Atlee Patrick Rodney, recently confirmed Commissioner of Police was the recipient of the Queen’s Police Medal (QPM) at an investiture ceremony held at Government House on Thursday 12th March, 2020.
In the company of his immediate family, dignitaries and other government officials, including Honourable Prime Minister Gaston Browne; His Excellency, The Governor General of Antigua and Barbuda, Sir Rodney Williams bestowed upon Commissioner Rodney, one of the highest honours to be given to any serving member of the police force. His Excellency, Sir Rodney Williams, on behalf of Her Majesty the Queen, congratulated Mr. Rodney and thanked him for his continued sterling contribution to the Nation of Antigua and Barbuda and the region on a whole.
In his response, Mr Rodney expressed his delight to have been recognized to receive such a high honour. He gave thanks to God for bringing him thus far in his much loved career path. He further expressed profound gratitude to his wife and children for being a tower of support to him over the years, as well as the many people, both past and present that have positively impacted his life.
He briefly recapped his journey; when he said he gave up teaching at the tender age of 16yrs in his native island Dominica, and travelled to Antigua on a “Fig Boat,” to become a police officer; a decision he has never regretted. He urged those under his command to see his achievement as a goal, they too can accomplish in their career.
Commissioner Rodney was among two other Antiguan Nationals, who were recognized to be honoured during the announcement of the Queen’s New Year’s Honours List in December 2019. He now joins an elite group of retired Commissioners of Police, including Retired Commissioner Emeritus, Sir Wright F. George, Edric Potter, Alvin Goodwin, Elton Martin and first ever Female Commissioner of Police, Delano Christopher, who were all present.
The Queen’s Police Medal (QPM) is awarded to Police Officers in the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth of Nations, for gallantry or distinguished services. It was first established on May 19th, 1954 and is awarded on an annual basis.
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CONGRATULATIONS. WELL DESERVED.
Notes From A Native Son Of The Rock! “All relationships are based on centers and margins and the distances from either the center or the margin. When black people view themselves as centered and central in their own history then they see themselves as agents, actors, and participants rather than as marginals on the periphery of political or economic experience.” – Dr. Molefi Asante, Afrocentricity, The theory of Social Change!
That Atlee Patrick Rodney, recently confirmed Commissioner of Police, deserved to be elevated to that leadership position, is not only a tribute to his exemplary accomplishments but more so the dedicated efforts of many past and present colleagues in building a solid National Institution and a Caribbean Civilization! Give Praise and Thanks!
Why oh Why? “The Queen’s Police Medal (QPM) is awarded to Police Officers in the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth of Nations, for gallantry or distinguished services. It was first established on May 19th, 1954 and is awarded on an annual basis.” ANR 03142020!
Do the People of African Descent, leading the Nation of Antigua and Barbuda (including Redonda) know why the young Elizabeth, one year after accepting the role and duties of “The divine Right of Kings,” “Defender of the Faith”, “Head of the Church Of England – Anglican on this SIDS” – as promulgated by her ancestor Henry VIII of the English House of Tudor established this Award! Elizabeth is German of The German House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha! Her Husband is a German naturalized Briton! Her Children and Heirs are Germans!
Lest We Forget, They changed the name to the House of Windsor in 1917 to assuage the anger of the British People (not our enslaved ancestors) against Germany during the First World War! “Now, therefore, We, out of Our Royal Will and Authority, do hereby declare and announce that as from the date of this Our Royal Proclamation Our House and Family shall be styled and known as the House and Family of Windsor, and that all the descendants in the male line of Our said Grandmother Queen Victoria who are subjects of these Realms, other than female descendants who may marry or may have married, shall bear the said Name of Windsor.” – George V, Royal Proclamation: 07171917!
“Me No B’longs to Dem” – Natasha Lightfoot, Troubling Freedom: Antigua and the Aftermath of British Emancipation!
186 Years of Emancipation! 69 Years of Adult Suffrage! 53 Years of Statehood In Association! 39 Years of Independence! 6 Years of the Gaston Browne Administration! In this the International Decade For People of African Descent 2015 – 2024, Three Nation Building Champions and Change Agents: Mesdames Samantha Marshall, Farmala Jacobs and Karen Richardson, showed that Recognition comes with having One’s Own Possessions! WOW! Give Praise and Thanks to three Phenomenal Women as they showed the essence of being human by building solid institutions for National Development! May they lead the way in removing black dislocation, disorientation, decenteredness, and lack of agency, embodied in the titles of “Sir Lancelot and The Knights of The Round Table” and trinkets created by Elizabeth solely to remain relevant during the period rapid of decolonization of African Peoples, from this Independent Rock! When will the Men in GoAB do away with such Eurocentric oddities and begin to develop National Institutions and A Caribbean Civilization!
The Day Elizabeth’s father George died on February 6, 1952, we were given hot chocolate and soda bix crackers before singing “Rule Britannia … and Britain Never will be Slaves” and “God Save the King” and then sent home from school! Was a wee lad then! It stuck! Elizabeth was given a lavish Coronation Ceremony 15 Months after her father’s death! Having lost the tittle of “Empress of India” which her Ancestor Victoria claimed, she took on the moniker “Head of The Commonwealth!” Some People of African Descent still cherish and cling to the Royal Petticoat! Will they still hold dearly and lovingly to Charles and William Britches! Have Mercy pon us in this the 21st Century, The Age of The Don and The Boorish!
“The head of the Commonwealth is not technically a position that is inherited with the crown and, officially, no single country is head of the Commonwealth (although its headquarters are in London). This is not an accident of history, but a quirk of empire routed through the rationale of convenient geography. Thus the Commonwealth’s power flows through London (conferred by the monarch) and into the former colonies. This maintains the old centre/periphery dynamics of the empire. The Queen’s status as head of the Commonwealth complements the mystique of power associated with the monarchy. // Perhaps, a strong association with the crown made sense in the early years, when the Commonwealth’s goal of bridging the economic gap between “developed” and “developing” countries (or the colonizer and colonized) was envisioned through north-south flows. But is this still the case? The world is a much more complicated place than when the Commonwealth secretariat was established in 1965. The global economy flows through several centres, including emerging economic powers who are members of the Commonwealth, such as India and South Africa. Plainly speaking, the symbolic relationships of old do not suit our postcolonial world.” – Nalini Mohabir, an Assistant Professor in the Department of Geography, Planning and Environment at Concordia University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada. She teaches Postcolonial Geographies!
Congrats to this God-fearing man. I hope that you continually seek the Most High for wisdom and guidance.
Thank you for sharing your humble beginnings in Antigua via “fig boat” and for staying the course.
All the best to you Mr. Rodney!
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