Bahamas cook included on Queen’s honours list 1968

It is somewhat incredible to consider that the same Queen, Her Royal Highness Elizabeth II, who in 1968, conferred some 2,000 New Year’s Honours on worthy recipients, is the same Queen who has conferred honours, now, forty-nine years later, in the new year, of 2018.

This year, great contributors to Bahamian life, health, welfare, economics and religion were honoured. Well-known personalities like Antonius Roberts, for contributions to the arts, Mark Holowesko, for contributions to business, Dr. Robin Roberts, for contributions to medicine and Reverend Dr. Ranford Patterson, for contributions to religion.

The full list is included below.

January 2, 1968

Forty-nine years ago, one name, a Bahamian woman, caused the world’s press to drop their pens, and probably scratch their heads asking why.

In 1968, at the same time US President Lynden B. Johnson was named Time Magazine Person of the Year, for the second time in four years, the Queen’s honours list was announced. On a list of some 2,000 persons, from all over the world, making contributions to their respective countries both big and small, there was the name of one Bahamian woman, a cook, working at Government House. She probably wouldn’t know it, but that year, 1968, she made world headlines. A Bahamas cook received the Queen’s Honour.

Her name was Mrs. Llaura Young, a cook at government house. In 1967, Sir Ralph Grey, GCMG, GCVO, OBE, GSSt.J., P.C. (an apparent collector of honours himself) was Governor of the Bahamas and undoubtedly, probably, maybe, nominated Mrs. Young, for the honour.

Almost 2000 Named

“A cook in the Bahamas, like the Beatles before her, took her place Monday in the August list of honours Queen Elizabeth II announces each New Year’s Day.

The nearly 2000 – name list included Mrs. Llaura Young, a government house cook in Nassau and Sir Humphrey Trevelyan, high commissioner for Aden in the last bloody days before independence.”