Mrs Ethelca Brand MBE, MSA, was recently awarded an OBE in Her Majesty The Queen’s 90th Birthday Honours List on 10 June 2016 for Services to the Community in London.
An OBE is a Queen’s honour given to an individual for a major local role in any activity such as business, charity or the public sector. OBE stands for Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire.
Brand was born in Marigot and left Dominica in 1956 for London. Originally, she left Dominica with a view to practising nursing, but had a long and distinguished career in the Civil Service before her retirement in 1995.
Brand has been a member of the Dominica Overseas Nationals Association (D.O.N.A.) since 1979 and was it Chairman for over 25 years. Her voluntary and community work for over 35 years includes: fund-raising for Dominica at the Notting Hill Carnival for 18 consecutive years as well being a member of the British Caribbean Association (“BCA”); West Indian Standing Conference (“WISC”), United Anglo Caribbean Association (“UACS”) and the Antigua & Barbuda and Dominica Twinning Association in London, holding executive positions within each association.
Despite being one of the elder statespeople in the Dominica Community in London, Brand mobilised resources, food and clothes to be sent to Dominica in the aftermath of Tropical Storm Erika and worked closely with the Dominica High Commmission in London to organise affairs given her experience in dealing with Hurricane David in 1979.
Brand is now a triple honour holder having received the Meritorius Service Award (“MSA”) from the Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of Dominica, Dame Mary Eugenia Charles, in 1988 on the occasion of the Commonwealth of Dominica’s 10 Anniversary of Independence; a Member of the Order of the British Empire (“MBE”) for Services to Community Relations in The Queen’s New Year’s Honours List in 2000, and now the OBE.
Mr Darren Sylvester, Solicitor at DJS Law Solicitors and Emeritus Chairman of the Dominica Overseas Nationals Association, commented that “Mrs Ethelca Brand has done tireless work for a number of organisations and I have personally witnessed the level of commitment, dedication and devotion that she puts into all that she does. Mrs Brand being awarded with the OBE is good for the Dominica Overseas Nationals Association (D.O.N.A.), good for Dominica and Dominicans in the UK and abroad – she should be thoroughly congratulated on this achievement”.
This year’s honours were the most diverse since the Order of the British Empire was founded in 1917 with the greatest ever number of recipients (90 people or 8.2.% of the total awardees) coming from a Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (“BAME”) background.
The Dominica Overseas Nationals Association’s website can be viewed at www.dona.org.uk
All praise to you.
Thank you for the years of hard work and dedication helping in Dominica. “DONA”
receiving awards from a demon I see….. now hit the thumbs down
FORKIT, listen ? it always takes a smelliest Dog ? like you to spoil the party.
Congratulation my fellow country sister and most of all my village sister. I am very impressed with your accomplishments. Blessing to you.
Well deserved..Congratulations to Mrs Brand
Well done Mrs Brand
Congratulations..Proud of your accomplishments as a woman
most importantly as a Dominican ..We do know we are able to
do GREAT Things
..
Congratulations to Mrs.Brand ,her family and colleagues!
Congratulations!!