The Parish of Hanover, though being the second smallest in size, epitomizes the old Jamaican adage, “wi lickle but wi tallawah”.
Founded in 1723, Hanover was named after the ruling Monarch at that time who was a member of the house of Hanover in Germany.
Ironically, it was founded because the Plantocracy of Westmoreland at that time decided that they had to travel too far at great inconvenience to pay their taxes. A decision I am sure their descendants have come to regret as since then our little piece of Westmoreland with a sliver of St. James has outgrown its parents in stature.
We have as a small parish, produced a disproportionate amount of Jamaica’s finest in every field of endeavor. We have given this nation many individuals of note, inclusive of its first prime minister, its longest serving prime minister, a governor general, many of Jamaica’s finest Judges, doctors, lawyers, artistes, educators, athletes, businessmen, musicians, etc. etc, etc.
Knowing our penchant for producing the best, I suspect that we may even have produced a number of those other characters, that none of us hasten to accept paternity for, as in recent times we have been out-competing many of our much larger parishes in terms of our crime statistics. I am sure many of our older judges of the higher courts will recall with great fondness, the days when cases for circuit were so few that they could be disposed of in short order and they would retire to the bar for a more spiritually uplifting experience.
Just a few years ago Hanover was regarded as the safest parish to live, however in my humble estimation a number of factors have conspired to bring us to where we are at this juncture in time.
- The general breakdown in family structure that seem to have reached epidemic proportions in our nation at this time.
- We are caught between a rock and a hard place, St. James and Westmoreland.
- The grossly inadequate allocation of resources to properly police the parish.
- The lack of sufficient job opportunities for the young bright minds that are leaving our educational institutions.
- The paucity of proper role models available to the young people.
Many Hanoverians have performed with distinction on the home stage: others in the international arena, some on both but wherever we are the majority of us are proud to be identified as Hanoverians.
Our parish has seen many changes in character in its long history. Our capital, Lucea as it is known today, has transitioned from being one of the most vibrant seaport towns, exporting yams, bananas, sugar, pimento, lime-oil, fustic, logwood, coconuts, cocoa, and even hog’s lard enshrined in the name of the district of fat hog quarters located not too far from the capital approximately two miles up the road from where I was born on Animal Hill where the Mairs, the Stairs and the Hoggs were neighbours. Lucea is now a retail outlet for primarily Asian nationals. In more recent times we also exported garments and sporting goods.
Sadly today our only export, seem to be human capital, much to the delight of the rest of Jamaica and to our detriment as a parish.
Hanover has many firsts to its credit. We had the first deep water pier in the Caribbean, the first forest reserve in Jamaica to be named as part of the Queens Commonwealth Canopy, the first mediation centre outside of the corporate area, which was the first to train peer mediators in our schools; we have the most innovative library network, which have developed educational programs for adults and children that are now being used by other networks, and we are the only parish in which Etu is still practiced. We have some of the best beaches, the best water, the best foods, the best milk, the widest variety of mangoes, and the list goes on. I don’t think I have to say anymore to convince you that wi likkle but wi tallawah.
Our influence as Hanoverians throughout Jamaica and even further afield, throughout the ages is testament to our importance as a parish and as a people and today I implore all of us to reflect on our role and responsibility to make this nation a better place for those who follow in our footsteps.
See article HANOVER IN THE SPOTLIGHT.
