It was ‘Straight From The Heart’ as artistes and musicians got together to toast President Emerita, The Most Honourable Dame Sandra Mason, on Valentine’s Day.
The show, held at the Frank Collymore Hall on Saturday night, was organised to honour the former Head of State, whose tenure ended last November 29, for her decades of service to this nation.
Scores of patrons, including several of Dame Sandra’s friends and family members, were in attendance.
Orchestrated by retired policeman Ronald Cummins, who goes by the stage name Jack Benny, it saw performances by members of the Barbados Police Service Band and a host of singers who thrilled the engaging audience.
Young Rachel Carter’s voice echoed through the Hall with Climb Every Mountain from the Sound Of Music, while Betty Payne’s styling of Whitney Houston’s I Look To You; Brian Carter’s touching rendition of Dance With My Father Again with the appropriate dance moves, and Mya Daniel’s powerful delivery of You Raise Me Up, all songs acknowledging the contribution of Dame Sandra’s late parents, clearly tugged at heartstrings, judging from the thunderous applause that followed each performance.
As magistrate, High Court and appellate judge along with Head of State, Dame Sandra demonstrated great interest in the welfare of children throughout her career, and this was acknowledged in a moving rendition of Let Us Pray For Our Children by Reverend Pearson Scantlebury.
Veteran performer Colin Spencer sent the audience swooning with Barbados Island of Dreams and also sang his self-penned Grace.
Perhaps the most poignant note of the night was struck when Spencer sang the old Frank Sinatra standard, My Way.
Master of ceremonies Margaret Allman-Goddard had announced that it was “one of Dame Sandra’s favourite songs . . . appropriate and fitting on this occasion, not only in the context of being her favourite but the way she did it . . . with dignity and integrity”.
It drew the oldest retired member of the former Royal Barbados Police Force Band, 97-yearold former assistant director Rudolph Holder, to the stage. With baton raised, and a steady hand, he ably directed the band made up primarily of Barbados Police Service Band members, which included two members whom he had taught to play.
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