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“Sandals Made Me The Man I Am Today”

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Bahamian playmaker shares his journey and growth in entertainment

 

#TheBahamas, March 21, 2022 – “Peter was great. He is friendly, very professional and very talented. His show was great and exciting. I have never seen anything like that. It was great and he has lots of energy.” That was what one guest wrote about Peter Hanna from the entertainment department, during their recent stay at Sandals Royal Bahamian.

Hanna is one of the most popular names at the Luxury-Included® resort, not only because he is undeniably talented but also because the vivacious entertainment coordinator continues to dominate guest feedback platforms like the Sandals Blaze Loop and the globally referred Trip Advisor. He is undoubtedly the guests’ favourite person.

During the closure of Sandals Royal Bahamian, Hanna worked in other resorts but like the Prodigal Son, he quickly packed up and headed back home to Sandals Royal Bahamian once the resort reopened. “This is like home and my colleagues are like my family. This is the place that trained and groomed me. It is the place that made me into somewhat of a superstar in my field,” he said between chuckles.

Indeed, he is a superstar and has been for years. This has seen him copping the coveted title of Legendary Team Member of The Year in 2018 and 2019. In fact, he believes that the pandemic robbed him of what could have been his third consecutive win. The recipient of that award is the person who gets the most guest mentions and commendations on the resort.

Today Hanna forms part of the fabric of the resort’s entertainment team, tasked with engaging guests and in doing so highlighting the Bahamian culture daily.  The resort’s wide range of entertainment offerings present opportunities for both permanent team members as well as other locally contracted performers who daily display their expansive creative talents by way of the steel pan, saxophone, vocals, Junkanoo rush and rake n’ scrape. This occurs daily through a mix that occurs from arrival and extends throughout the guest’s stay and Hanna works alongside fellow team members and local acts to ensure a world-class experience to meet the diverse expectation of all our guests.

Hanna, a native of Nassau, started working in the hospitality industry at age 18 as a part of a dance group performing Michael Jackson numbers. At the time, Hanna was fresh out of high school and had no idea what it was like to work in a structured environment. All he knew was dancing. “We never got shows every night so whenever I wasn’t dancing, I would just be home, waiting for a call about a gig,” he shared.

It was the call for his group to perform at Sandals Royal Bahamian that changed the scope of young Hanna’s life and vision. “A manager from Sandals saw us perform at an event and liked us. They started inviting us to dance in their show weekly and overtime they had us in more shows until they eventually introduced us to other forms of dancing,” recalled Hanna.

This was the moment Hanna knew that his introduction to Sandals would change his life for better.

“It was here at Sandals Royal Bahamian that I was introduced to things other than hip-hop. I migrated into things like Conga and Broadway types of dancing. I was evolving and growing in my gift,” he said.

Hanna’s growth quickly became apparent and everyone knew he would add tremendous value to the team and the entertainment product at large. He was offered the opportunity to work for the resort and he quickly accepted.

“I said yes and from there my whole life changed. I did not know that there were jobs in the world like this where I am paid to play every single day. I was having fun; I was playing games and was hosting various events. I was interacting with people and cultures from all over the world. It was my first full time job. Sandals made me the man I am today,” he stated emphatically.

Today, Hanna is arguably the most diverse and multifaceted entertainment coordinator at Sandals Royal Bahamian. From limbo and juggling to stilt walking and fire dancing, he does it all. “Working here made me realize the endless possibilities that exist in the entertainment arena. I’ve met guests who do these things for a living and have excelled beyond what I was able to imagine so that pushed me to advance my entertainment craft,” he shared.

Aside from his on the job training, the ambitious young man has used YouTube videos to assist with his development and Sandals has provided him with a platform to showcase every new trick that he has managed to master.

“When I learned my juggling, I was allowed to do it on Thursdays at the talent show, when I learned my fire dancing, I got the chance to be part of the Junkanoo show and now I am in the new fire show we have on resort on Monday nights,” he said.

His manager and fellow Nassau native, Leslie Lightbourne shared that he is excited about Hanna’s prospects in Sandals. “He is extremely talented, he is obviously loved and he is passionate about growth. He is on the right path and with his work ethic and drive, I cannot help being excited about all the future has in store for him especially in this company that is so big on developing talent,” he said.

In addition to his growth and development, Hanna lauds Sandals for allowing him to travel expansively. “I’ve traveled to several Caribbean countries at no cost to me. I have gone to Barbados, Saint Lucia and Jamaica and have stayed at our other resorts in fine style,” a smiling Hanna expressed.

He continued, “I am grateful to Sandals for taking a chance on me. I was only a young man with no knowledge of this industry, no experience and today I am an expert in this field, very marketable and in demand.”

 

Press Release: Sandals Resorts

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New Tilapia Hatchery Slated for Completion Later This Year

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#Kingston, Jamaica, March 27, 2024 – The new tilapia hatchery under construction in Twickenham Park, St. Catherine, is slated for completion towards the end of 2024.

The 12,000 sq. ft. facility, being built at a cost of approximately $574 million, is intended to address the major issue of shortages in good-quality seed stock for fish farmers islandwide.

Manager for the Promoting Community-based Climate Resilience in the Fisheries Sector Project, Selena Ledgister, says the hatchery’s establishment is critical for securing a sustainable fisheries sector.

“Construction is on in earnest and we are looking before the year is out – which would be by around September or October – to complete the building part of it. The Project will be supporting the purchase and installation of the recirculating aquaculture system. This system will provide over five million advanced fries (young fish) per year, using the recirculating aquaculture system,” she told JIS News.

The bio-secure climate-resilient modular hatchery, being developed in partnership with the Jamaica Social Investment Fund (JSIF), will feature a solar standby generator, plumbing system, rehabilitated guard host and administrative building.

Mrs. Ledgister said the hatchery, to be built and operated under environmentally friendly conditions, will impact the lives of fish farmers islandwide.

“I believe we have over 120 aquaculture farmers, and that number is growing; so, this will benefit the industry significantly. The hatchery is also expected to cushion the demand for fish. Fish farmers will also get the supply of advanced fries to restock their ponds. This is a significant impact that the Climate Resilience Project, as well as JSIF, will be creating for the Jamaican fish farmers,” she said.

 

Contact: Twila Wheelan

Release: JIS

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Trust Fund for Poor Children Born On or After August 6, 2022

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#Kingston, Jamaica, March 27, 2024 – Children born on or after the 60th anniversary of Jamaica’s Independence, who are wards of the State or beneficiaries of the Programme of Advancement Through Health and Education (PATH), will be eligible for the Jamaica 60 HOPE (Hope, Opportunity, Prosperity and Empowerment) For Children Trust Fund.

Jamaica celebrated its Diamond Jubilee on August 6, 2022.

In his contribution to the 2024/25 Budget Debate in the House of Representatives on March 21, Prime Minister, the Most. Hon. Andrew Holness, said the purpose of the Fund is to help to close the wealth gap and address the issue of intergenerational poverty by creating a trust account specifically catered to vulnerable children.

“The HOPE for Children Trust Fund will provide each eligible child with a long-term savings account funded through annual contributions from the Government. Parents, guardians or other donors will also be able to make deposits into the account for the future benefit of any specific child,” Mr. Holness said.

The accumulated funds, including interest, will be accessible on or after the child’s 18th birthday, for specific purposes such as education, purchase of a home or commercial property or investment in a business.

“The central idea behind the programme is to provide children with a lump sum to start them in life upon attaining adulthood. Our initial target is a lump sum of between $600,000 and $800,000, to be available on the 18th birthday of any eligible child,” Mr. Holness said.

He noted that the Government will also explore alternatives to establish and manage the Fund, adding that it could form part of the National Insurance Fund or be administered by private insurance companies.

“This is, I believe, a ground-breaking initiative to truly grapple with inequality in the society. From a historical perspective, there are many households who have no endowment in Jamaica, meaning that they can’t look towards anything bequeathed to them from their family. There is no asset being passed down to them from generation. The only way that they are able to create any wealth is through their labour, through the dint of their effort – literally pulling themselves up by their bootstraps,” Mr. Holness said.

The Prime Minister emphasised that as the economy grows, the Government has a responsibility to take instrumental and decisive steps to break the cycle of intergenerational poverty and correct structural inequalities.

“The intention here is great, the amount may be considered small, but it is the first step in the right direction to truly create a more equitable society,” Mr. Holness said.

 

Contact: Judana Murphy

Release: JIS

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Port Royal Museum to Open in May

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#Kingston, Jamaica, March 26, 2024 – The long-awaited Port Royal Museum is expected to be opened in May of this year, with the first exhibit set to be unveiled at the event.

Construction of the two-storey facility, which will be the first fit-for-purpose museum erected in Jamaica, was done at a cost of $788 million with funding from the Port Authority of Jamaica (PAJ).

Major work on the building was completed in December 2023, with finishing touches and furnishings left to be done.

Director of the National Museum Jamaica (NMJ), Dr. Jonathan Greenland, told JIS News in an interview that the new museum will replace the older and much smaller facility at Fort Charles.

“It didn’t touch all the subject areas… so we lobbied for the Port Authority to collaborate with us and develop a museum in Port Royal, and so they’ve actually constructed a huge building with restaurant facilities, lots of parking, multifunctional space and meeting rooms, shops and everything that a modern museum should have,” he said.

The museum will also be fully accessible to members of the disabled community with wheelchair ramps and an elevator.

Dr. Greenland added that the location of the museum is also of notable significance to the history of the sunken city.

“Right on the spot where the museum is going to be, there was a rebellion of the enslaved workers from the dockyard. The leader of the rebellion or uprising was a skilled bricklayer and when you look at the walls around the whole area where the dockyard used to be, he was probably involved in building that,” he said.

He further pointed out that the museum will present a new opportunity for the NMJ to attract even more visitors and facilitate cultural tourism.

“We’re very excited…. and you know Port Royal is a very interesting place and the history is fascinating. We always had loads of visitors from all around the world without doing any marketing whatsoever, and this is going to be a whole different level of merchandising, marketing and tourism. This is fascinating history and it’s going to be quite dramatic,” Dr. Greenland told JIS News.

 

Contact : Jermi-Lee Nelson

Release : JIS

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