Sav’s mayor pleased with Westmoreland’s Independence celebrations
Published:Thursday | August 7, 2025 | 12:10 AMMickalia Kington/Gleaner Writer
Western Bureau:
As Jamaica marked its 63rd year of Independence, the streets of Savanna-la-Mar came alive with patriotic pride during the annual Independence Day Civic Ceremony hosted in the parish capital yesterday.
Speaking with The Gleaner following the ceremony, Savanna-la-Mar Mayor Danree Delancy expressed satisfaction with the day’s proceedings and the wider slate of the Emancipendence celebrations across the parish.
“It was well executed and well run by the Master of Ceremony and ... the JCDC (Jamaica Cultural Development Commission) team ... and also to the Emancipendence Committee at the Westmoreland [Municipal] Corporation that met over several days and really put their heart into it. Hence, we have had a successful event,” the mayor said.
Delancy also reflected on the strong turnout and good conduct displayed at the events over the past week, including last Thursday’s Emancipation Vigil.
“Thursday was a great success as well. Good entertainment, the people turned out in their numbers and they were all very well behaved. I want to congratulate our people here in Westmoreland for the good behaviour they have displayed at these events last week and today,” he said.
With festivities still ongoing, the mayor encouraged residents to attend the evening’s gala celebration.
“This evening, in the form of a gala, starts right here at 6 p.m. We should be having some very good, clean entertainment, suited for the family. So I would encourage everyone to come out, bring up the kids and all of that and have a good time and celebrate Jamaica’s Independence.”
A BIG THING
Reflecting on the broader meaning of Jamaica’s 63rd year of Independence, Delancy said, “63 years of Independence is a big thing in my book and I think our country has grown and has matured over the years. Years of course that I think we could have done better in but we give God thanks for where we are and we pray for his country’s blessings to achieve our ultimate goals as a nation”.
Asked what part of the Emancipation-Independence holiday he looks forward to the most, the mayor responded, “To see the people coming out in unity ... more than less this time around. They have come out in unity, putting aside other types of things that would sometimes divide us. I look forward to seeing people of all races, colour, class, creed, I look forward to seeing us coming out and really celebrating our history, our heritage and celebrating us being a sovereign nation.”
Among those proudly representing the parish during this celebratory period was reigning Miss Westmoreland Festival Queen 2025, Jhenelle Small. Beaming with pride, Small shared her thoughts with The Gleaner at the civic ceremony.
“I feel blessed and honoured to represent Westmoreland,” she said.
“Westmoreland is a place of so much history and so much pride and the people of Westmoreland truly know how to make you feel like a part of the family. So it’s just an honour to represent Jamaica on a whole. The black, green and gold ... . I am a proud black, (and) bold Jamaican woman,” Small continued.
She expressed gratitude to those who supported her reign thus far. “The opportunity to do so is one of a kind and I give thanks to God and I give thanks to my family and, of course, the JCDC. Thank you for assisting me in my reign thus far.”
Small also spoke passionately about what this Independence Day symbolised for her.
“Just to be here today at the Independence celebration, it reminds us how much of a duty it is and a responsibility we have as citizens of Jamaica to complete our Independence, to wear our colours with pride and to remember our civic duty,” she said.
“And so I think even on this special independence, our 63rd independence, it restores another or it recommits our vision and our purpose towards ensuring that Jamaica becomes the place of work, the place to do business, the place to raise families, and the place to live and enjoy.”
SPREADING AWARENESS
As Miss Westmoreland Festival Queen, Small said she takes seriously her role in spreading awareness about Jamaican culture and heritage.
“As Miss Westmoreland Festival Queen 2025, one thing that we were taught ... is that we are cultural ambassadors. Ambassadors that represent Jamaica, represent what it really means to be Jamaican,” she explained.
“And especially in this era when we are (celebrating) Emancipation and Independence; it’s about restoring the pride, the civic pride in our country. So persons understand ... the traditions of Jamaica ... who can make blue draws, who can make the sweet potato pudding, who can do all of those things to ensure that we preserve our culture and pass it on to the future generation.”
However, Small’s contribution goes beyond representation. She’s actively working to uplift her community through a project titled Justice on Wheels, a mobile legal outreach programme that brings essential legal services directly to rural communities in Westmoreland.
“And more so, as Miss Westmoreland Festival Queen, we have responsibilities to not just represent our country, but more so to do projects for our own citizens. As a legal professional, I have seen especially in Westmoreland, where you either have to go to Kingston or Montego Bay to get certain things done. And so it’s important for me to bring access to justice to citizens of Westmoreland, making sure they know how to sort out their land ownership, how to sort out estate management and other issues that they may have.”
With great enthusiasm, she echoed, “I’m excited to do that. And I’m just really excited to represent Westmoreland.”