A great learning experience

Little Katelyn Warke spent her eighth birthday with friends and relatives, but her daddy Graham was in Washington feeling just a tag guilty for missing her daughter’s eighth birthday party.

However, Graham more than made up for missing his little Princess’s day by returning home with a truly unique gift - a Union Flag which was flown over Washington on Katelyn’s Brithday - with a certificate to prove it, too.

“I was very sad when daddy missed my birthday. I had a party in Bananas with my best friend Holly, Mummy and Granny, my cousin Zoe and all my friends from school. But daddy was missing. I was in America in Washington,” said Katelyn.

Although father and daughter were able to ‘skype’ across the miles between them...it wasn’t the same; but Katelyn knew her daddy would be home in two days.

“He came back and he brought back a baseball cap, an American football and a baseball glove and in the post they sent an American flag. I did not know I was getting it. It is a real flag from the Capital sent to me by Norman Houston, Director of the NI Bureau. I screamed. I thought it was brilliant and I got an official certificate,” said Katelyn, still excited by her gift.

The certificate reads: ‘This is to certify that the accompanying flag was flown over the US Capital on September 29, 2014. This flag was flown for Miss Katelyn Warke of Derry/Londonderry in celebration of her 8th birthday. This flag was flown at the request of Mr Norman Houston, Director of the NI Bureau in Washington DC.’ The certificate, signed by Stephen T Ayers, Architect, was accompanied by a photograph of the actual flag fluttering above the cityscape.

“I took it into school [Lisnagelvin Primary] and that day the American Consul came to school and she read out the certificate. It was a P3 and P4 Assembly and I was nervous because I never did assembly before,” she said, continuing: “I told them that my daddy came back from Washington a few weeks ago and he talked to this guy Norman Houston and he said he would fly the American flag for my birthday because my daddy was sad he missed my birthday.”

Asked what her school friends did when they heard her story, Katelyn said: “They all clapped”.

Grateful for her special gift, Keatelyn said she was writing a letter to Mr Houston and had also spoken to him on the telephone, and thank him for her present.

The little princess said she was “very proud” of her daddy and revealed that the flag was going to be framed and put up on her bedroom wall. It may mean that she has to take down some of her 1D posters to make room for the full sized flag.

Katelyn said she also wanted to thank Gabrielle Moseley, Deputy Consul General, who visited the school and made the event special.