Chester Francis-Jackson, Contributor 
Birthday boy Kenny Benjamin with two of the important women in his life, companion Aloima Suarez (right) and his 'right hand', Sonja Sutherland-Dumetz. - Photos by Winston Sill/Freelance Photographer
He has been often described as "the host with the most", but in business circles, he is the very highly regarded businessman who parlayed his love of animals and things natural into a multifaceted business, spanning the Caribbean, with interests that include vast real-estate holdings, tourism concerns, communications and transportation, with security services being the very heart and core of his various concerns and holdings.
He is, of course, the indefatigable Kenny Benjamin, the founder of the Guardsman Group of Companies. Much-admired, Benjamin's reputation as Kingston's supreme host and avid party giver is a much-deserved one, as the celebrated businessman has earned the reputation as the nation's leading host.
The man
A diligence that has seen him amass one of the most envied rolodexes in the region, and putting him on a first-name basis with a number of the region's present and former leaders, as well as with a number of international and regional sporting personalities and celebrities.
Well, my dears, it is the age of Cancer and Benjamin, being Cancerean, celebrated his birthday on July 8. This year, however, with the birthday falling on a Tuesday, he opted to throw the party on Friday, July 11, to see in the weekend!
Hosted at his Guardsman Group corporate headquarters on Old Hope Road, the grounds of the already fabulously designed property were transformed from a garden of splendour into a simply divine courtyard, done to accommodate a fabulous martini (polo styled) lounge; cafe-styled seating for elegant dining, and party-sized bars. My dears, it worked a like a lucky charm.
Mah dears, it was one of those parties most hear about but few get invited to! You know the kind that all that is required of guests is that they come prepared to enjoy themselves? Well honeys, it was like that, and nothing but! To be sure, the evening got off on a cocktail party time mode. And as evening turned into night, the greetings and salutations accorded, celebrated DJ to the social luminaries, Andrew Henry, worked his musical magic, and when the spell was well and truly cast, saw most everyone partying up an attitude-free storm, and it made for one helluva hot dance floor that was so hot it was like unto dripping magma! Suffice it to say, it all sizzled into the wee hours of Saturday morning.
Notable guest
Among the notables out were: Finance Minister Audley Shaw and his companion Susan Duhaney; National Security Minister Colonel Trevor MacMillan and wife Dr Olivia McDonald; Labour Minister Pearnel Charles; Health Minister Ruddy Spencer; Opposition MP Dr Peter Phillips and his fab wife, Sandra Phillips; Phillip Paulwell; Dr Wykeham McNeill and his fab wife, Sheila Benjamin-McNeill; Ambassador Douglas Saunders; head of the European Union delegation, Ambassador Marco Mazzocchi-Alemanni; Secretary General of the International Seabed Authority, Ambassador Satya Nandan; the lovely Suzie Benjamin and children Nicholas and Brooke Benjamin; Al Niazi; Valarie Juggan-Brown and son Marc-Antoine Brown; socialite Jennifer Lim, and her son Nick McAdam.
Also out were: Robert MacMillan squiring Candy Depass; Tony and Patsy Kelly; Howard Hamilton; Capt Michael Lyn and his wife Thalia Lyn; Drs Dhiru and Laura Tanna; J. Lester Spaulding; Ronnie Coke and wife Ethlyn Norton-Coke; Rae Barrett; the lovely Claudette Preston; Dr Henry Rainford; the charming Leslie-Ann Fong-Yee; Rupert Bent and his fab wife Cindy Breakspeare; Harold Brady; Audrey Marks; JPS's Tommy Fukuda; the ultra gorgeous Toni Parke Moodie Panton; Ian Garbutt and companion Sonya Khan; Tanny Shirley; the gorgeous Betty Delfosse-Ingleton; Patrick Bailey; the fab Viv Lue Tenn; banker Milton Brady; Gilou Bauer; Rajiv Bakshi and companion Dorothea Gordon-Smith; Dr Andre Foote; Kathy-Ann Pike, looking positively fab; Greg and Janice Christie; the fab Sandra Kennedy; Mr and Mrs Walter Scott; Gary Barrow; Freddy Dumetz and wife Sonja Sutherland-Dumetz; Nicholas Sutherland; Tarun and Catherine Handa; Donna Roberts; Andre Hylton and a bevy of beauties; the lovely Allison Peart; Major Noel and Karel Dawes.
We saw: Wilfred Bagaloo; Yvonne Wilks; Michael Gentles; Commander George Overton; Robert and Odette Epstein; Major Johanna Lewin and daughter Gillian Belnavis; brothers Robert and Stuart Haughton; the oh-so-lovely Renee Menzies-McCallum; Major Hugh Blake; and a visiting Kathy Darling, looking as fab as ever.
Karel Dawes goes for the cool summer dress at a hot party, as she dances.
Michael Bernard (left) talks up Lester Spaulding at the Guardsman party.
'Man a yard', Finance Minister Audley Shaw, and lady love Susan Duhaney, seem to be the centre of attraction in this nook of the Benjamin birthday bash.
Claudette Preston (left) and Neesha Lowe remind us, as if we needed it, that women are indeed God's greatest creations. Wow!
With smiles like these, who wouldn't say hi to Barbara Gottgenes (right) and Leslie Anne Ricketts?
