9. 1969 - Jamaican Currency: Although we had started our journey as an Independent Nation 9 years prior, it wasn’t until September 8, 1969, or Changeover Day when we officially stopped using British currency as our official currency on the island. 10. 1976 - Second Miss World Title: Cindy Breakspeare (mother of Damion “Junior Gong” Marley, son of Bob Marley) was the second Jamaican woman to win the Miss World title for the country. 11. 1978 - Reggae Sunsplash: The musical festival Reggae Sunsplash, not to be confused with Reggae Sumfest, held its first annual event in St. Ann. The festival would go on to have yearly stagings until 1996. Outside of a 1998 staging, the event went on hiatus until 2006 when it was revived. 12. 1979 - The ‘79 Flood: The flood of June 12, 1979, inundated the western parishes of Jamaica, namely St. James, Westmoreland, Hanover and St. Elizabeth. Multiple rivers overflowed their banks and into the towns and homes of many Jamaicans. Michael Manley who was Prime Minis- ter at the time, toured the affected areas to assess the damages. At the time, the Meteorological Division estimated the rains to have been over 85 billion gallons of water within 24 hours! The floods not only damaged homes, crops, roads, bridges and other infrastructure but more devastatingly 41 lives were lost. Many communities were inaccessible for a long period due to the damages caused. Some of the most affected places were Leamington, Enfield, Exeter and Chigwell. The town of New Market, St. Elizabeth was buried under up to 80 feet of water weeks after the rains had subsided. The market and clinic were relocated to the nearby district of Mocho instead. The devastating effects led to the establishment of The Office of Disaster Preparedness which some years later became The Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM). 13. 1980 - Jamaica Cultural Development Commission: The JCDC as it is more commonly known, replaced the Festival office and was given the mandate to organise and promote yearly inde- pendence celebrations and other functions promoting the heritage of Jamaica. Each year the commission hosts competitions and events for schools and other organisations and societies throughout the island to encourage and preserve the history of Jamaica through song, dance and poetry. They also host training, exhibitions, pageants, parades and other activities both as a single organisation and in collaboration with other organisations as well. 14. 1980 - First Olympic Medal: Although Jamaicans Herb McKenley and Arthur Wint had already competed and won medals at previous Olympic Games, Merlene Ottey’s bronze was the first medal for an Independent Jamaica as well as the first female medal in the track and field. It was also to be the start of an illustrious 24-year career for the sprinter. She has won 9 Olympic medals (3 silvers and 6 bronze) over her 7 Olympic appearances the most for any single track and field athlete in history. 15. 1981 - Bob Marley Dies: After a private battle with Melanoma (a form of skin cancer), Bob Marley passed away on May 11, 1981, in Florida, USA. He was just 36 years old. The death of the legend- ary singer sent shockwaves throughout Jamaica, the music community and the entire world as he was a global star. “Big as Bob Marley funeral” is a metric system in Jamaica to give context to the size of whatever you are talking about (a person, a thing it doesn’t matter). Following the more intimate service at the Ethiopian Orthodox Church of the Holy Trinity, the singer’s body was moved to the National Arena for his state funeral. Celebrities, politicians, Rastafarians and other Jamaicans joined the Marley family in celebrating the life of the legend. Some 6,000 people were said to be in attendance. Jamaica’s 60th Annive rsary 30