Two more homes for the aged benefitted from the Chief Secretary’s Charity Golf Tournament, which brought in proceeds of $82,500 in 2015. The tournament’s organisers presented donations to Canaan’s Night Care Home for the Aged and the St Vincent de Paul Home for the Aged of Mason Hall, at the Office of the Chief Secretary, Administrative Complex, Calder Hall on Thursday (April 14).

The Night Care Home received vouchers for a washing machine, dryer and freezer, while the St Vincent de Paul Home got three special electric beds and a complete security camera system.

Chief Secretary Orville London said he takes “great satisfaction” in the tournament for several reasons.

“It not only provides us with an opportunity to bring a number of golfers and their families from Trinidad and the region and to boost tourism,” London said. “It also affords us the opportunity to enhance Tobago as a golf destination, but I think more importantly it provides us with an opportunity to really bring some degree of assistance to worthwhile institutions and worthwhile causes in Tobago.”

He added: “I think that combination makes that exercise so much satisfying and on behalf of the people of Tobago and all the organisations we had to assist over the years, I want to congratulate the organisers of this worthwhile event. I am proud to be associated with it and of course to be able to be in a position to bring some degree of assistance to these worthwhile causes.

Co-coordinator of the tournament, businessman Jeffrey Azar, said he is honoured to be able to host the tournament every year. Donations to these charities, he said, bring him to tears.

This year’s tournament will be staged from June 17-19. According to Azar, it is set to be a bumper tournament. He revealed that former West Indies cricket captain Viv Richards will join the competition.

Rostant said the tournament is also an avenue for the youth to get involved in golf, and to learn camaraderie and discipline.

The tournament started 14 years ago, and four years later, on the insistence of the Chief Secretary, it became a charity event for the aged, physically disabled and the Yahweh Foundation of Buccoo.