This weekend, the Lusignan Golf Club (LGC) will devote activities to honor the lifetime achievements of some of its outstanding members along with the birthday celebrations of Maurice Solomon and Hemraj Kissoon.
Tee-off time today is 12:30 tomorrow 8:30am.
As is the norm, prizes will be awarded to the top two finishers in three categories.
However, this weekend will feature a special fourth category, a Seniors Flight, in honor of the awardees.
LGC President, Aleem Hussain said, “Giants aren’t always big people…sometimes they’re captains of industries, unassuming heroes, or simple persons who rise to the occasion when called.”
In a release, the club stated that these life members are “those who have dedicated their lives to betterment of themselves, their communities, and the lives of those that they come into contact with on a daily basis.”
The release added: “We are fortunate to have persons like these at the Lusignan Golf Club and to follow in their footsteps, learning from their examples.”
Doreen deCaires celebrated 50 years as a member of the LGC and has certainly earned her spot as a life member. For many years, DeCaires served as the women’s captain alongside her late husband David deCaires, the club’s longest serving captain.
During the ‘lean years’, it was Doreen deCaires who merged the women and men’s teams to ensure that there were sufficient players to host a tournament, the release stated.
“She remembers driving to pick up members in an effort to make sure they were on time and acknowledges that her game suffered as a result of her self-imposed drive in her organizational role as she sought to promote the game alongside her husband.
“To her credit, she represented herself and the country well, playing in Trinidad, Antigua and Barbados and she continues to win in the United Kingdom,” the release stated.
A success both on and off the golf course, Doreen deCaires was Guyana’s honoree for the United States Secretary of State’s Award for International Women of Courage. She received amongst many other accolades, the GMSA Lifetime Achievement Award for her long and dedicated service and for promoting the development of the private sector.
Doreen deCaires, warmly welcomed by her friends and fellow members now that she is back in Guyana, expressed her satisfaction with the current conditions of the club, especially the fact that there are now ‘buggys’ or golf-carts available for her use.
Another awardee is Joe Solomon, who, for many years now a member of the LGC, and of course a batting icon who has his name etched forever in cricket history, was born in 1930 in Port Mourant, Berbice.
In the 1950s he represented the Port Mourant Cricket Club, with West Indies players Rohan Kanhai, the late Basil Butcher and Ivan Madray before making a sensational start to his first-class career.
Meanwhile, Kissoon, a past president of the club, has been a leader in several industries including banking and business.
One of nine children, he took over Kissoons’ Furniture company after his brother passed away and built it into the now major company it has become.
Kissoons’ Furniture and subsequently the Kissoon Group, have been annual sponsors at the LGC for many years with Hemraj being an advocate of the expansion of the game to include more business leaders, diplomats and young people. Always one to match his action with his talk, Hemraj as President of the Golf Club, led it through a major transformation, the removal of the original Clubhouse from where it was and the establishment of the current clubhouse some 300 yards away, placing it central to the golf course. He continues to offer good counsel to recent club administrations.
Another giant, Maurice Solomon, has been a member of the Lusignan Golf Club for over 50 years and was recently awarded life membership.
As the head of Maurice Solomon & Co., a firm founded in 1998 with Maurice Solomon as the sole partner, he has demonstrated his astute ability to build a major business.
An avid golfer, who plays at least three times per week, Maurice Solomon is a living example of how good genes, healthy lifestyle and a strong competitive spirit form the key to longevity. Maurice also sponsors the annual Maurice Solomon & Co. golf tournament and has willingly contributed to the development of the club over the past years, stated the release.
Like the others, Robert Hanoman has played a key role in securing sponsorship from Muneshwers Travel, Maersk Shipping, and Guyana Shorebase Inc. over the years.
Hanoman has consistently provided legal advice and guidance along with financial contributions to the club over the many years that he has been here. In 2019, he was awarded life membership in recognition of his years of involvement and dedication to the growth of the Club and sport. Robert will also celebrate another milestone in March and is pleased that currently his game is at its best level…having shot (63) his lowest net score in history last February.
