…Teacher elected 1st female Toshao of St Cuthbert’s Mission
Senior Mistress at the St. Cuthbert’s Mission Primary School, Beverley Clenkian, was recently elected the first female Toshao of St Cuthbert’s Mission, an Amerindian Reservation located in the Mahaica River.
In a race with seven other candidates which saw her garnering 122 votes, the mother of two was elected as the new toshao, while Anderson Clenkian was elected as her deputy.
This Toashao, who said she was approached and urged by fellow villagers to get involved owing to the enormous and significant challenges being faced by residents, declared herself prepared and ready to serve.
Clenkian disclosed that she was privileged to have served three previous toshaos, as she worked as a councillor on those councils.
“My experience would have been enhanced and moulded by three previous toshaos. I didn’t serve under the last outgoing toshao as I was in the USA at the time of the last election, three years ago,” she said.
Toshao Clenkian declared that her primary focus is to create more opportunities for the youths within her mission, thus providing training and other working opportunities for them.
“I am going to ensure that the residents here can be able to showcase their handicraft more, thus generating tourism-related interest in what they are doing, while at the same time I am going to create opportunities for the youths through training and other exposure,” she promised.
Region Four Chairman Genevieve Allen, in congratulating the new toshao, stressed that with yet another woman occupying a once dominated male position, ample testimony is provided that more women are rising up to the task of leadership.
“This is certainly an indication that our women are taking up leadership roles, and I would like to urge other women to emulate these achievements being made by Toshao Clenkian and others. Today we have a female REO, a female REDO, and now a female Toshao, which shows that more women are demonstrating that they can lead,” a smiling Regional Chairman noted.
The Regional Chairman declared that with Local Government Elections (LGE) slated for later this year, she would like to see more women coming forward to assume leadership roles. “I remain confident that our women can lead, and lead responsibility and effectively. So let the election of the first female toshao be a motivating factor for you women out there, that you can do if you so choose to. Women are on the rise, and we here in Region Four are prepared to continue paving the way for more women to assume leadership roles and responsibilities; and I am reiterating that I would like to see more women getting involved,” she urged.
The other eleven elected councillors are: Simer Pereira, Timothy Andrews, Neil Henry, Alicia Hendricks, Denise Pereira, Foster Simon, Reone Causway, Julio Pereira, Paul Andrews, Cierre Andrews and Julian Kactow.
