作者： admin

As the highly anticipated annual Carnival celebrations approach Antigua and Barbuda, the official Festivals Commission has launched a public recruitment drive seeking dedicated community volunteers to fill the critical role of parade marshals. Applications for the unpaid position opened earlier this year and will close strictly on June 15, giving interested locals and eligible participants just weeks to submit their completed forms. The commission has emphasized that parade marshals form the backbone of public safety and operational efficiency for the island nation’s biggest annual cultural event, making this volunteer opportunity a core part of delivering a successful Carnival experience for attendees and performers alike.

The core mandate of the selected volunteers centers on upholding safety standards, preserving orderly flow of activities, and preventing disruptions across all parade routes. According to the official recruitment notice released by the commission, marshals will take on a range of key responsibilities: managing crowd movement, overseeing the steady progression of parade contingents, providing direct assistance to event participants, and relaying any on-site incidents to the central event organizing team. Beyond routine crowd management, volunteers will also serve as a first line of emergency support, with a mandate to report urgent incidents quickly and help establish clear, safe access routes for first responders when emergency situations arise.

A key priority for the 2024 parade team is enforcing boundary rules to protect both spectators and performers. The commission notes that marshals will play an indispensable role in ensuring audiences remain behind designated viewing barriers, preventing dangerous overcrowding along narrow stretches of the route, and guaranteeing that musical bands and performance groups maintain safe, appropriate spacing as they progress through the parade course. To ensure consistent, professional performance from all volunteers, the commission has outlined clear operational guidelines all marshals must follow throughout their shift. These include remaining highly visible and alert at all times, maintaining open, clear communication with event attendees, and staying within their pre-assigned zones unless explicitly repositioned by a supervisory official.

A formal code of conduct has also been published to set expectations for volunteer behavior. The code strictly prohibits the consumption of alcohol or use of recreational drugs while on duty, and requires all marshals to interact with every participant and spectator with professional courtesy and respect. All serious security-related concerns must be escalated immediately to on-site supervisors or local law enforcement officials, rather than being handled by volunteers independently.

In exchange for their time and commitment, all successful applicants will receive full support from the commission. This includes mandatory pre-event training to prepare volunteers for their duties, official photo identification and branded apparel to ensure they are easily recognizable to the public, complimentary meals and refreshments during their shift, and the opportunity to gain hands-on practical experience in event management and public safety operations. The commission has also issued a note of guidance for volunteers prioritizing their own well-being, urging all recruits to stay hydrated throughout outdoor shifts, wear weather-appropriate clothing and comfortable footwear, and report any personal health or safety concerns to organizers immediately.

Individuals interested in contributing to this year’s Carnival celebrations have been reminded to submit their fully completed application forms directly to the Antigua and Barbuda Festivals Commission before the June 15 deadline to be considered for the role.

On Wednesday, hundreds of mourners gathered to pay their final respects to Dr. Cuthwin Leonard Lake, a pioneering Caribbean surgeon and beloved public servant, during an official funeral service. In a moving, heartfelt eulogy, his son George Lake walked attendees through the extraordinary trajectory of his father’s life, from his humble 1930 birth in Anguilla to his decades-long legacy that transformed healthcare across Antigua and Barbuda and the entire Leeward Islands region.

After completing his education across St. Kitts, Canada, and England, Dr. Lake was recruited by the administration of Antigua and Barbuda’s founding Premier V.C. Bird to serve as the nation’s first chief surgeon, launching a career that would touch the lives of countless underserved communities. Beyond his well-documented mastery of surgical practice, George Lake highlighted the late doctor’s multifaceted personality: he was a gifted athlete who stood out in swimming, cycling, and football, an avid equestrian who spent early mornings at the local racetrack, and a talented amateur musician whose singing and piano playing anchored family gatherings.

Known for his uncompromising standards, Dr. Lake earned the playful nickname “Brutus” from hospital staff who grew accustomed to his demanding approach to care. But George Lake emphasized that this rigor never came from cruelty; it grew out of his deep, unwavering commitment to medical excellence and prioritizing patient well-being above all else.

A core thread of the tribute centered on Dr. Lake’s lifelong dedication to expanding access to specialized care across remote Caribbean islands. Long before modern medical infrastructure connected the region, he regularly traveled to neighboring Leeward Islands communities at his own cost to perform life-saving procedures for patients who would otherwise have nowhere to turn for treatment. George shared vivid anecdotes from his father’s early career: when emergency surgery was needed in Anguilla before the island had consistent electrical power, local villagers would line the rural airstrip with their cars and turn on their headlights to guide incoming planes in for a safe landing, while operating room nurses held kerosene lamps above the surgical table to illuminate procedures.

In one of the service’s most intimate moments, George opened up about a life-altering personal experience that revealed his father’s skill and courage: when he suffered a devastating shattered leg in a childhood accident, no orthopedic specialist was available on the island, so Dr. Lake performed the high-stakes surgery himself. Years later, George learned that his father had privately feared he would need to amputate the limb, but spent hours meticulously cleaning every fragment of debris from the wound to save it—a gamble that ultimately succeeded.

Beyond his transformative work in medicine, Dr. Lake also played a quiet but critical role in Antigua and Barbuda’s early political history, serving as one of V.C. Bird’s most trusted personal advisors. During periods of political upheaval, he was forced to leave the island temporarily, but Bird personally insisted on his return after a change in government, telling George’s mother at the time, “Antigua needs Dr. Lake. We need him desperately.”

Dr. Lake’s commitment to service extended far beyond the walls of formal hospitals too. Local patients who could not afford to pay for care would crowd into his home office seeking treatment, and Dr. Lake almost never turned them away. Instead of demanding cash payment, he often accepted whatever small goods families could offer: homegrown vegetables, farm livestock, and other handmade produce in lieu of fees.

After retiring from his chief surgeon role in Antigua, Dr. Lake did not step back from public service. He spent years living and working in Nevis, where he mentored a new generation of young doctors and continued delivering care to local communities alongside his family members.

In closing his eulogy, George Lake urged attendees to remember his father not for the professional titles and formal achievements he accumulated over his career, but for his inherent character and lifelong devotion to lifting up others. “He was my Caesar,” George told the gathered mourners. “Let the good and great things that Doc did live after him.”