The little man is watching.  

He has been following the voyage of ship BVI since she left port some 60 years (1967) ago when ministerial government was granted.  

He knew, in those days, that the ship was not in good condition.  We were an agrarian community.  The population was under 10,000; Money and jobs were scarce; The infrastructure was nonexistent.  

Roads, if they could be called that, were as wide as a hair’s breadth; Getting to the Cottage Hospital meant a boat ride or by horseback or mule.  Not everyone could do it.

Life was hard.

But Lawerence Rockefeller came and opened a new world for BVI.  The iconic Little Dix Bay was built and its arrival on Virgin Gorda coincided with that of electricity.  It was a proud, game-changing moment.

Other investors followed.

Crips came and we got Prospect Reef and Air BVI.  Bob Grey brought his skills as a contractor and the quarry at PockWood Pond.  Peter Haycraft built Road Town Wholesale.  Dr Jarecki gave us the hotel on Guana Island.

Paulina Dean DuPont established Fort Burt.  Cathy Sebastians constructed Sebastian’s on the Beach.  Penrose opened the Long Bay Hotel.  Leonard Cushing erected the Sugar Mill Hotel.

Doctors Thomas, Morgan, Tattersall and Smith (UK) began to organize medical care.  And the people kept coming.  

And the little man welcomed them and understood their value to the economy and in improving his life.  With their capital and expertise, and with time, Ship BVI running on a single engine (Tourism) became seaworthy.  

And “the rising tide raises all (seaworthy) ships.”  

Smedwick came and we got the hotel on Peter Island.  Hammerslee did Treasure Isle Hotel.  Mowinkle founded Biras Creek Resort.  Charlie and Jenny Carie established the Moorings.

Harneys, Westwood and Riegels opened the law firm that bears their name.

Meanwhile, improvements in education in the BVI were already on the move.  Barbadian, P. C. Scott took over the reins of the Virgin Islands Secondary School in 1955 and, although controversial, made a difference.

And we learned fast.  

(Dr) CharIes Wheatley took over as principal of the Secondary School from 1972-1980.  Then he spent the remainder of his career managing and guiding education in the BVI.

Dr. D. O. Smith returned from school and became our first local surgeon and Chief Medical Officer.  McTodman returned from his studies and was revered as a fixture in law.

Mark Vanterpool got the fruit bowl going and that became OneMart Superstore.  Clarence Thomas got us into all things plumbing.  Mark Simmons made lumber available.  Mose Malone did reclamation, development, politics.  Stanley, Rymers and Quitos entertained and fed us on Cane Garden Bay beach

Heskith took us into the world of private health care in a big way and Albert and his contemporaries in Carrot Bay supplied the fish and lobster that graced many a menu on JVD, Tortola and VG.

Chalwell and Captain Stoutt with their barges brought us supplies from Puerto Rico.  Roland Hodge kept our households furnished and Scatos supplied the chicken parts and fries that made the mouths of school children spring water.

The list is interminable.

In BVI, we worked together, side by side and leaders like H. Lavity Stoutt looked after the building of the infrastructure and maintaining positive relationships on the regional and international scene.

In the 1980s the little man was ecstatic to note that Ship BVI got a new engine; Financial Services.  She moved like a sleek shadow over the BVI waters.

Tertiary education for BVI people became the norm.

Our neighbours came in droves and others from all walks of life across the globe; From East, West, North and South.  They loved the quality of life in BVI.  Many were grafted in.

The rapid progress of the Territory was remarkable.  The U.K. began to pay more interest in our internal affairs although we continue to be managed under the Foreign Office instead of the Home Office.  We have not yet, in their eyes, risen to the level of kit and kin. 

And as we progressed, pride filled our hearts.  Every Ministry, including the Finance Ministry became a Ministry of Works.  Every Minister measured his progress by the projects he could deliver in his District and the petty contracts he could give out.

Increasingly, the Works Ministry was denied the funds for infrastructure building and blamed for the criminal disrepair of the Ship’s hull.

We squandered money and opportunities.  Corruption seeped in and we began to believe that we built BVI on our own.  

And faceless blogging helped us to sow seeds of discord and create divisions with the very people who extended an investment hand to lift BVI out of nothingness.

Then Ship BVI began to seriously fall into disrepair and with plunderers on the high seas and a failing infrastructure she became a danger even to herself.  

Safety on her decks could not be taken for granted.  Her Minister for National Security was distracted.  She no longer sailed proudly and was overtaken by every other ship in the subregion.  She lost her captain and has been sailing under the threat of an Order in Council since 29 April 2023.

It is sad to see her in this state.

But all is not lost.  With major investments in her infrastructure, a national blueprint for her future redevelopment and operations and respect amongst all her people, she can, once again, sail with pride and confidence.

And take her rightful place as the star of the Caribbean seas.

Fridays know this.

And so do the people.

Why don’t our leaders?

Happy Friday!