the patience youth organization celebrated its 20^th anniversary on the 27^th of august 2005 at the fox grove inn, mamiku with a dinner and awards celebration.  the event was deemed a very successful one. 
the evening began with prayers by the master of ceremonies, mr. terry faisal.  the national anthem was led by the representative/president for lombard youth and sports club, mr. damian jn baptiste. the vice president, mr. richardis joseph delivered the opening remarks followed by the presidents remarks which were well documented.  next came a poem/choral speaking entitled essence of life which was done some female members of the club.
the club paid tribute to the founding members of the club such as denis james, martina vitalis-dornelly, gilbert serieux, fastus serieux, ancillia vitalis, mc canice vitalis fabian victorin, et al in the trip down memory lane speech by the secretary.
the clubs present offered their congratulations in solidarity with the club.
the first three presidents of the club were awarded for their outstanding contribution towards the club.  they are denis james, johnny james and richardis joseph the latter still an executive member of the club.
many other persons received certificates for dedicated service and contribution to the club over the years. persons like: dasius joseph, magdalene shabin serieux, tessie charlery, john serieux, fastus serieux, joash wilson, theresa clercin, theresa wilson, pascal vitalis, matheline walter and sade charles.
the award for football and netball went to herbert fanis and elvinette wilson.
the special awards for the evening went to three teachers of the community who have helped in nurturing and molding the young persons of the community and for their dedicated and outstanding contribution in the service.  they are:
1.                  mrs. emma serieux
2.                  mrs. cynthia wilson-charles
3.                  mrs. agatha charlery

they were all surprised at receiving the awards, but nonetheless thankful.
the curtains came down on a very good note and a well satisfied executive.
the executive and members of the patience youth organization would like to express its sincere gratitude to the following persons for making our dinner and awards a successful one.

1.                  mr. elie serieux of serieuxs car rental services

2.                  mr. fastus serieux of serieuxs electrical services

3.                  mrs. rose marie pierre of rosemardins bar, patience

4.                  mr. priscillus simeon of simeons e-imports

5.                  management and staff of fox grove inn hotel

6.                  mr. terry faisal

7.                  mr. glenn wilson

8.                  mr. ronan wilson

9.                  the clubs who were present at the event.

we thank you and truly appreciate your support and contributions no matter how great or small they may have seemed.

breeze brought the show to a close with his signature tune "wasco".  although the crowd expected more, the time was up and so the live broadcast came to a sort of anticlimatic end.
anyway kudos to gasper, primus, shall popo and marius modest who were all there to ensure that a smooth show was ran.

many times calypso monarch, de invader belted out at least three tunes that had the crowd moving - "lacatan", "take my money" and the la rose tune, mettez bois en de fer ya".
the first ever treat by the invader for mon repos went down well before a very appreciative audience.

with the music so sweet even the queen, while not abdicating of giving up her crown, joined in the action with her loyal subjects.

the friday night event was a wonderful family affair in which the young and not so young turned out to view and participate.

not part of the official programme, but we have grown to expect this sort of sideline performances, where ever and whenever many are gathered.  our investigation showed that performance enhancing stimulants were involved in this impromptu skit. 

in addition to the mon repos la rose group, there was the blanchand number one group, the vigier group and a sewenal group from la pointe.  no wonder the crowd could not stay still!!

the la rose festival observes a high level of protocol.  the presence of the queen patricia, king ambrose (pwit) and prince damian were given their due recognition.  live on radio saint lucia, for the first time since statehood, britainia, "god save the king" was sang by the regiment and the audience.  perhaps a little amusing but it had the feeling of a trip down memory lane.
perhaps the presence of royalty contributed to a very peaceful and well organized show.
the la rose festival will be celebrated on tuesday august 30 in the village of micoud where groups from all around the island will congregate.

fastus serieux presents teacher emma descartes-serieux with a recognition plaque on behalf of the club.

the local la rose group led by alson martelly treated the saint lucia public to a history lesson in the culture of their favourite flower festival. "chantwelle elaine" did a wonderful rendition of "hep, hep hoorah we are marching..."  of course his majesty's company/regiment was on hand to perform an exciting drill.

president hyacinth dorleon-norbert present magdeline "shabin" serieux with her certificate of recognition.  shabin continues to be one of the ever-present hard working members of the club. she got a rest on friday night only because the hotel catered - otherwise she would have had to do a lot of the preparation and clean-up.  netball is the only activity in which she does not currently represent the club.

radio saint lucia (rsl) hotsted a very successful community broadcast from location near the mon repos community centre and eddie's gaston's place, on friday night 26th august 2005. dubbed veesyon en kai nou, it attracted a high level of community participation in song, dance, poetry, storytelling and music.  the hour long planned live broadcast from 6:30 p.m. extended to three hours of live and spectacular intertainment for the live audience and listeners in "radio land". it was a truely memorable night with performances by the various la rose groups, papa vada, sewenal and breeze.

look out for more photos of your favourite personalities later today.

the possible social, economic and environmental impact on the fregate islands and the praslin community, as a result of the construction of a[n] hotel along the praslin bay, is of some concern to the st. lucia ntional trust.
that's according to the general manager of the trust, bishnu tulsie, who lamented that despite their concern there is not much the trust can do to effectively deal with some of these issues.
the land where the [le] paradis [h]otel will be built was bought by the developer dcg group, from nugent dennehy, a resident of  [dennery].  at the moment, infrastructural works are being undertaken on the site.
in the area where the hotel will be built there are nature trails that are used in nature and educational tours.  several hundred yards off the coast between the fishing areas of praslin and dennery are the fregate islands which act as nesting grounds for birds, some of which are rare.
"we believe that the nature trails will be affected.  they are there for peopole to enjoy nature  the trust is interested in preserving them.  this is one of the tours which the national trust was involved in, and may no longer be feasible," tulsie lamented.
he added:"the land which the hotel will be constructed on does not belong to the "trust", so we are in no position to do anything about it."
according to tulsie, the trust is also concerned athat the development may affect the fregate islands, which he described as a "delicate habitat" for some birds.  he said that the development has the potential to disturb the birds found in the area.
"the area is worth protecting.  it is part of our natural heritage, landscape..."tulsie said.
he said that the trust is also worried about the possible discharging of toxic material  into the marine environment during, and after, the construction of the hotel.  this, he said, would impact on the quality of seamoss cultivated by residents of the area.
some years ago seamoss farmers of prasin formed an association producing quality seamoss for variou business houses on the island.
according to the general manager of the trust, he has had discussions with the developers, who assured him that they would be putting measures in place to minimise any negative impact the project may have on the environment or residents of the area.
he said that the trust will be monitoring these measures very closely.
the developers of lthe hotel have also promised to maintain the natural environment of the site..

yes, five years into the twenty-first century it finally dawned on thethe technocrats and roadbuilders who have taken a concrete step...

photo: a section of the la haut road.

there was an assortment of delicacies for all to part-take in. of course no event of that magnitude would be complete without the spirits to gulp down.

there was a cultural presentation a the opening ceremony.  the mon repos la rose group got an opportunity for a dry run before the feast of st. rose de lima scheduled for the end of august.

another major tourism project has been launched here, opening-up the east coast of the island to further tourism developments.  it is the first phase of the le praadis at praslin, which was launched on thursday. 
the sod-turningceremony for the new hotel took place at the site on over 500 acres of land and the first phase will cost some us$130 million.
the prime minister and the developers participated in the ceremony, which was attended by dignitaries from saint lucia and abroad.
the project, which will take six years and will ultimately cost over $750 million, will involve several features, including a second 18-hole golf course as well as apartments and a spa. 
the project will open up the east coast of the island to more hotels.
at present, an additional 1,000 hotel rooms are being constructed in various parts of the island and all are due to come on stream for cricket world cup in 2007.

harris james
born: january 31, 1916
died: august 05, 2005
thanksgiving service held at the mon repos s.d.a. church
burried: august 12, 2005 (mon repos cemetery)

for your kindness,
love and concern,
we thank you.
for your friendship
and caring
we are grateful,
what ever your part
in consoling our hearts,
our sincere appreciation.

by the family of the late harris james 

his wish for a simple burial was honoured. it rained from the time the cotege left the church and throughout the actual burial.  this made it a laborious task to move the heavy water-laden clods of clay soil.  it was probably symtomatic of the life that the man lived, having left saint lucia sometime in 1941 or so to work in the mines of guyana where he met his wife from saint lucia.  she predeceased him in 1997.  they returned to with all but three of the elder children in 1964, mainly because mr. harris wanted to be back to assist his aging father the late mr. joived.  mrs. harris had lost both of her parents by the time she was 11, the mother in a landslide in denierre riviere sometime in the 1920's.  it is truely a piece of history that deserves to be told.

photo insert: niece delia daniel and son julius james pay final respects at the grave site

the choir held their own in the rain as they gave a wonderful rendition of "we are marching to zion" and "shall we gather by the river"

the staff of cricket world cup st. lucia inc. held a meeting at the mon repos community centre on tuesday night with members of the community.  there the presentation party that included ms. de meyers, fortuna belrose and deale lee presented the 24 deliveries or the criteria that is expected of saint lucia as a major hosting venue.  in turn members of the publice wer provided with information as to how the six week fiesta will be run and what are the opportunities available.

photo - a cross-section of the community that included, farmers, teachers, administrators, vendors etc.  it was an interesting and informative meeting.

in order to assist persons who may wish to expand or renovate an existing property to provide bed and breakfast accommodation, the government proposes to grant concessions to what may be described as "bed and breakfast accommodation projects" properties with six or more rooms are taken care of under the cricket world cuip (tourism accommodation) incentives act, so, the challenge is to accommodate those persons who wish to provide accommodation for two or more plersons to a maximum of five.
a bed & breakfast accommodation project will qualify for the following incentives
(1) 100% waiver of duty and consumption tax on materials and fittings imported or bought locally for the expansion or renovation of the property;
(2) an income tax holiday of five (5) years on the income earned from renting the rooms;
(3) a 50% reduction in property tax for a period of five (5) years in respect of the property or the entire property of which the addition or expanded property forms a part; and
(4)a percentage tax credit for financial institutions providing finance for the accommodation based on the quantum of investment as follows:
(a)ec$300,000.00 and under - 1%
(b) over ec$300,000.00 and up to ec$600,000.00 - 2%
(3) over ec$600,000.00 - 3%
the following conditions will apply:
(1) properties will be inspected in advance of approval to determine their suitability for bed and bredkast accommodation;
(2) beneficiaries will have to sign an undertaking that the accommodation will be provided to cricket world cup visitors.  if the incentives are used for purposes other than the cricket world cup, they will be revoked as appropriate, and the home ovwner or investor will be required to refund government duties and other taxes foregone; and
(3) the accommodation must satisfy bed and breakfast criteria published by the ministy of tourism.

rasta, as it is more commonly called, has its roots in the teachings of jamaican black nationalist marcus garvey, who in the 1930s preached a message of black self empowerment, and initiated the "back to africa" movement, which called for all blacks to return to their ancestral home, and more specifically ethiopia. he taught self reliance "at home and abroad" and advocated a "back to africa" consciousness, awakening black pride and denouncing the white mans eurocentric woldview, colonial indoctrination that caused blacks to feel shame for their african heritage. "look to africa", said marcus garvey in 1920, "when a black king shall be crowned, for the day of deliverance is at hand".  many thought the prophecy was fulfilled when in 1930, ras tafari, was crowned emperor haile selassie 1 of ethiopia and proclaimed "king of kings, lord of lords, and the conquering lion of the tribe of judah". haile selassie claimed to be a direct descendant of king david, the 225th ruler in an unbroken line of ethiopian kings from the time of solomon and sheba. he and his followers took great pride in being black and wanted to regain the black heritage that was lost by loosing faith and straying from the holy ways.

photo insert - a section of the colourful and peaceful march held in the southern town of vieux fort on wednesday 17 august 2005 - led by elder "wisely" (burnett sealy)

rastafarians live a peaceful life, needing little material possessions and devote much time to contemplating the scriptures. they reject the white man's world, as the new age babylon of greed and dishonesty. proud and confident rastas even though they are humble will stand up for their rights. rastas let their hair grow natually into dreadlocks, in the image of the lion of judah.
the year 1975 to the present has been the period of the most phenomenal growth for the rastafarian movement. this growth is largely attributed to bob marley, reggae artist, and the worldwide acceptance of reggae as an avenue of rastafarian self-expression. marley became a prophet of rastafarianism in 1975. the movement spread quickly in the caribbean and was hugely attractive to the local black youths, many of whom saw it as an extension of their adolescent rebellion from school and parental authority. with it came some undesirable elements, but all true rastas signify peace and pride and righteousness.

photo insert - the recognisable figure of henry "jah-d" pierre, perhaps the one who has contributed the most towards the development of sports in dennery.  formerly a policeman,  if he had desired, he would quite possibly have at least been the rank of asp in the police force today.  an outstanding individual and marvellous individual who recently represented saint lucia in the senior games.

the roots, core beliefs and practices of rastafari lie close to bob marley's music and philosophy. this section puts the religion in context and dispels popular misconceptions about the philosophy and lifestyle of devout rastas.

challenges
there are also new challenges faced by rastafarians as a group of christian apologists in jamaica led by dr. clinton chisholm, who have been challenging many of the teaching of rastafarians as it relates to the bible and emperor haile selassie. with the evidence now found in archeology on the dark skin color of many of the figures in bible, many of these christian apologists have been appealing to rastafarians on the basis that there is no need to create a black messiah and they should only worship the god worshipped by emperor haile selassie.

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the developers of the le paradis hotel have promised to maintain the natural environment of its proposed location along the praslin coast.
it is one of several terms agreed to by design construction group properties limited, dcg when it acquired the property for the hotel's construction.  at a ground breaking ceremony held on the 4th of august 200t, prime minister honourable dr. kenny anthony underscored the importance for the present environment of the praslin bay location to be preserved.
"the area is pristine territory.  it is charming, it is inviting and it is beautiful.  this development must be constructed in a way that appreciates all the nuisances of the property, all the sensitivities.  we want it to blend with this country.  never forget it is the charm of this country that is the first attraction.  when people come to our country and they look at our little island, true they feel the warmth and generosity of our people but they ar efascinated with our inheritance, so you've got to look after this place, "dr. anthony said to the developers.

the hotel will be built on 554 acres of land which was bought from the denehey family.  managing director visionary of the le paradis hotel keiran dolby says protecting the natural environment of the location will not only challenge the le paradis hotel to blend-in but will also add to its enhancement.
"we believe with the designs that we have, we will truly make praslin spectacular.  we will try and integrate our architectural designs with that that is already there.  we will try to keep it rusty and will not be a carbuncle on the landscape.  we want to keep this very much in the favour of what we have at the moment," said dolby.
the first phase which is called the multi-phase has been estimated at 130 million us dollars.  however the entire project could well cost over three-quarters of a billion us dollars. phase one will include among other things a five star internationally branded hotel with 18 thousand square feet of conferencing facilities health spa, and golf course which developers believe will be one of the most magnificient in the world.

grass street sports club emerged champions of the inaugural mon repos youth & sports council fruta limited overs cricket competition when they defeated malgretoute youth movement by nine wickets in a final played on saturday 30th july at the wenn playing field.
batting first, malgretoute were bowled out for 73 in a17.5 overs;walter emmanuel 21, clarence mariate 15 and kamel dorleon 11 being the main contributors.
bowling for grass street gary mathurin has four wicket for 12, linus mathurin four for 19 and farell alexander two for 13.

in their turn at the crease, grass street notched out 74 runs  in 13.5 overs for the loss of clement goodman without scoring.  davy thomas was left unbeaten on 40 while linus mathurin got 21.

she is the wonderful daughter of bernadette and linus robinson of la pointe.  she is a past student of patience combined school, micoud secondary school and sir arthur lewis community college (a' level).   being  young, bright, attractive and articulate, she enjoys reading, music, surfing the website and keeping abreast with current affairs.   bernice did a teaching stint at the special education centre in vieux fort. she currently manages the outlet of simeon's e-import at the daher mall in vieux fort.  she looks forward to furthering her education in envirnomental science and or information techonology.  happy brithday bernice robinson & best wishes!!!

photograph contributed by bernice 

news coming to hand indicate that mr. harris james of mon repos passed away between thursday night and friday morning 5th august. his children included, lennox, tony, julius (prockie), rosie, (deceased orin and golbert). inspector moses james is his grandson. he was brother to emilien smith (ma morris) and agnes daniel, newman james, andrew, cyril and antoine.
his neices and newphews include, marcella, "geargirl, delia, damazine, sheilton, david, christie, melania and many others.  we at monrepossports extend condolences to the bereaved of a "gentleman" in every sense of the word.