Enid Gonsalves, OD (12 April 1931 – 6 September 2011) was a Jamaican teacher and community activist from Hanover Parish, Jamaica. She was recognized throughout her career with many distinctions including the Governor General's Achievement Award and the Prime Minister's Medal for Community Service and Education. In 2008 she was honoured as an officer in the

Order of Distinction The Order of Distinction is a national order in the Jamaican honours system. It is the sixth in order of precedence of the Orders of Societies of Honour, which were instituted by an Act of Parliament (''The National Honours and Awards Act'') i ...

and the following year, received the

Holy See The Holy See ( lat, Sancta Sedes, ; it, Santa Sede ), also called the See of Rome, Petrine See or Apostolic See, is the jurisdiction of the Pope in his role as the bishop of Rome. It includes the apostolic episcopal see of the Diocese of Rome ...

's Medal of Good Merit.

Early life

Enid Veronica Watson was born on 12 April 1931, in Lucea,

Hanover Parish, Jamaica Hanover is a parish located on the northwestern tip of the island of Jamaica. It is a part of the county of Cornwall, bordered by St. James in the east and Westmoreland in the south. With the exception of Kingston, it is the smallest parish ...

to Ludiana (née Clarke) and Cyril Watson. Her father worked as a carpenter and her mother was a teacher. Her father's chronic illness made her mother the breadwinner in the family. To work, Ludiana walked daily 25 miles round trip from home. Completing her primary schooling at Middlesex Corner School, at age 11, Watson passed the entrance examinations for

Rusea's High School Rusea's High School in Lucea, Hanover, Jamaica, established in 1777, is the fourth oldest, continuously operated high school in Jamaica, after Wolmer's Boys', one of the Wolmer's Schools (1729), Manning's School (1738) and St. Jago High School ...

, earning one of only four scholarships available. After completing her Junior and

Senior Cambridge The Senior Cambridge examinations were General Certificate of Education examinations held in India, Jamaica, Malaysia, Pakistan, and Singapore. They were preceded by the Junior Cambridge and Preliminary Cambridge examinations. History India The ...

examinations, she graduated in 1949.

Career

Watson began her teaching career, walking as her mother had, to the parish communities of Askenish and Chambers Pen for thirteen months. She then took a teaching post at Lucea Infant School, where she worked until 1953. Having saved sufficient funds, at that time, she entered the Shortwood Teachers' College, in Kingston's Saint Andrew Parish. After graduating with distinction in mathematics and music, in January 1956, Watson married Aubrey Gonsalves. The couple had two children, Reynold and Ann Marie. At the end of the 1950s, she worked briefly at the Shortwood Infant School, but the family soon relocated to Hanover Parish, where she taught at Lucea Primary School. In 1964, Gonsalves became the principal of the Lucea Infant School and served in that capacity through 1975. Simultaneously, she was active in many community organizations, directing the Hanover Benefit Building Society, serving as secretary to the Hanover Chamber of Commerce and Lucea Teachers' Association, among others. She also was involved in civil service, having been appointed as a

Justice of the peace A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower or ''puisne'' court, elected or appointed by means of a commission ( letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the sa ...

, Gonsalves worked in the Lay Magistrates Association and served as coordinator for music on Jamaica Cultural Development Commission. In 1975, she founded the Hanover Cooperative Credit Union, and became the organization's director, serving in that capacity for over three decades. That same year, Gonsalves became the principal of the Lucea Primary School. In 1980, she was recognized with the Centenary Medal bestowed by the

Institute of Jamaica The Institute of Jamaica (IOJ), founded in 1879, is the country's most significant cultural, artistic and scientific organisation:Rusea's High School Rusea's High School in Lucea, Hanover, Jamaica, established in 1777, is the fourth oldest, continuously operated high school in Jamaica, after Wolmer's Boys', one of the Wolmer's Schools (1729), Manning's School (1738) and St. Jago High School ...

and then in 1999, she retired, but unable to give up teaching entirely, the talented organist, became the music teacher at the Junior Campus of Rusea's High. Gonsalves was honoured as an officer in the

for her work in education and community development in 2008 and the following year presented with the Medal of Good Merit from the

Death and legacy

Gonsalves died on 6 September 2011 in Hanover Parish, Jamaica. A "household name" in Hanover, she is remembered for her dedication to education and community development.

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* * * * * * * * and {{DEFAULTSORT:Gonsalves, Enid 1931 births 2011 deaths People from Hanover Parish 20th-century Jamaican educators Jamaican activists Jamaican women activists Jamaican women educators Jamaican music educators Jamaican women music educators Officers of the Order of Distinction 20th-century Jamaican women 21st-century Jamaican women Jamaican justices of the peace