Noel Thompson, Freelance Writer

Karen Belorgane, now residing in Martinique, is one of many relatives who came to celebrate at the Guthrie family reunion, held at the Negril Golf Club in Westmoreland, on Saturday, August 2. - Photos by Noel Thompson

WESTERN BUREAU:

It is a great feeling when family and extended relatives can all meet at the same place and time for a grand reunion and to celebrate life to its fullest.

That was the mission of the Guthrie family when more than 90 of them travelled across the length and breadth of Jamaica and from as far as the United States of America, Canada, the United Kingdom and the French Caribbean island of Martinique to meet at the Negril Golf Course auditorium, Westmoreland to celebrate together.

It was a fortnight that was jam-packed with a flurry of activities including water sports, tours and excursions - primarily for those who live abroad, dining and entertainment, socials meeting, mingling and greeting.

With a family spanning up to four and five generations, with many not being fully aware of their roots one would have thought it a mammoth task to round up everybody for a grand rendezvous in paradise.

The mission all happened with the intelligent thinking of one person who was determined to find her family and spread the love and with the help of the Internet the journey was just a few clicks away.

"I love family and I really wanted mine to reconnect and the ones who already know each other to develop that extra bond among them," said Marcella Guthrie, the family's spokesperson who resides in Toronto, Canada. She was one of the main organisers of the event.

In her effort to find her family, Marcella said she used the popular search engine and hit the family jackpot - a flood of emails came gushing into her inbox. She has since developed a website through which all family members communicate regularly.