Celebrating with the Goslings ……

Last week I told you we were hosting a party to celebrate with the Goslings who are leaving the island – this week we have the results of that party ….. What a lovely evening.

It was very well attended by lots of people who wanted to show their appreciation. Jay and Lionel Fernander of Sunset Inn did a great job – Jay in the kitchen produced a great spread – just cocktail party food. We had conch fritters, chicken wings and grouper fingers and on the healthy side we had a selection of cheeses as well as fruit kebabs.

Healthy stuff !
Healthy stuff  – and those deviled eggs were delicious !

Rather than a big cake we had six dozen cupcakes made by the very talented Tanya Knowles of Mo Sweet’s Bakery in Palmetto Point. She uses edible ink to print on to rice paper – often she prints photos of the party person – but on this occasion we just had their initials printed on discs and popped onto some of the cakes …..  They looked great and not a single one was left at the end of the night.

Chris and Alison - Chris giving his lovely speech and Alison clutching her wine and roses !
Chris and Alison – Chris giving his lovely speech and Alison clutching her wine and roses !

Everybody mingled for the first 45 minutes of the party – then I called the party together to listen to the people who wanted to say a few words to Chris and Alison. I started off by telling everyone who wanted to speak that they were limited to a maximum of 3 minutes. There were at least 10 people who wanted to talk so it all added up to a reasonable amount of time. I figured that if you couldn’t say wanted you wanted to say in that time then there was something wrong ! Everybody by and large stuck to the time limit and brevity was the order of the night – it worked a treat. It didn’t appear that anybody got bored – which as we all know can happen sometimes !

Everett Miller from the Blood Bank in Nassau giving a lovely tribute to Chris and Alison
Everett Miller from the Blood Bank in Nassau giving a lovely tribute to Chris and Alison

At the end Chris gave a lovely speech and somehow there were not the floods of tears that we all were expecting. It was a joyous occasion – just as I had hoped it would be – simple food, plenty to drink and grateful people gathered together to say their thanks to two very special people – inspirational role models and heroes in our community…….

Jason Thompson - a valued member of the HACE team - now the chairman of HACE as the Goslings depart....
Jason Thompson – a valued member of the HACE team – now the chairman of HACE as the Goslings depart….

Not too much writing but lots of pictures this week .

Sorry - couldn't resist photobombing Amanda and Michele Johnson !
Sorry – couldn’t resist photobombing Amanda and Michele Johnson !
Agatha Bethel gave a wonderful speech about Chris's role as Santa Claus every year at her Christmas party for needy children ...
Agatha Bethel gave a wonderful speech about Chris’s role as Santa Claus every year at her Christmas party for needy children …
Emily Petty spoke on behalf of the Bahamas Police Force - can't quite remember what she said but it made me laugh obviously !
Emily Petty spoke on behalf of the Bahamas Police Force – can’t quite remember what she said but it made me laugh obviously !
Gorgeous cupcakes from Mo Sweet's Bakery - thanks Tanya !
Gorgeous cupcakes from Mo Sweet’s Bakery – thanks Tanya !
Chris with Jean, Lawrence and Gail Griffin. Gail also gave a moving tribute....
Chris with Jean, Lawrence and Gail Griffin. Gail also gave a moving tribute….
My friend Amanda was a huge help to me with planning the party and she also did these beautiful table decorations.....
My friend Amanda was a huge help to me with planning the party and she also did these beautiful table decorations…..
Lovely roses for Alison - many thanks to Cindy Pinder from Rock Sound who had them shipped in for me.....
Lovely roses for Alison – many thanks to Cindy Pinder from Rock Sound who had them shipped in for me…..
The Glamour Girls enjoying a breather on the deck
The Glamour Girls enjoying a breather on the deck
Mary with her beau of the evening Ricardo Knowles - sorry Tracey !
Mary with her beau of the evening Ricardo Knowles – sorry Tracey !
Chris and Alison on the right with good friends Peggy and Gary
Chris and Alison on the right with good friends Peggy and Gary
Dr Cho from the Government Clinic with his lovely wife and daughter
Dr Cho from the Government Clinic with his lovely wife and daughter
Joshua Culmer from palmetto Point giving a heartfelt address to the Goslings
Joshua Culmer from Palmetto Point giving a heartfelt address to the Goslings
From left to right - Manager of First Caribbean Bank here in GH Quarindo Davis, Lacharah Knowles with Charmaine Culmer from RBC in GH , Neville Sands - another true stalwart of HACE and ambulance driver. Yours truly and Chris....
From left to right – Manager of First Caribbean Bank here in GH Quarindo Davis, Lacharah Knowles with Charmaine Culmer from RBC in GH , Neville Sands – another true stalwart of HACE and ambulance driver. Yours truly and Chris….
Dr Arlington Lightbourn, me, Stephanie and Vernal Bethel, Bob and Gary Daly
Dr Arlington Lightbourn, me, Stephanie and Vernal Bethel, Bob and Gary Daly
How unusual to see Elisabeth Bryan from the Eleutheran on the other side of the camera for a change !!
How unusual to see Elisabeth Bryan from the Eleutheran on the other side of the camera for a change !!
I know this is an indulgence but it is such a good picture of us all that I couldn't resist putting it in !
I know this is an indulgence but it is such a good picture of us all that I couldn’t resist putting it in !

 

Finally I have to give thanks to all the people who helped pull this party together. I woke up at 5.30 am on the morning after the party and was horrified to realize that I hadn’t publicly thanked everybody who played a part in getting it all together. My only excuse was that I was on such a high after everything coming together so well and also so thankful that I hadn’t broken down with emotion once that evening that it unforgivably slipped my mind.

So firstly to Jay and Lionel Fernander for all they did, to Bristol Wines for generously donating wine to the occasion, to Hance Febles of Potlatch for also donating wine. To Dion and Carlene from Island Design on Cupid’s Cay who made the cards that so many people signed – great job ! To Tanya Knowles for the cupcakes – to the staff at Sunset who did a great job that evening. To everyone who stepped up to the mike to give tributes , to my good friend Amanda – who thought she didn’t do much but actually helped me more than she knows ! And to my lovely husband Bob who went with the flow of my latest idea to have the party in the first place – Happy Birthday for Saturday Bobby Boy …..

And thanks to all of you who came and made the Goslings feel special that night……

 

14 thoughts on “Celebrating with the Goslings ……”

  1. Giving the Farewell Party for the Goslings was such a wonderful gesture, well done, is it possible you could send me an email address for them so I could say goodbye too, they have helped so many in the Community, thanks, Sue Roberts

  2. Absolutely lovely gesture by everyone. I am bias but they are such a great couple and team. Lutra’s loss is our family’s gain. Thank you to everyone who made the night so special for my mum and dad. Xx Clare

    1. Bob and Kathy Colman

      How lovely to hear from you Clare – I just popped in to the Blood Drive here in GH and told your Dad I had just had a comment from you !

  3. Thank you so much for doing this for my mum and dad. Such a lovely and kind gesture for them. They don’t realise just how immensely proud we are of them, what they’ve done/achieved on Eleuthera and what brilliant role models they are for us/their grandchildren! Despite all that my sister and I, our husbands, kids, dogs and cats 🙂 can’t wait to have them home, we’ve missed them more than they’ll ever know. And we promise to take care of them for you all lol. xx

    1. Bob and Kathy Colman

      Wow – heard from you both now ! We too are hugely proud of them – they are as I said inspirational role models and real heroes. Enjoy your precious time with them – I know you will…… It was truly a pleasure and an honor to have this party for them to thank them for all that they have done – and are continuing to do up until the very last minute ! Have lots of fun with them….

  4. Chris and Alison have contributed so much to Eleuthera for so long you could have
    3 minutes oral tributes going on for decades.

    All of us that have loved this Island will miss Chris and Alison.

    Thank you Kathy for sponsoring their recognition and recording your blog for those of us, not on Island, to feel the love and recognition for Cris and Alison.

    Les and Susan

    1. Bob and Kathy Colman

      Lovely to hear from you and pleased that you got to share this part…… very special people who will be sorely missed….

  5. What community spirit and friendship! That’s what makes Eleuthera special – the people who live there and share their lives. We need more of that in the world…and thankfulness.

  6. Shirley Martinez de Villa

    I am grateful to have seen Chris and Allison this week and had no idea they were leaving until they told us. They are very special people and will deeply be missed by Gene and I.

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Kathy Colman

Writer, Interior Designer, Foodie, and Wife to Bob. Living in Eleuthera, Bahamas

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