History Night was exhilarating

A community center packed with residents and visitors alike listened with rapt attention to the various speakers as they provided different insights into some aspects of the history of Grand Bay. Paul (Lawa) Alexander started the ball rolling with his own reminiscence of the sometimes turbulent, sometimes constructive era of the 1970s. He was followed by Noreen John Delsol who examined some of the economic aspects of Grand Bay history, in particular how the women of the community contributed to the development of the community. Then Dr. Lennox Honychurch looked at the early settlement of Grand Bay and its implications for the diverse culture of the community. Then the highlight of the evening was the reflection on the events of 1974 when the Geneva Estate was wrested from the possession of one land owner. Bernard Wiltshire led this discourse but he was assisted by Philip Baron (Souflet) who was a key player in that revolution. Their verbal contributions were enhanced by the presence of Philip Francis (Unicef), the leader of the revolution and other people who actually participated in that event. Bernard proclaimed Unicef a true hero who liberated the people of Grand Bay from a state of landlessness. He referred to 1974 as the beginning of a new Grand Bay and said that that event was the single most important event in the economic history of the community.

The large appreciative crowd was absorbed in the discussion and must have learnt a great deal about the Geneva revolution of 1974 (sort of from the horse’s mouth).

The meeting was chaired by John Baptiste John (Holeday).

Awards ceremony was spectacular

On Tuesday 1^st August, 2006, some of the most illustrious sons and daughters of Grand Bay were recognized for their contribution to their community, their country or for their personal achievement. The purpose of the recognition ceremony was not only to acknowledge the worthy men and women but to inspire the younger people in our community to aim for high achievement and to impress on them that it is possible for them to achieve at a high level.

The ceremony was unique in that the citations were read by students of the Primary and Secondary school and the awards were given in several categories. Some of the awards were presented by the New York Reunion committee. Others by the Grand Bay Committee. But there were two special “life time awards” presented to Dr. Max Hilaire of the younger generation and His Excellency Dr. Nicholas Liverpool, President of the Commonwealth of Dominica, both born and bred in Lallay, Grand Bay. All Grand Barians are proud of the achievements of these intellectuals and of all the other awardees.

The following is the list of awardees.

Reunion Awards

Agriculture :    George Brown             Education :Leah Commodore     

Culture:            Adriana Henderson     Music :     Midnight Groovers   

Health:              Justina John-Lewis                           

Sports:             Jerome Mellow      Science & Technology  Stan Xavier   

Law                 Marcel Commodore       Tourism:  Octave Joseph          

Business:          Milner Francis     Art & Craft      Maudrina Dangleben

Community Dev.  Bernard Noel Politics & Diplomacy    Pierre Charles

Religion: Horace John Lewis   Media & Comm.: Felix Henderson        

Medicine:  Dr. P. N. Griffin      Peace & Security:    Ensley Pierre 

Sanitation:  Rene Isaac      Bus / Truck:  Lucas Anselm (Boww) 

Symposium attracted excellent presentations

On Monday, July 31, some forty people gathered for the Symposium on “Prospects for the Development of Grand Bay”. After some brief opening statements by His Excellency Crispin Gregoire, Ambassador to the UN, Mr. Bernard Wilshire examined the economic history of the Grand Bay area, focusing on the role of the estates and the ultimate disappearance of this role from 1974 revolution at Geneva. He asserted that the removal of the owners of the Geneva estate and the subsequent redistribution of the estate was a major turning point in the economic history of Grand Bay. It allowed the small farmer to own land, to build decent homes and it allowed an expansion of the village. He stressed the need for Dominica to continue on the path of the preservation of its natural resources rather than going along with short-term projects that could have a lasting negative impact on the environment.

Following this discussion, presentations were heard on Tourism, the Banana Industry, The Grand Bay Credit Union and the AID Bank’s Geneva project.  Mr. Sobers Esprit, manger of the Community Tourism project described the tourism project executed by the Grand Bay Tourism and Environment Committee (GTEC) at Geneva. He also disclosed that the expansion of that project and other ideas were included in a national tourism plan which is being developed.

Mr. Michael Roberts, chairman of the National Fair Trade organization, maintained that in spite of the difficulties in the  Banana Industry, there was a future in the Banana Industry. He talked also of the contribution that the Fair Trade made to the community in its Social Premium program.

Mrs. Germaine John Philip, manager of the Credit Union disclosed that the Grand Bay Credit Union was growing and had assets of over seven million dollars. She mentioned some of the services that were offered and praised the membership for having the lowest delinquency rate in loan repayments among Credit Unions in Dominica.

Mr. Belon Fontaine of the Fond St. Jean Fisheries Cooperative gave a brief history of the cooperative and disclosed its level of success. He urged Grand Bay young people to be involved in the fishing industry as it could be very lucrative. He asserted that the Fond St. Jean cooperative was supplying fish for the entire southern district and sometimes to Roseau and the Eastern district. He felt assured of the viability of the cooperative.

In the afternoon session, His Excellency Crispin Gregoire examined the various possibilities for economic development in the southern district, including tourism, manufacturing, fishing, art and craft and the music/entertainment industry. He saw a role for the diaspora in the development of proposals and for investment in some of these areas.

Mr. Ian Williams of the AID bank then outlined the bank’s plans of establishing two sheds on the land at Geneva designated for industrial development. He said that the plans were drawn up but some difficulty was encountered in choosing the location of the sheds since the preferred spot was occupied by a squatter. He disclosed, however, that some alternatives were being examined and that construction should begin before the end of the year.

Dr. Peter St. Jean then talked of his research into community/police relation in Grand Bay which he documented in his book, “Lessons from Grand Bay”. He concentrated on the relationship between economic development and community safety. He disclosed that the crime statistics which he examined did not reflect the negative perception that people had of Grand Bay.

All in all, the symposium was very informative but the attendance was disappointing as only about 40 people attended.