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Article: The Birth of Independence
- Article from:
- The Weekly Gleaner
- Article date:
- July 30, 2009
- Author:
CopyrightCopyright The Gleaner Company Jul 30-Aug 5, 2009. Provided by ProQuest LLC. (Hide copyright information)
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FROM SAVANNA-LAMAR to Morant Bay, from Above Rocks to Port Maria, as the clock struck midnight on August 5, 1962, the strains of our national anthem were heard for the first time while Union Jacks were lowered and the Jamaican flag unveiled.
Ceremonies took place in parish capitals across the island. In many cases, fireworks lit up the skies punctuating the August 6 birth of the Dominion of Jamaica. At the National Stadium, then Prime Minister Sir Alexander Bustamante, decked out in formal wear, presided over what was described as a stirring event.
"The entire evening was just tremendous," says statesman Hector Wynter, enthusiastically recounting the shared excitement and delight that ...