Renegades Dinner and Awards Ceremony

LEFT: Lennox Howe, Irmine Brazil, Alan ‘Pablo’ Augustus,
Desiree Meyers, Michael Joseph and Selwyn Scott

TrinbagoPan.com Reporters
Event Date: December 30, 2006
Posted: December 31, 2006

The 5th Annual Renegades Dinner and Awards ceremony was held at Porky’s Restaurant and Bar on Wrightson Road, Port of Spain on Saturday 30th December, 2006. Many members and specially invited guests of the BP Renegades Steel Orchestra came out in their fancy suits and dresses to witness this auspicious occasion and to wine and dine at this formal ceremony.

The MC for the night was the young Keron Yan who very skillfully kept the audience entertained throughout the night’s proceedings.

At the start of the programme, Mr. Michael Marcano, President of BP Renegades Steel Orchestra addressed the crowd. Mr. Marcano extended thanks to the members of the band who have done exceptionally well this year. According to him, Renegades, because of their unwavering efforts, have gained recognition the world over and were able to bounce back from the drought which they had experienced years before. He thanked the Captain and Vice Captain of the band as well as the other members that contributed to the band’s success and asked the audience to give a round of applause to all those who had passed on this year. Before ending, Mr. Marcano reassured the audience that Renegades position is that whether Panorama is held on the moon or mars, they will be present. He also expressed the sentiment of the band that all bands in Panorama and not only the top winners should be rewarded properly for their time and dedication throughout the year.

Mr. Michael Joseph, Public Relations officer of Pan Trinbago came on the podium subsequently and gave greetings on behalf of Mr. Patrick Arnold, President of Pan Trinbago who was unavoidably absent. According to Mr. Joseph, Pan Trinbago needs to re-examine their position to see if they are meeting the needs of their members, which was in line with Mr. Marcano’s concerns that were mentioned earlier. He gave a brief rundown of the history of pan in the early days and spoke about the struggles for acceptance by the determined ‘panguards’. He stressed that if Steelpan is to grow, we need to understand the trials and tribulations of the instrument and the pioneers who struggled to gain acceptance. He stated that he was grateful that pan was introduced to the schools today but stressed that the history of the instrument is equally as important as playing the instrument.

Mr. Joseph went on to say that the competition aspect of pan was introduced to maintain further recognition of the instrument and in the process, developed pioneers and prodigies, many of whom are not recognized. He congratulated the Renegades pan group for being great ambassadors to the country and for keeping the youth involved in the pan. He gave special thanks and praise to the older ones who had fought during the early days of the pan movement, many who have passed on.

He also recognized the role of sponsors in the Steelpan movement who, according to him are critical to the development of the industry.

Lastly, Mr. Joseph advised that we need to take hold of the development of pan and not leave it to the foreigners to develop the instrument. He said that there is great need for research and development for this industry so that the younger ones can make a career from the instrument.

Captain of BP Renegades Steel Orchestra, Mr. Andrew Brumant, who was last to address the audience also went down memory lane. According to him, 2006 was a hectic year for the Renegades. Although the group had a good start in the beginning of the year, somewhere down the line they fell short by failing to win Panorama. However, he was happy that they bounced back in the Pan in the 21st Century Competition and hopes that the momentum carries over to 2007. He ended by thanking all, especially the road members who made things great for the band and added that Mr. Jit Samaroo is still the arranger of the band.

In between these speeches, awards were presented to members of the band. They are as follows:

Award Categories / Recipients of Awards

Pioneer Awards / Mr. Joseph Baird, Mr. Hurbert Hernandez, Mr. Martin Benjamin

Long-Standing Service Awards / Mr. Lennox Stephens, Mr. Lyndon Borel, Ms. Lisa Durieux, Anthony Crichlow, Mr. Edmund Willis, Dexter Bernard

The Most Improved Player Award / Mr. Gabriel Phillip

The Most Disciplined Player 2006 Award / Ms. Candice Andrews

The Player of the Year Award 2006 / Ms. Candice Andrews

After the prize-giving ceremony, everyone was invited to join in a buffet-styled dinner comprising of vegetable rice, salad, pigeon peas, baked chicken and drinks of their choice.

Following the meal, the floor was cleared for dancing which went on until the wee hours of the morning.

Renegades Awards, Dinner and Dance in pictures:
www.trinbagopan.com/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId=1420