Gospel Treat to Mothers’ show that is held in Bernard Park, Hamilton each Mother’s Day.

Over the years, Mr. Zuill has presented numerous gospel groups and gospel stylists in concert in Bermuda, including Vernard Johnson; the Earlston Ford Singers; Professor William “Billy” Johnson; Ruth Schofield; Patrick Dwayne Fortson 11; Darrell McFadden & the Disciples and King Obstinate. He has also produced shows with many of Bermuda’s best Gospel artists including, The Warrenairs, The Apex Four, The Southampton SDA Inspirational Choir, Rochelle and Mary, The Choraliers, The AME Four and The Upper Room Quintette.

As a Master of Ceremonies, Mr. Zuill has introduced gospel greats such as Reverend James Cleveland, Shirley Caesar, The Swan Silvertones, The Gospel All Stars, Professor Alex Bradford, Princess Stewart, Teddy Huffman and The Gems, The Gospel Keynotes, The Brooklyn All Stars, Breath of Life Quartette, The Harmonizing Four; Bobby Jones and the New Life Choir; Darrell McFadden and the Disciples, Dorothy Norwood; Joseph Niles, Kirk Franklin, The Grace Thrillers and the Sounds of Blackness.

He has earned numerous awards and recognition for his service to the Christian community:

* In 1989, he was honoured at the 6th Annual National & International Gospel DJ’s Conference in Memphis, Tennessee, USA
* In August 1990, Gospel USA Magazine named him as “Announcer of the Month;
* in June 1990, he was voted as “Gospel Announcer of the Year” at the National & International Gospel DJ Conference in Memphis Tennessee.
* In 1994, Mr. Zuill was awarded a Queen’s Certificate & Badge of Honour in Her Majesty the Queen’s New Years Honours.
*Mr. Zuill is a Eucharistic Minister, vestry and choir member of St. Anne’s Anglican Church in Southampton.

Dr Juanita Guishard – for services to health-care

Dr. Juanita Guishard has been a mental health-care professional for decades and she has been a leader in helping the community understand the importance of mental health.

Over the past 50 years she has worked as a nurse at King Edward VII Memorial Hospital; at the Prospect Geriatric and at St. Brendan’s Hospital (now known as Mid-Atlantic Wellness Institute).

Dr. Guishard has a Master of Science degree in Counselling from Indiana University and she earned her Doctoral degree in Mental Health Counselling & Administration from Columbia Pacific University in California.

Dr. Guishard spent 15 years as a Psychiatric Counsellor at St. Brendan’s Hospital, and she remembers when cocaine was introduced to Bermuda in the late 1970s and early 1980s and when only six persons in Bermuda that were known to be addicted to the substance. She also remembers when the smoking of marijuana started to become popular in the community.

As a Religious Knowledge and Health Science teacher at the Berkeley Institute, one of her students was the current Premier, Dr. the Hon. Ewart F. Brown, JP, MP.

Dr. Guishard authored The Legend of St. Brendan’s and Getting Back to Christian Basics, (the latter co-authored with Dr. Edna Vivian Fordbey-Smith). The Legend of St. Brendan’s is an historical focus on mental illness in Bermuda – from its discovery and early forms of treatment up to 1987. The book also focuses on individuals who sought to establish guidelines and a solid foundation in mental health care and on those who sought to introduce beneficial changes in patient care in treatment centres and society. Getting back to Christian Basics is a humanistic philosophy of spiritual obstacles that Dr. Guishard faced on her first job as a private duty nurse at KEMH.

Mr. John Wadson – for services to the community (Tall Ships)

“Promoting international understanding and friendships of young people through sail training.” This is the motto that Mr. John Wadson has lived for many years as a passionate advocate on the benefits of sail training for Bermuda’s youth. Over the last decade he has devoted himself to assisting young people in Bermuda to have sail training opportunities on Tall Ships in Bermuda and around the world. Through the Sail Training Association Bermuda which Mr. Wadson chairs, young Bermudians receive financial assistance to travel to European and East Coast ports each summer where they join Tall Ships as sail trainees in various Tall Ships races. When Tall Ships came to Bermuda last summer as part of the Island’s 400th Anniversary celebration, many young Bermudians, most with little to no previous sailing experience, were placed as sail trainees on various legs of the seven-port race.

In 2000 when the Tall Ships visited Bermuda for the Tall Ships Race of the Century, Mr. Wadson played a key role as Deputy Chairman and Finance Chairman and over 150 young people from Bermuda were placed on Tall Ships as sail trainees. The success of the 2000 event and Bermuda’s sea-faring history convinced him that a Tall Ships race would be an appropriate way for Bermuda to celebrate its 400th Anniversary of permanent settlement. Mr. Wadson led Bermuda’s effort to host the Tall Ships Atlantic Challenge 2009 and the June Tall Ships Festival on Front Street, Hamilton – the largest and most successful 400th Anniversary project – attracted 23 Tall Ships from around the world, brought 1,500 youth sail trainees to Bermuda and saw 100 young Bermudians – and a few older ones, placed as sail trainees. The event brought the entire community together in a spirit of friendship, volunteering and camaraderie and earned Bermuda a unanimous “Best Port!” declaration from the Tall Ships’ captains that visited the Island. Sail Training International also awarded Sail Training Association Bermuda, the Robin Duchesne Memorial Trophy, also known as “Robin’s Hat” for outstanding services to sail training.

As a Director of Sail Training International, Mr. Wadson continues to promote regional development of sail training activities in the Western Atlantic and the Caribbean – much to the benefit of Bermuda’s young people. Mr. Wadson and his wife, Nancy, have two adult daughters.

WO2 Neilson DeGraff – for services to the Bermuda Regiment

In November 1975, a young Neilson DeGraff enlisted in the Bermuda Regiment Band as a way to continue to play his music. Today, 35 years later, he is a senior Warrant Officer in the Regiment’s Band & Corps of Drums and he has become renowned as the principle Bugler for the Band – playing at ceremonial occasions and giving a flawless delivery of The Last Post at military funerals.

WO2 DeGraff is also well-known for running his family business (Degraff’s Lunch Wagon and Byrdies Café on Parson’s Road) and he is proud of the continuous service that he has given to the Bermuda Regiment. He encourages other musicians to also join the Regiment – something he says helped to give him a focus at an early age when other young men were getting caught up in negative influences. “When I joined the Bermuda Regiment Band all those years ago, not only was I doing something I enjoyed, I was trying to contribute and just doing my part to make a difference.”

WO2 DeGraff’s love of music grew out of his involvement with the North Village Band and lessons from Miss Ada Joell, his first music teacher. He has travelled all over the world with the Bermuda Regiment Band and has also represented the Island on tours arranged by the Bermuda Department of Tourism. One of his best moments, he says, is playing for Her Majesty the Queen during her visit to Bermuda. WO2 is married to Jo-Ann and the couple has three adult children.

Ms. Julia Patton – for public service (Board of Immigration)

Ms. Julia Patton has provided Herculean service for 24 years to the Government of Bermuda by serving on the Board of Immigration for both the Bermuda Progressive Labour Party and the United Bermuda Party Governments.

The knowledge that she imparts to the Board is second to none. Her sound decision-making skills and thoroughness in analyzing files, applying the rules and policies of the Immigration department evenly and fairly during the Boards deliberation is beyond compare. Her sacrifice to attend Board meetings twice weekly for 24 years equates to thousands of hours of service.

Mr. Allan ‘Forty’ Rego – for services to sport (boxing)

Mr. Allan ‘Forty’ has been involved in the Bermuda boxing scene since the early 1950’s. In 1956, the former middle-weight fought and won his last bout, knocking out his opponent, Buster Samuels. Since then, he has dedicated himself to training and working with countless Bermudian boxers and he has helped to transform the lives of many young men through his coaching and skills in life-learning. ‘Forty’ is proud of his accomplishments with young men and says, “If I can keep one young man from going up to Westgate, then I have made a difference.”

In the early days, ‘Forty’ trained many of Bermuda’s boxers at various gyms across the Island. Some of those who have benefitted from ‘Forty’s coaching and mentorship include Irving Raynor, Roy Johnson, Troy Darrell, Quinn Paynter, Anthony Fubler, Norman DeSilva, Clarence Hill, Vincent Tweed Reginald Raynor, Gary Hope, David Hope, Ricky Lines – and several Bermuda Police Service boxers. ‘Forty’s training is not limited to training male boxers – he has worked with Teresa Perozzi, Leona Brown and continues to work with Laura “Lady Ram” Ramsey, a professional boxer in Florida.

Since 1982, ‘Forty’ has operated a gym out of his own Warwick home where he continues to volunteer his time to the sport he is passionate about. The latest boxer to come under his tutelage is Nickki Bascome who is only one of several young men who train at the gym, Monday to Thursday. ‘Forty’ is also teaching boxing training to the Bermuda San-sou martial arts group.

Over the years, “Forty” has taken boxers to international tournaments including various Golden Gloves tournaments and the Arnold Schwarzenegger Classic. His boxers have won a total of eight gold medals, seven silver medals and five bronze medals in recent competitions. ‘Forty’ and his wife Joanne are parents of five adult children.

Mrs. Betty Howes – for services to the community (Sunshine League)

Mrs. Betty Howes has been involved with the Sunshine League Children’s Home, one of Bermuda’s first charities for over 60 years. She was the 10th President and until recently, she served for many years on the Board of Directors of the Sunshine League.

As the annual Tag Day Coordinator, Mrs. Howes has become the face of the Sunshine League. As a child, she went door to door with her mother soliciting funds for the operation of the Home. Over the years, she has assembled a formidable group of men and women throughout the community to “tag” for the Sunshine league on the first weekend in December each year.

Mrs. Howes uses her considerable expertise and energy to raise funds for other charities as well, such as the Lions Club. Mrs. Howes prefers to work behind the scenes to make Bermuda a better place and her contributions do much to provide the right kind of environment in which the young people of the Sunshine League can grow and reach their full potential.

Mr. Carlton Wilkinson – for services to tourism

Mr. Carlton Wilkinson knows all about dedication to duty and to the Bermuda tourism industry as just last year, he was recognized by his employers, the Fairmont Hamilton Princess, for 45 years of continuous service and for taking no days off sick since he joined the hotel in 1964.

Mr. Wilkinson began his tourism career in his early 20s in the valet department of the Castle Harbour Hotel. He later joined the laundry department of the Hamilton Princess Hotel where he was eventually promoted to Laundry Supervisor and then, Chief Valet. He has acquired a wealth of knowledge about the hotel and fondly remembers when Thursday nights were considered “formal nights” and ladies would dress up in their sparkling gowns; men would dress in tuxedos.

In December 1999, Mr. Wilkinson was nominated as Employee of the Month and the following year, 2000, he won Employee of the Year. Today, his employers regard him as an awesome role model who goes the extra mile to assist colleagues and guests. When giving advice to new colleagues about the hospitality industry, Mr. Wilkinson tells them, “The hotel is like a little city – everything you want is under one roof. Find out what you like and stick to it!”

In his spare time, Mr. Wilkinson breeds pedigree dogs and is an active participant at some of the most prestigious dog show competitions in Bermuda, Canada, the US and the UK. His love of animals extended to ‘Tiger’ – the former popular resident cat at Fairmont Hamilton Princess Hotel that Mr. Wilson took care of, ensuring the cat was fed and had its regular vet checks.

Mr. Wilkinson also enjoys watching his favourite basketball team, The Lakers. He is a former cricketer for Cleveland Country and Western Stars Sports Club and he is described as “a pretty good” guitar player who often plays the guitar at his church.

Miss Vivienne Mary Lorina Jones – for excellence in business (Jones Dry Goods)

Miss Vivienne Mary Lorina Jones or “Aunt V” as she is known to her loving family is the proprietor of Jones Dry Goods Store on The Glebe Road, Pembroke. Miss Jones has been a successful businesswoman in the community for generations. In 2007, the Pembroke community hosted a block party celebration in her honour.

Jones Dry Goods Store is believed to be one of the oldest continuing operating businesses in Bermuda. Ms. Jones inherited the store from her father, who was a well-respected tailor in the City of Hamilton.

The store is seen as a community gathering place where members of the community – and often other people from all over the Island, gather to celebrate good news, or to commiserate over bad news in the neighbourhood. For Miss Jones, it was never about making money, but serving her community. Even on days when she felt unwell, she would ensure that her store opened to serve the community. On her overseas buying trips, she willingly acted as a personal shopper for members of her community and whenever people were unable to pay for what they needed, Miss Jones would give them what they needed anyway.

Miss Jones was trained at the Boston Conservatory of Music as a concert pianist. She taught music to children in the neighbourhood and on her days off, she would play the piano for seniors at the Matilda Smith Williams Home.

Now at 98 years of age, Miss Jones is unable to keep up her former hectic schedule of working at the store every day, but she still pops in whenever she can. Miss Jones is a member of the Christian Scientist faith and is adored by her many nieces, nephews, great nieces and great nephews.

[All photos courtesy of DCI]

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