Thursday, August 27, 2020

THE GLEANER, THURSDAY, AUGUST 27, 2020 | www.jamaica-gleaner.com | D2 TRIBUTE TO ANTONY HART FEATURE T ONY HART has also been instrumental in the establishment of computer centres in a number of primary schools, as his belief was that “if every child in Jamaica is computer- competent, then every child in Jamaica can get a job”. The Hart family’s legacy of philanthropy is well established in western Jamaica. They financed the restoration of the Baptist Manse in Falmouth, Trelawny, after it was extensively damaged by Hurricane Gilbert in 1988. The building had been in a derelict state after the storm, when Tony and wife Sheila established the William Knibb Trust and purchased interest-bearing bonds, with the requirement that all dividends be used to restore the building. His wife, children – Wendy, Mark, Bruce and Blaise – and close friends are well accustomed to his charitable nature and support of various causes; and retirement left Tony with more time to devote to another such passion: primary education. He dedicated much of his energy to fundraising and donated much of his own money towards the furtherance of this cause. He raised millions of dollars to keep St Mary’s Preparatory School in Montpelier, St James, open. Former students of Montpelier College, a now- defunct Anglican institution, were also beneficiaries of Tony’s benevolence; he financed and raised money to provide scholarships for students whose parents could not afford to send them to school. He was firm in his belief that children should be given a solid foundation in the early years, hence his plan to computerise one local primary school each year. This initiative was steeped in his conviction that computer literacy is the key to ensuring Jamaican students’ readiness for the global labour market. In his mind, this thrust is even more critical because Jamaica is quickly evolving into the information and communications technologies hub of the Caribbean. As such, the employability of many of the nation’s youth depends on it. TONY SERVED as chairman of Air Jamaica from 1980- 1989 and, during his tenure, the national carrier’s fleet was upgraded with new wide-bodied Airbus A300 aircraft. He also ingenuously convinced the chairman of British Airways to make the Concorde available for a rotation of 12 flights during the winter tourist season, a very successful strategy that boosted Jamaica’s global tourism image; which was vital for recovery, considering the downturn of the 1970s. The Hart Group has been, and continues to be, in the forefront of sports development in St James in cricket, football, netball and athletics. The group was one of the first companies in Jamaica to introduce AIDS education and understanding to its employees. The Hart Group has a scholarship programme in place for all qualifying employees’ children attending primary and high school. On the political side, Tony started as the campaign manager for Dr Herbert Eldemire in 1959, who became the minister of health for Jamaica. Tony was a parish councillor for six years, ran and lost in the general election in 1972. Much later with Bruce Golding, he joined a group from the Jamaica Labour Party to form the National Democratic Movement. He has served as chairman for a number of government boards, including Air Jamaica, Grains Jamaica, the Coconut Industry Board, and the Caymanas Race Track, and as the director for many other companies and government agencies, such as the Bank of Nova Scotia, the Jamaica Development Bank, the Jamaica Industrial Development Corporation and the Sam Sharpe Teachers’ College. More recently, Tony has spearheaded the refurbishment of Doctor’s Cave Bathing Club – appropriate, given that it was donated to the town by his great grandfather, and also the Montego Bay Yacht Club. 2009: Minister of Education, Andrew Holness (right) cuts the ribbon to officially open the over $30million FILE PHOTOS 2009 - Caymanas Track Limited (CTL) chairman, Tony Hart, announces plans for Sunday horse racing at Caymanas Park, during a press conference at the Knutsford COurt Hotel, New Kingston. TONY HART’S ACHIEVEMENTS ... AS CHAIRMAN OF AIR JAMAICA IN EDUCATION