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The Paria Suites Hotel and Conference Centre in San Fernando was the venue for the 57th Anniversary Celebration and 49th Annual Conference of the T&TEC the Electrical Association for Women (EAW) held on June 30, 2018.

Speaking under the theme “Women coming together can light the pathway in changing the world”, newly installed President, Julia Andrews, conveyed her expectations for the Association with a  quote from an unknown author, saying  “…the importance of good people in our [lives] is just like the importance of a heartbeat…it’s not visible but silently supports our [lives].” She said that she was looking forward to the “heartbeat” of the EAW increasing with the excitement of innovation, be strengthened with new associations and “truly become a heartbeat that silently supports the lives of women in this country.”

Ms. Andrews also expressed her pleasure with the recently amended EAW constitution and objectives. This “strong move in the right direction will make the EAW more relevant in today’s world,” she said, as she encouraged the nine Branches and the Central Executive to use the conference theme as their inspiration for the next year.

Similarly, feature speaker, Social Worker Rachel Lidlow acknowledged the organisation’s history and its willingness to implement new strategies. She urged the women to network and to exchange services and offer training seminars to other organisations “for EAW to become more significant to the public.”

The highlight of the gala event was the announcement of the winners of the inter-branch competitions for community outreach and branch management.

The Stanley P. Ottley Award for A FIRM Branch was won by the Sangre Grande Branch. Second place was won by the Chaguanas Branch with the Arima Branch in third place.  This competition is judged on members’ attendance at meetings, fund raising activities, information programmes, reporting and membership growth.

The Sangre Grande Branch also won the Collin Matthews Community Award, for their project “Lighting the way”, which included seminars on safety and motivation, as well as a exhibition themed “Then and now”, featuring items used before electricity and their electrical replacements. The Port of Spain and Arima Branches placed second and third respectively.

In addition to the presentation of awards to winners, another highlight of the event was the installation of the new Central Executive.  Supporting Ms Andrews for the 2018/2019 term are Officers Cherry Ann Nicholas, Vice President; Maureen Taylor Gordon, Secretary; Vanessa Reefer, Assistant Secretary; Jenny Moren-Rawle, Treasurer and Grace Mc Ewen, Public Relations Officer.  The Executive was installed by Annabelle Brasnell, T&TEC’s Corporate Communications Manager.

A delicious dinner and engaging entertainment topped off the evening, as the EAW ladies celebrated their achievements and prepared for an exciting 2019.