Governor General of Saint Lucia, Her Excellency Dame Pearlette Louisy, conferred the 38th Independence Awards at Government House on Sunday.

Among this year’s recipients were Hon. Arsene James, who received the Saint Lucia Cross for his contribution to education and government; former Commissioner of Police of the Royal Saint Lucia Police Force, Cuthbert Phillips, who received the Saint Lucia Medal of Honour (silver) for his contribution to national development in the areas of national security, tourism and agriculture; and media icon David Samuels, who was awarded the Saint Lucia Medal of Merit (silver) for his contribution to the field of broadcasting.

During the ceremony, National Awards Committee member, Roger Joseph, thanked the awardees for their services.

"To all those included in the investiture today, we thank you for accepting the award. We congratulate you, and most of all we extend our sincerest appreciation to you for serving Saint Lucia as you have done and continue to do," he said. "You helped to make this place the Saint Lucia we love. You are Saint Lucia.”

He also implored Saint Lucians to play a more active role in nominations, as only 40 applications were received in 2017, compared to over 100 applications in 2016.

"Perhaps there is no greater statement on the independence of our nation than to confer our own awards on our own citizens. Let’s participate fully in the process, all of us."

Joseph added that there are many deserving Saint Lucians, and anyone can qualify for an award once a detailed case is made.

The Order of Saint Lucia is divided into the following categories:

Grand Cross of the Order of Saint Lucia (GCSL)

Knight/Dame Commander of the Order of Saint Lucia (KCSL/DCSL)

Saint Lucia Cross (SLC)

Saint Lucia Medal of Honour (SLMH)

Saint Lucia Medal of Merit (SLMM)

Saint Lucia Les Pitons Medal (SLPM)

National Service Cross (NSC)

National Service Medal (NSM)

The Order of Saint Lucia 2017 Independence Awards list is attached.