Kingston Gleaner Newspaper Archives

Kingston Gleaner (Newspaper) - August 14, 2003, Kingston, Kingston A historical outlook from a Westmoreland treasureCelebrating Seaford Town IT’S ONE of the best-kept secrets in Jamaica - Seaford Town, the historic town with strong German roots nestled in the cool climes of Westmoreland. The history of the town dates back to the late 18th century and it is replete with rich and diverse cultures, milestone achievements and life long traditions. It is against this background that the Seaford Town Vocational Training Centre and Villas, funded and operated by the HEART Trust/National Training Agency, is playing a key role in a special celebration in August to highlight the proud history of the Community and its people. The VTC, led by its dynamic manager Mrs. Elaine Shakes and her team, has partnered with its Management Advisory Committee chaired by Roman Catholic Bishop of Montego Bay, Reverend Charles Dufour, and the Seaford Town Community and Museum Restoration Committee to stage the celebrations. “Celebrating Seaford Town” will be highlighted by the following activities: ■ A special church service will be held at the Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Church in Seaford Town on Sunday, August 17 at 4:00 p.m., (coinciding with the birthday of National Hero Rt. Excellent Marcus Mosiah Garvey). Among the guests will be the Custos of Westmoreland, Owen Sinclair. The Lord Laro Band and the Gospel Vibrators will perform at the church service celebrations. HEART Prime Minister P.J. Patterson to officially open museum. An international Seaford Town volunteers Day on August 19 between 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. A town meeting on August 20 at 11:00 a.m., focusing on the rich cultural heritage of Seaford Town and the way forward Homecoming celebrations at the Seaford Town All Age School at 6:00 p.m. The flagship event - the official launch of the Seaford Town Tourism and German Historic Museum on Friday, August 29 at 11:00 a.m. by Prime Minister, the Most Hon. P.J. Patterson. Tourism and Industry Minister Hon. Aloun N’dombet Assamba, as well as the German Ambassador to Jamaica, His Excellency, Dr. Christian Hausmann, have also been invited to attend the launch. Minister of Tourism and Industry Aloun N’dombet Assamba will be in attendance. MESSAGE Look forward to continued growth OH HOW the choirs of angels must applaud as they see the efforts to renew the beautiful community of Seaford Town in Westmoreland! I know the renewal will not be only in the physical sense, but the spiritual as well. After all, the Lord enters willingly in hearts surrounded by beauty and cleanliness. An important factor for success in the venture is the coordinated effort of several government and nongovernment agencies involved in the rebuilding of this community. The HEART Trust/NTA, the German Historic Society of Seaford Town and the Jamaica-German Society, (Montego Bay Chapter), the Ministry of Tourism and the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association are therefore applauded for their acts of community, which have brought this project to this stage I congratulate the organisers of the Seaford Town Tourism and German Historic Museum on their effort to this stage and look forward to the continued growth of the project and the renewed energy in this beautiful piece of Jamaica. I appeal to every single member of the community, the many civic associations in and adjoining Seaford Town to collaborate for long-term success. This will redound to the greater stability of your community, your families and Jamaica, land you all love. I pray God's blessings on all your endeavours. Most Rev. Charles Dufour Roman Catholic Bishop, Diocese of Montego Bay and Chairman of the Management Advisory Committee of Seaford Town VTC Seaford Town VTC trainees are exposed to training in hospitality, apparel and furniture manufacturing skills. Vf** IMF Iff rn* The Seaford Town Training Villa is funded and operated by the HEART Trust/NTA. HEART’S Seaford Town Villa Services programme - excellence in service The Seaford Town Training Villa is an excellent part of Jamaica’s cultural heritage tourism product. The villa offers bed and breakfast facilities for local and overseas visitors, as well as multi-skilled hospitality training in food preparation, food and beverage service, customer, service and housekeeping. The villa also provides sightseeing tours, nature trails, horseback riding and highland tours. The programme was introduced by the HEART Trust/NTA in conjunction with the German Agency for Technical Co-operation (GTZ) in response to the needs of the industry, particularly smaller hotels, guest houses and restaurants who need multi-skilled workers trained to competently perform a range of functions. A section of the Seaford Town VTC in the historic German Jamaican Town A tribute to community and heritage tourism - Seaford Town VTC fully involved “THE CELEBRATION of Seaford Town” in August 2003 is the realisation of a dream by the Seaford Town Community and Museum Restoration Committee. It has also evolved out of a very vibrant partnership between the HEART Trust/NTA Seaford Town VTC and the community. The Seaford Town VTC has maintained a key interest in forging linkages with the communities and industries to expand training opportunities, improve the relevance of its training programmes and to create employment opportunities. Critically also, a major component of the partnership is the development and promotion of community and heritage tourism packages. These packages already include the following components: ■ Guided community walks ■ Tour of historic German museum ■ Snack and lunch at the Seaford Town Villa ■ Cultural and musical entertainment ■ Shopping at the Seaford Town Craft Village The committee hopes to continue seeking ways to enhance the historical, scenic and cultural heritage tourism experience in the town and to create economic opportunities for the citizens in and around the area. The Seaford Town VTC offers training in hospitality, apparel and furniture manufacturing skills to assist them to take advantage of these opportunities. Already the Centre has established partnerships with the world-renowned Round Hill Hotel and with tour operators in Montego Bay. It has also completed the first of a two-part training course for tour guides and commenced the construction of craft shops in the Seaford Town craft village. Children in Seaford Town are constantly reminded of its rich history. i    \