ELEVEN-YEAR-OLD schoolgirl Rachel Bhagwandeen was given a standing ovation while her weeping father Kelvin accepted the Hummingbird Medal (Bronze) on her behalf, on Sunday at the Republic Day national awards ceremony at President's House in St Ann's.

Rachel, who saved the life of her younger brother when she confronted an aggressive dog which attacked them on August 25, 2022, received the award posthumously in the sphere of gallantry. A sombre Major Nigel Parris – the aide-de-camp to President Christine Kangaloo – called Rachel's name as he announced her being awarded the Hummingbird Medal for gallantry.

As her father slowly got up from his seat and made his way to the stage where Kangaloo, her husband Kerwyn Garcia, Prime Minister Dr Rowley and Chief Justice Ivor Archie waited, an announcer read a tribute to her selfless and heroic act.

[caption id="attachment_1036940" align="aligncenter" width="391"] LITTLE HERO: Rachel Bhagwandeen who received a standing ovation on Sunday as her father Kelvin received the Hummingbird Medal (Bronze) for gallantry in her honour. The 11-year-old died while saving her younger brother from an attack by an aggressive dog back in August 2022. FILE PHOTO -[/caption]

"Miss Rachel Bhagwandeen was 11-years-old and lived in Freeport with her parents and her three siblings. Not everyone is built with a protective mechanism that puts the life of others before themselves. It is often a testament to the type of upbringing you have had and that inner resolve to be of service to others.

"When Rachel and her brother were confronted by a vicious animal, her first thought was to protect her brother and make the way clear for him to be safe while allowing herself to take the brunt of the vicious attack.

"Her brother survived and unfortunately, she did not. For an 11-year-old to be so selfless, certainly showed that she possessed a spark of the divine, nurtured by her parents, and leading to a place which can only be remembered as wonderful, gracious and kind."

[caption id="attachment_1036935" align="alignnone" width="683"] Hummingbird Medal (Gold) recipient Azamuddin Khan. PHOTO BY ROGER JACOB -[/caption]

As he received his daughter's medal in a closed black box from Kangaloo, Rachel's father's grief was clear for all to see. Kangaloo spoke to him for a few seconds and she too, overcome with emotion, patted him on his shoulder as Bhagwandeen was then hugged by her husband.

Rowley then embraced Bhagwandeen and rubbed his back. Like Kangaloo, Rowley spoke words of comfort to Bhagwandeen as the tears fell freely from the anguished father. Chief Justice Archie shook Bhagwandeen's hand as he told him, "be strong."

Even before Bhagwandeen could leave the stage, the audience comprising fellow national award winners including the three Order of the Republic (ORTT) awardees, government ministers, and specially invited guests, rose as one in a sustained round of applause in Rachel's memory.

[caption id="attachment_1036934" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Chaconia Medal awardee Bruce Pad