WESTERN BUREAU:

Some 8,000 current and former residents of Trelawny will congregate in New York tomorrow for the start of three days of interaction aimed at exploring business and investment opportunities for the parish, which is now at the forefront of national development.

"We have former Trelawny residents from United Kingdom, Canada, Europe and the United States, who will be here with us this weekend," said Derrick Scott, a spokesman for Friends of Trelawny Association (FOTA), which is staging the annual event.

Emphasising investment windows

Trelawny's two members of parliament - Dr Patrick Harris and Marissa Dalrymple-Philibert - as well as Mayor of Falmouth Colin Gager are in the US for the event. They will be participants in its stellar event, the Trelawny Business Symposium, which will be staged at the Holiday Inn, JFK Airport, in Jamaica, New York, on Saturday at 10 a.m.

"The delegation from Jamaica is expected to outline a myriad of exciting businesses and investment opportunities, which former residents will have an opportunity to invest in," added Scott, who is also the information attaché at the Jamaican Embassy in Washington, DC.

Michael Wattkis, president of FOTA, which has been staging the annual gathering that includes a cocktail reception/dance, the symposium, and annual picnic for the past 27 years, said he was excited about the 2009 event.

Exciting times

"These are exciting times for Trelawny, especially with the Royal Caribbean cruise ship set to berth in the historical town of Falmouth some time next year. I am looking forward to the symposium, which will centre on the various business developments and opportunities available in the parish."

The annual picnic, which was held at Rockland Lake State Park in Nyack, New York, for the past 26 years, has been shifted to the Anthony Wayne Recreation area, Harriman State Park, in Bear Mountain, New York.

"The shift in venue is due to the growth over the years. It has grown from a small family gathering to 8,000," said Scott.

The Falmouth Basic School, which has been broken into by thieves on several occasions in recent months, will benefit from proceeds from this year's event.

adrian.frater@gleanerjm.com