Soca star Machel Montano has donated a quarter of a million dollars to Queen’s Royal College (QRC), to facilitate the reconstruction of the school’s science lab.
The announcement was made on Saturday night while Montano was performing at QRC’s annual Carnival fete, popularly known as Fete Royale, at the school’s St Clair compound.
During his set, Montano paused his performance and called QRC principal David Simon and Old Boys’ Association president Kenrick Harrinauth on stage. He then presented a promotional cheque and explained to the patrons why he was doing so.
“We want to bring about cultural awareness and we want heritage restoration for our youth ... So personally, I would like to make a contribution to QRC right now. I would like to present you guys with a cheque for $250,000,” Montano told Simon and Harrinauth.
“This is to rebuild the science lab because we need some science in here. So please give a round of applause to these gentlemen for understanding. We’re not just about art and music. We are about hard work. We are about showing the youths the future is in your book bag. And the education is key.”
He added, “So give a round of applause for QRC. Thank you very much, gentlemen. I hope this will make a wonderful lab and teach them some music too right.”
He added that the donation was also because the school had stood by him.
It is not clear what Montano meant by that, as he is a past student of Presentation College in San Fernando.
Following his comments, the ten-time Road March winner then continued his performance by singing some of his classic songs much to the delight of the crowd.