A slate of events is being planned to celebrate the 300th (tercentennial) anniversary of Hanover’s incorporation as a parish.
Deputy Mayor of Lucea and Co-Chair of the Planning Committee, Councillor Andria Dehaney-Grant, made the announcement during the Hanover Municipal Corporation’s monthly meeting on May 11.
She brought a Notice of Motion to the Council with the intention to declare Sunday, November 12, 2023, as Hanover Day and a public holiday in the parish.
Councillor Dehaney-Grant stated that a broad-based committee that has been in operation since December 2022 has been laying the groundwork for the celebrations.
The body, which comprises representatives from the political directorate and civil society, was co-opted by the Corporation.
Councillor Dehaney-Grant also stated that, so far, the committee has crafted a programme of events that will bring local and international attention to the parish and hopefully attract investments to Jamaica’s third smallest parish, as it marks the occasion of its 300th anniversary.
In the interim, the year-long programme of events will kick off with a church service on Sunday, November 12, and culminate in November 2024. Other events include an investment, tourism, and agriculture expo, a fundraising ball, as well as cultural and sport events.
A commemorative souvenir magazine and other mementos are also in the making, the Deputy Mayor told the meeting. A stellar feature of the celebrations will be the Hanover Homecoming Week, when the parish will honour its stalwarts who have served the country and made their parish proud.
Among those to be honoured are National Hero and Jamaica’s first Prime Minister, the Rt. Excellent Sir Alexander Bustamante; former Prime Minister, P.J. Patterson; former Governor General, Professor Sir Kenneth Hall, and Olympian, Merlene Ottey.
FRIENDSHIP AGREEMENT
There are also plans to rekindle the Friendship Agreement signed in 2007 between the then Hanover Parish Council and Nottingham City Council of the United Kingdom.
Councillor Dehaney-Grant said the Accord was aimed at forging an exchange of opportunities in tourism, investment, education, culture and sports between the councils.
She also disclosed plans to invite representatives of the German government in the hope of capitalizing on the connections between Hanover, Jamaica, and Germany. This link dates back to the House of Hanover, of which King George I was a progeny.
Councillor Dehaney-Grant advised that the festivities will be spread across the parish “as we will be having activities in all communities.”
“All 36 communities [will be] participating in the whole celebrations. All in all, plans are in place, and we are inviting all councilors and individuals to join the committee and be part of the discussions,” she added.
“There are various agencies that are already part of the conversation, and we hope that [Hanover Day] will be a celebratory [time] across the parish as we [commemorate] 300 years of existence… looking back at where we are coming from and also having discussions on how we move forward,” Councillor Dehaney-Grant further stated.
She informed that the Corporation would be responsible for organizing the Hanover Tercentennial activities and she and Committee Co-Chair, Rev. Glenroy Clarke, were in discussions with the Council regarding the establishment and staffing of a secretariat as well as creating a budget.
The parish of Hanover was incorporated on November 17, 1723, by an Act of the Legislative Assembly, after it was carved from a part of Western St James and the Northern section of Westmoreland.
