Ole Time Bruckins

Chester Francis-Jackson, Contributor

Just under two years ago, land baron Alexander Hamilton and his wife, Erica Downer, exchanged I dos in the Scottish highlands in what was regarded as a truly fabulous ceremony.

Understandably, with the nuptials being in Scotland, a number of the newly-weds friends of long-standing were unable to make the trek for the big occasion. With this in mind, the couple decided on hosting a Jamaican reception to celebrate their union.

Well, that was some 18 months ago, but since then a number of interventions had placed the much-anticipated event on hold for time more conducive to celebrating.

The announcement came that Alex and Erica Hamilton would be hosting their much-anticipated Jamaican soireé at the Caymanas Golf and Country Club, and dears, from the word hit high society, it understandably became the most anticipated social event of the season.

Dears, hosted under the theme 'Ole Time Bruckins', the event was a social charmer and then some, with uber-society out in force.

Now, the Caymanas Golf and Country Club is an imposing social edifice that is a testament to the days when tea was part of the social order and golf a leisurely pastime indulged in by men of means with doting wives.

Noteworthy

It is noteworthy that the Caymanas Golf and Country Club, is part of the original Caymanas Estate, with Alex Hamilton as its primary shareholder. Well, it was there that guests arrived on December 29 to join with the Hamiltons to celebrate their love and the yuletide season and, luvs, it made quite an outing!

It really was a garden party as guests arrived in their various luxury motor vehicles and were directed to the prescribed parking area from which they were transported via golf-carts to the clubhouse and reception where the hosts met them.

Dears, from the welcome it was clear that this was not to be your run-of-the-mill yuletide event, but would be a social charmer and of the highest order. Guests were offered their libation of choice, while being escorted through to the inner sanctum of the clubhouse.

Party of firsts

Here, guests gathered and not only embraced each other in cordial, social and emotional embrace, but it was clear from the august gathering this was a party of firsts among firsts!

Dears, we are talking the who's who of Jamaica's elite, the ruling potentates of industry, commerce, and even the newer arena of technology!

And so with friends exchanging and/or sharing pleasantries and anecdotal reveries; a battery of staff on active duty and a fare laid out just for the indulgence and singer Mary Issacs in command performance, y'all know we are talking a 'A-crowd' smasheroni here, and nothing but!

Luvs, no officious or long-winded pronouncements! No, self-indulgent garrulous or otherwise banal pronouncements, extolling the virtues of the hosts, after all, the Hamiltons, were among friends so no need to recite their accomplishments. Instead this was simply a party to celebrate.

Dears, talk about prime time, well my dears, this was it with guests not just travelling from every corner of Jamaica, but from every corner of the globe to be in attendance, so y'all know we are talking hot to trot here and a tenner on the social Richter-scale!

Dears, among those in attendance were Brother Ian Hamilton and wife, celebrated artist Basia Hamillton, and their sons Felix and Max, in from Scotland; sister, champion trainer and prize winning jockey, Helen Hamilton; son Johnny Hamilton and his companion, Diane Becker; Tony and Sheila Hart, in from Montego Bay; Peter and Joanie McConnell; esteemed jurist Chris and Michelle Bovell; Dennis and Diane Lalor; Dr John and Paddy Masterton; pre-eminent attorney Emil George and wife Dr Pamela George; Joe and Laurie Mahfood; Herman McLarty and his fashionable wife, legal luminary Dorothy Pine-McLarty; Robert and Billy-Lou Clarke; John and Jenny Greaves; Pat and Hoppy Don; Christopher and Jill Roberts; Cecil and Betty-May Ward; John Clarke; Anthony and Jean Watson and their son James Watson; Sue McManus; the venerable Hugh Levy; Sylvia Collister; Robbie McMillan and Rachel Gore.

Also spotted were Albert and Mel Seaga; Janette Stewart; Johnny and Betty-Jo Desnoes; Hugh and Margaret Croskery, Paul and Oriente Issa; the fabulous Melanie Ghisays, in from LA; Mario and Fiona Machado; Phillip and Christine Gore; Capt Michael and Thalia Lyn; Leicester and Belinda Levy; Nicola Mair; William and Sandra Masterton; Heinz Becker; Liz Brooks; Chunkie and Jan Lopez; Douglas and Karen Brown and beautiful daughter Annette Burrowes; Barry and Charmaine Byrne; Peter and Jean-Ann Matthies; Maxine Binns; Karl and Jas d'Silva; Henry Rainford and family; Jennifer Lim; Stephen and Leslie Fong Yee; Marlene Fulford; Sally Fulton; Anne Fulton; Conrad and Jane George.

We saw Mark and Susan Waites; Anthea Gore; Drs Jonathan and Rebecca Greenland; Richard and Terry Groves; Gordon and Liz Hall; Robin and Eleanor Sutherland; Roger and Claire Turner; Owen Harry; Richard Jones and Julie Meeks; Bronwyn Junor; Serena Wanford; Gordon and Janet Langford; Bridget Ziadie; Tim and Gill Lankester; Simon and Alexa Levy; Martin Veira and Jenny Lopez; Dermot and Sarah Meanny; Mary McFarlane; the fabulous Verity Rushton,; Angie Smith; and the charming Tracey Voelk; plus a number of others.

PHOTOS BY Winston Sill/Freelance Photographer