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As Guyana Harpy Eagles basked in the glory of being crowned champions of Regional First-Class cricket, their retiring captain, Leon Johnson, felt proud of his team’s performance throughout the action-packed season.

It is the sixth title out of eight seasons since the Professional Cricket League commenced in the 2014-15 season for Johnson.

The ebullient Johnson had the honor of raising the Headley-Weekes Trophy, capping off the final day of his professional career on Saturday at the National Stadium, Providence.

This came moments after his team performed a miracle with the ball to bowl out Leeward Islands Hurricanes on an eventful final morning.

Chasing 143 to win, the Hurricanes started the day on 81-1, and at 91-1, they looked set for a comfortable victory.

However, off-spinner Kevin Sinclair with an incredible spell of bowling removed key Leewards batsmen and caused a collapse.

Filled with emotions after his team achieved the remarkable comeback, Johnson received the Headley-Weekes trophy from Enoch Lewis, Cricket West Indies Director.

It was an emotional final day for Leon Johnson

“This was a great performance … a great team performance and I’m massively proud of everyone who contributed towards us winning. We worked hard before the season, and we worked hard throughout this season. We were really tested in this final match, and we responded to the challenge with a magnificent win,” Johnson said.

“One of the great things about the season was the progress made by the young players in the team. At various times, they stood up with major performances and that was great to see. We made progress.”

He further stated, “tribute to the senior players who also led from the front, offered invaluable advice, and made my job as captain easier on and off the field.”

“Thanks to the fans and all those persons who backed us from start to finish. As a proud Guyanese, I retire from the game lifting this prestigious trophy and also happy that I can bring smiles to the faces of the supporters.”

Champions again! Guyana Harpy Eagles won their sixth Four-Day title in the PCL era

The 35-year-old, who made his First-Class debut in 2004, went on to play 127 matches and racked up 6,741 runs at an average of 32.56 with seven hundreds and 42 half-centuries.

In the 50-over format, he has played 88 matches and scored 2, 040 runs at 25.82 with two centuries and 14 half-centuries.

He also played 15 matches (nine Tests and six One-Day Internationals) for the West Indies.  (Modified from SportsMax)

Kids Fest has returned this year with a spectacular theme ‘Dinosaur Adventure’ that will be the first of its kind in Guyana and promises to be exciting and educational for the entire family.

An idea that was born five years ago, by a young woman who wanted to fulfill the childhood dreams of others, has now grown to be the premier event for the kids during Easter.

Slated for April 9 and 10 at the Promenade Gardens, Kids Fest has a packed two days of activities including a Princess Pageant, where nine little girls will dress up and showcase their inner princess, vying for the title of “Miss Kids Fest Dino Princess 2023”.

This exciting activity will allow kids to embrace their creativity and imagination, while learning about the values of confidence, courage, and grace. The highlight of the event however, will be the educational dinosaur museum, where kids can explore the prehistoric world and learn about the different species of dinosaurs that once roamed the earth.

The museum will feature interactive exhibits, life-size (20ft-30ft), inflative dinosaurs, and informative displays that will spark the imagination and curiosity of young minds.

Creative Director of Kids Fest, Natalya Thomas-Small said that in choosing the theme each year, she thinks outside the box to offer families, particularly the children, experiences they’ve never had before. Hence the reason for choosing the dinosaurs for the 2023 edition.

“It’s important to educate children about dinosaurs and we don’t have that kind of exposure here for our children. One of the primary goals of having the kiddies dinosaur museum is to provide an interactive and engaging educational experience for children. By learning about dinosaurs, children can develop an interest in science and history, which can have long-lasting positive effects on their lives. Our museum will feature a diverse collection of dinosaur exhibits, including life-size replicas of various species of dinosaurs and interactive displays, and we’re Very excited about that,” the Director shared.

In addition to the dinosaur museum, the event will also have plenty of fun games for the entire family to enjoy, including face painting, trampoline, bouncy castles and more. Parents and kids can bond over these fun activities, creating memorable moments that will last a lifetime.

Thomas-Small also disclosed the launch of two special projects that will happen at the event. The Baby 2 Baby Initiative and Genomatics. Baby 2 Baby is an initiative that encourages philanthropy and reminds us to be our brother’s or sister’s keepers, through the creation of a charity bank that offers essential care and products for babies, to give to less fortunate moms.

Meanwhile, Genomatics is a stem-based project that engages the minds of the younger generation encouraging futuristic thinking, expression of uniqueness, creativity, and exceptional execution skills. Admission is $1000 for children and $2000 for adults. (Press release)

Over the years, cervical cancer has remained the most prevalent cancer among women in the country and the Minister of Health, Dr Frank Anthony says it can be eliminated if more persons take the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) vaccine.

“It is preventable. So, we can eliminate cervical cancer from Guyana…The simple answer is that there is a vaccine that is available. It’s called HPV vaccine and if you get that vaccine, it prevents the development of cervical cancer,” Dr Anthony said on Saturday while delivering remarks at the commissioning of a comprehensive diabetes centre at Lusignan, East Coast Demerara.

The HPV vaccine was introduced in Guyana in 2012.

However, according to Dr Anthony, “a lot of persons” have not been taking the vaccine.

Minister of Health, Dr Frank Anthony

“What we notice is that a lot of people not coming to take the vaccine…If we are successful, the second most prevalent women among women, we can prevent them from happening. It is that simple. Just get the vaccine and prevent this from happening,” Dr Anthony said.

HPV is one of the most common sexually-transmitted viruses and causes cervical cancer. The vaccine is administered to boys and girls between the ages of 8 and 15.

While it prevents cervical cancer in women, it helps to prevent penal cancer in boys.

A large-scale vaccination campaign has been launched, in collaboration with the Ministry of Education, to help the country combat the prevalence of cervical cancer and other types of cancers.

Last year, the Health Minister had noted that boys and girls aged nine to 15 will receive a single dose of the vaccines; those 10 to 18 years old will receive two doses, while those aged 19 to 45 years and those people who are immunocompromised will receive three doses.

If administered consistently over the next few years, the country is likely to see a reduction in these types of cancers.

Similarly, Dr Anthony said breast cancer, which is the most prevalence cancer among women, is also a challenge.

And to address it, he said there is a need for more prevention.

“We need to do more prevention. People need to come in, get screening, get a mammogram done. So that we can detect whether or not you are at risk for breast cancer. Most people don’t do that so that’s a challenge,” Dr Anthony noted.

“So, in terms of breast cancer we need to work more to prevent that,” he said.

As the country’s tourism sector continues to expand, the Guyana Tourism Authority (GTA) on Sunday said it has licensed 30 tourism establishments, tour operators and tour guides and trained more than 87 people across the country.

They have also executed inspection activities in Regions Three, Four and Ten during which 35 tourism establishments, including interior lodges and resorts were inspected.

Other achievements include new airline connections, product development and international recognition.

The GTA outlined its achievements for the month of March in a press release issued on Sunday.

It said trainings were held in areas such as first aid and CPR testing, mixology, delivering quality services and Health, Safety, Security & Environment (HSSE).

“The GTA facilitated a First Aid & CPR Training with 23 persons from Paruima Village, Region 7…Practical and theoretical methods were employed to ensure that the community is sufficiently trained to handle emergency situations whenever they arise…A subsequent session was executed with 24 persons within the Essequibo areas,” the release noted.

Mixology training was led by Chetnauth Persaud of the GTA and Anil Singh, an experienced bartender. This session was held in Linden, Region 10, in collaboration with the Region 10 Tourism Committee.

“Critical areas of mixology, such as the Different Types of Bartending, Selecting Ingredients, Garnishing Drinks, Measuring & Pouring Techniques as well as How to Properly Present a Drink, were covered. These areas were also complemented by Customer Service Practices, Time Management, Communication as well as How to Remain Calm Under Pressure,” the GTA highlighted.

They also facilitated a Delivering Quality Service training with 14 participants at the Aruwai Resort White H2O.

“Participants were guided through areas such as the importance of customer service, as well as proper etiquette and hospitality techniques, to ensure that all guests receive the highest quality of customer service that is consistent with both local and international standards,” GTA said.

An additional session was held in Region Two which saw 26 persons being trained in the same areas.

Product development on the other hand include the Discover Essequibo Circuit Development Project, Tourism and Hospitality Training Initiative, Wilderness Trail Assessment, and Mahdia Overland Tour.

“The Tourism and Hospitality Association of Guyana (THAG), with the support of the Guyana Tourism Authority (GTA) and representatives from the consulting firm Target Euro, recently launched the Discover Essequibo Circuit Development Project with stakeholders from the Essequibo Coast and Bartica areas. The first phase of this project focused extensively on product development, which sought to assess the region’s current product and service offerings while exploring opportunities for new products and visitor flows.”

Meanwhile, it was noted that 62 Community Service Officers (CSOs) from the ten administrative regions across Guyana attended a one-week Introduction to Tourism Training as part of the Tourism and Hospitality Training initiative by the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs’ Youth Entrepreneurship and Apprenticeship Programme.