The Eleutheran Newspaper - March/April Issue 2019

Volume 12, Issue 03 /12, 2019 web: WWW.ELEUTHERANEWS.COM

(1-242) 422 9350

Eleuthera, Harbour Island & Spanish Wells, The Bahamas

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` Since 2008 - ‘‘Eleuthera’s most reliable Source of News and Information.

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Eleuthera’s low crime trending

Positive in most areas Police Force Commissioner tells attentive audience.

Commissioner of Police, Mr. Anthony Ferguson, presented recently on Eleuthera Crime Statistics and the topic of ‘Peace and Conflict Resolution’ The Royal Bahamas Police Force’s Commissioner of Police, Mr. Anthony Ferguson, QPM., was invited on island by the Rotary Club of Eleuthera recently, to present on the topic of ‘Peace and Conflict Resolution’. The presentation hosted at the Eleuthera Arts & Cultural Center (EACC) in Tarpum Bay saw a capacity audience of Rotary and Rotaract members, as well as members of the public in attendance at the weekly meeting.

Commissioner. Anthony Ferguson, presenting to the room at the EACC in Tarpum Bay.

Continued On Page 4 CELEBRATING EXCELLENCE

REVAMPED National Health Insurance Program the topic of

discussion in two separate gatherings on island.

Two community meetings, the first in Governor’s Harbour on Thursday evening, March 14th, and the second in Rock Sound on Friday evening, March 15th, were hosted in Eleuthera by the National Health Insurance (NHI) Authority to discuss the revamped NHI program.

Community members who attended the meetings had the opportunity to hear about the proposed way forward for NHI in the Bahamas, and a chance to ask questions about the proposed program and give their feedback.

Since releasing a draft policy proposal for NHI during the final quarter of 2018, the NHI Authority says it has conducted nationwide consultations, resulting in the release of an amended NHI policy paper

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An Eleutheran Profile: Mrs. Margaret Grant

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EU blacklist: Cooperation or Coercion

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REAL ESTATE - No Pain, No Gain

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Eleuthera Wins Bahamas Young Chef Junior High Culinary Competition

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MOT - Throws a Party - Reignites People-to-People - all during Visitor Arrivals Uptick

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Lighthouse HOA

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Spanish Wells, Harbour Island,

Eleuthera

BACK COVER: Damianos Sotheby’s International PAGE 3: Coldwell Banker Lightbourn Realty PAGE 5: HG Christie

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Ride & Run For Hope 2019 Aims High One Million Dollar Goal set for 2019 Fundraising Efforts

BY The eleutheran news team

With roads from the Glass Window bridge to Palmetto Point freshly repaired in time for the event, courtesy of government contracts awarded to Quick Fix Construction and Triple A-Marine, organizers of the 12th Annual Ride & Run For Hope 2019, descended upon the area surrounding Alabaster Bay/Cocodimama, where the iconic starting and finishing line was set to see off, as well as welcome scores of participating riders and runners.

During the course of the morning ride and run event, held this year on Saturday, March 9th, runners and cyclists enjoyed a variety of distance options according to their ability, geared towards their fundraising goals for the cause. There were six different levels of participation, each level with its own fundraising minimum and benefits.

Susan Larson, a co-founder of the Ride For Hope lauded the people working behind the scenes helping to make the event on the day a success, “Our volunteers have been wonderful. The Police are doing a great job, helping everybody get down the roads safely, and the local drivers are

really being mindful of everyone out there, and doing a good job. The riders and the runners who have come back, they are all talking about the wonderful experience out there. So, things are going well.�

Local Royal Bahamas Defence Force Rangers could also be seen Continued On Page 6

Pictured: RBDF Ranger student volunteers, welcomed returning riders with traditional cowbells, as they crossed over the iconic finished line.

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RBPF Commish Continued from Page 1 Expressing his thoughts on a practical path to peace, Commissioner Ferguson encouraged those present, saying, “There are tangible personal actions we can take to advance peace in our individual lives, in our homes, our workplaces, our schools, places of worship, communities, on our islands and by extension throughout our country…

We can start by showing love, kindness, forgiveness and support for each other.

We can be genuine and trustworthy in our dealings and finally we can exercise a level of understanding, patience and tolerance where and when necessary.”

Sharing some of the crime statistics for the island of Eleuthera, Commissioner Ferguson revealed that issues existed, but he opined that the island was trending in the right direction in most areas, saying, “Murder, Attempted Murder, Manslaughter, Attempted Rape and Armed Robbery remained at 0 for both 2017 and 2018, which is very good!

In 2017, there were 5 incidents of Rape and only 2 in 2018, a reduction of 60%.

There were 2 incidents of Armed Rob-

bery in 2017 and 5 in 2018, an increase of 150%. Robbery remained at 0 in 2017 but climbed to 2 in 2018, reflecting an increase. Total Crime Against Persons climbed from 7 in 2017 to 15 in 2018, an increase of 114%. Encouragingly though, in 2018, the island experienced reductions of 36% in Burglary, 5% in Housebreaking, 50% in Stealing From

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Ride & Run Continued from Page 2 near the finish line with bells and whistles, ringing in the finishers as they returned from their experience on Eleuthera’s roads.

The previous 11th Annual Ride For Hope resulted in more than $275,000 raised. This year, however, organizers had their sights set higher, to enable even more meaningful impact. Susan expressed her pleasure with the level of participation in the 2019 event, and explained why organizers were shifting to a higher gear this year in their efforts.

“We have a lofty goal this year.

We are aiming to raise one million dollars for our ‘Treatment Assistance’ fund, and we’ve extended our fundraising deadline until the 10th of May. What usually happens with our riders is, they come away from today’s event emotionally impacted by what they did today, and that is often very good to have. And then they can translate that into more fundraising. We all know that when your friends and family or yourself are told that you have cancer, you experience a lot of fear and anxiety, and what we don’t want is for Bahamian families to go into financial ruin because they are trying to pay for

PIctured: Local rider, Melissa Butler, stands center, surrounded by volunteer RBDF Ranger students, who welcomed returning riders and runners, as they crossed the finished line.

MP for North Eleuthera, Mr. Rickey Mackey

cancer medication. The ‘Treatment Assistance’ fund is where we want to put the one million dollars we raise to help more Bahamians to pay for their medication. It shouldn’t be a battle, they are already in the fight for their life, literally. They shouldn’t have to be struggling to figure out where the payments are going to come from for the medication they need. So, that’s what we are aiming to do this year, and we are going to keep working until we get there.

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For Hope Continued from Page 6 “We started the ‘Treatment Assistance’ fund about nine or ten years ago. It’s the first of its kind in the country, and by that I mean it’s a fund that exists permanently - throughout the year. It’s funded solely by the monies that the Ride & Run For Hope participants raise. Over the past years, we’ve dedicated $100,000 dollars to that fund annually. We are very proud of that accomplishment, but when you do the math, you are not able to help as many people as we want to help. So, we are really aiming to add a ‘0’ to that fund - to go from $100,000 to $1,000,000. It’s a tall order. It’s going to take a lot of work, but, we think we can get there.”

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2019 Jr. director of tourism eleuthera “Ms. Equoia Gibson”of cehs tops group of seven competing

BY The eleutheran news team On Friday morning, March 15th, 2019, after a very competitive round of well-presented speeches, Equoia Gibson of Central Eleuthera High School, won the 2019 title of Jr. Minister of Tourism for the island of Eleuthera. She takes up the baton from last year’s winner, Oriana Carey of Preston H. Albury High School.

She was one of a sizeable group of competitors, seven young people in total, who battled it out with well researched and prepared speeches on the topic, “Transforming Tourism with Digital Technology.” This year, organizers added a mystery question component, which took place following the speech presentations, challenging the young competitors to think on their feet, and to give thoughtful answers to questions broached about the tourism industry. Coming in a very close second and third, were Petra Kemp of Preston H. Albury High School, and Sierra Farrington of North Eleuthera High School, respectively.

This year’s Jr. Minister of Tourism Speech Competition in Eleuthera, was held at the Ministry of Tourism offices in Governor’s Harbour, beginning at 11:30 am on the Friday morning.

The seven competitors included; Equoia Gibson of Central Eleuthera High School (Winner - 456 points); Petra Kemp of Preston H. Albury High School (Second Place - 409 points); Sierra Farrington of North Eleuthera High School (Third Place - 400 points); Hendricks Johnson of Harbour Island All Age School; Christianna Wallace of North Eleuthera High School; El’Shauna Gibson of Central Eleuthera High School; and

Glenyce Cartwright of Preston H. Albury High School.

Equoia Gibson, who went on to represent Eleuthera in the national competition, commented following her win, saying, “It feels great, because not only will I get to represent my community, but my entire island, and I want to make everyone proud, so, I will do my very best…

I’m also looking forward to working along with everyone in the tourism sector, and helping to encourage other youth in that area as well.”

Proud Principal Mrs. Marie Galanis of Central Eleuthera High School who attended the competition and witnessed her student bringing home the win for the school, when asked about the school’s historical performance, shared a bit of its’ history since the competition started on island, stating, “We [CEHS] won the first two competitions here on the island of Eleuthera (2008 - Anya Fernander and 2009 - Danielle Cooper), and then again a few years later in 2011 (Vashti Nairn). Our third time winner, went on to place third in the national competition, and was the first Eleuthera competitor to place in the top three in New Providence. Taliah Cooper of Preston Albury High, has since then won the national competition. So, we are looking forward to Equoia bringing everything back!”

Mrs. Deborah Young-Fox with the Ministry of Tourism team in Governor’s Harbour, was the key organizer of the event and Contest

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Above: New 2019 Jr. Director of Tourism for Eleuthera, an elated Ms. Equoia Gibson, stands with her very proud mother, Mrs. Sophia Gierszewski, following her title win.

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CHILD PROTECTION: Campbell admonishes parents,

guardians & communities to be more responsive to child protection efforts

By Matt Maura

NASSAU, The Bahamas – Minister of Social Services and Urban Development, the Hon. Frankie A. Campbell Wednesday admonished parents, guardians and communities across The Bahamas to do their part to ensure the safety of Bahamian children everywhere.

“The future of our nation depends on it,” Minister Campbell said.

Addressing a Press Conference held

Wednesday (March 27) to announce plans for the observance of Child Protection Month – the Month has been observed annually in April in the Commonwealth of The Bahamas since 1992, marking 27 consecutive years, Minister Campbell said he subscribes to the African Proverb that it takes a village to raise a child. Mr. Campbell said the proverb has gained even greater significance in light of the recent spate of reported child abductions.

“In light of the recent spate of re-

Minister Campbell addresses Child Protection Press Conference held Wednesday, March 27. April will be observed as Child Protection Month under the theme, “Every Child Safe, Every Community Aware: No Excuse for Child Abuse.” (BIS Photo/Derek Smith)

ported child abductions (on March 11th The Tribune reported: “four boys were taken and released, unharmed, in two separate incidents within a 24-hour period — and that there have been six children reported abducted in less than three weeks” in New Providence), it is very important for communities to re-subscribe to the philosophy that it takes a village to not just raise a child, but to keep all children safe,” Minister Campbell said.

“Sadly, child protection is not given the priority that it deserves by the community and too often, is minimized,” Minister Campbell added.

Minister Campbell extended a special challenge to parents.

“Parents need to accept that it is okay for family members, neighbours and persons in the community to admonish the children where necessary. To have the kind of relationship that will result in neighbours and extended family members feeling that they are duty-bound to look out for the interests of all of our children.”

Minister Campbell outlined areas where communities and neighbours can play key roles in the country’s child protection efforts.

“Communities need to be alert and

aware of the presence of strangers and suspicious activities related to children and young persons. Neighbours and community members need to be prepared to report matters and be prepared to give evidence, where necessary.

“It is important to note that even in cases where abuse is suspected, reports should be made because it is better to err on the side of caution than for one case to go unreported. Each case is treated on its own merit and because there is broad networking with other stakeholder specialists, matters are referred based on the intervention required.”

The Child Protection Unit, Department of Social Services, Ministry of Social Services and Urban Development, in conjunction with the National Child Protection Council (NCPC) and the Suspected Child Abuse and Neglect (SCAN) Unit of the Ministry of Health, have aligned to stage a number of activities as part of the education and awareness campaign. The Month will be observed under the theme: “Every Child Safe, Every Community Aware: No Excuse for Child Abuse.”

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LIGHTHOUSE POINTPM announces HOA with Disney IN eLEUTHERA; Environmental Groups Express Deep Concerns with the terms.

BY The eleutheran news team

On Saturday evening, March 9th, Prime Minister Hubert Minnis was in South Eleuthera as the main speaker at a town meeting held at the Eleuthera Arts and Cultural Center (EACC) in Tarpum Bay, where he spoke with the audience of primarily local residents about the signing of a Heads of Agreement (HOA), two days earlier, with Disney Cruise Lines for their proposed port project at Lighthouse Point, which had been approved in 2018. The Prime Minister chose this South Eleuthera location as the place to make the first public announcement of the agreement - a notion he had to go on to defend subsequently in the House of Assembly.

“Mr. Speaker, before I close, I just want to point out there was some concern about us having made the announcement first in Eleuthera.

“We thought it was appropriate Mr. Speaker that as Disney, South Eleuthera, an area that was suffering for a very, very long time, we thought it was appropriate that we show complete respect for the community

and they should have been first to hear the changes that [are] coming,” the PM was reported as stating.

As part of the announcement the PM said that Disney has completed acquisition of the property from the private seller and that approximately 190 acres of the land pur-

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An Eleutheran Profile: Introduction…

Dedicated is one word that sums up the kind of example Mrs. Margaret Grant of Harbour Island, has been to her community, church, work and immediate family throughout her life and times. With her husband and life partner, Mr. John Grant, also of Harbour Island, now passed on, since 2004, she continues to be surrounded and loved by the four children they were blessed with. On a balmy evening during midMarch, Mrs. Grant sat and chatted with The Eleutheran in the cool of her living room, sharing memories and stories about her life and her family, with a few legends thrown in.

Early days…

Margaret was born to her parents Reverend Edward Wendell Saunders, and Glendina Adele Sawyer Saunders on March 10th, 1937 in New Providence. Her father at that time was

working at the British Colonial Hotel in the downtown area of Nassau city, but Nassau would not be their home for very long. “They brought us home as little girls back to Harbour Island… My mother had thirteen children in all - ten girls and three boys. The older ones had to help my mother with the younger children. I was the third child, one of the older ones, so I had to help, and we had to work hard,” she shared.

Continuing to reminisce, Margaret continued, “My father was a farmer, and he was a gardener. At that time, they had one hotel here on the island, called the Sea View Hotel, and the Little Boarding House, that took care of guests. My father used to bring home stuff from his farm on the Eleuthera mainland - farm produce. We used to go out with trays on our head selling his farm produce. My daddy used to also burn live coals, and I used go selling wood for three cents a bundle, on my head. He also reared pigs, goats and

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Mrs. Margaret Theresa Saunders Grant

(82 yrs.)

BY elizabeth bryan sheep, and would slaughter some from time to time for the family to eat. We would get up early in the morning to watch him. We also had to go over to ‘North side’ for water to wash, to drink, to cook with. A natural well was there and the water was like ice water, with a nice deep well of cool water. We didn’t have running water then, so we would get up early to collect water.”

Smiling at the memory, Mrs. Grant shared a first, saying, “ I remember the first time myself and my two older sisters heard a radio, when my mother had a little radio come from Florida. Electricity had just been put in during the 1950’s. When my daddy plugged it in, we heard the voices talking - and we were going round and round the house looking for the people,” laughed Margaret, as she thought back to new experiences during younger days. “My daddy then said, ‘You can’t see the people, they are just voices’. I was out of school then, so I was about 14 years old.”

“I also used to love hearing my daddy tell the story about how he got converted at the age of 19,” said Margaret, continuing, “He always told us that these missionary ladies came up from Nassau, and there was a little lodge hall down the street, where they were having this Revival, and he said he was a little tipsy at the time (He said: ‘What we used to drink in those days were bay rum and orange soda’). He said he made three attempts to go into the building to get saved, and his friends with him pulled him back the first two times. The third time, he said, they couldn’t keep him back. He went in and got converted, and said he was laid out, like he was in the spirit, and saw a vision, after which he sprung up and started speaking in tongues.” Margaret shared how her daddy wasn’t welcomed home that night, but his mother eventually let him in, and his parents saw a change in him since then, with the first signs being his willingness to help with the heavy lifting around the home without being asked, like chopping the wood, collecting water from the north side of the island, catching a bunch of fish for the house and so on. “From that day until the day he died, he was the same man,” said Margaret. “So we were brought up in a Christian home.”

School days in Briland…

“I went to the All Age school here, and a lady there by the name of Mrs. Francis used to teach me - she’s now deceased, as well as a Mr. Joshua Fisher - also now passed away. From there at about age 10 or 11 my mother transferred us to the St.. Benedict’s Catholic school… all the teachers there were nuns, called the sisters of charity. There was Regina Francis who taught me, also, sister Joseph… We used to do a lot of arithmetic, which I loved and also a lot of drawing. I loved school, back then. I wish I was there now”, quipped Margaret as she smiled, eyes twinkling, with a reminiscent laugh.

She continued, “We would go out for recess, and played games like ‘dutch ball’. There was just one boy in our class at the time, and there was a nice playground to play dutch ball. The one boy would ‘knock us off of our legs’, and we enjoyed that game”, laughed Margaret, at the fun childhood memory brought back into the immediate. “He is now passed away, but he was Mr. Anthony Mather… He was in my class. Later he went off to be a priest at the monastery, and he was there for a while, but, when he came back, he wanted to get married and have a family… He was the only boy in our class then, and we enjoyed him - he was a gentleman.

“At school, they had an upstairs and downstairs. I was upstairs at first with sister Regina, and I was clever, passing all my arithmetic, spelling and other classes, and then they put me downstairs in sister Joseph’s class, and I was there until they graduated me. I wish the school used to further your education a bit more during those days - until you were 16 or 18, but at the age of 14 you had to leave. So, I graduated from there at the age of 14, under sister Joseph. From there we had to work.

We had to go to work to help out our parents.”

An Eleutheran Profile: MRS. MARGARET GRANT

Mrs. Grant surrounded by her sons, Perry (left) and Martin Lee (right).

Mrs. Grant, all dressed up, with her daughters, Violet (left) and Karen (right).

Pink Sands and a party…

In 1951, young Margaret joined the staff at the Pink Sands Resort, where her mother was the Head laundry lady. She started first as a cleaning girl in housekeeping.

“I did that for about a year and a half, and during the next year, on my birthday, March 10th, the lady in charge,

feat u re An Eleutheran Profile Continued from pg. 12 Mrs. Edwards, came and opened the door and she said, ‘Margaret, I hear you are having a birthday’, and I said, ‘yes’. Then she said, ‘Are you having a party?’, and I said, ‘No ma’am’.

Then she said, ‘Well, the staff is getting something together for you at the school’, and I told her, ‘thank you much’. After the party, I was transferred to the dining room. It was a Sunday morning, and I remember it quite well. Myself and another girl by the name of Fredericka Fisher, we went into the dining room, wearing our little white dresses with the sash in the back - setting tables and serving the guests… I was still at Pink Sands when I was married at 22, and continued there for many years, serving in the dining room. I had all my children while working there,” shared Mrs. Grant.

Beau on the contract…

When asked about how she met her husband, Mr. John Allen Wentworth Grant, Mrs. Grant broke out into mirthful laughter, smiling, even blushing a little, before pointing at their wedding photo sitting center of the room for all who walked in to admire. “He was here on the island. He was born here too and we were in school together. He went on the ‘Contract’ at the age of 17, and went on three different trips over there. You know those years. He had to put his age up to go, you know. While he was there, he kept writing to me, back and forth, and he said that when he came back home, he wanted to get married. So we got married on the first day of August in 1959,” smiled Margaret.

Married with kids…

John and Margaret were blessed with four children through their union, two boys and two girls. Their eldest was Perry Grant born

in 1960, followed by Karen Grant (Turnquest), then came Martin Lee Grant, and Violet Grant (Roberts). Margaret’s husband of more than forty years, passed away in 2004, on August 20th. Describing a bit of his life and personality, she shared, “He was a community man, who was appointed as a Justice of the Peace. He was also involved with the Kiwanis, Local Government as well as local Crime Watch, Junkanoo, and Regatta committees - everything,” she smiled. “He worked with Water and Sewerage for a number of years, and was also honored at Government House with the Queen’s Honours… All the family went together with him.” Margaret shared that she was more of the backbone of support behind his giant of a community figure, taking care of the home, and their children and working - while he was also providing for the family - spending many years as an entrepreneur as well, also doing masonry, landscaping and trucking - with the theme, ‘No job too big or small’.

Eventually, after being there for more than 25 years, Mrs. Grant, in her forties, made the move from working at the Pink Sands resort to working as a cook at a private residence called ‘The Grapevine’, where she catered to guests visiting the island. She said she liked the change, getting to work on her own, and after a time, her daughter, Karen teamed up with her. She recalled enjoying doing other little things to make guests feel extra special, like singing and reciting poetry. “My daughter and I would sing for the guests, while they were eating - on the patio, and they enjoyed that,” Margaret smiled.

Church life…

“Right on the corner, the Lighthouse Church of God. I’ve been there all my life… I’ve worked in every department of the church, besides the office,” chuckled Margaret, as she began to speak about her faith, and the role she played in her local church since she was a young girl. “I started off scrubbing the floors, and was also involved in the YPE (Young People’s Endeavour).

“I got saved at the age of thirteen. A missionary came to the island, to our church, during a revival service. He spoke a conviction sermon, and several other young girls and I were there weeping, and we went up to the altar and knelt down, and we gave our hearts to the Lord. From then until now, I’ve been serving God. It wasn’t easy you know, but after knowing God all these years, any time there is a problem, I call on Him, and it’s like releasing a burden… I’ve learned to trust and depend on Him.” “One of my very favorite songs over the years is, ‘I’m glad I counted the cost’, said Margaret, so, on request, she took a short break from the chat, and with a smile of enjoyment serenaded with one melodious verse. She then continued to share, saying, “I also enjoyed taking part in street meeting services, and as a young girl, Bishop Leonard Sweeting was pastoring then. We used to go to Sunday school in the morning, and church. When church was out, we prepared for street meeting in the afternoon, then back to church service that night. I enjoyed every moment of it, until today.”

“After a time I worked along with the women’s ministries as vice president with the Ladies’ Auxiliary there for many years. Now I am one of the mothers of the church. Every third Sunday, we have ladies’ day, and we dress in our favorite colors of red, white or blue… We just had a ladies’ day on Sunday past, and some of the ladies had on red, some had on white and others had on blue. I enjoy that very much…”

She also shared her love of working with her

sister in Christ and best friend, Mrs. Christianna Thompson in the Ladies Auxiliary, now passed on, who had been a role model for her.

Visiting with the elderly and shut ins within the Harbour Island community was one of Margaret’s very favorite activities within the women’s ministries, she said. “I love going out doing home visitations. We have that every Thursday afternoon, where we go to about seven homes - elderly folks, you know. We would read a scripture, and we’d sing and pray. We go from house to house.”

Over the years, Margaret used her skills as a cook to assist, by hosting cooking sales from her home, to raise funds for different ministries.

She was also chosen as ‘Mother of the Year’ in 2000, and received many other awards of recognition for her dedication within her home church.

Advice to young people today The community attitude was very different when she was a young girl shared Margaret, “Back in the day, everyone was on one accord… If I cooked peas n’ rice, whatever we had we passed to our neighbour, and whatever they had they’d pass back to us. People were so loving. Everything now is so… You wonder what has gone wrong…” Her advice to today’s young ones coming up she said was, “I would tell them to do what the Bible says, ‘Seek ye first the kingdom of Heaven, and all these things will be added unto you’. You can’t go wrong when you give your heart to the Lord.

Mind you, you will have obstacles in your way, but once you pray and take it to the Lord, your burden would be released. I have had crosses in my life, and it hasn’t always been easy, but God is always there. Leave it with God, and He will work it out.”

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1-242-395-7691 Lower Bogue, Eleuthera

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CARETAKER NEEDED Mature, hardworking male needed for large property in South Eleuthera. Duties includes but not limited to painting, landscaping and minor plumbing and electrical functions. Clean police record and two references needed. Please fax resume to 326-5020 or email same to (308caretaker@gmail.com).

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EU blacklist: Cooperation or Coercion?

By Sir Ronald Sanders (The writer is Ambassador of Antigua and Barbuda to the United States and the Organisation of American States. He is also a Senior Fellow at the Institute of Commonwealth Studies at the University of London and at Massey College in the University of Toronto. The views expressed are entirely his own) On 12 March, the Council of the 28-nations European Union (EU) placed 15 small territories on a list of what it calls ‘non-cooperative jurisdictions”. What the EU considers these

territories to be “non-cooperative” about reveals the raw exercise of power by the strong over the weak.

In this case, the firm intention of the EU is to impose its tax policies upon other nations through strong-arming.

The language that the EU uses speaks of cooperation, but it sounds more like coercion. The targeted countries must either surrender to the EU’s demands to raise their taxes or face consequences. The EU Council has specifically directed that the EU member states “take the revised EU list of non-cooperative jurisdictions into account” in aid, trade, and financing.

In other words, those territories that do not surrender to EU tax demands will be punished.

According to the EU Council the lower levels of taxation set by over 60 countries harm their revenues. The theory of this unproven contention is that EU countries are losing tax revenues because of the “harmful”, lower tax levels of other countries. Yet, the EU Council has not conducted or published any research to prove its claim.

The EU has operated as if it is enough for its Council and Commission to make this assertion for it to be true.

The claim of ‘harmful tax competi-

tion’ goes back to the late 1990s when the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, (OECD) - the world’s richest countries – blacklisted jurisdictions because they had low tax regimes.

But the EU has decided to launch out on its own because the OECD, pressured from within its own councils and sensitive then to the outcry from small countries, created the Global Forum in an effort to paint a better picture of its selfassumed authority for setting tax rules.

The Global Forum, dominated

by OECD members, includes small countries whose views have to be taken into account, albeit only within the narrow and self-serving framework set by the OECD. But even that limited area of manoeuvre for small states appears to be unacceptable to the EU. Hence, the advent of its own effort to impose its will.

As with all such power plays in international politics, the EU has targeted the weakest and most vulnerable first. If they succeed in bending a large number of small countries to their will, in the fulness of time they can confront more economically resistant countries.

Four Caribbean Community (CARICOM) countries are among the 15 now tarnished by the absurd self-given power by the EU to victimise sovereign states.

The four countries on this list are: Barbados, Belize, Dominica and Trinidad and Tobago. Others would have been included except that their governments have promised the EU that, by the end of 2019, they will “amend or abolish harmful tax regimes”. Among the Caribbean governments that have made this promise, described as a “commitment” by the EU, are: Antigua and Barbuda, St. Kitts-Nevis and St. Lucia.

The Bahamas is named in a separate category of commitment. According to the EU Council, Bahamas has “committed to addressing concerns relating to economic substance in the area of collective investment funds” – whatever that means.

Obviously, it is the EU that has set the criteria for determining “economic substance” and it is the EU that will decide whether

open holidays

any commitment has been met.

The sadness of all this for small countries is that this steady erosion of their rights could have been nipped in the bud.

In the late 1990s, a strong alliance of small states, crying out at the advantage that was being taken of them contrary to international law, caused the OECD, and the EU within it, to pause.

Had they remained resolute in their resistance, the picture may have been different now.

But, the OECD and the EU reset their strategy. They picked-off governments of small countries one by one through different forms of persuasion. The tragicomedy of representatives of governments rushing to Paris and Brussels to sign away their state’s rights played out on a stage of the absurd.

Ministers succumbed and raved to their people that, by agreeing to surrender revenues and jobs, they had shown that their countries were not “tax havens” and they were “fully compliant with international standards” although it was the OECD and the EU not any international body that set the “standards”.

The problem with ceding rights is that it never stops. As Richard Hay of the London-based legal firm, Stikeman Elliot, points out: “Those countries that have accepted EU dictation on design of their domestic laws to avoid being blacklisted Continued On Page 38

A DV I c E

2019

REAL ESTATE:

no pain no gain

By Mike Lightbourn

Here’s an example of how it works.

Is home ownership worth the cost of a mortgage and the maintenance that will be required to keep the property in good condition?

Take a loan of $100,000 at interest of 8.5 percent over a 25-year period: * Monthly payment of $805.30 with 300 payments over 25 years. Total interest cost $141,543.38 * Accelerated Weekly Payments (monthly payment divided by 4) of $201.30 over 19.5 years. Total interest cost of $104,870.44 * Accelerated Bi-Weekly payments of $402.60 over 19.5 years. Total interest cost of $105,036.92.

While many people think it is, others think it will cost less to rent.

While homeownership isn’t cheap, careful planning and understanding the various financing options will give you leverage.

Often overlooked, the most critical ingredient in the process is a well thought out plan.

The first step is to save for a down payment.

Your goal is to use your own money to leverage the purchase. Aim for a 20% down payment.

This may not be easy, but it will reduce the amount you will borrow. And it will cut interest payments (the total cost of the mortgage payments made over the life of the loan) significantly.

Once you have found a lending institution that offers the best rates and terms, sit down with a loan officer and go over the math with them.

I guarantee, you’ll be surprised at how much you can save.

Educate yourself on the various avenues that are available to reduce the cost of a mortgage.

What Do I Mean?

There are other ways to reduce the cost and life of a mortgage besides saving for a down payment of at least 20%.

For instance, if you increase the frequency of mortgage payments, you’ll save a significant sum of money.

February/March, 2019

Get a mortgage that will allow you to make extra payments to reduce the principal amount owed and build equity faster.

Most banks will allow you to make lump sum payments against the principal amount you owe during the loan period.

This will build equity faster by also reducing the life of the loan, which in turn will reduce the amount of interest you end up paying.

Making weekly (or bi-weekly) payments instead of monthly payments is equivalent to making one extra mortgage payment each year and is well worth doing so if your agreement allows it and you can make these extra payments.

CRAFT A BUDGET Are you prepared to make the sacrifice required to own a home?

An insatiable appetite for consumer goods has driven a lot of Bahamians into terrible debt and property foreclosures.

Under government’s payroll reduction scheme, many civil servants have signed away a shocking 75% of their salary.

The bank ceiling for customer loan to debt service ratio is typically 45 percent.

This is the level of cash available for debt servicing on interest and principal payments.

If you want to own a home, you must create a realistic budget and stick to it.

Get pre-approved for a loan so you will know how much home you can afford.

If you fail, draft a realistic plan that will put you on the path to home ownership.

Search for ways to save towards a down payment.

Share a rental with friends or live with your parents, if possible, while you save.

Get a second job if you can.

It all boils down to this: Are you prepared to make the sacrifice?

RENTAL VS: OWNERSHIP It is easier to rent. No question about it. The landlord’s stuck with the cost of maintaining and repairing the property, insurance and property tax.

On the other hand, if the landlord has a mortgage on the property, the tenant is helping to finance the payments, thus building the landlord’s equity in the property.

Over time, the value of the property will increase (perhaps handsomely), if it was bought at the right price and in a desirable location and is properly maintained.

At the end of the day, the landlord will own the property outright, providing security for his or her retirement.

What will the tenant do?

Mike Lightbourn

Questions or comments?

Contact me at info@cbbahamas.com (Mike Lightbourn is president of Coldwell Banker Lightbourn Realty).

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“12u baseball” bahamas nationals

Coming to Eleuthera in June

Pictured: Children participating in the Eleuthera Junior Baseball League (EJBL) regular season play, during mid-March in Tarpum Bay, South Eleuthera (teams shown are the Tarpum Bay Tigers - fielding, and the Palmetto Point Twin City Legends - batting.

BY The eleutheran news team

The summer of 2019 will see Eleuthera playing host to the 12U Junior Baseball Nationals according to the Eleuthera Junior Baseball League (EJBL)President, Larry Forbes. “This should be big time for Eleuthera this year,” expressed Forbes, during one of the games of the ongoing regular EJBL season in mid-March on the field in Tarpum Bay, where the teams from Tarpum Bay and Palmetto Point were in a competitive battle. Tarpum Bay up to that weekend had lost none of their three regular games, and Palmetto Point had lost just one game.

It’s going to be very exciting,” he said about the National tournament which is set to take place from June 20th to June 23rd, 2019 featuring teams from Abaco, Grand Bahama,

New Providence and Bimini in addition to Eleuthera.

The four sides now battling it out for dominance in the local EJBL 12U division are from Tarpum Bay, Palmetto Point, Rock Sound, and Governor’s Harbour.

The EJBL has ten teams on the roster this season, shared President Forbes, four in the 12U division, two teams in the 13 to 15 division, two teams in T-Ball, and another two teams in Coach Pitch. Coach Pitch and T-Ball divisions are just getting going this year, explained Mr. Forbes, so games played with those divisions are currently being done as showcase games.

The visiting Palmetto Point Twin City Legends in their dugout getting ready to take on the Tarpum Bay Tigers!

All smiles in the Tarpum Tigers dugout, between innings.

Eleuthera Wins Bahamas Young Chef Junior High Culinary Competition: Jr. chefs impress judges with locally grown ingredients infused in dishes

Kristen Ingraham, a 9th grade student of Preston H. Albury High School in South Eleuthera, competed in and won the top spot at this year’s 27th Annual Bahamas Young Chef Culinary Competition in the Junior Division, hosted at the Anatol Rodgers High School in New Providence, on Wednesday, March 13th, 2019.

Following her win, young Kristen described her experience with a smile, saying, “I was very nervous when the judges came around and inspected my area, but when it came down to the finals, I won!

I did a Cassava Rice with Honey Conch, and a Zucchini Cake with Guava and Dilly

filling, with a marshmallow topping.”

About cooking in general, Kristen shared, “It’s something I really enjoy doing, and it’s also a hobby for me. I cook a lot at home as well.”

The competition was judged by five local and international chefs, who were said to have been very impressed by the creations from the eleven competing junior high students, commending them on their creative and colorful presentations.

As the overall winner in the junior division, Kristen walked away with a $650 cash prize, and a trophy.

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March/April, 2019

MOT - Throws a Party - Reignites

People-to-People - all during Visitor Arrivals Uptick

BY The eleutheran news team

MOT team having a moment of fun during the 2019 Second Homeowners Reception hosted at the Buccaneer Restaurant in Governor’s Harbour.

Buccaneer Restaurant, in the heart of Governor’s Harbour, was the chosen venue for this year’s Annual Second Homeowners Reception, hosted by the Ministry of Tourism (MOT). The Reception event which began more than twenty years ago, was said to be a way to express appreciation to second home owners for the confidence shown in their choice to invest and live in The Bahamas, with all the other choices available worldwide. Dozens

of home owners came together to enjoy the two-hour party thrown in their honor, on Thursday afternoon, March 7th, 2019, which began at 4pm.

“I think the evening went wonderfully,” said MOT Manager, Ms. Jacqueline Gibson, commenting on the afternoon fun.

She added, “We were appreciative for the partnerships - like NUA Insurance and Bristol Cellars and of course to Buccaneer Club for hosting us… I’m also so appre-

ciative to our amazing team - who worked really hard to make this happen. We wanted to infuse as much local culture and people into this event. We had the live band that really made a difference. We wanted to say to our second homeowners, those who contribute, that we appreciate what you do, and we want to encourage you to continue doing whatever you can.”

There was a lot to see and partake in.

Vendors partnering with the Ministry of Tourism during the event with booths displaying Eleutheran goods, services, and experiences, included the Leon Levy Native Plant Preserve (LLNPP) - with information about their national park experience and membership opportunities; Octis Organics - with entrepreneur Calae Burrows who showcased her natural bush teas, salt body scrubs, sauces, and other gifts; NUA Insurance - with local agents and giveaways highlighted their products and services; Bristol Cellars - was there with wines for tasting and specials on offer; Sherelle Wallace - a local author showcased a variety of her books, novelettes and poetry; Susan Culmer of Graceful-lily Designs had not just her unique

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Mr. and Mrs. Roth, visitors to the island, enjoying the Ministry of Tourism’s Reception event.

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Bernadette Bastian (People-to-People), with Tourism Manager, Jacqueline Gibson.

The talented Ms. Higgs from the Harbour Island Tourism team, serenading reception guests.

Calae Burrows of Octis Organics showcasing her organic line of teas, spices and sauces.

Island Flavour band, enticing guests onto the dance floor.

Heidi Johnson, Levy Preserve Manager, with assistant, Brittany, showcasing the National Park’s offerings.

Kathy Berner (in black), former Eleuthera Cancer Society president with Mr. Berner and friends.

Local author, Sherelle Wallace had a bevy of her books, novelettes and poetry on display..

Continued from Page. 18 shell and pink sand jewelry on show, but also offered tastes of a number of different flavors of freshly brewed bush teas; and master artisan, Emily Munnings had her authentic designer straw bags and other designer crafts on display. The Island Flavour band entertained the audience, with sweet Bahamian music and talented local singer, Myckell Higgs from the Ministry of Tourism’s office in Harbour Island, took up the mic to serenade the party-goers.

The Eleuthera Tourism office was well represented, with Eleuthera Tourism Manager, Jacqueline Gibson; Training Manager, Debo-

rah Fox; Asst. Tourism Manager, Glenda Johnson; Karen Bethel and Donnalee Miller as very gracious hosts, who were supported by their colleagues from the Tourism Office in Harbour Island. Bernadette Bastian, with the MOT’s People-to-People program in New Providence was also present, having just completed a training session earlier in the week with new volunteers to the People-to-People program in Eleuthera.

Expanding further on their efforts to reignite the People-to People program on island, Ms. Gibson, said, “This time for the first time

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windermere hs renames Auditorium Honoring Dr. Walter M. Gibson and announces School’s New Focus

Pictured: Moments after the unveiling of the plaque, family, friends and community members gathered for a commemorative photo marking the naming of the WHS Auditorium as the Walter M. Gibson Auditorium.

Windermere High School (WHS), on Saturday, March 23rd, 2019, formally renamed their auditorium located at the center of the school’s campus grounds, the Walter M. Gibson Auditorium during a brief ceremony. Dr. Walter Marlow Gibson, who had been the Chairman of the WHS Board of Directors, passed away on January 24th, 2019.

Before the renaming ceremony, friends, family, alumni and community members attended a memorial service held at the Wesley Methodist church in Savannah Sound to honour the life and memory of Dr. Gibson at 11am on Saturday morning. Following the memorial, those in attendance made their way to the Windermere High School campus, where Dr. Gibson’s widow, Mrs. Sandra Gibson, and his daughter, Dr. Lauren Gibson, unveiled a plaque commemorating the auditorium in Dr. Gibson’s name.

Acting Principal at Windermere High School, Mr. Limerick, during the plaque unveiling ceremony, announced that a number of other changes were also taking place at the school, in efforts to expand their offerings to both current and incoming students, saying, “Starting in September, we intend to provide the grade seven children with internet access, and we want to do some more exciting classroom programs…. We have some online programs we want to introduce, including Math, Literature, Spanish and already existing programs, apart from what we hope to develop - proper programs in Agriculture, Home Economics, Music, and other foreign languages… So we are going to focus on the incoming students, and we are going to make sure that what we offer

the incoming grade seven students is a wider variety that can be offered anywhere else on the island.” The school has partnered with a local virtual education program provider, out of New Providence, Global Conversations Development Center, said Mr. Limerick, to realize the upgrade in its online offerings.

He continued, adding, “However, we are also going to focus on providing pre-college training for our kids. We currently have our grade elevens completing their BGCSE’s, so, when they get into grade 12, there are all kinds of advanced programs we want to be focused on - We want to focus on an AP program. We also want to deal with the SAT/ACT Prep - we are going to run that locally. This school is actually the center for Eleuthera for all the programs from the College Board. So, we will provide those, starting with the PSAT’s, and the SAT’s, and the AP programs. We currently have a very qualified staff. We are able, from the staff we have to source at least three programs. But, because we are going to be heavily focused on online education, we can also access teacher resources, for example, from the University of the Bahamas (UB). We already have one of the UB lecturers who works along with us in providing those programs.”

Dr. Barry McCartney, Acting Chairman of the WHS Board of Directors - both friend and colleague of the late Dr. Walter M. Gibson, was also on island for the memorial service and auditorium renaming ceremony.

Following the ceremony, in his capacity with the Board, Dr. McCartney commented on upcoming changes to the Board, the direction of new initiatives at the school, some of

the challenges faced, and the timeline for the new initiatives and projects at WHS. “I’ve been on the Board with Dr. Gibson since 2000, and with his passing, the baton has been passed to me to carry it on. So, I’m actually now the Acting Chairman of the Board. We are currently reconstituting a new Board, because some people have retired, while others are now passed on, so, we are bringing in some new blood with new ideas. We will be making a final announcement by the end of the month. So there will be some new faces, and a lot of new ideas to Windermere.

“We are going to be introducing a new program, particularly the AP (Advanced ) program. We want to accelerate our kids getting to do BJC’s and BGCSE’s, and getting them prepared for college. So, we are going

to have new, accelerated programs coming on. We are going to be using virtual learning technology as well. So, there are more contact learning hours with the students. It’s going to be very student centered, and with more contact hours, I’m sure we are going to see better grades, better pass rates, and overall better students.

“The biggest challenge has been funding.

We have tried to keep the school fees reasonable, so that wouldn’t be an impediment for parents sending their children here. So we are looking for more sponsorship. We are looking for more revenue producing programs, in the way of extramural and vocational studies for adult education. So we will use the campus for more money generating programs, and we think that will bolster the finances of the school significantly.

“We are also looking at getting more teachers. We want to get a chapel built, also more dormitories, and more classrooms. So, there is a lot of infrastructure development that we intend to do. Big projects, but we can make it happen. We are committed.

“We are looking within the year to see significant changes in the curriculum. By the beginning of the next school year, we are going to announce those ahead of time. The infrastructural improvements, certainly within five years, we are hoping to achieve all of those.

A memorial service was hosted at the Wesley Methodist church in Savannah Sound to honour the life of Dr. Walter M. Gibson. Evangelist Shirley Burrows, shown below, was one of a number of people offering tributes about his life.

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March/April, 2019

(NHI)

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at the end of January 2019.

The original draft policy proposal outlined in the “National Health Insurance: Our Shared Responsibility” policy paper, was grounded on three fundamental elements: (1) Establishing a Standard Health Benefit: Developing a national minimum standard of health care coverage that all Bahamians would be entitled to with no co-payments or deductibles. (2) Creating a Private Health Insurance Mandate for Employed Persons: Mandating those of working age to

have private health insurance from their employer, sharing the cost of coverage between employers and employees in a fair and equitable manner. (3) Enabling Affordability and Access through a National Risk Pool: Establishing a system that allows for fundamental protections to all Bahamians, including guaranteed coverage regardless of pre-existing health status and a common premium rate for all.

The amended paper was said to have affirmed that Bahamians overwhelmingly support the implementation of Universal Health Coverage in the country and it addressed a number of concerns. For those questioning how their current private insurance might be affected, the paper asserted that, “Existing private health insurance plans will be strengthened by the expansion of NHI Bahamas through the elimination of copays and deductibles for the Standard Health Benefit. The establishment of a standard premium rate will allow for significant protections for Bahamians, making it difficult for existing plans to be negatively impacted.”

Some of the other concerns addressed included, affordability or people’s capacity to pay, the benefits package, the implementation and logistics, as well as the proposal’s impact on the ease of doing business in the country.

In addressing individual affordability, two outcomes were aimed for; 1)

Police Month 2019 Activities Hosted Throughout Eleuthera The Eleuthera Division of the Royal Bahamas Police Force (RBPF) hosted a month of special events geared towards continuing to bridge the gap between the community and the police during March 2019.

Activities were planned to take place in communities throughout The Eleutheras, beginning on March 2nd, with a Fun-Run-Walk on the Saturday morning with community members and police coming together beginning the walk at the Cancer Society’s Wellness Center in Palmetto Point, and ending it at Bayfront park in Governor’s Harbour, with a souse-out and prize-giving fun.

On Tuesday, March 5th, the Rock Sound Police Station in partnership with Clara Young and Leo Ferguson of the Weymss Bight Homecoming Committee, visited the Weymss Bight community and supervised the removal of 27 derelict vehicles. Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Frank Neilly, commented on the exercise, saying, “Removal of derelict vehicles within communities helps the police in their crime fighting efforts as criminals can conceal drugs and firearms in such vehicles…

This initiative also helps the environment as it relates to the spread of rodents.” Feedback

from the Wemyss Bight community, he said, was very positive.

Efforts then moved north, on March 7th, with police in Spanish Wells taking on a community team in friendly games of volleyball, beginning at 4pm on the Thursday afternoon. The fun-filled match was said to have been enjoyed by all, with the locals welcoming the partnership and social interaction. The police team competing won against the local line-up. Thanks were given to Sgt. Brown, who spearheaded the initiative, along with Inspector Farquharson and ASP Rolle, for their support and leadership.

Police officers and civilian staff of the Eleuthera Police then visited Harvest Time Tabernacle on Sunday, March 10th, and worshipped together with the community of Hatchet Bay, followed by a softball tournament hosted at Twin-City arena park in Palmetto Point on Saturday, March 16th. The action moved to Harbour Island on Saturday, March 23rd, where officers of the RBPF, Eleuthera Division, took to the basketball court, commemorating 179 years of service in the Bahamas as a Force.

The basketball games were hosted

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Above & Left: NHI Managing Director and CEO, Graham Whitmarsh presenting on the revamped NHI program, and fielding audience questions at the town meeting in Rock Sound.

To lower the burden for those who are the most financially challenged; and 2) To fairly distribute the cost to those who can afford it. So, the amended paper recommended that the eligible wage deduction be lowered from 2.0% of income to 1.5% of income. Further, it proposed to eliminate the 50% of the premium cap maxing out at the median wage. This would allow employers to deduct up to 100% of the premium for high wage earners at no more than 1.5% of income per month… Also, to improve individual affordability, the paper stated that there will be no co-payments and no deductibles for Standard Health Benefits under NHI Bahamas. It also highlighted that, “Bahamians who do not work will not make contributions. This includes seniors and the young. These individuals will access services through NHI Bahamas free of charge.”

With respect to the benefits package, given the feedback received by stakeholders, NHIA proposed to add all paediatric cancers to the Standard Health Benefit, with paediatric congenital conditions and a priority list of additional conditions to be investigated for further adoption in subsequent years of the programme. With NHI Bahamas, all children, it said, under the age of 12 would be fully covered for cancer care.

The proposed timeline for the implementation of NHI has been adjusted with a start date for both large and small employers of July 1, 2020. This pushes the start date for large employers back six months from the initial proposal, and brings the start date forward for small employers by that same amount. The rationale for this, said the paper, was to simplify the administration of the programme. “We believe this provides ample time for all businesses and the insurance industry to prepare for these changes. A single start date makes sense logistically from an administration perspective and makes it easier on the business community… Also, for small businesses, we will be increasing the small business turnover exemption to $250,000 annually, up from $100,000 annually that was originally proposed. This will allow more businesses, particularly small family businesses or start-ups, to be exempt from contributing the full premium rate. These businesses will contribute $250 per employee per annum.”

Another change highlighted was the proposal to introduce a tax on sugary drinks, the funds from which would be used to introduce a national wellness program to promote healthy living across the

country.

Facilitating the town meetings were, NHI Managing Director and CEO, Graham Whitmarsh, and NHI Board Member, Leyvon Miller. They presented on the proposed plan for NHI, and fielded questions, while other NHI team members accompanying the facilitators were available on-site at each meeting to register new members with NHI on the spot, and also provided more detailed information with flyers, and other reading materials.

Some of the questions voiced by community members attending the NHI meetings in Eleuthera focused on residents’ concern about the cost of NHI to individuals, whether or not the program would impact the kind of health services available currently on the island and how, what was covered under NHI, whether it would have an impact on current private health insurance plans and many others.

To read more on the amended policy paper, visit the following link online: (https://www.nhibahamas.gov.bs/wpcontent/uploads/NHI_Public-ConsultationPaper.pdf) or visit the NHI website at www. nhibahamas.gov.bs.

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‘through APRIL 2019 Surf Camp Scholarship... highlights in MARCH 2019 April 10-14 - Eleuthera...All That Jazz 2019 5 days of different events all over the island

Wednesday 10th April, 2019 An Afternoon of Jazz at The Other Side, Whale Point, North Eleuthera - 4:30pm – 7:30pm - Ticket Price $100 per person

Thursday 11th April, 2019 Jazz Vespers, St. Patrick’s Church, Governor’s Harbour 5:15pm start - Admission free: Inspirational music from the classic jazz repertoire. 5:15.6pm.

Jazz in the Harbour at ‘1648’ Bar & Grille – French Leave in Governor’s Harbour 7:30pm – 9:30pm (Cover charge $20)

Friday 12th April, 2019 Jazz at the Fish Fry – at the Hayne’s Library at the Fish Fry, Governor’s Harbour 7:15pm – 9:15pm, Admission free.

Meeting the Instrument An Educational Session for Local Residential Children and Adults – Visitors Welcome - 10am-2pm at the Haynes Library

Saturday 13th April, 2019 Eleuthera….All That Jazz Concert at The Levy Preserve – Ticketed Event - 6 :15pm– 7pm Drinks Reception; 7:!5 – 9:45pm Concert begins.

Tickets for the Eleuthera….All That Jazz concert at The Levy Preserve are: $80 advance purchase / $100 on the door

Sunday 14th April, 2019 TipTop Sunday Lunchtime Concert – NEW LOCATION This year the Sunday Lunchtime Concert will take place in a new location – Cotton Bay at TipTop Hosted by Mr and Mrs William Douglas. 11:30-3:30pm Sunday lunch jazz concert on the beach – $160 advance purchase / $175 on the door.

For further information email eleutheraallthatjazz@gmail. com. Check our FB page and website www.eleutheraallthatjazz.com for updates.

April 20 - Easter Yoga at the Leon Levy Native Plant Preserve April 28 - Special Olympics Bocci National Tournament - at CTI (Exuma, Nassau, Abaco, Grand Bahama, and Eleuthera competing) May 4 - Catch Jerry Chile To participate in the upcoming 7th Annual ‘Catch Jerry Chile’ Fun Run/Walk fundraiser event this year, which will take place on Saturday, May 4th, 2019, application forms can be found at JC Discount. The normal registration fee, which includes a t-shirt is $20 - and this year, participants are invited to add as much as they would like to that fee - in light of the need for increased fundraising in line with this year’s larger target project.

Holidays and Observance Days: Friday, April 19 - Good Friday Sunday, April 21 - Easter Sunday Monday, April 22 - Easter Monday

APRIL 18 - 22 HOMECOMINGS - James’ Cistern Heritage Affair, - Lower Bogue Homecoming, - and the Rock Sound Homecoming April 27 - National Park Day - celebrated on Eleuthera by the Bahamas National Trust at the Leon Levy Native Plant Preserve (See Ad on Page7)

School EVENTS April 4 & 5 - All Eleuthera High

School Track and Field Championships in Rock Sound.

April 12 - Governor General’s Day Off for all Central/North Eleuthera District public schools.

Bahamas Out Island Adventures 14th Annual Surf Camp Scholarship.

One full scholarship to the outdoorcentric camp based near Gregory Town’s Surfer’s Beach is being offered for Teen Week, beginning June 24. Candidates should be between the ages of 13-17, possess a desire to learn to surf or surf more, love the ocean and be a decent swimmer.

This scholarship can be used for the day or overnight camp. Now in its 14th year BOA’s Surf Camp will feature its usual activity-packed days.

Interested persons please do reach out to Tom G. at 1242 809 4653 or tom@bahamasadventures.com

FREE - Quilting Classes (WEEKLY) Pineapple Quilters Thursdays from 10am to 1pm For more information, Contact Stirlene Morley Tel: 334-4287/470-3694!

CONTACT

April 12 - Emma E. Cooper Primary

School Fair April 12 - Preston Albury to celebrate their teacher of the year, Tamika Rahming.

April 15 -19: Schools Closed for Easter

Break April 23 - Schools reopen (Final Term)

The Eleutheran Newspaper at 422-9350 or send email to services@theeleutheran.com,

to have your community notices and events listed.

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Master, and was supported by her colleagues in both the Governor’s Habour and Harbour Island Offices. Judges for the event included Nickal Symonette, Sherrin Cooper, Stephanie Bethel, Glenda Ingraham, and Tania Hutchinson.

Left: Contest Master, Mrs. Deborah Fox (left), presents a plaque of recognition to Eleuthera’s Jr. Director of Tourism for 2018, Ms. Oriana Carey (center), , with Ms. Jacqueline Gibson, Tourism Manager (right), as she passes the baton on to, new 2019 winner, Ms. Equoia Gibson.

Right: 11th grade competitors in the 2019 Bahamas Junior Minister of Tourism Speech Competition from schools across the island, stand with their coaches and parents.

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from 11am until 6pm, starting with Harbour Island All Age school Warriors versus North Eleuthera Falcons. The police section, North, Harbour Island, Central and South, also played a battle of 3 on 3. Later in the day, Harbour Island seniors played amongst each other and the final game was the police combined team versus Harbour Island Sammie’s Boys. “All in all it was a great turn out and supported by members of the community.

The unification was evident amongst officers, families and friends,” said ASP Neilly, adding, “All participants received trophies and medals to honor their involvement which were distributed by our very own Chief Superintendent Stephen Adderley, along with Member of Parliament for North Eleuthera, Mr. Ricky Mackey.”

In The Photos: Some of the scenes of Police Month which included those of the community sports, clean-ups, church service and funrun-walk shown.

CON S E R VAT IO N COR N E R 27 Supporting Roots in Eleuthera: The Island School’s Local Farmers Project 2019

March/April

Like many countries around the world, The Bahamas is suffering from food insecurity. The Food and Agriculture Organisation defines food insecurity as a lack of reliable access to a sufficient quantity of affordable, nutritious food. According to Williams College, The Bahamas spends $107 million every year on food imports, making up 90% of all of the food consumed. There are many difficulties associated with this extremely heavy reliance on imports, including high costs of imported food, high levels of competition for local farmers, a large carbon footprint, and greater vulnerability to hurricanes and other events causing import delays.

The detrimental impacts of this reliance on imports are especially felt on Eleuthera, where imported food has replaced much of the agricultural industry. As a result, the number of farmers on Eleuthera decreased and food on average, in our experience, is 33% more expensive on Eleuthera than it is in Nassau. This means that there is less produce being grown on Eleuthera and the food that is available is less affordable.

The Island School has also been suffering from food insecurity. The Island School consumes approximately ninety-eight tons of food each year, feeding 150-200 people each day. However, last Autumn the organization redoubled its efforts to reduce food imports and invest more in local communities with the launch of the Local Farmers Project. Our goal is to source half of our food from Bahamian farms and growers within five years.

This shift will increase our investment in the local economy, decrease the negative environmental impacts of importing food grown around the world, and provide our community with healthier (and tastier!) food.

Looking to the future, if large organizations like The Island School begin purchasing more local food, financial support for farming on Eleuthera could return. Money spent on a case of sweet peppers from Bahamas Food Service (owned by Sysco), a commonly used global food distributor, leaves the country quickly. Money spent on delicious sweet peppers from an Eleutheran farm goes to the farmer and his employees,

Above: Diane “Lady Di” Thompson, with Katlin Tilly. of The Island School.

Above: Beautiful produce like this cabbage is plentiful on Lady Di’s farm near Gregory Town, Eleuthera.

Above: Edrin Symonette shows students from The Island School around his farm in South Eleuthera and teaches them about the different produce he grows.

and then to the employees’ landlords, local shop owners, and so on. Investing in Eleutheran farmers can help build stronger, more stable farming businesses with more employees. A stable farming industry on Eleuthera could give farmers old and young the confidence that growing food here can be a viable livelihood.

The Island School is actively seeking to build dependable business relationships with farmers to buy produce, meat, dairy, eggs, and grains.

The organization welcomes partnerships with

new farmers while also strengthening current relationships. Due to storage limitations The Island School can only accept specific amounts of produce weekly. In order to discuss these opportunities and logistics, please contact The Island School’s kitchen team at kitchenteam@ islandschool.org or by phone at 242 334 8551.

For more information on the project please contact The Center for Sustainable Development at info@csdbahamas.org or visit our campus.

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chased from the private seller, including the southernmost point of the property, will be conveyed to the Government of The Bahamas for conservation and a national park.

Core elements of the proposed project include low density development and sustainable design, public access and economic opportunities for Bahamians.

In response to his announcement, environmental groups, BREEF (Bahamas Reef Environment Educational Foundation), reEarth, Save the Bays and Waterkeepers released the following statement on Monday, March 11th, 2019: “We are very disappointed that such a signing was made in the dead of night, but we are pleased that Disney and the Government have confirmed that no construction will take place at Lighthouse Point until the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is prepared, reviewed, and approved.

“It is our expectation that Disney will prepare a world class environmental assessment consistent with the best US and international standards, and that Disney and the Government will engage in a transparent and public process reviewing the EIA on the impact of the proposed project at this internationally recognised, very special space.

“We are looking forward to the open public consultations that will be carried out as a component of this EIA, as this issue is of extreme importance to Bahamians in Eleuthera and throughout the country.”

Following the tabling of the HOA with Disney in Parliament on Wednesday, March 20th, Bahamian environmental groups, after further review of the details, expressed deep concern with the terms of the HOA tabled, saying, “The HOA reveals the proposed project is much larger and potentially more damaging than previously described.

It sidesteps promises of full access to the site for Bahamians and raises new troubling questions about the economic

In The Photos: (Above) Prime Minister, The Most Honourable Dr. Hubert Minnis addressed a full house at the EACC in Tarpum Bay in March, during a town meeting, in which he announced the signing of an HOA with Disney for the Lighthouse Point port project, and a number of other initiatives on island. (Left) The PM took time after the meeting to speak with a number of local residents one-on-one.

benefits for the country.”

The group called for a full review of the Lighthouse Point project, stating that the HOA described a high-impact project,”As a prerequisite to the furtherance of the HOA, environmental groups call upon Disney to prepare a worldclass, environmental impact assessment (EIA), including consideration of alternatives and economic analyses open to public review and consultations.

“In September 2018, Disney issued its so-called “Economic Development Project for South Eleuthera,” assuring Bahamians LHP would be used for lowdensity purposes “like beach chairs, umbrellas and small support structures.” The HOA, however, embraces a huge infrastructure project that will forever change the area’s landscape.

The agreement also makes public for the first time a 50-year lease of the sea bed for Disney’s more half-mile-long $250 million pier - a “bridge-to-nowhere”. Importantly, Disney reserves the right to seek permits to do whatever is necessary to construct the pier and cruise port marina.

The group also called into question the “Economic Vitality” promised, highlighting four major areas of concern, saying, “Under the terms of the HOA, Bahamians will be severely curtailed in their economic access to passengers and will not experience anything resembling the promised “economic vitality” that captured the imagination of South Eleutherans.

“Revenues are Untouchable. Remarkedly, the HOA pledges to Disney that its LHP revenues will never be taxed in any form. It further exempts Disney from the payment of real property taxes for 20 years, such exemption thereafter renewable every 10 years.

“Where’s the Evidence of Economic Benefit? The HOA cites an Oxford Eco-

nomics study commissioned by Disney asserting that Bahamian GDP would grow by hundreds of millions of dollars over the next 25 years, but this report has since been characterized as “proprietary” and protected from public scrutiny.

“Jobs, what Jobs? As for Disney’s promise of 150 jobs, why is the public supposed to be satisfied with that unenforceable target while we are told that Disney will bring as many as 20,000 passengers per week to Lighthouse Point? Disney will decide who gets hired and from what country at the detriment of Bahamian labour.

“Access and Commercial Opportunity: Bahamians will only be allowed to use the property and the sea around it, subject to the sole discretion of Disney with respect to every imaginable activity.

As such, Bahamian entrepreneurs will be sharply curtailed; and the rights of Bahamians to fish and use the waters around Lighthouse Point will be restricted.

The group concluded, “The HOA makes clear the significance of this decision on the future of Lighthouse Point. The people of the Bahamas deserve no less than a fully-informed meaningful public process to determine whether to proceed with such a massive project at such a special place.”

The statement released by the Office of the Prime Minister, after the March 9th town meeting in South Eleuthera, about the HOA they had signed with Disney, was as follows: “Prime Minister the Most Hon. Dr. Hubert Minnis announced today that the Government of The Bahamas has signed a Heads of Agreement with Disney Island Development Ltd for a proposed Cruise Port and entertainment facility at Lighthouse Point, Bannerman Town, South Eleuthera.

The development has a projected investment of between $250m and $400m.

Disney has completed acquisition of the property from the private seller. Approximately 190 acres of the land purchased from the private seller, including the southernmost point of the property, will be conveyed to the Government of The Bahamas for conservation and a national park. The appraised value of the land donation is $6.29 million.

Core elements of the proposed project include

low density development and sustainable design, public access and economic opportunities for Bahamians.

Prime Minister Minnis made the announcement during a Town Hall Meeting to update the island’s residents on the government’s mid-year budget statement and the 30th Inter-Sessional CARICOM meeting recently held in St. Kitts and Nevis.

Under the Heads of Agreement, DCL will ensure a minimum of 120 Bahamians will be employed directly during the construction of the project.

Disney also has committed to aim for an overall ratio of 80 percent Bahamian workers to 20 percent non-Bahamian workers during the life of the construction phase of the project. This is subject to qualified labor being available and the need to ensure the highest level of technical compliance with international standards DCL will also create as many as 150 permanent, sustainable jobs with health benefits in a range of positions for Bahamians once construction is completed.

The development will provide a variety of en-

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Continued from Page. 28 trepreneurial opportunities for residents of Eleuthera and Bahamians in general.

DCL will partner with agencies to develop training and professional development programs, including the LIM Maritime Academy, Access Accelerator (Small Business Development Center) and the Hospitality Institute of the University of The Bahamas.

Space must be provided for Bahamian vendors on the property for the sale of authentic, high quality Bahamian retail goods, services, souvenirs, arts and crafts, Bahamian T-shirts and other merchandise.

Disney must also give priority to Bahamian owners and operators to provide port adventures for DCL guests while its ships are in port, and will seek to use Bahamian entertainers.

Other elements of the project include the integration of Bahamian cultural and artistic expression into the design of the site and experiences offered.

Disney also will provide all citizens and residents of The Bahamas with access to the property for non-commercial purposes and will collaborate with Government and local communities to meaningfully contribute to initiatives that meet community needs, with a special focus on children and families.

This includes assisting with local schools, assisting with identifying and enhancing tourist heritage sites in South Eleuthera and exploring opportunities to improve medical facilities that

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Above: PM Minnis speaks with local business owners, Erica and John Carey, proprietors of Seaside Breeze in Tarpum Bay, during the town meeting at the EACC.

serve the residents of south and central Eleuthera.

DCL also intends to increase the number of its ships’ calls at the Port of Nassau and/or the Port of Freeport by 30-40 percent over the number of calls made by DCL ships in 2018.

Construction of the project will not begin until the Environmental Impact Assessment and Environmental Management Plan are reviewed and approved.

“The Government of The Bahamas is satisfied that it made the best decision in the interest of the Bahamian people, a sustainable future for the people of Central and South Eleuthera and the economic development of the country,” said Prime Minister Minnis.

“The implementation of this project supports the government’s plan of expanding the economy of our country and economic opportunities for our people by promoting development in the Family Islands.”

The Government notes Disney’s record of environmental stewardship and will ensure that the project is implemented in a manner which safeguards the environment and is in the interests of the people of The Bahamas.” (Office of the Prime Minister, March 9th, 2019)

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feature

Dame Marguerite Pindling.

Not a beat missed as the 86 year old GG visits South, Central & North Poised, engaging and elegant, the articulate Governor General of The Bahamas, Her Excellency Dame Marguerite Pindling, in February and March made two full two-day trips to Eleuthera, including Harbour Island and Spanish Wells, visiting schools, the elderly and meeting with community and local government leaders and officials throughout the length of the island on February 27th and 28th, and again on March 5th and 6th.

During the first two-day trip on Wednesday, February 27th and Thursday, February 28th, warm welcomes were extended in both South Eleuthera and Central Eleuthera, during visits to Preston H.Albury High School on

the Wednesday, and Central Eleuthera High School on Thursday. The elderly within the districts were also invited to meet with Her Excellency at St.. Luke’s Anglican Church in Rock Sound, South Eleuthera, and at St..

Patrick’s Parish Hall in Governor’s Harbour during her South and Central Eleuthera visit.

Her first stop on Wednesday morning was at the Preston H. Albury High School (PHAHS) in Rock Sound, South Eleuthera, where public schools in the South Eleuthera District converged to meet and greet the Governor General. All five of the public Continued On Page 31

In The Photos: (Above) Her Excellency, Dame Marguerite Pindling, during her visit to South Eleuthera on Thursday, February 26th, 2019, was treated to a variety of presentations of Bahamian culture, with songs, chorale speaking and skits performed by children from the public primary schools in the South Eleuthera District. Each school lavished her with thoughtful gifts, including a framed portrait of Her Excellency, presented by the host Preston H. Albury High School.

(Left): Dozens of photos were snapped as Her Exellency posed with every single student from the primary schools, and each grade level of the high school during her South Eleuthera visit. On the left Administrators, principals and local leaders, strike a pose with Her Excellency.

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primary schools in South Eleuthera, including: Deep Creek Primary, Wemyss Bight Primary, Green Castle Primary, Rock Sound Primary and Tarpum Bay Primary, joined high school students at PHAHS to celebrate Dame Marguerite Pindling’s visit. At the special assembly, which began at 9am, each school presented a unique performance that represented a part of Bahamian culture, through songs, choral speaking and skits, which the Governor General appeared to thoroughly enjoy.

She then addressed the body of students gathered, telling them briefly about her early start on the island of Andros, and

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how, now at the age of 86, she could personally identify with items like the rock oven - highlighted in one of the cultural presentations, as she had encountered it during her early days.

Dame Pindling, continued her address, offering the students four tips for life. She advised them to seek wisdom through their education, as it would serve as a foundation for all that they would do throughout their lives. Secondly, she asked that they be gentle in both their words and actions, letting their beauty come from a gentle and quiet spirit - saying Continued On Page 40

In The Photos: In South Eleuthera,

Her Excellency met with Elderly residents at St.. Luke’s Anglican; accepted more gifts, including a straw bag, presented by Charlie Strachan, greeted students warmly and was escorted proudly by uniformed officers on motorcycle. (Left) Students express their glee at the announcement of the day off granted to the district in honour of Her Excellency’s visit.

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Celebrating Excellence at North Eleuthera HS HONOR ROLL 2018/2019 PRINCIPAL’S LIST (3.50-4.00 GPA) Michaella Lockhart, Tashae Brown, Mahalia Lockhart and Christianna Wallace.

HONOR ROLL (3.00-4.00 GPA) Damari Johnson, Cilnus Meteze, Alexandria Culmer, Kyle Collins, Mona Toussaint, Ronisha Petit-Homme, Breonna Strachan, Arianna Dean, Lauryn McSweeney, Shontavia Cash, Rodgeno Albury, Sanchez Albury, Ashanti Hudson, Kendal Gibson, Nyeka Tador, Paulsen Paul, Sherlinda Ladresse, Gabrielle Thompson, Jerold Kelly, Wendez Bullard, Asmine Dervilien, Brivian Johnson, Kelly-Ann Mckenzie, Yasmeen Munroe, Mark Bullard, and Don Johnson.

RISING STARS Tiana Dean, Layla Isaacs, Mikayla Carey, Crystal Petit-Frere, Maleah Scott, Sherlestina Denave, Whitline Ti Paul, Terez Brooks, Jeffery Aristide, Ernie Kelly, Warrae Hudson, Natalie Newbold, Celeste Pinder, Allyanna Henry, Philip Carusi, Sierra Farrington, Julisa Johnson, Kaitlin Johnson, The North Eleuthera High School (NEHS) administration and staff recognized their top students during the 2018/2019 Christmas Term, highlighting Principal’s list achievers, Honor Roll awardees, as well as Rising Stars - students just a few points away from achieving the 3.0 grade point average. NEHS noted that during the 2018/2019 Christmas Term, 68% of the student population at the school had achieved a C grade average of 2.0 or above.

tourism eleu Continued from Page. 19 we actually have a cohort of people-topeople ambassadors, who got a training - about 16 of them, two nights ago. Bernadette Bastian came up from Nassau. It was a wonderful training session. Some of those ambassadors got the opportunity for the first time today to mingle with visitors and second homeowners, and at a later date, they will be presented with their credentials - and formally introduced as volunteers with the Peopleto-People program. So we got to really interact here.”

The current uptick in visitors to the island was a golden opportunity for the program explained Ms. Gibson, “All in all, we have to look out for everyone, locals and international visitors, and we are just so delighted that the tourism figures are up. We want to do all that we can - when our visitors get here to give our visitors an experience they won’t soon forget, so, they would want to come back. With the people-to-people program, we believe that is yet another tier of delightfulness that Eleuthera will offer. It’s not a new program, but we are now recruiting, and more people seem to be interested in the program. More peo-

ple are also now understanding what the program is all about, and with that understanding then more volunteers would step forward.

“I think the myth is that in order to be a volunteer, a person has to come and live in your home - not so. We just want a visitor to link up with locals with like interests, who can share with them what we are all about. No matter how small - if it’s going down to the dock and buying some fish or some conch salad, or going to the beach, or going to church - the experience opportunities are endless in this People-to-People program. We want to showcase authentic Bahamian, and authentic Eleuthera, and an authentic way to do that is to have an authentic person show the authentic experience.”

Ministry of Tourism’s “foreign air arrivals by first port of entry” figures to Eleuthera for the year 2018 revealed an overall 26.8% increase for the island, with 61,786 visitors arriving by air to Eleuthera in 2018, compared to 48,746 visitors arriving in 2017. (Note: These figures quoted include visitors arriving directly from the U.S. or other international locations only. They do not account for visitors arriving on island through local airlines, like Pineappleair, Southernair etc…)

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Celebrating Excellence Preston H. Albury HS A larger fanfare awards ceremony, celebrating the achievements of the 2018/2019 combined Christmas and Summer terms is planned for the new school year during the Fall 2019.

HONOR ROLL 2018/2019 PRINCIPAL’S LIST (3.5-4.00 GPA) Senior School: Sarah Carey 3.80, Petra Kemp 3.70, Khiara Knowles 3.60, Geordante Neely 3.78, and Traliyah Carey 3.67.

Junior School: Caleb Carey 3.55, Taequanna Curry 3.64, Nathalia Saunders 3.91, and Geordia Neely 3.50.

HONOR ROLL (3.00-3.49 GPA) Senior School: Christiano Knowles 3.00, Kelvano Rolle 3.10, Darren Thompson 3.10, Ramiyah Colebrooke 3.00, Donneisha Hall 3.00, Jubilee Rogers 3.00, Tanai Sands 3.30, Joshua Claridge 3.10, Valentino Stubbs 3.10, Alicia Albury 3.10, Alisha Albury 3.00, Tinnicia Bain 3.30, Nathalia Brown 3.30, Yasmine Brown 3.00, Kayleaser Burrows 3.00, Charline Dort 3.20, Chanissa Farrington 3.20, G’Ann Morley 3.30, Carlissa Seymour 3.20, Oriana Carey 3.44, Glenderia Francis 3.22, Giltavia Goodman 3.20, Charma Morley 3.11, and Johnnecia Pinder 3.20.

Featured Above: PHAHS students who attained an Honor Roll and Principal’s List grade point average standard for the 2018/2019 Christmas Term stand proudly with their achieving peers in both the Junior and Senior High School divisions.

Principal of the Preston H. Albury High School, Mrs. Fontella Knowles, along with her Teachers and Support Staff, congratulated students in both the Junior and Senior High schools who achieved the Honor Roll and the Principal’s List grade point average standards during the 2018/2019 Christmas Term. 47 students amongst the body of youngsters at the school achieved the 3.0 grade point average standard or above.

Commenting on the students’ performances, as well as recent events hosted on campus, Principal Knowles highlighted, “We’ve seen an improvement in the number of students on the Principal’s List, and our grade seven and eleven top streams are holding the Fort at the school, having a majority of honor roll students in the population.

“We also recently hosted a Parents’ Open House, where we shared students’ progress reports, and invited the parents to move around the campus for two hours. During that day, we also offered free haircuts for the boys in the school, partnering with the local church - Fountain of Life, who serenaded the parents and students with music. While the parents toured the classrooms and campus, students were involved in competitive games, like volleyball and basketball, as others walked with parents - introducing them to their

daily environment.”

This was the third time the school hosted the Open House, which was dubbed as a very successful way of getting parents in touch with how their students were doing and familiarizing them with the campus. “This Open House was little different…,” shared Principal Knowles. “Normally, we would distribute the progress reports from the Office, but we wanted them to feel at home. If we are saying you have open access, we want you to walk around and see what’s there. Perhaps you would see something that needs attention, and at future PTA meetings parents are familiar with the issues at the school. Teachers also said they wanted a little more time to talk with the parents, to have that one on one - so I listened, and changed it up a bit. It was really, really awesome, and we got a lot of positive feedback.”

At the Top: 12th graders at the top of their class, achieving the Honor Roll and Principal’s List grade point average standard during the 2018/2019 Christmas Term. (Johnnecia, Traliyah, Charma, Giltavia, Oriana, Geordante and Glenderia)

Junior School: 3.45, Kirkwood Glenvon Cartwright Kemp 3.18, Roshawn Munroe 3.18, Michlia Butler 3.09, Faith Knowles 3.27, Bernette Leary 3.18, Fredrica Morley 3.09, Gia Morley 3.36, Joshua Cooper 3.30, Garinique Delancy 3.30, Shauntae Hall 3.30, Selena Ingraham 3.40, Shicara Knowles 3.00, and Jodi Oldham 3.18.

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Another Big Island Achievement For Tamia Knowles

Above: Sixteen (16) talented students participated in the 4th Grade Spelling Bee from seven schools within the Central and North Eleuthera

district on Wednesday, March 13th, 2019. Miss Tamia Knowles, WINNER of the 4th Grade Spelling Bee is pictured on the far right.

Following on her island win in the Religious Knowledge (RK) Speech competition during the 2018 Christmas term, and her amazing 2nd place finish in the National RK Speech Competition in November 2018, the intelligent and confident little 4th grader, Ms. Tamia Knowles, of Emma E. Cooper primary school, has once again bested her peers, winning the top spot in the 4th grade Spelling Bee for the Central and North Eleuthera district on Wednesday, March 13th, 2019.

Joining her in the top three finishers were, Wes Underwood, representing Samuel Guy Pinder All Age School in 2nd place and, Sohan Bryan, also representing Emma E. Cooper primary school, who finished in 3rd place.

Sixteen very talented students participated in the 4th Grade Spelling Bee from seven schools within the Central and North Eleuthera district; including, David Cooper, Tamia Knowles, Sohan Bryan, and Kyana Thompson from Emma E. Cooper primary; Wes Underwood from Samuel Guy Pinder All Age; Siahj Chase from James’ Cistern primary; McKhaln Pinder, Camilo Cooper, Shandera Sands, and Lyric Johnson from Governor’s Harbour primary; Region Neely, Shekinah Roberts, and Markaiya Pinder from Harbour Island All Age school; Tiara Johnson, Leah Joseph, Rajon Louis, and Azariah Moss from Laura L. Anderson primary; as well as Clarington Ferguson, Raven Cleare, and Candace Williams from

P.A. Gibson primary school.

The young participants gave quite a showing with strong performances from all schools, taking 20 full rounds to decide the final three top finishers.

Coaches were lauded for their stellar work with the 4th grade students by both Bee Committee organizers and judges. The coaches included: Mrs. Ramnauth (Emma E. Cooper), Tiffany Smith (James’ Cistern), Katrina Wallace (Governor’s Harbour), Taneicia Lightbourne (Harbour Island), Keyshna Kemp (Laura L. Anderson), Kenisha Thompson (P.A. Gibson), and Gayle Colebrook (Samuel Guy Pinder).

Above: Sohan Bryan of Emma E. Cooper primary school – 3rd place; Wes Underwood of Samuel Guy Pinder All Age school – 2nd place; and Tamia Knowles of Emma E. Cooper primary school – WINNER! (back row) Mrs. Ramnauth, teacher and coach from Emma E. Cooper primary; Mrs. Underwood, mother of Wes Underwood; and Mr. Thurman Knowles, father of Tamia Knowles.

CEHS Student Elshauna Gibson Wins National CO-OP 2019 YOUTH FORUM Essay

Competition

The Department of Cooperative Development of the Ministry of Agriculture and Marine Resources launched CO-OP 2019 National Youth Forum on Friday, March 22nd, at All Saints on Calvary Hill Church Hall, Joan’s Heights, under the theme “Building Your Future Through Cooperatives.” New Providence and Family Island students across the country who are co-operative members at their schools participated. Minister of Agriculture and Marine Resources, the Hon. Michael Pintard addressed the student cooperative members at the opening. Minister Pintard is shown presenting Elshauna Gibson, Grade 11 student of Central Eleuthera High School, with a prize as winner of the Essay Competition. Also pictured during presentation are from left, PS Phedra Rahming, Hilton Bowleg, Henry Campbell and Cheryl Bowe Moss. (BIS Photos/Patrick Hanna)

opinio n

TATTOO

By: Andrew L. Burrows andrewburrows1@gmail.com The human body is the most stunning of all the life forms created by the All Mighty God! After all, Man was

child protection Continued from Page. 11 Minister Campbell said careful planning has gone into the activities scheduled for April. These include child abuse/child protection awareness campaigns in the Family Islands, distribution of flyers from major intersections in New Providence, the launch of the “Net Smart Campaign” by the National Child Protection Council (NCPC) that highlights the dangers associated with the improper use of the Internet.

The SCAN Unit will also host a Child Abuse Poem Competition and a series of Child Abuse/Child Protection Exhibitions scheduled for the Ministry of Health Headquarters, Meeting Street (April 1, 2019); the Princess Margaret Hospital (April 8) and the Mall at Marathon (April 15).

Additionally, officials are set to plant a Pinwheel Garden at Government House, Mount Fitzwilliam, and will host a Child Abuse/Child Protection Workshop for child minders in childcare facilities. An In-house poster competition will be held in all of the Departments/Divisions of the Ministry of Social Services and Urban Development as a means of “generating even greater awareness amongst clientele.”

“Stop and Think” Campaigns, facilitated by the NCPC and designed to target 200 students each as a means of educating teachers and students on the dangers of internet use, are also among the activities scheduled for Child Protection Month.

made in the ‘image’ of God who created him. Of the billions that now form the present day population of this Earth, few see themselves for who we are, and that may explain why we have so little respect for our fellow men.

In the beginning when God breathed into the first human and he became alive, man was beautiful, and God gave to him the great responsibility of caring for this Earth. Man was commissioned to take care of the special ‘garden’ in which grew two special trees; one contained ‘The Knowledge of Good and Evil’ and the other was ‘The Tree of Life’. Man exercised that authority by giving names to all the animals. So, from the very beginning of life here on Earth, Man demonstrated his ability to dominate the other creatures, and use them for his needs.

As long as the Man and his wife lived within the Garden of God, they were oblivious to the fact that they were very different from the other animals that God made hairy and unappealing to them, but when they disobeyed the one order that God gave to them, and ate from the tree of The Knowledge of Good and Evil, the very first thing they realized was that they were no longer comfortable in the presence of God. They were ‘naked’, and hid from the presence of God, while covering themselves with leaves from the trees.

It was God who confronted the Man

and his Wife that they may disclose the reason for disobeying His clear order not to eat from that forbidden tree. After being re-clothed by God, who replaced their temporary leaf aprons with the more durable skins of animals, they were expelled from the Garden Paradise and made to live in the entire world which they populated with much offspring.

There is little information recorded of the events that followed the expulsion of Humans from the Garden of Eden and why the world became so very corrupted with sin and rebellion against God that He sentenced all living on the Earth to death.

What we do know is that Man wanted to be like God, and to attempt to be so, he must deny that there is a God! So with the help of Demon Spirits, the people that lived before the flood rebelled against God and one of the signs of their rebellion was the scarring of their bodies, as a demonstration that it was their own property!

Today this practice continues and in recent times has become very popular without the knowledge of what it really means. As was mentioned already, disfiguring the skin is a permanent scarring and once done, there is no reversing; it is permanent! The whole process of scarring your skin may seem innocent to you, but the reality is, once you choose to defy God your creator in this way, you now visibly display your defiance, and alliance with

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the enemy of God, Satan!

When God brought the nation of Israel out of Egypt and Moses received instructions on how they were to live as a people dedicated to God, the only cutting of their bodies were all male children were to be circumcised; any other cuttings were strictly forbidden as heathen idol worship, as practiced in many cultures that have no knowledge of God. The recent boom in the submission to body scarring has certainly not added to anyone’s beauty; the very opposite is true and the excess has turned many into disfigured freaks. What many people do not know when they submit to permanent body scarring is that this very act opens the door to demon possession because what seems like simple art has negative effects. What was seen to us as a heathen practice by people, who worship demons, is now seen as a gesture of fashion. Satan has never changed his tricks because they work. Eating the forbidden fruit was expected to make man wise but it made us all subject to sin and alienated the entire human race from God. As long as you live, the devil will try to direct you away from God; that is why you are admonished to ‘guard your mind’ and keep your body pure for God who designed and made it for His own Spirit to live in.

LOI Signed for Purchase of the Grand Lucayan Resort by Royal Caribbean International and ITM Group

By Andrew Coakley FREEPORT, The Bahamas -- “We have done what we said we would do – in the face of much criticism the Government of The Bahamas purchased the Grand Lucayan Resort for $65 million dollars and we said that we would hold it for the shortest period of time and sell it for $65 million dollars – and we have done exactly that.”

Those were the sentiments of Minister of Tourism, the Hon. Dionisio D’Aguilar, during an official press conference on Wednesday, March 27, 2019 in the Office of the Prime Minister, as a part of the signing of a Letter of Intent (LOI) for the purchase of the Grand Lucayan resort.

On hand for the signing of the LOI and the major announcement were Tourism Minister D’Aguilar; Minister of State for Grand Bahama, Senator Kwasi Thompson; Chairman of Lucayan Renewal Holdings Limited, Michael Scott; President of the Senate, Katherine Forbes-Smith; Vice-President of Government Relations/Americas for Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines, Russell Benford; and Chief Executive Officer of ITM, Mauricio Hamui.

The LOI was signed between Lucayan Renewal Holdings and ITM/Royal Caribbean joint venture. The deal is expected to transform the Grand Lucayan resort and its surrounding areas, as well as develop the harbor in Freeport into a destination product using water-based adventure theme parks. Both ITM and Royal Caribbean have worked on successful projects in the past.

“I am pleased to announce to the people of Grand Bahama and to the entire Bahamas

GOVERNMENT AND BOARD – Min. of Tourism, the Hon. Dionisio D’Aguilar (seated 3rd left), along with Min. of State for GB, Senator Kwasi Thompson (seated 2nd left), was joined by Michael Scott (seated centre), chairman of Lucayan Renewal Holdings Ltd.; Russell Benford (seated, 3rd right), vice-president of Government Relations/ Americas for Royal Caribbean; Mauricio Hamui (seated 2nd right), CEO of ITM, along with Board Members of Lucayan Renewal Holdings (standing) for LOI signing for the purchase of the Grand Lucayan resort, in the Office of the PM on Wednesday, March 27, 2019

that the much-anticipated sale of the 217-acre Grand Lucayan resort has finally been agreed upon,” added Minister D’Aguilar.

“The development that will roll out in Grand Bahama over the next 24-36 months will go far in restoring the island’s economy to its former glory days.”

Minister of State for Grand Bahama, Senator Kwasi Thompson noted that the signing of the LOI confirms the government’s agreement to enter into exclusive negotiations with Royal Caribbean International and the ITM Group for the purchase of the Grand Lucayan resort and the redevelopment of Freeport Harbor into a cruise port of choice.

“The $195 million investment earmarked

for the first phase of the project over a twenty-four month period will include the purchase price of $65 million and the creation of approximately 2,000 jobs,” said Minister Thompson.

“Discussions leading to a Heads of Agreement, subject to the approval of the National Economic Council, will begin immediately on matters related to Bahamian employment requirements and Bahamian participation in specific areas.

“However, it is anticipated that Bahamians will have significant ownership participation

Continued On Page 38

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Crime News

March/April, 2019

Police Contact Numbers

Reports issued by the RBPF locally.

Reports are printed to keep the public informed of the incidents of crime that are reported within our communities. All reports are to be treated as allegations only.

Eleuthera Reports DRUG ARREST At about 12:00pm on Thursday 21st March 2019 Officers while conducting mobile patrols on Knowles Drive off Queen’s Highway Governor’s Harbour stopped a 2007 Nissan Skyline with three male occupants on routine Traffic stop. During the stop the odor of burnt marijuana was detected resulting in a search of the vehicle and it occupants; while searching the front left pocket of a male passenger, Officers discovered a small clear wrap containing a grassy like substance suspected to be Marijuana.

He was cautioned and arrested for possession of Dangerous Drugs. A subsequent search warrant was executed on his residence with Negative results to anything being discovered. The suspect and exhibit was transported to the Police Station for further processing.

At about 2:25pm on 21/03/19 the suspect was processed, charged and released on bail in the sum of one thousand dollars ($1000.00) with one surety to appear before Magistrate Court on 5th April 2019 in Governor’s Harbour.

Road Traffic Accident Report An anonymous caller contacted the Governor’s Harbour Police station at about 7:15pm on the 21.3.19 and reported that there was a traffic accident on Queen’s Highway James Cistern, in the vicinity of East and final food store.

Police assistance was requested.

Officers responded, saw and spoke with the driver an adult male who reported that at the time of the accident he was accompanied by his girlfriend Travelling in a southern direction in a black Honda stream when he had a seizure which caused him to black out.

As a result of the accident his vehicle received extensive front end damages, the driver was taken to the local clinic to receive medical attention.

Investigations are ongoing into this accident.

POSSESSION OF DANGEROUS DRUGS: On Tuesday 19th March, 2019, sometime around 6:05pm, Officers in at Rock Sound Police Station with three (3) silver foil wraps each with a quantity of suspected marijuana. The officers reported arresting an adult male suspect reference to a same sometime around 5:20pm while in the area of Tarpum Bay. The suspect was processed and charged with that offence.

DISORDERLY BEHAVIOR, OBSCENE LANGUAGE, BRIBERy: On Tuesday 19th March, 2019, sometime around 5:50pm, Officers while in the area of

Lord Street, Tarpum Bay, saw and spoke to an adult male and made him aware a complaint made against him. The suspect then began using profanity as he appeared to have been intoxicated. He was warned of his belligerent behavior and the use of the obscenities, however he continued and as a result received additional warning but refused to cease using obscenity. As a result, he was arrested and cautioned for Disorderly Behavior and Obscene Language.

While at the Rock Sound Police Station the suspect then offered an officer $400.00 cash to release him from police custody. He was further cautioned for Bribery.

The suspect was processed and later charged with all of the aforementioned offences.

Threats of Harm - On Monday 18th March, 2019, sometime around 10:50pm, an adult female came into Rock Sound Police Station and reported that, On today’s date, sometime around 9:00pm, while in the area of a local Restaurant and Bar, the father of her one year old daughter, threatened to stab her up. She is in fear for her life.

She is requesting Police Action in this matter.

Suspect Arrested reference to Threats Of Harm - On Tuesday 19th March, 2019, sometime around 12:55am, an adult male was arrested and cautioned in reference to this complaint made against him of threats of harm on Monday 18th March, 2019. He was processed and charged with that offence.

Assault Report– Sometime around 10:50 p.m. on Thursday 14th March 2019, an anonymous caller contacted the Governor’s Harbour Police Station via telephone and reported that a man known to him is in the area of the Administration Building bleeding from the head. Police assistance requested.

At 10:58 p.m. same date the alleged victim came to the Governor’s Harbour Police Station bleeding profusely from the nose and reported that earlier this evening while in the area of a local club he was struck in the face with a piece of 2x4 by some unknown person. He appeared to be under the influence of Alcohol. He was assisted to the Levy Medical Centre He was issued with a hospital form and advised accordingly.

Officers then made a check of the ground of the club for blood stains. They spoke with persons in the area. Enquiries continue in this matter.

HOUSEBREAKING & STEALING REPORTED - At about 12:45pm on Wednesday 13th March 2019, an adult male reported to the Governor’s Harbour Police Station that he is the caretaker for a home on Banks Road North Palmetto Point and that sometime around 5:10pm on Tuesday 12th March 2019 he discovered that some

HeadQuarters (GH) Governor’s Harbour OR O/C Governor’s Harbour Gov.Harb. Airport Station Deep Creek Station Tarpum Bay Station Rock Sound Station

332-3500 332-2111 332-2117 332-2723 332-2323 334-8207 334-4033 334-2244

unknown person(s) had broken into the residence and stole a washer and water pump.

Police action requested. Officers visited and processed the scene. Investigations are ongoing.

ARREST ref. DISORDERLY BEHAVIOUR - On Tuesday 12th March 2019, sometime around 9:30am, Officers came in at Rock Sound Police Station with an adult male under arrest in reference to Disorderly behavior. He was arrested and cautioned sometime around 8:50am while on Queen’s Highway, Rock Sound in the area of CTI in reference to the said offence. He appeared to be in good health.

On Tuesday 12th March, 2019, sometime around 1:00pm, the suspect was processed and interviewed under caution. He denied the allegations. He was subsequently charged and released on police bail to appear before Magistrate’s Court, Rock Sound, on 4th April 2019.

Assault with a deadly weapon: On Tuesday 12th March 2019, sometime around 10:39am, an adult female contacted the Governor’s Harbour Police Station and reported that sometime around 10:15am while on Queen’s Highway near Banana Beach Estate Governor’s Harbour she observed a red Toyota Corolla following her. The mentioned vehicle slowed down and the front right passenger who was masked and clad in all black got out of the vehicle and fired off two gunshots in the air. She continued driving and while doing so the suspect fired at her vehicle. Which is a black 2010 Honda Fit, same received damages to the front windshield and front left passenger glass. Police action was requested.

Officers responded to the scene and after a search of the area, the suspect vehicle was discovered off of a dirt road. Investigations into this matter are ongoing.

Traffic Offence Report - On Tuesday 12th March, 2019 sometime around 10:33am Officers while on mobile patrol reported an adult female for driving a silver 2009 Toyota Isis north along Queen’s Highway Governor’s Harbour south Bets Plaza with windows not of transparent glass. She was informed of the offence and warned of prosecution.

Traffic Offence Report - On Tuesday 12th March, 2019 sometime around 11:20am Officers while on mobile patrol reported an adult male for driving a green 1996 Honda Civic south along Queen’s Highway Governor’s Harbour south of Bets Plaza while same was unlicensed, unin-

Rock Sound Sgt. Office Rock Sound Airport Stn L. Bogue Station (Airport) Harbour Island Station O/C Harbour Island Spanish Wells Station Gregory Town Station Hatchet Bay Station

334-2212 334-2052 335-1208 333-2111 333-2327 333-4030 335-5322 335-0086

spected and uninsured for the current year 2019. He was informed of the offence and warned of prosecution Stealing - On Sunday 10th March 2019 sometime around 8:00am an adult male came to G.H.B.P.S and reported; while in the area of his tire shop on Queen high Governor’s Harbour, Eleuthera, he noticed two right side front and back tires and rims missing off his gray 2006 Nissan March Car , value at $364.00 .Police action is requested In this matter . This matter is under active investigation.

Unlicensed Firearm/Dangerous Drugs Search - Officers came in to G.H.B.P.S and reported that at about 5:20pm on Monday 11th March, 2019 while in the area of Culmer’s Service Station, Queen’s Highway, Governor’s Harbour they stopped a blue colored Nissan Sentra with two male occupants. Both men as well as the vehicle were searched for unlicensed firearms and dangerous drugs with negative results. All was left in order.

Arrest Reference to Immigration Purposes - On 9th March 2019 at about 12:27 pm Officers came in at the Governor’s Harbour police Station with an adult male Haitian National under arrest reference to Immigration purpose He appeared to be in good health at the time. While at the Governor’s Harbour Airport the Officers handed over prisoner to an Officer from the Department of Immigration to be transported to New Providence.

Arrest reference to Possession of Dangerous Drugs -Sometime around 6:30am while in the area of Jack Fish Road, Cupids Cay, Officers observed an adult male who upon making eye contact with the Police began acting suspiciously. As a result Officers searched the suspect. While searching the right hand of the suspect, they found a small quantity of suspected marijuana as a result he was cautioned and arrested.

The defendant was processed and Charged with Possession of Dangerous Drugs Cont. to Sect 29(6) & 29 (2) b of the Dangerous Drug Act. He was later released on bail in the sum of $1,000.00 with one surety to appear before the Governor’s Harbour Magistrate court on the 5/4/19.

Search Warrant Executed/ Arrest for Possession of Dangerous Drugs Sometime around 6:50am Officers executed a Search Warrant on the residence of an adult male in reference to Possession of Dangerous drugs. Two other adult male relatives were also present. While searching the

Crime News bedroom of one of the men, Officers found a small plastic bag which contained three small foil wraps of suspected marijuana. As a result, he was cautioned and arrested.

The suspect was processed and Charged with Possession of Dangerous Drugs Cont. to Sect 29(6) & 29 (2) b of the Dangerous Drug Act and later released on bail in the sum of $1,000.00 with one surety to appear before the Governor’s Harbour Magistrate court on the 5/4/19.

Arrest reference to Shop Breaking & House Breaking Sometime around 7:48 am Officers came in at Governor’s Harbour Police Station with an adult male. They reported that he was cautioned and arrested at 7:40am 7/3/19 while at his residence in reference to Shop breaking - reported on Monday 4/03/19. And a House breaking complaint made on 7/01/19.

Search Warrant Executed/ Arrest for Possession of Dangerous Drugs Sometime around 7:55am on 7/03/19 Officers executed a search Warrant on the residence of an adult male in reference to Possession of Dangerous Drugs. A small quantity of suspect marijuana was found on the suspect’s bed. As a result he was cautioned and arrested.

The suspect was subsequently processed and charged with Possession of Dangerous Drugs Cont. to Sect. 29(6) and 29 (2) b of the Dangerous Drugs Act. He was later released on bail in the sum of $1,000.00 with one surety to appear before the Magistrate on 5/4/19 Stealing From a Vehicle - At 10:10am 7th March 2019, an adult female visitor contacted the Governor’s Harbour Police Station and reported that at about 9:50am she and her husband walked towards the Cliff Located James Cistern Eleuthera and parked their rental vehicle which was a white Suzuki Grand Vitara securing same. At about 10:05am they returned to the vehicle only to notice that 2 backpacks were missing, containing their driver’s License, monies and personal effects, the rear Windshield was also damaged. Police Action requested.

Officers responded to the scene, made a check of the immediate area and recovered two backpacks containing the complainant’s items. The only thing missing was $50:00.

This matter is under active investigation.

REPORTED THREATS OF DEATH On Friday 8th March, 2019, sometime around 10:04am, an adult female came into the Rock Sound Police Station and reported that on a number of occasions on the same date, she has received a number of text messages from her relative of Nassau, via WhatsApp , where he accused her of talking negative about his mother and threatened to kill her a number of times. He further told her that he will catch a flight to Eleuthera and smash her brains in and he also told her that if she came to his father’s funeral that he will have shooters on standby to kill her. She reported that he called her a number of ill names and used Obscene Language to her annoyance. Police action requested.

Investigations are being continued.

THREATS OF DEATH & ASSAULT WITH A DEADLY INSTRUMENT - On Thursday, March 07th, 2019, sometime around 12:45pm an adult male , came into the Rock Sound Police Station and reported that sometime around 12:35pm, while he and his sister were walking , an adult male known to him , attempted to knock him down with his red Nissan Sentra car on two occasions and after the second attempt he stopped his vehicle, exited the same, approached him and threatened to kill him putting him in fear for his life. Police action requested.

The suspect was subsequently arrested, processed and charged with that offence.

Traffic Accident Reported - At about 9:30am on Friday 1st March, 2019, Officers received a report that there was several Power Lines down in the area of Tropical Dreams Hotel, I-95 Road, Palmetto Point. Police assistance requested.

Officers responded to the scene arrived at the scene, saw and spoke to an adult male, who stated that he was driving a white Mack Cement Truck east on I-95 Road, when he swerved to avoid hitting an oncoming vehicle, and in the process, the back of the truck caught on and pulled several power lines and the lamp pole on the northern side of the street down. Measurements of the scene was recorded a N.O.I.P. form was served.

At about 10:15pm personnel from B.P.L and B.T.C. arrived at the scene and assisted with removing power lines and started the process of restoring power.

Investigations are ongoing.

Arrest Causing Harm/ Threats of Harm -Sometime around 11:35am on 1/3/19 an adult male came in at the Governor’s Harbour Police Station and was placed under arrest reference to Causing Harm and Threats of Harm complaint made on the 27.2.19.

The suspect was interviewed under caution and later charged with Causing Harm and Threats of Harm, he was released on bail in the sum of $500:00 and one surety to attend court on the 5.4.19.

Structural Fire Report - Sometime around 10:01am on 27/2/19 an off duty Officer contacted the Governor’s Harbour Police Station via telephone and reported that an old abandoned building formerly used as a Teacher’s residence located at the rear of the old Gregory Town Primary School was on fire. Police assistance.

Officers responded to the scene of this incident. The fire was confined to the abandoned building and was not posing a threat to any other buildings at this time.

The building was a single story concrete building with a wooden roof. The roof had burned completely. The remainder of the structure was damaged but was still standing. Fire volunteers from Lower Bogue were present and had extinguished the blaze. Police action was requested.

This matter is under active investigation.

Threats of Harm - On Tuesday 26th

February, 2019, sometime around 7:40pm an adult male came into the G.H.P.S. and reported that his girlfriend’s , ex-boyfriend who resides on another Island has been texting obscenities to his phone from a number. He said that on today’s date he received a text message from him, which said he would have him harmed the next time he came to New Providence. He is in fear because of this message and request police action into this matter. Investigations are ongoing.

Harbour Island Reports Harassment Report: Warning Requested An adult male of Nesbitt Street Harbour Island came in at the Harbour Island Police Station and reported that he and his ex-girlfriend parted ways about 15 months ago and on 2/3/19 she approached him while in the area of Lighthouse church of God Chapel St.. Harbour Island and began to row him and accuse him of having his sister messaging her phone. He further added that since he has ended the relationship his ex girlfriend constantly harasses and jeer him whenever she sees him due to the fact that he is presently involved with someone else. He requested that she be warned of her behavior and to keep the peace towards him.

Assault Report: Warning Requested - An adult male of Barrack Street Harbour Island came in at the Harbour Island Police Station and reported that on Friday 1/3/19 at about 10:30pm while attending the Vichum Night Club situated Barrack Street Harbour Island, a male whom he knows by name, approached him and demanded that he give him a cigarette which resulted in a verbal altercation. He further reported that after he refused to him cigarette and told him he has to support his own habits he was later pushed to the ground causing pain and discomfort.

Police Warning requested.

Assault Report - On Friday 8th March 2019, at about 1:55pm a young adult female of Alice Street, Harbour Island came to the HIPS and reported that while in the area of Kay’s Market, New Dunmore Subdivision she was assaulted by a young male known to her of Colebrooke Alley. Police action requested.

Drug arrest report - On Saturday 16/3/19 at about 1:08am police came in at Harbour Island Police Station and reported that at about 1:00am while conducting special duties in the area of Daddy D’S Night Club on Dunmore Street Harbour Island an Inspector conducted a search of a young adult male suspect of Ripley Street Harbour Island resulting in the discovery of a quantity of plant like material suspected of being marijuana. As a result the suspect was shown the substance, arrested and cautioned reference to this matter he appeared to be well with no complaints. Investigations are ongoing.

Drug arrest report - On Saturday 16/3/19 at about 1:30 am police came in at Harbour Island Police Station with A young adult male suspect of Barrack Street Harbour Island and reported that at about

March/April, 2019

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1:20am an Inspector arrested and cautioned the suspect after conducting a search of his person a small quantity of suspected marijuana was retrieved from the right front pocket of the suspect. He was shown the suspected drugs and taken into custody. He appeared to be well at the time. Investigations are ongoing.

Drug Arrest An Officer reported that while in the area of Coconut Grove Ave Harbour Island, sometime around 11:50pm on 14/3/19, he conducted a search of the a white Yamaha golf cart driven by a male suspect accompanied by a Jamaican national female of West Bay St. New Providence in reference to Dangerous Drugs and Firearm. As a result the mentioned officers reported that a search of the said golf cart discovered a small white Plastic containing a powdery substance suspected to be Cocaine. Both suspects were subsequently arrested and cautioned reference to Possession of Dangerous Drugs and later transported to the Harbour Island Police Station for further investigation and safe keeping.

Threats of Death / Causing Harm Report-Police Action requested: An adult male of Coconut Grove Ave came to the Harbour Island Police Station and reported that on Thursday 14th March 2019 sometime around 11:45pm whiles at Beyond the Reef Night Club Bay Street Harbour Island he was approached and later assaulted by a male known to him who held him by his shirt and punched him to the rear of his head causing pain and discomfort. He further reported that the assailant stated that where ever he sees him he’s dead placing him in fear for his life and safety. Police action requested. Police viewed an apparent swelling to the rear of the complainant head area and recorded a written statement from the complainant. He was issued with an official police hospital form in regards to the matter.

Threats of Harm Report - Police Action Requested: On Saturday 16/3/19 at about 11:35am an adult male of Ripley Street, Harbour Island came to the HIPS and reported that while on the Harbour island Government Dock, his worker parked the vehicle that he owns in the taxi parking spot trying to expedite the transport of their house guest across to Three island Dock to catch a flight. As a result of this, a taxi driver came on the scene very hostile, cursing and creating a scene for him to move the vehicle. However he told taxi driver that the worker has the keys, and still after an exchange of words he went into his taxi and pulled out a black handle knife and threatened to “jick him up” and flattened his bus tires. Police action requested.

An Officer visited the Harbour island Government Dock, saw and spoke to two males who both stated they saw the argument, but cannot say exactly what took place, nor do they wish to be involved with this matter.

Police have made inquiries in reference to viewing camera footage on the dock.

Investigation continues

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38 www. EleutheraNews . com

Perspective

‘EU BLACKLIST’

Continued from Page. 14 now have a foot on the escalator – the EU will be back for more next year and in the years following”.

Caribbean countries are not alone as victims to the power play to which they are subjected. There are other countries, some within the EU who are unhappy that a noose will eventually be placed around their necks, and of course the United States of America and China.

The OECD has already named the US as only partially compliant on providing ownership and identity information for bank accounts, trusts and formation of corporations – all of which are big business and huge money earners. The US should be engaged to construct a different approach to this issue.

It is worth recalling that it was the Republican Party and the George W. Bush

administration that helped to overturn the OECD juggernaut of ‘harmful tax competition’ in the late 1990s.

Caribbean jurisdictions chose to surrender to the OECD and the EU, casting it as “cooperation” in an effort to salvage their international financial services sectors.

But that cooperation has been one-sided and disadvantageous. The region should politely and respectfully point out that fact to the EU. Simultaneously, they should forge greater alliances to fight for the sovereign right of their states to set taxation as befits their own needs.

Responses and previous commentaries: www.sirronaldsanders.com

Responses and previous commentaries: www.sirronaldsanders.com

Stamped: April 2, 2019 7:48 PM

March/April, 2019

grand lucaya Continued from Page. 35 in restaurants, retail stores, transportation and water sports.”

Minister Thompson noted that the joint venture project between RCI/ITM will not only combine the redevelopment of Freeport Harbor as a cruise port of choice, but will also transform the Grand Lucayan resort into a theme park, featuring water-based family entertainment, with dining, gaming and entertainment options and five-star hotel accommodations.

He noted that significant demand for both airlift and sealift to the destination is being created, including the unleashing of much-needed economic opportunities.

“The redevelopment of Freeport Harbor is anticipated to include significant increase in cruise ship arrivals, bringing an additional approximately two million passengers annually, with the addition of multiple cruise lines calling on Grand Bahama,” added Minister Thompson.

Since placing the Grand Lucayan on the market, there were over 62 expressions of interest from local and global firms. By February 14 of this year, eleven letters of offer were received and evaluated by the Board of the Lucayan Renewal Holdings Ltd. According to Minister Thompson, on Friday, March 22, the Board, in carrying out its predetermined exit strategy, unanimously approved a resolution to recommend to the Prime Minister and the Cabinet, the sale of the Grand Lucayan to RCL/ITM. The Minister noted that when consid-

ering all of the bids for the resort, one of the major components that went into their final decision was finding the company or entity that would create a unique destination for Grand Bahama.

“For us, it was more than just about trying to sell the hotel,” added Minister Thompson. “We knew we needed to do more, and creating a unique destination was at the forefront. The joint venture with Royal Caribbean and ITM fit that bill.”

Russell Benford, vice-president of Government Relations/Americas for Royal Caribbean said that coming to The Bahamas seemed like a perfect fit, considering the fact that the company was created with the Caribbean as its major destination. “This is an incredible project and I want to thank the Bahamian Government for giving us this opportunity in Grand Bahama,” said Benford. “We are honored to have been chosen from some really great people and companies around the world for this project.

“We understand what Grand Lucayan means to the Government of The Bahamas and to the people of Grand Bahama and so you have our commitment that we will do this project right and we will do right by the government and the people of The Bahamas.

“We build spectacular world class products and we will bring that same excellence and dedication here to this project in Grand Bahama.”

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issued the following statement regarding the

EU’s decision

not to include The Bahamas on their list of blacklisted countries: “Bringing transparency and accountability to the government was a pledge Prime Minister, Dr. Hubert Minnis, and the FNM made in the campaign – and now in Government, they are delivering on that pledge. And people, both inside and outside the country, are taking notice.

“The latest example of the progress we are making is the EU’s recent announcement of their ‘Blacklist,’ which The Bahamas is not on. The EU’s ‘Blacklist’ serves as a warning to countries and investors to tread carefully when engaging or doing business with a country on their list.

But the steps taken under the Minnis Administration is proving to the world that The Bahamas and our people are a safe haven for serious investment and opportunity.

“It was the previous woeful PLP Government that turned corruption into an art form, sending signals to others globally that they were more interested in taking for themselves than they were in lifting up the country. Investment dried up and jobs went with it. But no

more, a new day has dawned in The Bahamas and we are continuing to make progress and get results because the Minnis Administration has taken steps to root out corruption and the greed in government.

“We know leadership starts with accountability and the FNM demonstrated their commitment to responsible government by passing legislation to improve oversight and restrict tax loopholes; the government has worked with stakeholders and others like the EU to startcleansing our sullied reputation under the PLP. “The FNM under Prime Minister, Dr. Hubert Minnis, will continue to work with the international community for the benefit of the entire Nation, and rather than making excuses, the FNM government won’t neglect its responsibility to ensure The Bahamas is a respected financial center that encourages the type of investment that leads to growth and secure jobs for the Bahamian people we serve.”

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Crime Stats: Commissioner Continued from Page. 4

Vehicles and 100% in Stolen Vehicles.

However, Shop breaking increased by 15% and Stealing increased by 2% in 2018.”

He continued, “Comparing the months of January 2018 versus 2019.

Murder, Attempted Murder, Manslaughter, Attempted Rape and Attempted Robbery remained at 0 for January 2018 and 2019. Preliminary figures indicate reductions in Rape, Armed Robbery and Robbery. There was 1 incident of Unlawful Sexual Intercourse in January 2019 and 0 in 2018. Further, there were 3 Shop breakings in both January of 2018 and 2019 and 1 Stealing From a Vehicle for both months. No incidents of Stolen Vehicles occurred in January of 2018 and 2019. January 2019 saw a reduction of 67% in Burglary and a 43% reduction in Housebreaking.

The combined totals of Crime Against Persons and Crime Against Property indicate an overall reduction of 29% in 2019. This year is still young and the

Expanding on this issue, and sharing some of the ways the Police Force planned to move forward in resolving it as much as possible, he stated, “Conflicts are as old as creation. We met them here and we will definitely leave them here. As long as there are people with different personalities, values and opinions, there will always be conflicts. Now, while conflicts tend to have mostly negative connotations, fortunately, some conflicts are necessary and can spark innovation and induce unorthodox methods of resolving problems or situations…

“It is obvious from the conflicts we see, that many of the perpetrators do not know how to conduct themselves in social environments or simply choose not to, so here are a few things we in the police force will do to resolve conflicts in our nation: - Personally engage youth with conflict resolution and other anticrime messaging, monitor and mentor young people in schools and the justice system, strengthen relationships with the Ministry of Education, work with community leaders to assist in creating more peer to peer programs, and provide options and alternatives through expanded Police Cadet and Summer Youth

island is going in the right direction.”

He credited the local RBPF, saying, “Your Royal Bahamas Police Force has been working around the clock in enforcing our vision to create safer communities; our mission, to deliver our service as a resourceful and professional police force; our mandate, to maintain law and order, preserve the peace, prevent and detect crime, apprehend offenders and to enforce all laws with which we are charged all in sync with the plans and strategies laid out in my 2018 Policing Plan.”

Last year, shared Commissioner Ferguson, “The Bahamas experienced an 8% reduction in overall crime and, for the first time since 2009, our murder count was below 100.” The Commissioner did highlight, however, that of the 91 murders that took place throughout the country in 2018, 26 or 29% of them were known to have resulted from conflicts.

March/April

39

programs, community bands, as well as increased participation in Career Fairs.”

Commenting, following his presentation, Commissioner Ferguson touched on his experience as a young policeman stationed in Eleuthera, and his dedication to building community relationships, “I first came here to Eleuthera in 1981, fresh out of the Police Training College. My first posting was Rock Sound, then I moved into Spanish Wells, and back to Tarpum Bay, then Governor’s Harbour, Hatchet Bay, and Harbour Island. I was here from 1981 to 1986, so I had quite an extensive career in Eleuthera. I’ve always loved this place. It’s a place that put me in line to become the Commissioner - coming straight out of training, this gave me the grounding and confidence.

“That’s also why I am so passionate about Policing and their efforts within communities, having a Family Island background myself. I was born and grew up on the island of Exuma. So, I am very passionate about the interaction of Police and the public within our communities. That’s why I’m here tonight, and I was really excited when I was asked by Jacquie (from the Rotary Club of Eleuthera) to come - as busy as I am. I was happy to be able to ask the Police in Eleuthera to support their communities, and the communities to support the Police in their efforts. That’s the only way to keep safer communities.”

Above: Police Commissioner, Anthony Ferguson, presented with a certificate of appreciation by young Interactors and Rotoractors. Below: Audience members posed for a shot with Commissioner Ferguson, commemorating his 2019 presentation in Eleuthera.

40 www. EleutheraNews . com

feature

Governor Gernal Dame Marguerite Pindling visiting Central Eleuthera.

Continued from Page 31 that this would ensure proper behavior in all circumstances. Then she advised that they invest in good friends, those who could encourage, inspire and challenge them - who had similar values, and could walk down the two-way street that was true friendship, with them. Concluding, she encouraged them to show love, to contribute positively to everything they did and stood for -starting at home, as well as in school, and extending to everyone that they would meet. “When others see your manner of living, as pouring out love, they will develop a deep respect for you, and you will win friends who are genuine,” shared Her Excellency.

Following the address, the different schools plied her with special gifts, each making a presentation, after which, Her Excellency, gave a response, thanking everyone for their extremely warm welcome to the island, also remarking that, she would not ever forget this visit for the rest of her life. The final announcement Dame Pindling gave before leaving the school was the declaration that the Principal was allowed to choose a day off for all the schools in the district at their convenience, in honor of her visit, at which everyone present erupted into delighted applause.

Preston Albury High School’s Principal, Mrs. Fontella Knowles, commented, shortly after Her Excellency left to go on to her next meeting, saying, “It was an awesome, and magnificent feeling to be one of the schools selected to host the Governor General of the Bahamas… Just sitting beside her was such an honorable feeling and I felt afterward that I had known her for a long time. It was an historic experience for our school. We actually made history today. This is the first time since I have been here (17 years), and I have no other records in history of the school being visited by a

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March/April, 2019

Below: Her Excellency on February 27th visited with schools in Central Eleuthera at the Central Eleuthera High School (CEHS). Schools from Hatchet Bay to Palmetto Point met in one location for the special ceremonial visit.

Above: RBDF rangers, along with their supervisor, Mr. Carmen Knowles (right), stand with Her Excellency (front center), Education District Superintendent, Myrtle McPhee (front right), and CEHS Principal, Mrs. Marie Galanis (front left). They were one of several CEHS groups who took photos with the GG.

Above: Students and Administrators from Emma E. Cooper Primary in colorful cultural garb, smile with Her Excellency.

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Above: Students and Administrators from P.A. Gibson Primary stand with Her Excellency.

Above: Students and Administrators from Governor’s Harbour Primary, who performed ‘Phenomenal Woman’ pose with Her Excellency.

Above: Students and Administrators from James’ Cistern Primary with Her Excellency.

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In The Photo Below: An audience of students, teachers, parents, and other community members were out to celebrate with the Governor General at the Central Eleuthera High School. Students were from CEHS, primary schools in the neighbouring settlements as well Windermere High School.

Above and Below: Her Excellency, greeting the elderly at St.. Patrick’s Parish Hall in Governor’s Harbour.

Above: CEHS Administration, Staff and Teachers with Her Excellency, Dame Marguerite Pindling. and Ministry of Education officials.

Above: CEHS smiles, bright and infectious - smartly dressed in uniform for the auspicious day.

Above: Top students and prefects, Elshauna Gibson and Equoia Gibson, took a snap with Her Excellency.

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Governor General Dame Marguerite Pindling in North Eleuthera Continued from Page 40 Governor General. So, 2019 has gone down in history with us having our Governor General here today, and it was truly a delight to have been graced with her presence here.”

St.. Luke’s Anglican Church was the next stop for Her Excellency, where she met with a group of senior citizens from the South Eleuthera district, fellowshipping with them for a short time - sharing stories about her early life

in Andros and her family, as well as her recent experience of sitting and chatting with a 105 year old lady in New Providence. Before she left, Dame Pindling personally greeted and briefly chatted with a number of the seniors who had come out to meet her. Later in the afternoon on Wednesday, after a luncheon, the Governor General was set to meet government officials at a meet and greet in Governor’s Harbour, before wrapping up day one of her Continued On Page 44

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Photo Right: Kevin Ti Paul, described by teachers as a gifted young artist in the 10th grade at NEHS, had the honour of presenting Her Excellency Dame Marguerite Pindling with a portrait of her, which he drew. Kevin who hails from the Blackwood settlement in North Eleuthera is a rising star who recently placed 4th nationally in the “Art from the Heart” competition and had the honour of having his work hung in the National art gallery of the Bahamas.

NEHS: Students of NEHS (top) and Laura L. Anderson (bottom) performing their hearts out for the GG.

NEHS: The Historic Staircase in Harbour Island is the feature in this artwork presented to the Governor General

Above: Her Excellency visited with members of the elderly community in North Eleuthera at Trinity City of Praise in Lower Bogue, speaking with the mainly female group about their children, and life experiences. 101 year old, Mrs. Laura Anderson of The Bluff, and patroness of the Laura L. Anderson primary school was also within the group, and gave words of encouragement and blessings, thanking God for the favor shown in their lives. She was presented with a bouquet by Her Excellency, who also went on to visit with Mrs. Anderson’s brother, the oldest resident in The Bluff, Mr. Samuel Neely, currently in his 106th year of life.

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Moment: The Audience bursts into smiles as students react to the Governor General’s announcement of a day off in commemoration of her visit to the District.

NEHS: North Eleuthera High School’s Administration, Staff and Teachers with Principal Michael Culmer, Her Excellency, Dame Marguerite Pindling and DES Myrtle McPhee.

NEHS: Cadets were one of several student groupings who had their photos taken with the GG,.

In The Photos: Her Excellency Dame Marguerite Pindling continued to be entertained during her visit to North Eleuthera at the high school, where the Laura L. Anderson Primary, and Gregory Town Primary students joined the Junior and Senior High Students at NEHS. A slew of photos followed the ceremony, with Her Excellency coolly posing with each Primary School, and each grade level at NEHS. Many gifts were also presented to Her Excellency, including, original paintings and traditional straw work.

NEHS: Gregory Town Primary.

44 www. EleutheraNews . com Continued from Page 42 visit, and retiring for the evening.

Thursday morning would see her start out bright and early once again, to meet with children and teachers in Central Eleuthera, at the Central Eleuthera High School, followed by a meeting with senior citizens at St.. Patrick’s Anglican Church in Governor’s Harbour, before luncheon, and her return to New Provi-

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dence on Thursday afternoon.

-During Her Excellency’s second two-day trip on Tuesday, March 5th and Wednesday, March 6th, visits were made to the North Eleuthera High School on Tuesday morning, followed by visits to the Harbour Island All Age School and the Samuel Guy Pinder All Age School in Spanish Wells on Wednesday morning. At all of the school visits, the Governor General took the opportunity

to address the bodies of students with her message of seeking wisdom through education, embracing gentleness of spirit as a character, investing in good, quality friendships, encouraging and inspiring each other and showing love throughout their daily lives. Each school presented her with a myriad of thoughtful gifts, and entertained her with showcases of local Bahamian culture and talent in song, dance, skits, and poetry. Her Excellency

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also announced a day off in honour of her visit for the Central and North Eleuthera school district. Elderly persons in Harbour Island at the Wesley Methodist church, in North Eleuthera at Trinity City of Praise, and in Spanish Wells at the People’s Church Hall, had an opportunity as well to sit and chat with the Governor General after she wrapped up her school visits.

In the Photos: Students and staff at the Harbour Island All Age School, also had the pleasure of Her Excellency Dame Marguerite visiting them during her trip to Eleuthera, and the jubilance displayed at the Governor General’s announcement of a day off from school to honour her visit was expressed in cheers and clapping. Her Excellency, took time to address the children in Harbour Island, and when she was done, more gifts were showered upon her. Principal Kevin Hepburn and his team were the gracious hosts at the school.

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Governor General Dame Marguerite Pindling in Harbour Island

Above: Harbour Island All Age Administration, Staff and Teachers with Her Excellency, Dame Marguerite Pindling.

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Governor General Dame Marguerite Pindling in Spanish Wells

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the Photos: Spanish Wells opened its arms wide to welcome the Governor General to their community and to the Samuel Guy Pinder All Age School student body. Kindergarten students also came out to greet and meet Her Excellency.

Above: Gifting giving - culturally unique, and decidedly of Spanish Wells, a number of creative gifts were presented to Her Excellency.

The ceremony held at the People’s Church was filled with entertainment in song, skits, and more. One recitation, introduced her to many of the goodies made and produced on the island, inviting Her Excellency to try some with sample gifts presented to her, including home-made bread, sauces, and cakes. A quilted Bahamian flag and baskets with more goodies added to the number of gifts.

Her Excellency following the ceremony took time to meet and chat with a group of elderly people on the island, exchanging stories and life experiences.

Community leaders also had the opportunity to spend some relaxed time with Her Excellency, at a luncheon event hosted at a local restaurant on the island.

Above: Warm greetings for the GG from the seniors on the left, and local officials on the right who met Her Excellency at the dock.

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Above: Samuel Guy Pinder All Age Administration, Staff and Teachers with DES Myrtle McPhee, Her Excellency, Dame Marguerite Pindling and Principal Chardel Gibson.

Above: Seniors in Spanish Wells meeting with the Governor General.

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Above: The photos show the GG interacting with young Cadets and taking moments for pictures with members of the community.

Above: Some of the scenes on stage and in the audience for the warm welcome of the GG in SpanishWells. The biggest smiles came when students heard they were being given an upcoming day off!