BCB/Brian Ramphal Mother of the Year 2022 awards: New Amsterdam’s Johonel Munroe receives the honour

Johonel Munroe, a resident of New Amsterdam, was last Saturday named the Brian Ramphal Mother of the Year 2022 by the Berbice Cricket Board (BCB).

She is the mother of under-15 player Thierry Henry, who captained the Selected Under-15 Team at the recent Guyana Cricket Board’s Under-15 tournament.
BCB President Hilbert Foster has said the board commenced honouring parents under a special programme in 2009, under the leadership of his elder brother Keith, who served as BCB President from 2009 to 2015. Current President Hilbert Foster served then as Chairman of a special events committee, and implemented a wide range of social programmes, including annual Mother and Father of the Year awards.
Hilbert Foster has explained that it is vital to recognise the role that parents play in the development of players, especially in the first ten years of their careers. Most players, he stated, would join a club at about ten to twelve years old, when they would have already developed a trait wherein discipline, attitude and manners had already been set.
The influence of parents is also important, he said, and he hailed Ms Johonel Munroe as a positive role model in this regard, as she attends all of her son’s cricket matches, and is always encouraging him on, even when he is disappointed with his own performance.
The BCB President recalled that, at the Berbice trials, young Thierry Henry was run out for a low score, but his mom was there to give him a standing ovation and a warm hug, with words of encouragement.
Foster, urged the 2022 Mother of the Year to uphold her high standard as a parent, and to share her experience with the younger generation of cricketing parents. He stressed the importance of parents teaching their children the importance of discipline, hard work and faith in the God they serve, as, once a tree becomes bent, it cannot be straightened.
Ms Munroe has expressed gratitude to the BCB for honouring her, and has said she is honoured to be selected by a cricket board that she greatly admires and respects. The Mother of the Year disclosed that she is very proud of her son, who has the potential to go far in the game. She urged other parents to attend matches, and to look into the educational careers of their children, as education is the key to success on and off the cricket field.
The BCB Mother of the Year has received a framed certificate of excellence, a medal of excellence, and three special gifts.