48 National Awards -- Four receive T&T's highest award

Recipients of the 2011 Order of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago from top left Zalayhar Hassanali; Philip Ulric Cross; Helen Bhagwansingh and Anthony Norman Sabga

August 31, 2011: Forty-eight National Awards are to be handed out Wednesday evening to 46 individuals and two groups on the occasion of Trinidad and Tobago’s 49th anniversary of Independence.

The awards list was released on Tuesday morning by the Office of the President. His Excellency President George Maxwell Richards will preside at Wednesday's National Awards ceremony at Queen's Hall from 6 pm.

This year, four persons have been awarded the nation’s highest award, the Order of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago – retired judge, Philip Louis Ulric Cross; former first lady Zalayhar Hassanali; businesswomen Helen Bhagwansingh and businessman Anthony Norman Sabga.

Three persons were awarded the newest national award  the Gold Medal for the Development of Women – Hazel Angela Brown, coordinator at the Network for NGO’s and social activists Diana Mary Mahabir-Wyatt and Brenda Gopeesingh.

Several familiar names also appear on the list of awardees, including those who received the Chaconia Medal (Gold) – businessman Robert Theophillus Yorke; attorney Stephanie Daly; Pastor Winston Cuffie; Pan arranger Louis Patrick Arnold and Pundit Hardath Maharaj.

The Chaconia Medal (Silver) was awarded to Attorney Desmond Allum, S.C. posthumously, while calypsonian Denyse Plummer and Fr Clyde Harvey received the Humming Bird Medal (Gold).

The two groups, the Malick Tassa Drummers and the Dow Village Ramleela and Cultural Organisation Inc. received the Humming Bird Medal (Silver).
Retired police officer Margaret Sampson-Browne and retired Major General Edmund Ernest Dillon were awarded the Public Service Medal of Merit (Gold). Retired police officer Sheila Prince and police officer Derrick Sharbodie also got the Public Service Medal of Merit (Silver).

The Full List of 2011 National Award recipients