December 2002

• The Singing Soldiers
• Performances by the Jamaica Military Band Every Third Sunday
• The Spirit of Christmas in the Jamaican Military
• Annual Civilian Christmas Dinner
• Jamaica Defence Force Officer Cadet Wins Top Sandhurst Award
• Caribbean Nations Benefit From Canadian Sponsored Training

The Singing Soldiers

Seeing soldiers singing their hearts out is a not to be missed occasion.  This is the attitude shared by the military community and so on the night of the Choral Competition 2002, the Garrison Chapel at Up Park Camp was filled to capacity. The singing competition provided a great evening out for families and friends of the military, who were highly entertained by the choirs who competed for the coveted position of first place. The Choral Competition was held on 19 November 2002 after a six-year break. The men of the 2nd Battalion The Jamaica Regiment won the evening’s event ousting the winning trophy from the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) Air Wing, which was the defending winner from the last competition.

There were eight competing choirs, with the Jamaica Combined Cadet Force entering the competition for the first time. For the competition, each choir had to sing one compulsory song and an additional song of its own choice. The four set pieces were ‘Ride on King Jesus’ by Arr Robert De Cormier, ‘The Lion Sleeps Tonight’ by Hugo Pereti, Gospel Man by Carl Strommen and Holy Mount Zion by Olive Lewin.  Each choir was allowed at least 12 choristers and a conductor, with no maximum to the number of choristers. There was a panel of three judges drawn from professional civilian musicians, all of whom had served as national adjudicators with the Jamaica Cultural Development Corporation. The judges were Ms Hazel McClune, Mr Peter Brown and the chief judge, Mr Trevor Brown.

The placement for the JDF’s Choral Competition 2002 in order of overall best performance were as follows: 2nd Battalion The Jamaica Regiment, Support and Services Battalion, JDF Air Wing, 3rd Battalion The Jamaica Regiment, 1 Engineer Regiment (JDF) and the 1st Battalion The Jamaica Regiment tied for the fifth position, followed by the Jamaica Combined Cadet Force and in 8th position was the JDF Coast Guard.