Would this situation make good sense to the people of Montreal or to the Irish community? Should the City of Montreal now deal with this new organization, instead of the organization which has been mandated and accepted by the Irish community as having the legitimate right to hold the parade for many years? While one part of the debate is the legitimate right of either organization to hold the parade, the other sadder part of our parade dilemma is that there is one group that is made up mostly of older folks who knew what carnival was like 50 years ago, while the other group is made up of mostly young folks who understand what carnival is like now. In 2009 we were able to see Faye Ann Lyons, the offspring of our own Superblue, win the Soca Monarch, Groovy Soca Monarch, People's Choice Awards, and the Road March titles.
That year, The Montreal Commercial High School student won the Outstanding Intermediate Athlete of Quebec award after setting provincial records in the 60-metre dash, 100-metre dash and the broad jump. Ms. [Rosella Marie Thome-Johnson] also earned a place on the Canadian team to compete in the British Empire Games in New Zealand. At a time when Blacks weren't highly favored, Ms. Thome's exceptional feats as a track and field athlete and as a star basketball player earned her the honor of being invited to Buckingham Palace by Queen Elizabeth and meeting world leaders and dignitaries. In recognition and honor of her accomplishments, she was presented with the Crest Ring of the City and The Key to the City by then Montreal Mayor Camilien Houde. In die months that followed, Ms. Thome continued to excel in track and field as a member of the Montreal Olympic Track Team and on the basketball court with the Montreal Meteor women's team. Two years ' later, in 1952, she attained another milestone in her already spectacular track and field career when she went to the Helsinki Olympics in Finland; these games were significant in that they marked the first participation by the Soviet Union.