News

Chairman of the Anguilla Tourist Board, John Benjamin, has added his voice to a new effort to further market and develop the island’s tourism industry. The plan was outlined last week following top level meetings with officials of Government, the business community, Tourist Board, Hotel and Tourism Association and the newly-appointed Public Relations and Marketing representative, Marie Walker, as Regional Director for Anguilla in the United States working in conjunction with a team of promotional specialists from the firm Irwin/Slater.

Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Infrastructure, Communication, Utilities and Housing, is now Acting Deputy Governor in Anguilla in the absence of Mr. Mark Capes on leave in the UK.

The Valley community was in shock on Wednesday morning February 10 occasioned by the drowning of 42-year-old Sonia Rosalind Brooks, who fell in her cistern.

Middle and Senior personnel throughout the Anguilla Public Service are learning new management skills in a two-week workshop being conducted on the island by two trainers from the British Civil Service. The course is being delivered by Roy Howells and Charlotte Revely at the conference room of Paradise Cove Resort.

With the Anguilla Health Authority just about three weeks into its work, its Chief Executive Officer, Dexter James, is assuring the public of a high level of medical and health services far beyond what was provided under the old system ran by the Government. All that he, his management team, the Board and other health-care providers are asking for is the cooperation and support of everyone as the new processes are put into action for the enhanced delivery of the services.

On Wednesday 21st January 2004, the Honourable Justice Davidson Baptiste began hearing of the substantive arguments in the matter Bernice V. Lake and Others v Attorney General of Anguilla and Others at the High Court, The Valley, Anguilla.

Chief Minister, the Honourable Osbourne Fleming and members of his cabinet met with Permanent Secretaries and Special Assistants on Monday January 5, 2004 to discuss a number of matters relevant to the successful functioning of his government in 2004.

“If the Government were to change, would the new politicians allow motorists to put back the tint on their vehicles?” a young man asked in disgust as he scraped the black film from the windshield and windows of his car. That is the depth of the feeling of some persons who think the task is painstaking and that politics will offer a way out later. The majority of vehicle owners, however, seem content to remove the tint which is now a violation of the Vehicles and Road Traffic (Amendment) Ordinance 2003 which came into effect on January 1, 2004. In fact, they are blaming some persons for over-doing the tinting, thus not only blackening out the inside of their vehicles but obscuring their own clear vision outside as well. In most cases, motorists applied the film to reduce the rays and heat of the sun, but even vehicles coming from the manufacturer with built-in tinted glass are up for scrutiny if allowance is not made for 65% of light to pass through.

The Minister of Social Development and Lands, the Honourable Eric Reid, who has been ill since the middle of December 2003, is currently receiving medical care in the USA. Mr. Reid is suffering from a severe eye infection which has deprived him of his vision, a condition which will hopefully be temporary.

The world-renowned resort operator St. Regis, is to run the hotel component of the golf course project in Anguilla.

The Tranquility Jazz Festival closed on Sunday, November 16, at Road Bay with a mammoth crowd in attendance. The visitors and residents filled Johnno’s Beach Restaurant to capacity as they dined and enjoyed the arresting music played by Johnno’s and the Anguilla Jazz Ensemble. The crowd then converged on the beach where they listened to Anastacia Larmonie Ensemble of St. Maarten and the Anguilla Community Jazz Band.

The Anguilla Government’s decision to promote tourism as the engine of the island’s economic growth is paying dividends. This is according to Chief Minister and Minister of Tourism, Osbourne Fleming. He made the assertion on Monday this week while delivering the feature address at the opening ceremony for Tourism Week and the presentation of awards. This year is a special one in that it marks 25 years since Anguilla embarked on up-market tourism as a means of sustaining national development.

A tourism promotion hard cover book entitled: Anguilla: Tranquility Wrapped in Blue has been launched in Anguilla and at World Travel Market in London. The 160-page beautiful and informative book was published by Hansib Publications and edited by Arif Ali, a noted Gyanese publisher in the United Kingdom, who has produced a dozen similar books for regional and international countries.

The well-renowned Heritage Collection Museum, under the curatorship of Colville Petty, OBE, an authority on Anguilla’s history, has moved to new premises. It is now located in East End, next to the East End Pond Bird Sanctuary. Its opening hours are: 10.00 am to 5.00 pm – Monday to Saturday.

The Government proceeded with two motions, in the House of Assembly on Tuesday and Thursday this week, relating to the expansion of Wallblake Airport, brushing aside objections from Leader of the Opposition Hubert Hughes and his colleague Edison Baird.

Second Nominated Member and Deputy Speaker in the Anguilla House of Assembly, Claudel Romney, was in the hot seat on Tuesday and Thursday this week. He presided over the sitting of the House for the first time in the absence of the Speaker, Leroy Rogers, who left the island some days before.

The Anguilla Government is well on its way to establishing an autonomous Health Authority to run the island’s health services with effect from January 2004.

ANGUILLA’S CULINARY TEAM, BARTENDER DID WELL

The National Culinary Team and the Bartender from Anguilla did very well at the “Taste of the Caribbean 2003” competition at the Renaissance Jamaica Grande in Ocho Rios from October 2-5.

Who’ll Get The US$21m Project?

The race is on for the contract for the construction of the Wallblake Airport project in Anguilla which will cost an overall 21 million US dollars. The works will include lengthening the existing 3,600-foot runway by an additional 2,400 feet and improvements to security areas of the terminal building and lighting facilities.

Politics an Option for Former PS

Julian Harrigan, who has been in the Anguilla Public Service for 34 years of which he served as a Permanent Secretary for 22 years, has gone into full retirement with effect from Monday, September 29. He retired one year and four months before reaching the age of 55 at which public servants normally retire.