THIRTY-SEVEN-YEAR-OLD Shelly Atwarnarine, of Number Two Village, East Canje was honoured last weekend as the ‘Berbice Mother-of-the-Year’.

The occasion was when the cricket teams of Rose Hall Town Hall Youth and Sports Club (RHTY&SC) and DTV-8 hosted their sixth such presentation at the Club’s pavilion.
The mother of two was selected by a panel of judges, based on the outcome of a Berbice County wide Essay Writing Competition, amongst children between eight and 16 years old, on the topic ‘Why My Mother is so Special’.
The submission by Atwarnarine’s child was the winning entry and qualified her to be adjudged ‘Mother-of-the-Year’. There were two runners-up, Ghunwatie Kuldeep and Natidar Hussain.
Secretary/Chief Chief Executive Officer of RHTY&SC, Hilbert Foster, in brief remarks to those gathered for the ceremony, said both sponsors understand the important role a mother plays in the development of children and, as such, decided to host the contest.
He said mothers are God’s representatives in the lives of their children and the most important role model and mentors.
He also encouraged the three awardees to uphold their high standards of parenting as children in today’s modern world face a lot of problems, including drug abuse, peer-pressure, early onset of sexuality, teenage pregnancy, unemployment and false friends.
The veteran sports administrator stated that the RHTY&SC has been successful, over the years, because it was blessed to have members who were properly tutored by committed parents who instilled in their children, discipline and dedication as virtues for success.
He also encouraged parents to ensure that their children attend Church services regularly and be actively involved at their places of worship, since a relationship with God is the foundation to a successful life.
Foster also expressed gratitude to DTV-8 for its continued cooperation in the activities of the RHTY&SC and specially mentioned Managing Director, Ms. Anita Rambarran for her support of the club and its numerous pro-education, public relations, charity and social programmes.
Atwarnarine said she was proud that her children view her as a model parent and mentioned that the formula to being successful at parenting is trust, patience, hard work and willingness to engage children in honest discussions while leading by example for them to follow.
She congratulated both the RHTY&SC and DTV-8 for their service to the Berbice community and wished them success in the future.
The RHTY&SC cricket teams who organised the competition were the Rose Hall Town, Farfan and Mendes Under-15, Bakewell Under-17 and Second Division, Pepsi Under-19 and Intermediate, Metro Females and Gizmos and Gadgets Under-21 and Intermediate.
Written By Shirley Thomas