AFTER three years, some 500 missions and 150 bodies recovered, the Hunters Search and Rescue Team has received its first award from a state body on July 30 for its volunteer work in helping law enforcement find missing people.
The team was among several groups to receive an accolade from the Ministry of Youth Development and National Service at the Southern Academy for Performing Arts during the ministry's recognition for national service.
Speaking with Newsday after the ceremony, Hunters Search and Rescue Team head Vallence Rambharat said the team was honoured to receive the award and it was fitting the accolade was for national service.
Rambharat said the team welcomes awards for its work, but not because of vanity.
"We want Hunters Search and Rescue Team's name to be on the lips of every household of Trinidad and Tobago so that families would know to call us when their loved ones go missing. So that exposure is important to us."
Over the years the group has received awards from the private sector, various chambers of commerce and the hunting fraternity. It has also received several public commendations for its work, often leading to calls on social media for it to receive a national award. But, asked about this, Rambharat said he does not believe the group is worthy of such an honour.
"I think national awards are really a cut above the rest. We are just four years – we're in our fourth year of operations. I don't think you do four years of work and should expect to get a national award. I think national awards should go to organisations and individuals who would have demonstrated over their entire careers that they would have done extremely good professional work to benefit the country. We're just too young."
Recently, the team was in the news as part of the search for TTRideShare driver Shakem Charles, who was reported missing on July 10, but found dead on July 13.
Other organisations receiving awards included House of Angostura, Atlantic LNG, Digicel, the National Gas Company, Royal Bank of Canada, Massy, Shell, Unit Trust, Heritage Petroleum and British Petroleum TT.
Individuals receiving awards were Austin "SuperBlue" Lyons, Dominic Kalipersad, Dr Rita Pemberton, David Rudder, Jareem Richards, Nicholas Pooran, Ephram Serette, Penelope Spencer, Earl Lovelace, Lord Nelson and Zalayhar Hassanali.
The awards were part of the ministry's launch of the National Service Programme.
In October 2021 a 12-member advisory committee was set up to develop the programme. The curriculum was handed over to the ministry during the event by Dr L Anthony Watkins.
Speaking during the ceremony, committee chair Dr Ruby Alleyne told the scores of young people in the audience that national service was the solution to some of the country's problems.
"I believe that national service can be a powerful antidote to the tide of negativity that currently threatens us as a society because it can harness all our resources to contribute to building up our country instead of tearing it down."
In his feature address
