From 6 pm on Holy Thursday, the church opened its doors to accommodate the hundreds of pilgrims who had journeyed from all parts of the country to pay homage to the statue believed to be a manifestation of the Virgin Mary by Catholics and referred to as Supari Mai by Hindus.

Devotions and offerings continued into Good Friday yesterday with long lines of people waiting to reach the statue to offer rice, flowers, money and olive oil.

Munishree Seecharan from Barrackpore brought with her the double red hibiscus flower which is used to worship the Hindu goddess Durga.

“I have been coming here for many years now and I look at the Supari Mai as a Goddess who came to Siparia for the purpose of taking care of the people who worship her,” Seecharan said.

She said she wanted to pray for all the women in her family and all the women in Trinidad who may be suffering.

Another devotee, Maltee Ramdass from Couva says she saw many miracles in her life since worshipping the Goddess.

“It is health related and each year I feel a sense of relief after I offer the olive oil and coins to this deity,” she said.

Husband and wife Kelvin and Marilyn Seunarine said that they do not always have the time to visit the statue on Good Friday but this year they made the time because they have been struggling.

Roman Catholics believe that the La Divina Pastora statue is the manifestation of the Virgin Mary, mother of Jesus.

Hindus, meanwhile, believe that she is the embodiment of the goddess Kali or Mother Durga. A group from Venezuela was also among the hundreds of pilgrims who came to worship La Divina Pastora. Others went seeking blessings for wealth, health and also marital prosperity.

Some women went in hopes to become fertile.

Many of the pilgrims told Newsday the long wait to get their turn at the statute’s feet was well worth it. They said they immediately the blessings of the Goddess.

Outside, the street leading to the church was lined with vendors.

There were also roadside barbers to cut the first hair of Hindu children which is believed to help them become strong and successful.

Many destitute people also lined the courtyard of the church to receive alms from those who made the pilgrimage.

There was also a heavy police presence and many of the side streets were blocked off to accommodate the thousands who visit to pay homage to the Goddess.

The origin of La Divina Pastora dates back to the 18th Century. It is said that a Spanish priest brought the statue to Siparia from Venezuela. He claimed that the statue saved him and he wished to have her importance cemented in TT.

The other version is that early Indentured Hindu settlers said that Supari Mai appeared at dawn as a child on the land on which the church is built and by nightfall she grew into an old woman disappearing as the sun set.

Hindus have been doing worship to this idol for more than 100 years.

According to reports, officers of the North Eastern Division Task Force, acting under the supervision of Senior Supt Sagramsingh, went to a house along Sawmill Avenue in Barataria, where they executed a search warrant.

While nothing was found on the premises, officers received an anonymous tip of the whereabouts of a .357 Colt Magnum revolver, close to the house.

Five men who were at the house at the time of the exercise were held for the firearm and are being questioned in relation to a spate of shootings in the area.

Officers of the North Eastern Division are continuing investigations.

In an unrelated incident, a truck driver employed by the San Fernando City Corporation stumbled across a Beretta pistol and one magazine containing 15 rounds of 9mm ammunition on Monday night. According to reports, the driver of Pleasantville spotted the pistol while driving along Circular road in San Fernando.

The man took the firearm to the Mon Repos Police Station. Investigations are continuing.

Newsday spoke to a resident, Roshni Rampersad, said that despite repeated calls to the Water and Sewage Authority’s (WASA) Call centre, there have been no improvements in the situation resulting in several households in the area going without water.

“I and other residents have tried calling the WASA call centre for them to look into the matter but they keep telling us that the officials can’t see anything wrong with the pipes supplying us with water, but yet our taps are still dry.

We’ve also tried getting into contact with our Councillor, Ms Shanti Boodram but we haven’t gotten her as yet.” Rampersad said that the situation has left residents feeling neglected adding that unless rectified, the consequences could be severe.

“There are a lot of elderly people and children that live on this street. I myself have a newborn baby, this is a serious health issue for everyone.” Newsday attempted to contact Councillor, Shastri Boodram and Member of Parliament for the area, Kamla Persad-Bissessar, but was unsuccessful.

In a 29 page ruling, Justices of Appeal Nolan Bereaux, Rajendra Narine and Prakash Moosai upheld the appeal of Michael Dindayal who challenged a judge’s decision to dismiss his constitutional motion due to delay in filing his claim.

The judges held that damages are to be paid to Dindayal to be assessed by a judge for the years 1987, 1994 and 1998 when he was being considered for promotion by the PSC.

Justice Bereaux, who delivered the ruling, found that Dindayal’s right to protection of the law was infringed.

Dindayal, of Bertrand Street, San Fernando, had 23 years service at the time he filed a constitutional motion on September 15, 2003.

He contended that although he held a certificate from the Institute of Fire Engineers in the United Kingdom, he had been constantly denied promotion each year for the past 23 years.

He was represented by attorneys Anand Ramlogan, compete- SC, Kent Samlal and Delicia Helwig-Robertson.

He also contended he completed numerous other courses in fire-fighting geared towards enhancing his chances of promotion and received seven letters of commendation for outstanding service as a fireman.

He said he witnessed other firemen of his rank promoted above him while others, junior to him, were given acting appointments in a rank senior to him. Dindayal stated that his staff reports gave him an excellent performance rating as a fireman and that during his 23 years in the service, he has never been the subject of any disciplinary action.

In his ruling, Justice Bereaux inferred from the evidence presented to the court that several staff reports had not been completed and the failure to complete the reports would have meant that the PSC would not have had these before it in 1987, 1994 and 1998 when the appellant was considered for promotion.

“The staff reports are an important part of the criteria used by the commission as a basis for assessing the officer’s performance of his duties and suitability for promotion,” Bereaux said.

“In considering an officer’s promotional prospects the commission will be interested to look at the officer’s performance over the long term.

One staff report will not be sufficient,” the judge added, noting also that Dindayal would not have been properly assessed for promotion in the absence of the staff reports.

Justice Bereaux also found that the failure to complete the staff reports was a breach of the PSC’s regulations and Dindayal would not have had the benefit of the protection of regulations.

He also pointed out that it appeared that Dindayal was not aware of the non-completion of his staff reports until it was revealed at the appeal.

“It is the ongoing duty of the commission to have these reports on file and up to date particularly because they were required to assess the officer’s promotional prospects as and when vacancies arose,” Justice Bereaux said.

He further noted that the non-production of the reports begged the question whether they were every properly before the commission at the time of consideration of Dindayal’s promotional prospects.

Attorney Neil Byam appeared for the State at the appeal

There he complained of Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley’s rejection of his suggestion at a recent sitting of the House of Representatives.

He said it was obvious that the Commissioner of Police was overwhelmed by the thousands of applications for firearms licences waiting to be processed and was in need of assistance.

“It was therefore surprising to hear Dr Rowley deride this suggestion, instead proposing that the Commissioner of Police continue to restrict the number of licensed firearm users in our country, as if to suggest that they were in any way responsible for the absurd death toll under his watch.

Because to date, there has been no evidence to suggest that criminals require registered firearms to commit their transgressions. In fact, while the PNM administration is hellbent on prohibiting law-abiding citizens the ability to own firearms, those who are using them to cause harm to others are capable of amassing their illegal weapons with relative ease.” Khan accused Rowley of “essentially issuing a death sentence” on citizens by not allowing more citizens to own a gun to protect themselves.

He said government officials had armed security guards paid for by taxpayers, and accused them of not valuing the lives of those who elected them to office as much as they value their own lives.

TT coach Shawn Pouchet is no stranger to the CARIFTA pool deck as both a coach and an athlete is confident that the team has the firepower and the strategy to improve on the 2016 performance.

“We have an exciting mix of new talent with experienced performers.

There are some keys to success that will determine where we end up on the points table being relay performances, managing the race load of qualifiers in multiple events and ensuring as much final appearances by all qualifiers,” said Pouchet. “I am confident in the management and coaching staff in bringing the team together as that will be a prerequisite of the aforementioned factors.

“I expect the swimmers to step it up an extra notch from their performances at the recently concluded National Age Group Long Course Championships”.

The Trinidad and Tobago team will be aiming to improve on their fifth place finish from the 2016 CARIFTA meet in Martinique. A full contingent of 36 athletes was selected by the Amateur Swimming Association of Trinidad and Tobago (ASATT) and athletes were required to make a minimum standard being the median eighth place time from the last three championships.

This standard has been in place since 2012 for 11-12s, and the council of ASATT extended this to the 13-and-over age groups this year so as to give athletes maximum exposure in preparation for the 2017 CCCAN Championships in Trinidad and Tobago.

Pouchet and the management team have been successful in keeping the team focused following issues surrounding funding and the qualifying standards of the team.

“It is unfortunate when the swimmers get tossed in the middle of adult affairs. My coaching staff and team management will do our best to refocus our charges on the task at hand and ensure that they are comfortable and given the best opportunity to perform optimally.” Three weeks ago, management selected four team captains in Amira Pilgrim, Jeron Thompson, Justin Samlalsingh and Racine Ross.

Pilgrim, who has represented TT since the 10-and-under age groups, was especially excited at this her last CARIFTA.

“I am very excited to compete in my last CARIFTA,” said Pilgrim.

“This journey has started since I was the age of 12 and I won’t say it is complete but rather continued on to greater and bigger things. I am honoured to be the captain of this CARIFTA team and as I lead the way for my fellow teammates, we would be victorious in our endeavors.

I expect great things from the team as we are a strong unit and we all trained hard. I congratulate everyone on making the team, best wishes to all.” Competition starts today with the 800-metre freestyle, 200m breaststroke, 50m backstroke, 100m butterfly and the 400m freestyle relay. CARIFTA is also a qualifier for the CCCAN Swimming Championships which will be held at the National Aquatic Centre in Balmain Couva from June 28 to July 2.

More than 600 athletes and officials representing 26 countries are expected to participate on the multi-purpose Ergilio Hato Stadion in the capital city of Willemstad for the traditional Easter Weekend championships between today and Monday.

“This is the second year of Flow’s partnership with the North American, Central American and Caribbean Athletics Association (NACAC) and we are once again happy to be delivering greater opportunities to our young athletes at superfast speeds,” said Wendy McDonald, Flow’s senior director of communications – consumer group.

“We are looking forward to three days of exceptional junior athletics. Indeed, this is a triumphant moment for Caribbean sport and we are once again very proud to be the exclusive broadcast partner and title sponsor of the Games.” This is the first time that Curacao is playing host to the region’s premier athletics meet and Flow is ensuring that fans and customers will be in the front row.

“We want our young athletes to be seen and remembered because they are the ones who will be representing us on the world stage in the years to come. Through our partnership with the CARIFTA Games, we are also investing in the future generations who will be inspired by what they see today, so it is with great expectation that we look forward to the Games,” added McDonald.

Flow will present more than 20 hours of live coverage from the recently redeveloped 15,000-seater venue on Flow Sports Premier.

The channel will also be available as a ‘free preview’ for all Flow TV customers, while customers with a FlowID, regardless of the service they have with the company, will also be able to stream the Games live via the Flow Sports App.

“Flow Sports has established itself as the Caribbean’s leading sports network and our partnership with the CARIFTA Games further builds upon Flow’s other initiatives across the region. In addition to lending financial support, we are also very excited that our partnership with NACAC will allow us the opportunity to broadcast the Games across multiple platforms including our very own Flow Sports App and the Flow Sports Premier channel.” Additionally, coverage will feature commentary from veteran Caribbean journalists including Nadine Liverpool, internationally renowned sports broadcaster and host of Flow Sports Premier Weekly, and Dalton Myers, director of sports at the University of the West Indies.

Victor Lopez, president of NACAC, lauded Flow for its continued support of the Games.

“The IAAF-NACAC Athletics Association is proud of the invaluable partnership with Flow and Flow Sports for the sponsorship and broadcast of the CARIFTA Games throughout the Caribbean,” he said.

The CARIFTA Games were first held in 1972 and consists of track and field events including sprint races, hurdles, middle distance track events, jumping, throwing events and relays. The Games feature two categories of participants – Under-18 and Under-20 – and is considered one of the best development meets in world athletics.

Participating countries include Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba, Bahamas, Barbados, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Bonaire, Cayman Islands, Curacao, Dominica, French Guiana, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Martinique, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, St Maarteen, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos Islands, and the United States Virgin Islands.

(trackalerts.com)

This was Latapy’s message on the third day of the Flow Secondary Schools Leadership Symposium at Cascadia Hotel in St Ann’s on Wednesday.

Latapy said, “Never give up, if you get knock down five times, you get back up six.

I want everybody to understand firstly that there is no magic remedy for success. Whatever we need, we have to work towards.” Latapy explained his ups and downs as a professional footballer in Europe, which saw him play in Scotland and Portugal. Latapy said he was offered a twoyear contract by Bradford City in England as a 16-year-old, but could not accept the contract because he could not get a work permit due to a lack of experience playing at national level.

“What I want to say is that in life you always get knock backs, there were a couple of knock backs in that story if you listen carefully.

When I went to Bradford City I got offered a two-year contract, but I did not get the opportunity to take it up so that was a knock back. Like I mentioned before, it is not how many times you get knocked down, it is how many times you could get back up.” Latapy said giving up and returning to Trinidad was never on his mind. “It was easy if I said at the time I cannot do it out there, I want to go back home. That was never an option for me simply because the passion and the drive that I had in my life was only tunnel vision.

“I knew if I came back home then I would go back to playing in the local leagues, which for me at the time was not good enough.”

The Championships take place on May 16.

And, along with that team, another powerful squad has been named for the Atlantic-sponsored National 3K to be run in Point Fortin on May 9.

Head coach Abeyola Akowe announced the list of athletes selected to represent Port of Spain and Environs District.

Squad – Khaylon Antoine (Chinapoo Govt); Kendall Francis (Belmont Boys RC); Malachi Byam (Rosary Boys); Kahfa Woodley (Gloster Lodge); Caleb Stowe (Belmont Govt); Jordan Burton (Diamond Vale Govt); Shakilah Phillips (St Dominic’s RC); Gabriella Antoine (Diego Martin Govt); Savannah Chee Wah (Sacred Heart Girls RC); Angelina Bennett (St Hilda’s Govt); Christiana Stewart (St Dominic’s RC); Tiffany Alleyne (Diamond Vale Govt).

UNDER 9 GIRLS: Naima Julius (D Martin Govt); Akeelah Charles (St Crispin AC); Jozel Mascall (Rose Hill RC); Akeria Leacock (Maraval RC); Ola-Sade Forbes (Patna River Estate Govt); O’Brianna Savary (North A).

UNDER 9 BOYS: Savian Adams (Crystal Stream Govt); Jadon Wilson (Success RC); Hezekiah O’Brien (Mucurapo Boys RC); David Jeffers (Chinapoo Govt).

UNDER 11 GIRLS: Fatimah Springer (Cocorite Govt); Hailey Lynch (St Theresa’s RC); Markeliah John (Crystal Stream Govt); Kerlis Navarro (Success RC); Jeneice Burton (Diamond Vale Govt); Keidesha Moe (Chinapoo Govt); Shania Marshal (West A); Shaniqua Lawrence (Carenage Girls Govt).

UNDER 11 BOYS: Makaelon Woods (Richmond Street Boys RC); Kelvin Cudjoe (Gloster Lodge); Josiah Grant (Wesport SDA); Tristin Goodridge (Richmond Street Boys AC); Hakim Salandy (Diamond Vale Govt); Oba Samuel (Chinapoo Govt); Malachi Charles (Crystal Stream Govt).

UNDER 13 GIRLS: Shakilah Phillips (St Dominic’s RC); Makeda Edwards (Diego Martin Govt); Janika Jordan (St Agnes AC); Ayode Simmons (Sacred Heart Girls RC); Danielle Prscod (Diamond Vale Govt); Alexia Broomes (Diamond Vale Govt).

UNDER 13 BOYS: Jordan Noel (Gaines Normal AME); Kyrell Springer (Rosary Boys RC); Reshawn Andrews (Success RC); Keone John (Belmont Govt); Travis Lewis (Newtown Boys RC); Antonio Joseph (Lower Morvant Govt); Jordan Burton (Diamond Vale Govt); Keshawn Hutchinson (Diego Martin Govt); Oba Samuel (East A); Timothy Simpson (West B).

UNDER 15 GIRLS: Kianna Llewellyn (Sacred Heart Girls RC); Karessa Kirton (Newtown Girls RC); Chelsea Mukerji (ISPS ); Janae Murray (Sacred Heart Girls RC); Fayola John (Patna River Estate); Isabello Bosso (Sacred Heart Girls RC); Terica Nelson (Central A); Aaliyah John (East A).

UNDER 15 BOYS: Jorvan Westfield (Sacred Heart Boys RC); Michael Jack (St Dominic’s RC); Jonathan Quashie (Hokett Baptist); Isaiah Pierre (Patna River Estate); Molique Garrin (Central A); Jeremiah Price (East A); Antonio Joseph (Central B); Jeremiah Sutton (Nelson Street Boys RC- EB); Cyril Sumner (Newtown Boys RC).

Over the seven years since its inception, this tournament has become one of the most popular and anticipated events on the local golf calendar as golfers, including youth players vie for top honours on the course throughout the day, as well as the opportunity to score bragging rights by trumping local sports celebrities and personalities.

Teams placing in the top seven will be awarded highly attractive prizes including plane tickets, hotel accommodation, other electronic devices and hampers.

After the 18th hole, the competition will continue off the course at the dinner and awards ceremony, where radio personality Kerron “Sunny Bling” Sealy will once more chair the proceedings.

In keeping with tradition, cricket and golf memorabilia will be auctioned off.

To close off the evening, guests will be treated to an evening of fun and entertainment.

All proceeds of the annual DGF Golf tournament go towards the Foundation’s Scholarship programme.

Each year, the DGF selects a cohort of primary school children who demonstrate exceptional talent in an extra-curricular activity (sports, music, dance, performing arts) and grant them a three-year scholarship whose programmes and resources are dedicated to and focused on the development of their talents, academics, character, life skills and overall well-being.

“This is not just about developing a skill or honing a talent.

The DGF seeks to promote the development of good citizens and excellent human beings,” said Ganga, the ex-Trinidad and Tobago and West Indies batsman and captain.

This flagship fundraiser ensures that the scholarship programme can continue into the medium term.

For more information about the DGF and its programmes, please visit www.darengangafoundation.

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