Pembroke's 633rd Mayor, Clr. Melanie Phillips, hosted a packed reception and civic awards evening recently at the Town Hall.

"The Pembroke Awards Scheme is the town's highest accolade and was introduced in 1998 to say thank you to individuals and organisations that have brought honour to and have made a contribution to the community of Pembroke," said Clr. Phillips in her opening speech at last Thursday's event.

The evening also enabled Clr. Phillips to thank the people of Pembroke who supported the Mayor's fundraising appeal, and following the awards presentation, she presented a cheque for £1,755 to the RNLI.

She also made a donation to the volunteers at Mencap Gardens with whom she volunteers every Wednesday to help the students tend their patch where they grow their produce. She is very proud of the people that she works with there and with this in mind, she decided that any funds left in her Mayor's allowance at the end of the year, she would donate to the Mencap Gardens Project for a 'fun' visit for the group.

Another highlight of the evening was the presentation of the Hamish Whyte Award presented annually in memory of the late Pembroke Town Council member.

This year's recipient was much-respected community figure George Lewis, described by Mrs. Jenny Whyte, who presented the award, as "a remarkable man with endless talent and wonderful raconteur, always willing to help in any way and the contributions he has made and continues to make to our community is unlimited."

The evening concluded with a sumptuous buffet prepared by the Pembroke RNLI.

Award-winners

Liz Jenkins - certificate of commendation

Liz Jenkins is a very special person - she is always willing to help. Amongst the many things she does, she takes community members to hospital, does their shopping, takes people with disabilities to theatres. She is the secretary of the Civic Trust, she works with Monkton benefice, Pembroke and Monkton Local History Society, Monkton youth group and Monkton Voice amongst others. She is a thoughtful and caring person who is well-deserving of this award.

Terry John - certificate of Commendation

Terry John is well-known in Pembroke, throughout the county and beyond from his involvement with the Sealed Knot Society who perform civil war enactments keeping alive the spirit of our past during that period of our history. Also, Mr. John regularly conducts walking tours in Pembroke which is inspirational for our residents and visitors to our town learning about our ancient and recorded history from those walkabouts.

Pauline Waters - certificate of Commendation

Pauline Waters is deeply committed to her voluntary work in the local community. She is currently involved, or has been previously involved with the Pembrokeshire Blind Society, she is a founder member of the Haven Credit union, she is a fundraiser and choir member at Monkton Priory Church, she is involved with Monkton Voice, Communities First, Pembroke and Monkton Local History Society to name but a few. In addition to her role as town councillor, she is a Mace Bearer and deputy Town Crier. It is a pleasure to present Pauline with the Certificate of Commendation for the work she undertakes.

Voices of Pembroke - certificate of Commendation

The Voices of Pembroke Choir was formed several years ago to support the initiative of Pembroke and Pembroke Joint Twinning with our twin towns of Pembroke in Malta, George Cross and Bergen in Lower Saxony in Germany. To support the twinning, the choir with supporters and partners they have visited Malta and did several concerts on the Island of Malta and Goza. In addition to this, they also gave a concert at the official residency of the British High Commissioner to Malta which was well-supported. The choir is still performing concerts here at home and throughout the United Kingdom.

Ray Burgess - certificate of Merit

Ray Burgess works tirelessly for the spitfire charity, be it working in the charity shop in Willings Passage or at the museum in Haverfordwest he is completely dedicated to this cause. Council received three separate nominations for Mr. Burgess to receive this award in order for him to receive the recognition which he truly deserves. Council was therefore extremely delighted to present the certificate of merit to Mr. Burgess.

Shirley Wheeler - Certificate of Merit

Shirley Wheeler is known to everyone in Pembroke. This award is extremely well-deserved in recognition of her many charitable acts and deeds. She is the vice-president of the Pembroke Ladies Lifeboat Guild and has helped to raise a great deal of money for this cause over the years. She allows numerous charities to use her premises free of charged for fund raising and meetings on a regular basis and is a shining example to the town of Pembroke.

Hamish Whyte Award

Since 2009, there has been an additional award donated by Mrs. Jenny Whyte in memory of her late husband Clr. Hamish Whyte who very sadly passed away in 2007.

This year, it was presented to popular artist George Lewis.

Graduate teachers of art and design and professional painters exhibiting work in numerous exhibitions over the years, George, who was born in Sageston, and his wife of 53 years, Jeanne, retired from The City of London Freemen's School in Surrey where George was headmaster and Jeanne was in the art department and moved to Pembrokeshire

Said Mrs. Whyte: "Retiring back to Pembrokeshire, a life of leisure was for neither of them. George became an art tutor in adult education with over 60 part-time students spread over four two-hour sessions and completed a 20-foot mural with the assistance of his students covering the history of Pembroke Dock named 'The Millennium Mural' completed in 1999. He also produced another mural entitled 'Garrison Town', again with the assistance of a select group of students. This eight-foot mural portrayed the badges of every regiment that had been stationed in Pembroke Dock during a period of 150 years.

"George and Jeanne are no strangers to mural work and had done a number before leaving Surrey and carried out one in their early years back in Pembroke for Bishop Tuttu's visit to Wales which is now in St. John's Church, Pembroke Dock.

"They spent considerable time producing scenery for the East End Flyover Companies numerous productions in the 1990s and early 2000 and a number of sets for the St. Michael Pantomimes, one of which George actually wrote 'Robin Hood'.

"In 2005, they commenced painting The Pembroke Town Hall murals which the council agreed they should carry out at George's suggestion in the year 2000. George had spent the intervening years carrying out the considerable research necessary for such a set of historic panels. The work was completed in July 2009.

"George and Jeanne also rebuilt and repainted a shattered nativity group, each figure being two-foot high. The completed work is now displayed each Christmas in Pembroke Ferry Chapel. They have recently carried out restoration work on painted figures around the pulpit in Cosheston Church. It is of note that all these works were done without payment and willingly. George says if you have a skill, what better way to use it than in useful work and in helping others.

"George gives talks to various groups in and around South Pembrokeshire, not only on the Town Hall murals, but on a variety of subjects and is described as 'a captivating and infectious speaker full of enthusiasm laced with humour.'

Each year, since 1998, George has produced a painting for use on the Mayor of Pembroke's Christmas card, the originals of which are on display in the Town Hall offices.

"He is a valued member of Pembroke and District Male Voice Choir and has in past designed and provided the stage settings for massed concerts in Carew Pavilion and the Agricultural Hall at Withybush Showground.

"He is president of Pembroke and Monkton Local History Society and has recently supplied the illustration for two pamphlet guides to Pembroke and Monkton respectively.

"He is a Burgess of The Gild of Freemen of Pembroke and a Freeman of the City of London.

"George is a remarkable man, with endless talent and a wonderful raconteur, always willing to help in any way and the contributions he has made, and continues to make to our community, is unlimited."