‘I was just simply doing my job’ - RGD staff glad she was able to help find stolen baby

Tamar Blake has dreamt about receiving a national honour for as long as she could remember. However, she never imagined that the recognition would come in the manner it did.

The Government will, on National Heroes Day, confer Blake with the Badge of Honour for Gallantry for an act of courage and bravery in ensuring the safe return of an abducted infant, Sae'breon Hutton.

"Since I was a child, I was always practising on Heroes Day how you march up and collect the awards. My younger sister and I would fold the papers and give it to each other and we would ensure that we collect with the correct hand and practise bowing, stepping back, shuffling, all of that, even holding out our hands as though we are being escorted from the platform," Blake, 39, said.

The Ewarton, St Catherine, resident has been an employee at the Registrar General's Department for 15 years. She was not scheduled to work the day that she spoiled the party for the child-thief, but was filling in for a coworker.

Her alertness helped stop a bady-snatcher who tried to register a child belonging to Suzett Whyte and Sinclair Hutton as her own. The baby was stolen hours after birth at the Victoria Jubilee Hospital in Kingston.

"I had heard of the incident on the news and I was saying to my co-workers, prior to her coming to the office, that I hope this lady doesn't show up, especially when I'm here. So when she came in on the day, I was like 'Okay, apparently nobody copied her on the memo," said Blake.

Seemed legit

She continued: "At the onset, it didn't look like that any at all. She appeared so legitimate and she presented a passport and was telling us that the baby was born at Spanish Town Hospital. It sounded real. But it's highly unlikely that you'd have a baby being born at a hospital and there are no records at the hospital, so we did further investigation, and the rest is history."

Blake, who is yet to receive formal confirmation that she is receiving the award, described the moment of hearing the news to a moment of ecstasy.

"I turned on the TV just in time to hear Simone on 'Smile Jamaica' telling Dahlia that Tamar Blake was nominated for an award on Heroes Day, and I was like, 'Huh, she just called my name'. And before I knew it, I saw my name on the caption. I'm still in awe because I was just simply doing my job and as a result of just being so meticulous, as one would say, this is the end result," Blake told THE STAR.

"I am happy that the parents are happy; and I'm also happy that Jamaica is happy for the reunion," she continued.

Blake believes that the entire reunion was a result of divine intervention.

"I knew persons were praying and I'm very happy that God chose to use me as the oracle to bring this family back together" she said.

Blake is also giving the utmost credit to her team for their assistance and vigilance in dealing with the matter.

"People always say there is no 'I' in team and teamwork makes the dream work, and that is a reality. The only 'I' that was displayed that day were intuition, initiative, intelligence, interest, and integrity. So I am happy to know that as a result of the teamwork that was displayed on that day, we could make a family happy," said Blake.

"This is not a personal, but an agency award; therefore, it is my pleasure to accept this badge of honour for the management and staff of the Registrar General's Department," Blake said.