Ministry of Local Government honours retired staff for valuable contribution |02 February 2023

Alice Monthy worked with the ministry for 32 years (Photo: Allen Barreau)

The Ministry of Local Government and Community Affairs recently recognised three of its retiring staff for their years of devotion and service to the ministry and the communities they served.

Alice Monthy, Allain Suzette and Willy Joubert were honoured during a ceremony held at the Berjaya Beau Vallon Bay Resort & Casino on Saturday, receiving shields and hampers from the Minister for Local Government and Community Affairs, Rose-Marie Hoareau.

Minister Hoareau thanked the three retirees for their hard work during their tenures and set them as models of outstanding performance and dedication to the civil service.

Mrs Monthy has worked for the ministry the longest of the three, clocking 32 years before taking voluntary retirement on December 23, 2022, at the age of 60.

She joined the ministry in December 1990 as an office assistant and had been based at the Takamaka district administration office during her entire tenure.

Over the years, Mrs Monthy had the opportunity to attend a few short courses in communication skills, report writing, minute-taking, and computing.

She has been described as someone who was diligent in her daily duties with a kind personality that made her suitable to assist her community.

Her parting words of advice were: “Working for local government, especially if you are based in the districts, requires a lot of work but also a lot of heart. Some will like you and some will hate you but that will only make you stronger.”

With 26 years of service, Mr Suzette joined the support services unit within the then Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sport on March 4, 1996, as a security officer.

He was deployed to the secretariat of the minister’s office and was later posted at the Au Cap district administration. By the time he retired in October 2022, he was based at the Pointe Larue district administration.

“I loved my job and hardly missed a day of work. I would wake up very early to take the 6am bus all the way from Takamaka to Victoria, and would reach town by 7.15am […] Having retired, I have other plans, although I regret having to leave the ministry,” Mr Suzette remarked.

Meanwhile, Mr Joubert joined the employment of the then La Digue Trust Fund as a cemetery attendant on March 3, 2013.

He was later transferred to the Agency for Social Protection (ASP) and then to the Ministry of Local Government and Community Affairs where he kept the same position until his retirement on October 1, 2022. Mr Joubert has been described as an exemplary employee.

Not a man of many words, Mr Joubert noted that he would be focusing on farming during his retirement.

The Ministry of Local Government and Community Affairs wishes all three retirees the best of luck as they take a well-deserved step back from full-time employment.

Contributed by the Ministry of Local Government and Community Affairs