This year's Appreciation Evening was held on February 10th, 2002, and was well attended. Of course we would be even happier if our audience was constituted by more of our Alumni. President Eden Gajraj, welcomed us to the evening and reminded us that we should always remember the people and organizations that help us to attain the goals we set for ourselves.

Our evening started with the ceremonial presentation of over-sized versions of the cheques awarded to Ms. Emma Alleyne (in picture below) and Mr. Patrick Bhola, recipients of the Lynette Dolphin Bursary award. They are both doing well at McMaster University and the University of Toronto respectively. We wish them continued success.

This year Appreciation Awards were given to Louis London, who unfortunately was unable to attend, due to a prior engagement, Marjorie Henery and Conrad Griffith. All of these people have given yeoman service to this Association.

Our Last Lap Lime partners, Bishop's High School Alumni Association, St. Stanislaus College Alumni Association, St. Joseph High School Alumni Association and St. Rose's High School Association, were awarded their Appreciation certificates. Their relationship with us has been a very fulfilling and rewarding one.

This year's feature speaker was Dr. Alissa Trotz, and she chose as her topic "Reflections on the culture of violence in Guyana". Dr. Trotz an alumna of Queen's College, who received her degrees from York University, and her doctorate from Cambridge University.

Dr. Trotz told us of her despair at the state of life in Guyana, but she felt that Martin Carter's line in one of his poems, "in despair, there is hope, there is none in death", gives her the will to keep on trying.

She stated that she wanted to confine her discourse to three forms of violence:

1. Violence at election time ---very often racialized violence. The stories coming out of Guyana seemed to be mainly about Indian women being beaten, more often by black women. Yet , in her view, the most tragically marginalized people affected by all this violence were the Amerindians. All the reports by the election monitors spoke of "free and fair", but they were really "full of fear".
2. Domestic Violence. Too many reports of women being chopped and beaten. The general opinion seemed to be that this was only Indian or poor people who were involved. This of course is a myth. Violence towards women was widespread cutting across ethnic and class lines. A very depressing fact that cannot be put aside.
3. Violence of poverty. All available information shows that two-thirds of the population is living below the poverty level.