February 2014

Exciting Calypso and Ole Mas

Competition 2014

Deputy Chairman Suresh Gangapersad welcomes the crowd

The 14th of February was not only the international

day of love (Valentine’s Day) but it also shared this

special date with the Port’s Annual Calypso and Ole

mas Competition 2014 event, held at the Cruise

Ship Complex. Hundreds of persons came out to

be entertained by the talented and creative

employees who took part in the event. Also in

attendance was Deputy Chairman Suresh

Gangapersad, who welcomed the crowd. Others

who came to enjoy the show included:

Commissioner Patricia Herry, Ag. GM/CEO Sharon

Mark, and Ag. CEO PPOS Trudy Gill-Conlon.

There were 15 contestants, with genres of calypso

ranging from kaiso to soca to even chutney-soca.

Four performances were exceptionally outstanding,

in the judges’ opinion. In first place was Lennox

Sampson from the mechanical garage with his

calypso ‘Death Penalty’. In second place was IT’s

Julius Leacock with his chutney-soca ‘De Bullhorn’.

Port Calypso Monarch, Lennox Sampson, during his performance

IT Department’s Julius Leacock in 2nd

place, with his saucy dancers

Third place winner, Sherwin Edwards, gets into his rendition

Heston Blake, 4th

place winner, enjoying his time on stage

In third place was Sherwin Edwards of the Port

Police with his calypso ‘Beautify’ - and in fourth

place was Heston Blake who also won the Soca

Monarch title with his song ‘No Gangster Man’.

Hafeez Mohammed, winner of Most Humorous prize

Aisha Lashley-Farrell, Highest Placed Female winner, in costume for

her performance

Other special prizes presented were: Most

Humorous, copped by Hafeez Mohammed with his

calypso titled ‘Sing Fuh We”, Highest Placed

Female, won by Aisha Lashley-Farrell of the Cargo

Accounts Department and first time Chutney Soca

Monarch won by Julius Leacock.

Ole Mas winning band, Ministry of Internal Affairs

After the performances the crowd was further

entertained by local Soca Artiste, Benjai. This was

followed by the Ole Mas Competition where the

Basement Crew, narrated by Dishon Maurice, took

first prize with their performance called ‘Ministry

of Internal Affairs’. In second place was a

presentation by the Barrel Shop entitled ‘It’s Ah

Ledge’.

All-in-all the event was exciting and well-enjoyed,

highlighting the artistic talents of port employees in

the form of song and ‘street theatre’- accompanied

by the Fire Services Band. Yet another event filled

with good times, some picong and camaraderie.

PORT IS PRESENT AT CAREER FAIR

The Port Authority was well represented at the

recently concluded Ministry of Education (St.

George District) Career Fairs, held at the University

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of Trinidad and Tobago, Arima Campus, on 5th

February and at the Centre of Excellence over the

period February 18th and 19th.

Presenters speaking with students at the Port Booth

The fair catered to students of Forms 3, 5 and 6

and the Port's presentations were well-received by

both students and teachers alike. Representing the

Port Authority were Sheldon Smith of the Crane

Maintenance Department, Lorne Sandy of the

Insurance Department, Sieunarine Babwah and

Claydon Wyllie of the Marine Division, Pearl

Valdez-Narcis of the Public Relations Department

and Sherry-Ann Greenidge-Brewster of the

Marketing Department.

The facilitators of the programme - the Ministry of

Education and the National Training Academy,

were high in praise for the 'mentoring' approach

that was chosen by the Port's presenters to the

students, and even indicated their interest for the

PATT to be a part of future events of a similar

nature.

CHRISTMAS VOUCHERS FOR EMPLOYEES

Commissioner Patricia Herry presents voucher to Delecia Matthew

Employees received a surprise token of

appreciation for the Christmas season. This was a

welcomed gesture which was initiated by the Board

of the Port Authority, as a way of acknowledging

and expressing thanks for the efforts and

dedication of port employees for the past year.

In total, 1613 employees were eligible to receive Hi-Lo vouchers in the amount of $300 each. The criteria used for eligibility were: Daily paid employees who worked for more

than 1080 hours during the period 1st January 2013 to 31st October 2013.

Monthly paid employees who had worked for at least six months during the period 1st January to 31st October 2013

This was a pleasant surprise for most employees, who used the vouchers to supplement their Christmas spending.

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CRUISE PASSENGERS GET A GLIMPSE OF TRINI CARNIVAL

The majestic Crown Princess at the Cruise Ship Complex

From one Caribbean paradise to another - the

Crown Princess anchored at Port of Spain on

February 21st, bringing 3080 passengers from their

recent visit to Barbados. It was the second largest

vessel scheduled to visit Trinidad for the 2013/2014

cruise season and all was in place to welcome her.

Upon arrival, passengers were given a taste of

Carnival as the quayside was decorated by

renowned Carnival Bandleader, Brian McFarlane.

The sounds of the Steelpan greeted them, and

although they were one week early for the

‘Greatest Show on Earth’, they were still able to get

a glimpse of the celebrations and to enjoy some

soca music and traditional Carnival characters, such

as Blue Devils and Moko Jumbies.

The T&T Tourist Transport Services Association

reported that all maxi taxis were booked for the

day, with 1738 passengers going on various tours

on the island. The vessel departed at 4:00pm

destined for Recife, Brazil.

GERRY IS SECOND IN AEROBICS BURN-OUT

Gerard Richards poses with his trophies won over the years

From a group of 200 entrants, Gerard 'Fitness'

Richards placed second in the Fire Services Aerobic

Burn-Out, held at the Fire Services Headquarters on

February 10th.

The contest attracted competitors from the

Protective Services such as the Army, Police, Fire

Services and Prisons, as well as representatives of

some of the country's top gyms.

Richards, who flew the Port Authority flag with

pride, is well known in the aerobics arena having

won several competitions over the past years. In

1995 he placed second in the National

Competition.

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