This document has been prepared, and is intended as a blue print for the plan of action that the SLP endorsed Candidate, along with your cooperation would like to see undertaken following the upcoming General Elections.
We have in the course of the past years taken the opportunity to hold dialogue with as many constituents as possible. We have spoken with as many of you as we have come across, and by now, we know that among your biggest concerns is the lack of representation that you have been a victim of.
We on this side believe that there is a need to truly provide adequate and appropriate representation to the people of this constituency. We believe in our candidate – Silas Wilson. His involvement in the community and by extension, his offering of service nationally qualifies him to be your parliamentary representative.
It is in this vein that we ask you to carefully consider this document, peruse its contents and the proposals therein. Allow it to be the basis for your decision in this coming election. It is important to remember that a vote is a decision to allow your future to be decided by one individual and his or her philosophy.
Statement of Principles & Values
The 2006 campaign of the Saint Lucia Labour Party in Micoud North believes that the ultimate goal of development must be people centered. This campaign and the objectives thereof is about creating an environment in which people can develop their full potential and lead productive lives in accord with their needs and interests.
We believe that people are the real wealth of the nation, and therefore development must be about expanding the choices people have to lead lives that they value. Building human capabilities is fundamental to enlarging these choices.
Creating a new Economic Thrust
An important component of any future agenda for this constituency must include the creation of new economic opportunities. We recognize that Bananas once was the largest provider of jobs and revenue. However, the reasons for that change are the adjustments to the European Banana Market, in particular the removal of preferential treatment has forced changes to the structure of the industry. In light of this, we must now explore new avenues for the provision of employment and creation of wealth.
I believe that preserving our environment is essential to sustaining our natural resources. However, as we grow there will be some developments which will impact on the natural environment, whether positive or negative. We should, as a forward looking and progressive society, always attempt to embrace change, while we seek that balance between the environment and development. Let me therefore say, that while and understand the impact that the development will have on the environment, the natural environment was placed to help us grow, and not stunt or inhibit our growth.
The plan for stimulating economic activity is pursuit of eliminating poverty must be based on the following approaches:
Encouraging youth involvement in Agriculture and creating additional value
We recognize that young persons have not been actively involved in farming activities, and therefore need to modernize that sector to further illicit their interest and involvement.
Efforts to encourage processing, using by products to create new products and to further encourage the development of micro enterprises within that sector would be pursued through the use of new training opportunities and support services to farmers and the entrepreneur.
Finding new markets both locally and abroad for agricultural produce. This is necessary as we need to optimize the value of our resources and to also find a means of creating optimum opportunities for wealth within that sector.
Expanding investments in tourism and related services throughout the constituency
The imminent construction of the Le Paradis Hotel is an indication of efforts to bring tourism investments to this region of the island. The Le Paradis project will offer tremendous opportunities for the peoples of this constituency.
We need to therefore encourage our people to become more proactive, to take advantages of the opportunities that will be presented to them in that development. The construction of a new jetty in Praslin will create new opportunities for a connection with the Hotel and Praslin community.
Entertainment will always be a major component of the tourism product. There are signs of budding musical and vocal talent in the community. We must move swiftly to introduce programmes that will develop that talent, and provide support for marketing such for sale as part of the local tourism package.
Creating linkages between agriculture and tourism
The farmers of the community have formed an Eastern Progressive Farmers Association. They have so far met with the operators of the hotel to ensure that the community can provide most of the agricultural commodities for the resort. This module has the potential to succeed, our people can extract significant benefits from that approach, and so I would like to support the sustainability and growth of this approach.
Promotion of cottage and traditional industries
The role of small enterprise creation and self employment must never be taken for granted. We are aware of the work done by the Superior Broom Farmers of La Pointe, in relation to collectively trying to pool together to produce Latanye brooms.
Giving new Value to Agriculture
·While Agriculture will no longer play that all important role that it used to play in this constituency, we must spare no effort to encourage our people to get involved in meaningful activity. The average age of a farmer is now past 55, and if that trend continues, our country will suffer greatly. It is in this vein that we must continue to encourage, particularly our young people to get involved in agriculture, as there must be some mechanism to create some employment for them. New programmes that will stimulate such interest, including new technologies and plant material will be introduced.
·Modernizing agriculture is about finding new and innovative ways of producing agricultural commodities. It is about introducing new technologies and modern ways of farming. It is unfair to expect a young farmer to carry on farming activities in the same way it was done many years ago.
·Consideration will be given to the development of a farm collectively operated by young people, through an allocation of crown property. Such a farm will be used for both gaining knowledge of running a farm and providing some form of employment. It is expected that these persons will later on move to operating their own farms as a result of that exposure.
2.Investments in Fishing Infrastructure
One of the more remarkable achievements of the SLP government has been its investment in modern fishing infrastructure. These investments have been either through the construction of jetties to allow for ease of fish landings, building of storage facilities to secure equipment belonging to fishers, and construction of reception centres.
It is clear that our fishers in that constituency do not have any adequate and modern infrastructure to operate with. Fishing has been an activity conducted in Praslin and Micoud. It has been a source of income for quite a number of households and persons, and continues to remain such.
The situation is one which requires immediate remedial attention. I have spoken with the fishers from both these areas, and have come to the conclusion that they would like to remain in that sector. The impetus for them to remain is absent, and it appears difficult to encourage young persons to get involved in that sector. The time has therefore come when we must create the environment which will address this problem.
The following is being proposed to correct this anomaly:
Building of new and modern jetties is Praslin and Micoud. This will allow the fishers to better secure their boats, be able to load and offload equipment better as well as to land their day’s catch easier and in a manner which makes the exercise more appealing to the consumers of that product.
Demolishing and rebuilding the existing structure in Micoud which is used to secure the equipment of the fishers.
Refurbishing the existing structure in Praslin which is used to secure the equipment of the fishers. This refurbishment must also include a new area to cater for fish landing and vending.
Equipping the Micoud facility with an area for the proper landing of fish as well as the vending of fish.
Introduce Programmes that will stimulate the interest of young people in that sector.
3.Investments in Community Infrastructure
The state of our roads in this constituency merits some concern. Roads are an important part of our community infrastructure, and serves as the tools for the community network.
It is important that we undertake to rehabilitate that essential road network. The rehabilitation must include the construction of new and durable drains.
We have examined the road network and have concluded that there must be some adjustments to that network. There is some isolation because of the one way in one way out in areas like La Pointe and Malgreoute.We need to see a direct connection between those communities through the road. This connection will ensure that those communities are closer integrated, that there is development beyond the traditional community to cater for the housing needs of the young generation.
4.Realising our Social Conscience
Those of us older folks in this community can vividly remember life when growing up. We have time and time again heard that it takes a community to raise a child. We remember a society which shares a common ideal, has the same set of goals and purpose, a society which embraced voluntary work and combining efforts to achieve a common goal.
We witness a significant shift today. It is difficult today to get the community involved in a worthwhile social project, even when it involves helping someone who cannot help himself or herself. Our community organizations and institutions have faded away, while all the while, the problems facing our community continue to exist, our youth are seeking now more than ever some direction.
Consequently, from the level of our political leadership within the constituency, we need to again rekindle that sense of community spirit and goodwill among our people. We need to find the sense of social conscience that at one point made our communities the envy of others around the island.
As a result, the following is being proposed to achieve this spirit of social conscience which at one time existed.
1.We need from a tender age to inculcate those civic and ethical values in our young people. Through a number of programmes at the school and community level, we need to implement programmes which will bring about that sense of community spirit among those young people. This must be accompanied by encouraging them to form organizations and to take responsibility for developing and implementing these programmes. The support of our business houses within the constituency is required for that initiative.
2.Festivals and community activities play a role in developing that social conscience. Christmas and other festivals are appropriate times when such festivals can be held and can help bond the community. As such, we need to ensure that our people can all come together in celebration of those festivals, bringing a new sprit of community togetherness and a new sense of community spirit.
5.Encouraging Youth and Community Development through Sports
There is an urgent need for additional investments in our young people. The community sporting facilities need to be attended to and upgraded. We have a rich sporting tradition, our communities have a great track record of producing outstanding sports personalities in a number of sporting disciplines.
Engaging our young people is sports and recreation is not only developing their physical talents, but those activities provide opportunities for their mental development, the inculcation of discipline and values, and an opportunity to take their physical talents to a higher level.
Despite the many remarkable achievements of our sports personalities, we have not been able as a community to fully optimize the available talent and energy of our people, neither have we been able to use those achievements to spur on the new and upcoming athletes. Our community has an important role to play in developing these young persons. There is more that can be done to encourage the wider community to support our athletes.
In light of this, we make the following proposals to improve the lot of our youth and sporting personalities.
The Wenn Playing field is the largest playing field serving the constituents from Malgretoute to Praslin. While that is so, it has not been equipped with any modern infrastructure to make the athletes and spectators more comfortable. We need to include within that sporting complex change rooms, spectator stands and sufficient accommodation for parking of vehicles. Some form of lighting of that facility must also be included, so as to encourage persons who work late to take part in sports.
The state of community fields in Praslin, Patience and La Pointe needs upgrading. The upgrading must include the expansion of these fields along with the laying of top soil to create a better surface. In Praslin, the developers of the Le Paradis Hotel have promised to work erect a new field, once a location has been identified.
The state of young people in Malgretoute is alarming. To address this, we will attempt to erect a new Playing Field and Multi Purpose Court in Malgretoute. While this community is relatively the smallest in the constituency, the abundance of young persons who still live there must be provided with avenues for personal and community development. These facilities can help arrest the migration away from that community.
In Micoud, the Multi Purpose Court needs to have lights reinstalled there. The absence of these lights has not helped particularly the basketballers and netballers.
6.Providing Training for Economic and Social Adjustment
In light of the new economic dispensation which we are attempting to usher, we must recognize that there exists a gap between the skills required to fill the jobs and what is available. In light of this anomaly, we must invest in additional training and reorientation of our people.
Again, in pursuance of this the following programmes will be introduced.
An expansion of the programmes of the National Skills Development Centre through the Patience Centre. This will provide an opportunity for equipping our people, both in and out of the education system with the basic skills to seek employment in the new opportunities being created, or to also create their own employment.
To cope with the decline in banana production, we need to train those previously employed in the banana industry to be able to find employment in the new areas of economic activity. Continuous training will be provided to make that adjustment.
Utilising the constituency office as a hub for information on new job opportunities, new opportunities in education, scholarship offerings as well as other opportunities for self advancement.
7.Investments in Sports
It is one thing to develop facilities, but the absence of sporting programmes will not allow us to optimize the use of those facilities. It is undeniable that our community is blessed with natural sporting talent, but the true beauty of that talent will not be seen if steps to nurture and develop that talent are ignored.
We must therefore develop after school programmes to engage the younger ones in developing their sporting talent. These programmes must be developmental in orientation, must seek to instill fundamental techniques and an appreciation for discipline.
Additional emphasis must be placed on developing the less popular sports, for eg: women’s football, athletics. This is necessary as we must continue to find new ways of engaging our people and to provide that diversity of activities for their involvement. We need also to cater for the differently able community and our seniors, ensuring that too feel a part of our society.
The state of the Youth & Sports Council in Micoud is disturbing. Attempts to revive that council must be undertaken, through programmes that will reform and reactivate the clubs. In Mon Repos, we must endeavor to continue to strengthen the club structure to ensure that the council continues to remain alive.
There is a need for us to create that bridge between the sports and youth programmes of the schools in the constituency and the community programmes in existence. As a result, we need to integrate school programmes with the community programmes. This is necessary to get the wider community involved in shaping the lives of our young people. Within the school system, we must develop and implement development programmes and competitions which will get the entire community involved.
8.Improvements in Living Conditions
We are concerned about the state of housing and living conditions throughout much of the constituency. The current situation is the result of insufficient planning. We must therefore take the necessary steps to ensure that this is corrected, and to avoid a recurrence of this in the future.
Prior to the SLP Administration in 1997, persons living in the New Extension (park) and Volet could not have gotten access to water, electricity and telephone services. We have made some effort to address those living conditions, but much more is left to be done. Those persons have been squatting all their lives, and an end must be put to that situation.
The government of the SLP has through its PROUD programme made it possible for persons who have squatted to obtain those lands. We believe that the time has come when the same must happen in Micoud North, the persons who live in the New Extension and Volet. That process must be accompanied by the creation of footpaths, roads, expansion of connections for water and electricity, as well as rationalization of existing lands in those areas for housing development.
Within the village, a number of footpaths have traditionally been the means by which a large number of persons are able to access their homes. Some work has been done by the SLP to make such access easier. The Jn. Baptiste Hill is one such example.
In pursuance of this objective, the following will be undertaken:
·Intervention of the PROUD programme in the New Extension and Park area to ensure that the necessary amenities and infrastructure is provided for the residents.
·To undertake a comprehensive review of all existing footpaths in the constituency, and mobilize resources to rehabilitate such whilst adding street lighting to ensure the safety of the public.
·Provide street lighting throughout the entire constituency to ensure safety and security.
·Encourage WASCO to expand the water distribution network so as to ensure that all households have access to potable water.
9.Planning Housing Development for the Future
We cannot afford not to learn from past mistakes. The situation as regards accommodation for future housing development within the constituency must be viewed as a priority for future development. The vast number of young people within the constituency will tomorrow be settling down with their families, and we need to ensure that there is sufficient and appropriate land for housing stock.
Pursuant to this objective, we need to undertake the following course of action
Identifying and making available for sale, throughout the constituency, housing lands, with the inclusion of utilities and infrastructure to ensure that modern day settlements are created.
10.Creation of a Development Foundation
It is without question that the goodwill of the people of this constituency has helped us to achieve some of the successes we have enjoyed. Our peoples have been blessed with some of the finest organizational skills in the country. Many different organizations exist within the constituency, some with similar objectives and others which have divergent interests. There however is not much synergy among those organizations, and we must find a better way to utilize scarce resources.
It is also noteworthy that some of the services of government and other agencies have not reached the persons they were intended for. That is also of concern to us, and must be addressed.
Additionally, there is a need for the community to unite its efforts and to assist the efforts of government in lobbying for additional assistance. Quite a number of the projects identified in this document, the funds will need to be sourced outside the coffers of central government.
We recognize that there is in existence a village council, but the scope of that council is limited to routine work around the MicoudVillage. It does not have a presence outside the Micoud village.
As a result, there is an urgent need to give birth to a Development Foundation. This development foundation will be guided by the following terms of reference:
In the Fevrier clan Nelson came to be known as a forgotten soldier.One who left Saint Lucia in 1915 to join the West India Regiment just after the start of theFirst World War.He was the brother to Sa-il Fervrier, whose parents were Alfons Fevrier and Bribrun Louis. Today, Sa-il or Saul fevrier is survived by his wife of 103 years. Private nelson was never heard of again except from the rumours of his demise. Some said he died in an ambush, other stories had it that his lights were on, after a curfew or state of emergency was enforced, while another theory is that he was writing to his family at the time and that was contrary to army regulation.Over all these years however, the one and only tangible link to Pprivate nelson and his home was a brass plate and or "dogtag" that was sent to the family, the significane of which was never appreciated as it was used as a placement for old style clothes irons.Annually Private Nelson is one of many Saint Lucians memorialize on the Dereck Walcott square by Saint lucian Ex-Servicemen League and or the "War Veterans Association".
No
Surname
Rank
Service No
Date of Death
Age
Regiment/
Service
Nationality
Grave/
Memorial Ref.
Cemetery/
Memorial Name
1
Fevrier, Nelson
Private
1150
05/01/1916
22
British West India Regiment
United Kingdom
589
Seaford
Cemetery
The location of the remains of Private Nelson has finally been located at SeafordCemetery in Sussex. There is also the record of one Denis Fevrier of the second Batallion who died on the 23rd of January 1916 and was a cousin to Nelson who died on the 5th of January1916. It has seen been confirmed that Denis was brother to Noel ("Know-well) of Mon Repos.
Except from the nation a west indian newpaper in Britain. we wish to thank Timothea Lyline Jjames a regular visitor to this site for bringing this to our attention - the following.
The training camp where they were stationed was used as a transit base for members of the British West Indies Regiment, mostly posted to non-combat positions. those buried at the camp, shared by Canadian troops and British forces, died mainly of exposure and training accidents before they were deployed to Palestine, Egypt, Mesopotamia, East Africa, India, France, Italy and Belgium.
Laurie Phillpotts, of Wiesa, told New Nation: since we found out about the graves we have visited Seaford every year. We have had talks and visited schools but we dont get much response. I think what has happened is most of the West Indian population here are not keen on the armed forces. Some will be, but were speaking of a minority. We insist on portraying this area we have served in.
We have volunteered and made our presence known throughout all parts of the warfare areas. men went all over the world. A plaque to commemorate 16,000 men recruited from the Caribbean was unveiled at the Wiesa building last month.
The ceremony was in recognition of WW1 and WW2 veterans from the West Indies and attended by Victoria Cross Hero Private Johnson Beharry. Peter Francis, of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, which tends the council-owned Seaford Cemetery, said: we know very little about the men. The Commission is only responsible for the commemoration of the individual so we dont have access to service files.
one of the challenges is to build up that human story behind the name of the headstone.
He said the organisation was committed to raising awareness of veterans among younger generations and an educational video profile of a teenage sea pilot featuring interviews with relatives is planned for next year. Phillpotts, who served in the air force in WW2, added the Association is organising a coach trip to the Seaford Cemetery for parents and children on 14 November for Remembrance Day.
For information on the excursion contact Wiesa on 020 7 627 0702. .
Young Strikers Sports Club suffered a rare defeat on Friday 25th August 2006 when Patience Youth Organization beat them 3-1 in the preliminary encounter of the 2006 Mon Repos Credit union Football Cup Competition. It was a game in which tempers flared, resulting in two of Young Strikers players being ejected from the game via the "dreaded red card". Ray Griffith and Jason Constantine received the red cards.
We now have active bloggers. Check out the Weather and radio links area and you will realize that a new section has been added, "Blogs".
Knockay now has his own blog at monrepossports.info! In fact he has updated it via Blackbery on bus! Look out for Phillys Wilson and Nicholas Jean-Baptiste as well. Any persons interested in maintaining a blog can contact the webmaster (webmaster@monrepossports.info) or Nicholas Jean-Baptiste (secretary@monrepossports.info).
This is another feature that we hope persons will utilize for educational and entertainment purposes.
As a houseplant, Ficus is very popular. Able to adapt to and endure lower light conditions and generally poor treatment, The Rubber Tree is a winner indoors. Provide as much light as possible, keep away from cold and drafts in winter, keep soil lightly to moderately moist with good drainage. Most any soil will be fine and largely sandy soils mixed with some organics are ideal. Light fertilization is best.
A small young plant should adapt to your home conditions quickly and easily. Larger plants most often have a temporary decline with much shedding and/or browning of the leaves causing owners concern.
Like most ficus, Ficus elastica is a large tree, growing to 40-50 feet tall and even wider on its spreading branches held up by aerial roots which become multiple trunks. Many authors refer to growth habit as "widely sprawling."
Ficus elastica is the classic Rubber Tree, Rubber Plant or India Rubber Plant. Native to India and Malaysia, elastica is among the oldest plants used as houseplants worldwide.
Elastica leaves and stems and even wood 'bleed' white sticky sap when broken or damaged from which rubber can be made. Some people are allergic to this sap when applied to the skin.
In Reece Mangal, an objective observer, saw a fiercely passionate individual, a consummate businessman and investor, independent thinker and a man who loved his family and recognized the value of education in a changing society. For some years his business place was used at the office and venue where the Mon Repos Youth and Sports Council operated and carried out various activities. By his example and confidence, Reece has blazed the trail for a lot of businessmen in and around Saint Lucia.Given the nature of the man, it would not be farfetched to conclude that he assisted many a young upcoming business person with resources and advice in getting off the ground of this competitive environment. For this writer, one of the endearing acts of Reece in his last few years, and indeed throughout the years, is the fact that he retained a strong link with Mon Repos.He and many member of the family continued to visit and live in the community.That to me was a sort of seal of approval, that we indeed have a wonderful community in Mon Repos. Joseph Reece Mangal was truly UNIQUE.
In his children, Cyril and John (twins) as well as Henry continue to be ardent cycling enthusiasts with Cyril being President of the Saint Lucia Cycling Association.All three were national cyclists of repute and fans will remember the clashes with Sylvestre “Tat” James. Henry went on to serve as President of the National Youth Council and as Permanent Secretary in the Department of Youth and Sports until the post was abolished.Their sister Senator Tessa Mangal is a Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister.Timothy Mangal is a golfer of repute and the resident Golf Professional at Sandals La Toc of whom this writer has enjoyed the benefit getting some valuable coaching tips from. Collie is a customs officer and actively participates in the running of the transportation business. There is also Auslin Mangal who was at VeiuxFortSecondary School in the mid seventies.A brilliant orator who made her mark in public speaking for the Micoud Secondary a year or two before. She is also an Air Hostess with a major American carrier. Vincent Tiouto Monroe, a son is a pass stundent of the Micoud Secondary and the Morne Technical College. This bespectacled chap is easily identified by his long beard and dread locks. Ms. Shabin (widow) was one of the first female police officers in St. Lucia.She is originally from Mamiku and bears the maiden name Amos. Ms. Shabin was also a teacher at the Mon Repos Combined School. The family had it share of misfortunes in that the very promising Hamlet and Andy suffered occasional bouts of mental depression.This situation highlights the condition that afflicts many in our society but which perhaps does not touch many of us on a daily basis, if we have no one close to us affected, much less two. It would be an understatement to say that Mon Repos people never really endeared to Reece, partly because of his fierce independence and outspokenness.By the late seventies to earlier eighties he would have been labeled as anti-UWP, a cardinal sin in Micoud-North in those days, especially if you were one of some stature as Reece obviously enjoyed. Later on, he was a close friend and supporter of the PLP and the late George Odlum in particular. The launch venue for Thomas “Arawak” James the SLP candidate in 1979 (against Rodney Jn. Baptiste.) took place in the family yard.That election was won 12-5 by the SLP.This photograph has subsequently been used in some manifestos and certainly in the Star publication. Reece was sometimes brash and outspoken and did not hesitate to use the term “Makak” when he thought someone reluctantly or refused to rise above the attributes displayed by such a primate.He was a consummate worker and thinker, who you hardly saw at other peoples home.However, he has been missed on Constitution Park where he spent his semi-retirement years discussing the issues of the day, particularly politics.
Reece was apparently a tailor of some repute as well.He certainly practiced that trade in French Guiana (Cayenne) where he spent some time as a young man seeking fortune and adventure, before his return to Saint Lucia in the 1950’s. There he conceived his first daughter Amelie. In the early to mid-seventies the family moved to Hospital Road in Castries.The decision coincided with the period when most of his children were ready to embark on their secondary school education.Secondary school places were limited in those days, with the Vieux Fort Secondary being the only one in the South while St. MaryCollege and St. Joseph’s Convent the premier secondary schools of the state, and the first choice for parents who were committed to getting the best education for their children.In those days a Standard Six certificate was good enough to land a teaching job at the Mon Repos Combined-Assisted Catholic School. Reece’s move to Castries also demonstrated his ability to take advantage of the changing economic climate. He no longer depended on the SLBGA contract as a trucker but moved into the developing tourist industry where he invested in “Coasters” used to shuttle tourist on tours throughout Saint Lucia.This activity was reserved or undertaken by established transport operators or the daring.To date a Coaster “Unique” is a signature bus of his tourism business.
Vilma, Melinda and Kurn (three of the nicest persons you can find in the south) came to pay their respects and to support their colleage Dina who is a grand daughter to Hettie. They all work in the Vieux Fort Office where they sometimes have a most difficult job when they find themselves as the targets of abuse from dissatified Lucelec clients who have difficulty understanding the monthly bills levied on them.
Had a very impressive bowling spell at the Wenn Playing Field in the game Young Strikers vs South Wales. He did not get too much with the bat after the combined efforts of two of the oldest South Wales players Deldrige Logi Flavius (off spin) and Nick Jn. Baptiste (wicket keepers) nearly 100 years between them, got him out stumped. Poor Dale!!! However he did look like a committed cricketer on Saturday at the Wenn Playing Field..
Tut!Tut! South Wales seem to bring out the best in these guys.
Yanny (centre) took a break from sailing the oceans. He witness the game on Saturday between Young Strikers and his old team South Wales. Yanny was a nippy left winger when he played football for South Wales in the glory days. Cuthbert "Bodage" Mathurin had some football skills as well, particularly in the air. He played for Banks, Black Lions, 4H and Creation. Not known for his cricketing prowess he was part of the winning cause in the South Wales vs Creation game on Sunday, where he was off the mark with a hugh six..
In an impromtu post match comment Pius Jacoda Gaston, after helping his team Creation to deliver a spanking to South Wales, pleads with South Wales and wish them well in their upcoming game against Fire Service. A win for South Wales would help Creation get the semi final spot over Fire Service who now have two wins, like Creation.
Nick, your photo essay on Mon Repos’ rivers was quite engaging in a number of ways.
It speaks much about what community media can be. You have an eye and ear for the kinds of stories that connect with the spirit of the community.
Also, this is a feature that dredges up a lot of happy memories. It does this for me on an individual level and I imagine for us readers collectively, as “jans MoPo.” It made me reflect on what really is “our culture,” a phrase that is flung about rather much.
Is “our culture” dressing up in national costume, beating African drum rhythms, staging the St. Lucia Jazz Festival and ‘getting on bad’ at carnival? All these things can be pleasant in their own way, but for me they do not bring the kind of joy of my childhood river moments.
Like wash days at Lawivyer Patience. Crossing the flooded, “brown water” rivers on the way to or from school. Going with a band of children on a crayfish hunt. Disappearing all day for an impromptu river picnic, with ti mange, a feast of wild fruits and parents from whom you may have gotten a few knocks for not asking permission but who were not worried about your safety.
As you pointed out, mastering the skills for diving in the 'basens' was a rite of passage. Crafting twigs into crayfish traps (panyen kwibish); roasting the crayfish we caught on an open fire; trying to hold unto millays, the freshwater fish darting by, are priceless memories. Making our own fishing rods, trekking along the river course to go swimming and fishing at Patience beach, catching crabs at the l’amboushwee under moonlight or with flambeau bottle lamps (also called shalls) to guide our way can only make me smile.
Those blissful activities with jovial companions did a lot more to form my character and influence my poetry than any of the “cultural” activities that took root later. I believe the rivers have been quite significant in shaping our individual personalities and group identities in positive ways. They have a lot to do with our sense of attachment to a particular hamlet in Mon Repos (Lumbard, Malgretoute, Mamiku etc) and loyalty to the community as a whole.
I found the photos and commentary immensely moving. While they brought back a flood of very, very happy memories, these came with feelings of profound sadness. The near dry river with severely eroded banks in the first page photo speaks volumes. The first dried-out river in St. Lucia I recall seeing was in Monchy, after the peak of the banana boom. I wonder if the rivers of Mon Repos, with so much of our past swimming in them, are headed for the same fate.
Many communities in the Caribbean (and too in the developed world) sprung up around waterways. Their economic survival depended on rivers. Are Mon Repos drying rivers some sort of gardeurs, fortune-telling the community’s economic future?
Water is life, went a slogan of the St. Lucia Water and Sewerage Company (WASCO). Anyone who has had to live in St. Lucia at the height of the dry season, with the now chronic water shortages, knows that well. The misery of life without water to bathe, flush toilets, do laundry, calm fretting babies on a burning hot day, is one of the factors that make many overseas residents fearful of returning home for good and make some at home want to flee to an imagined paradise overseas.
Is there a sense that people are sufficiently alarmed by the state of the rivers? Is everyone fully aware of the link between everyday decisions and the possibility of a waterless future? I had a very revealing conversation one day in St.Lucia, with an older, former school-teacher, who could not accept that the state of the rivers and water shortages had anything to do with cutting down trees, silting of riverbeds and clogging ravines with garbage.
Out of his river feature, I hope Nick can produce another: How to rehabilitate Mon Repos’ rivers. I believe we do have some outstanding agricultural and forestry officers from Mon Repos who you can contribute information and advice in this regard. There are two problem issues to resolve that I believe are still with us.
Heavy runoff and flooding in the rainy season, which mean loads of water going to waste. This brings landslides and some temporary but pretty little waterfalls, especially along the cliffs left by road construction between Dennery and Praslin. Then it’s the dry season and there is not a drop of water for months in some communities. There was also the fact that a lot of the river sources and catchments were on lands belonging to private owners, who could by law cut forests at will, sell off their properties for housing developments, use chemical fertilizers as they desired and nobody seemed to worry much about what it meant for the life of river animals and the future availability of water.
Since your feature brought back so many fond memories, and St. Lucia is big into festivals as part of our culture, maybe the council can call on St. Lucians overseas to come home for a river festival. It shouldn’t take too much by way of organizing. Everybody head home to clean some waterways, plant some trees and refrain from polluting any more while this is being done. Mon Repos’ many and vibrant youth groups may help with community education and post-festival monitoring of the project.
It may be the kind of activity the Praslin Hotel and government can sponsor to beef up the contributions of overseas residents. A case can be made to the hotel that tour guides trained to take tourists on river walks will expand the range of activities for visitors, create more linkages to the community and boost economic spin-offs overall. Because of the size of their economic investment, the hotel owners may have more influence on the government, in term of forcing action on the issue of river pollution with pig pens, fertilizers and cultivation at the river's edge, which is state property.
St. Lucia’s banana boom of the 1980s meant the disappearance of a lot of the wild fruit trees that grew nearby rivers. Trees like Pwa Dou, Mouben, Bwi, Caca Bawe, Gwi Gwi, Zeekak, Bwa Gwi Yea, etc. Maybe the Mon Repos reunion can focus on getting some of those plants and planting trees and flowering plants along the rivers edge to begin with.
Nick, thank you for inviting me to make these commentaries. Encourage more youngsters and people from Mon Repos to write for the website; to take the time to do the research and interviews for stories like your river essay. It makes good reading, the voices of Mon Repos. It’s always refreshing to have different perspectives. Invite Mon Repos people, both overseas and those who reside anywhere else in St. Lucia, to contribute. Keep up the good work and community publishing can really take off with this website. I think you have the making of something potentially big.
The Rainbow,two liitle clouds one summer day, went flying through the sky, they went so fast they bump their heads and both began to cry……some fairies came in violet and some in indigo, in blue, green, yellow, orange, red they made a pretty row.
“I say this one when I want to remember the colours of the rainbow”, she told me.
And I recalledothers like,
Thirty days hath September, April June and November, All the rest have thirty one, except February which hath twenty eight and twenty nine in each leap year.
I’m sure many of us can relate to this one during our everyday life.Yes, I often recited those during my many nostalgic moments. In all, my favourite still remains…
He who knows and knows he knows He is a wise man seek him He who knows and knows not he knows He is asleep wake him He who knows not and knows not he knows not He is a fool shun him
How many of us recall the Reader Book these poems came from? Today we have Andy and Rose, Fun with Andy and Rose, Reading and Writing Everyday etc.
In those days poetry served as an important teaching tool in the execution of certain aspects of the syllabus, in that, a rhythmic pattern was established even down to the administrative part of teaching such as the role call. Many of us can attest to that, for after so many years I can still recall the rhythm developed during my own class roll call…Constance Polimis,Luciana President, Angella Merian Stanislas,Agnes St Paul ……and Brenda Wilson. Of course, the rhythm would most definitely be broken on banana cutting days.
As I reminisce, I dwell with affection the teachers who touched my life in one way or another. Thanks to Teacher Jane Augustin and Colletta President (stage one), Emma Serieux, Margaret Descartes, Sylvester Dantes, Edwin (Stay) Joseph, Cathelina and Gilbert Dolcy,Priscille Charles, Teacher Glory, Patrick Augustin (Boyzee), Hayden, Timothea and Marcellus Serieux, Octave and Paul Fevrier, Teacher Murtle, Cynthia Wilson, Teacher Brenda, Teacher Mean (Sylvester Amos –Serieux) Teacher Greed and Teacher Gee-Gee and so many, many more.
I will forever be grateful to those wonderful individuals.Though some of them were never assigned to my class, they would from time to time act as substitutes. The blackboard which separated the classrooms did nothing to suppress the hullabaloo that resonated from the classes beyond.Yes, some of their voices had this type of effect, where very often, would drown your own teacher’s voice and there were those who were famous for their skill in using the strap. They all had their own unique personalities by which they will be remembered. I know I may have forgotten some, so please forgive me.These are the individuals that laid the foundation to the person that I am today.Too often, we tend to take then for granted.“Much respect and thanks to all of you.”
To Daddy for the usage of the grounds beneath the mango tree that always created the perfect ambiance after lunch to conduct those sessions, (no wonder it was spared the ravages of hurricane Allen in 1981) when it seemed that negarittis would surly settle in (for those of us who stayed awake).It was always an exciting occasion to carry these two feet long benches down the back stairs.Just the thought of the outdoors at this time of the day was something to look forward to.That is, when the sun was at its peak directly above the galvanize ceiling-less roof of the school. I wonder why I never complained. To all those wonderful persons again, I remember and I salute you.
Phyllis raises many relevant issues about migration and its impact on our communities, both in the Caribbean and countries like England, Canada and the United States that people migrate to in large numbers. The fact that Phyllis’ writing has attracted a fair amount of feedback suggests this is a topic crying out for more discussion.
I hope her writing will lead to greater consideration in St. Luica about why people go overseas, what they think they are going to versus what they actually go to, and whether the many who still think of overseas as places where "streets are paved with gold" should be discouraged.
There are a lot of different reasons why people migrate. I am not in total agreement that poverty or lack of opportunity at home is the driving factor. Many people who make the move are perfectly capable of paying the airfares, having left jobs and productive lives behind. In fact, quite a number of people take off on a vacation without having resigned from their jobs, never to return.
Phyllis has gotten into the meat of the matter as to why so many are willing to desert fairly young children, family, etc. for what is often an ill-planned undertaking. It has to do with what she calls “the fallacy” of life overseas, the widespread belief among Caribbean people that landing in North America or Europe automatically means indescribable happiness and overnight success.
Why do so many continue to think so? Phyllis’ story and a comment by Julius James touch on a key reason. Which is the false impressions given by those who have made the trip. But the further question is why do those who live overseas put up that front?
Answering one question leads to a series of whys. Caribbean migration is a complex story with many roots. A lot of the issues are not unique to people from the Caribbean, but some of the problems of coping seem to affect Caribbean children the hardest. In Toronto for example, they have the highest rate (40%) of dropping out from high school. On the other hand those who come to study, having finished secondary school in the Caribbean, have some of the best performance rates.
People are generally way better off in the Caribbean than they realize and have a lot more opportunity than they take advantage of. (That’s why I was so happy to read the profile of Lenox “Jujune” Jr.) I will not say that the migration experience is all negative. Some benefit greatly from it. But I believe it to be one of the key causes of instability in Caribbean societies.
Part 2.
Soon after arriving in Canada, I began work at a "settlement agency." Settlement agencies provide services to new immigrants to help them find work and integrate. That job was an eye-opening exposure to the misery of the immigration experience for people from all over the world.
The blame lies as much in exploitation by the larger countries as it does in ignorance of the real issues by the persons who make the trek. There is a certain element of greed to get cheap labour and for some politicians and political parties, mass immigration is a means to stack the voting pool in their favour. People in hard economic circumstances come to believe only these politicians or governments will give them a handout. They are encouraged to see anybody who questions the wisdom of these policies as a racist.
But back to the question of the false impressions given by persons overseas and the unrealistic picture of life abroad by many still at home in St. Lucia and the region.
People hide the truth because they feel pressured, because the illusion they project is what those who stay home expect of them. The reality is often associated with great personal shame. People don't want the truth of their condition to be known because it is associated more with personal failure than with problems in the system.
On the other hand, when friends and family who want to migrate are given the rawtruth and advised to stay home, they think the person who lives overseas has something good and selfishly wants to shut them out of it.
People may be misguided by casual attitudes to life and domestic arrangements in the more informal atmosphere of the Caribbean. Many immigrants relate stories about a phone call out of the blue with some relative or friend announcing they are “coming up” or have already arrived. The relative then goes on to speak as if that alone means full consent to be put up and fed for free.
Others come on vacations and at the end announce they have decided to stay, and fully expect to continue to board and lodge with the relative or friend free of cost. In other words, because the person who is abroad is in “paradise” according to the national imagination, the one who is planning on “coming up” never gives a moment consideration to how they might be imposing on somewhere who is already straining to live within their means or who might be running up their credit just to keep the visitor going.
Some relatives and friends at home get really angry if they are told no, so I think discussions like these will help educate people at home who have never traveled.
There is also the aspect of longing to get back home by people who are "abroad" but they are uncertain how to deal with it; wanting to go back but fearful of the change. That too is mentioned in Phyllis' contribution and it is an area I think Caribbean governments have not paid enough attention to, even as they continue to express concern about the "brain drain."
To Phyllis, I would say, I think she has a voice that comes from the heart and a potential that can be developed into becoming a very effective writer for and from Mon Repos. She has been very brave and my congratulations to her. She may want to consider getting someone to help with editing her work before publishing. Keep writing and the sky’s the limit.
Thomas arrived in the village last June following a spell of living in a tenement flat in Glasgow.
Such is his liking for Borders life, the 50-year-old has decided to come out of his self-imposed retirement to help the local club make an impact on the Scottish cricket scene.
In an exclusive interview with TheSouthern this week Thomas explained: "I love cricket and was really pleased when I moved here to find that Borders people love the game also, and that there was a local club.
"When I first moved to Scotland I lived in Glasgow and I hated it; it was like a prison.
"I was on the verge of going back to St Lucia when someone suggested moving to the Borders and I loved it. I love the countryside and the hills and of course the fact that there is cricket here too makes it perfect.
"My neighbours are fantastic and the guys at the cricket club have also been a great help since I got here."
A former altar boy and policeman in the Royal St Lucia Police Force, Thomas gave up his job and way of life in the late 1970s when he joined the Rastafarian movement.
He was also a good football player and was a regular on the wing for his local teams, the Black Lions and Mon Repos, as well as being opening or third batsman for Praslin Cricket Club.
His change of lifestyle did not go down too well in the largely Catholic community however, and at the age of 20 Thomas packed up his belongings and moved up into the hills of St Lucia to live a self-sufficient life – giving up his job, cricket and football in the process.
Thomas told us: "In our village, Rastafarians were seen as mobs and rebels and all sorts of negative things. There was a lot of opposition to our way of life so we decided to move away and become self-sufficient."
Over the next 20 years, a small infection in his leg became gradually more serious (mainly due to the poor standards of healthcare) and eventually he had to have the bottom part of his left leg amputated.
He said: "Even the doctors at the hospital were opposed to me being a Rastafarian and were forever making me try and cut my dreadlocks off and change my ways. They didn't diagnose my skin infection until it was too late and they had to take the bottom part of my leg off." Thomas shrugs off the amputation as "just life" and refuses to let it hamper his chosen way of living.
It was during his rehab that Thomas met Scottish nurse Karen, working as a physio in St Lucia at the time. The two became an item and got married, moving back to Scotland in 1998.
Since arriving in the country Thomas, who has his own gardening business, has raised enough money to have an artificial leg with a flex-foot fitted and has been a regular at the BGH where his doctors are now making him a boot with cricket spikes attached in time for the new season. He can soon make his long-awaited 30 year-return to the game he loves with the St. Boswells first team, where he expects to be both a batsman and bowler. The club is also planning a cricket tour in January 2010 to St. Lucia, where he still has a mother, four sisters and a brother and wants to forge links between St. Boswells and his home village of Mon Repos. Thomas has been coachin juniors at the club since his arrival last year and is keen to see more young members involved with the club. Thomas recently took part in a Glassgow Museum exhibition, Voices from Africa relating to the prliamentary act of 1807 that abolished the slave trade.
Former policeman Thomas Goodman is settled happily in St Boswells, and raring to go with the village cricket team - despite having had part of a leg amputated. Photograph: Alastair Watson
Davie has it's own Bassen which has suffered a similar fate like that of Mamiku. Teacher Brenda and her brothers, Allain, Allan, Logan, Sherman and Ornan as well as person like John Wilson, McKenny, Elmo, Ivan, Desie would know every inch of that "Bassen". Again, it was a geographical feature that was used to lay out the passage from boyhood days to manhood.
Ma Ashton of Mamiku, the widon of Ashton Charles, lived at the main entrance to the Mamiku River Laundry, for many years. A quiet devoted catholic who maintained a beautiful yard. Ma Ashton is now blind but she has a lot of memories of the river, one of which has already been related on this site. Just another example of how we looked out for each other. In those days, a dramatic change in the weather or even a small down poor of rain could have resulted in serious conquences to a woman during wash day. It you were observant or knowledgeable enough and you saw signs of rain in "grand bois" or saw the water colour changes or even drift wood and rubbish on the surface - even if there was no rainfall in the immediate area you looked out for an over flooding river or at least for the river to "swell". According to Ma Ashton, on one normal day, Ma Wedis (now deceased) after a long but incomplete day of washing clothing that included the best of her husbands had to leave some on the stone overnight, to complete the following day. That was a normal phenomenon. At about nine p.m. Ma Ashton said that she heard signs of rain and knowing of the consequences to clothing left by Ma Wedis as well as the consequences of having to face an irate husband who would stood to loose the best of the brand name clothing in those days, left her house to secure the clothing. No idea if it was a moon light - there was certainly no electricity in those days and on a cloudy night the moon would have been out of sight anyway. No doubt that would have been a feat that Ma Ashton and her family may have had to repeat over the years, as the unofficial custodian of the Mamiku River. For gestures like this we ought to remember and pay tribute to people like Ma Ashton and her family. Of course their home was the meeting point and main thoroughfare for farmers as well who left their produce there to be picked up by the buses of the day that carried goods and produce to the market or dropped it off so that another vehicle would take it up to Durocher and Raillon.
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