From the Book – Page 2 – Rosemary C. Hanna

Basil Lawrence Ivan Johnson, CBE, BFM – WW II Hero

Basil Lawrence Ivan Johnson, CBE, DFM, was a lifelong faithful member of St. Agnes from his christening day shortly after his birth on 1^st February 1920, to his final going home on 21^st April 2005.

He attended St. Agnes Day School where his mother, Mrs. Florence Johnson of Hay Street, was a day school teacher and throughout his life he served St Agnes. He was a member of the St. Agnes Anglican Church Men and in January 2000 received an award for long and dedicated service to St. Agnes.

In June 1993 he was named in the Queen’s Birthday Honours as Commander of the British Empire for his service during World War II, his leadership skills and his active involvement in civic and religious services to his country.

In February 1999 he was named as one of the 100 Most Outstanding Bahamians of the 20^th Century by Jones communications for his war service and his work with The Bahamas Branch of the Royal British Legion.

A World War II Veteran, he served with distinction in the British Royal Air Force Voluntary Reserves between 1941-1946 where he rose to the rank of Warrant Officer in the Pathfinder Force and was awarded the Distinguished Flying medal in recognition of his high sense of devotion to duty. He was the President of The Bahamas Branch of the British Legion for forty years, and championed the Legion’s Poppy Day activities for forty-three years.

An engineer by profession, Mr. Johnson was employed at the Bahamas Electricity Corporation from 1936 to 1980. He was married to the late Eunice Johnson and they had four children.

Dr. Andree G. Hanna, MB BS, FRCP(C) – A Trailblazer in Her Field

Dr.Andree G. Hanna is the first Bahamian Pathologist and the first female Head of Department of the Princess Margaret Hospital (PMH).

Like most Bahamian children of her era, she was born “Over-The-Hill” in Nassau. The last of seven children, she was blessed with supportive siblings, a mother who taught her to strive for excellence in all that she did, and a father who taught her that there was no limit to what she could achieve.

Andree attended public schools in Nassau, completing her secondary education at the Government High School (GHS), before entering the University of the West Indies (UWI) where she studied Medicine. She graduated from Medical School with the MB BS degree, two months before her twenty-fourth birthday. Upon graduation, Dr. Hanna did her Internship at PMH and then worked at the Public Health Department before going off to specialize in Pathology on an In-Service award. After Pathology residency training at the University of Western Ontario, Canada, she returned to The Bahamas with Specialist Certification in Pathology from the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada and admission as a Fellow of the Royal College. While serving as consultant and later Consultant head of the Pathology and laboratory Department of PMH, she enrolled in the University of Miami’s Nassau programme and graduated “Magna cum Laude” with a Masters of Business Administration degree.

Andree’s professional affiliations include: Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, member of the Canadian Association of Pathologists, Member of the American Society for Clinical Pathology, member of the Clinical Laboratory management Association, and Member of the International Association of Cytology.

She served initially and for many years as Pathologist in charge of Hematopathology and performed all of the bone marrow aspirates in the hospital. Additionally, staffing constraints soon made it necessary for her to also serve in Surgical Pathology, Cytopathology, Autopsy Services and, at various times, all areas of Clinical pathology.

During her tenure at the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Dr. Hanna is credited with modernizing and reorganizing the Department. She spearheaded the continuous provision of state-of-the-art equipment, a Satellite laboratory in the Out-Patients Department, implementation of a modern Stat Laboratory in the Accident and Emergency area, a shift system in the Blood Bank, renovation and modernization of the Rand Laboratory autopsy suite, the Surgical Pathology and Cytopathology Sections, the temporary relocation of several Sections of the Department to Collins Avenue when the existing infrastructure could not accommodate the required new equipment, and an automated laboratory Information System.

An important facet of her contribution was staff development. Continuing education programmes and staff rotations were implemented. Many staff members were given In-Service awards and returned with degrees and certification in Medical Technology. Two other Pathologists were trained through In-Service awards.

Andree’s contributions also included service to much hospital, Ministry of Health, national and regional committees. She was the first Chairperson of the hospital’s Environmental Safety Committee which focused on safety monitoring, safety protocols and procedures, and safety training for all levels of staff. She was an active member of the hospital’s Medical management committee, committees devising protocols for the establishment of the Public Hospitals Authority (PHA), and the Terms and conditions of Service for Physicians at the PHA.

She has been honoured for professional achievements by Academy of Medical Sciences and by women in Sciences and Technology.

A long term objective of Dr. Hanna’s was certification of the laboratory to international standards, so she was delighted to be seconded in April 2004, to the Ministry of Health, to head the National medical laboratory Strengthening Project, with ultimate goal of attaining certification for public and private laboratories in The Bahamas.

Andree balances her professional life with church, family, friends and hobbies. She is a member of St. Agnes Anglican Church where she sings in the choir. She was a charter member of the Zonta club of Nassau; she is a member and past president of the Carver Garden Club and is a member of the Horticultural Society of The Bahamas. Her hobbies include floral design, gardening, traveling, swimming, racquet games and reading. She also enjoys regular gatherings of her extended family with the group of known as “The Lime”. She is now happily retired.

Andree is divorced and has two daughters, Tracy and Gina Stubbs and a granddaughter, Grace Eneas.

Dr. Joseph Robert Love

Dr. Joseph Robert Love was the grandfather of the late Vera Love and great grandfather of the late Cynthia Love, who were both lifelong active members of St. Agnes Church. Another of Dr. Love’s great granddaughters, Gloria Archer, lives in Freeport, Grand Bahama. Dr. Love was born in Nassau in 1839. He grew up in Grant’s Town and was a member of St. Agnes Church. He moved to the United States in the 1860s and became a priest in 1877.

In 1879 Dr. Love became the first black medical graduate of the University of Buffalo. He went to Haiti in 1881 as a medical missionary. In the 1880s many black West Indians went to Haiti in search of work as they felt more comfortable living in a Black Republic, where they would not be discriminated against by Colonialists. Dr. Love was among a number of foreigners who became involved in Haitian politics. He later moved to Jamaica where he also became active in politics and published a weekly paper the Jamaica Advocate. He was elected to the Legislative Council in 1906 and served in other high offices in Jamaica. Dr. Love was a proud black man and he always encouraged black Jamaicans to become involved in politics. Marcus Garvey, the Jamaican Black Nationalist Leader, was influenced by the writings of Dr. Robert Love, who died in Kingston, Jamaica in 1914.

The bust of Dr. Love was created and photographed by Andret John.

Sir Randol F. Fawkes

In the late 1940s and before the new road Glinton Square was opened, McPherson Street (or Bethell’s Addition as it was then called), was a quiet cul-de-sac, and the families who lived there enjoyed their closely knit little enclave.

Sir Randol F. Fawkes is regarded as the Father of Labour in The Bahamas. Although small in stature he was a giant of a man who suffered many personal hardships and adversities in his fight to uplift the down trodden workers of The Bahamas. He was a very pleasant man who greeted everyone with a smile and he always walked briskly.

Randol Fawkes was called to the Bar in 1948. In June 1951, he married the former Jacqueline Bethel at St. Agnes Church and the ceremony was performed by Canon Milton E. Cooper, with William E. Thompson serving as an acolyte. Randol and his wife had four children, Francis, Rosalie, Douglas and David.

Early in his practice as a lawyer Fawkes became aware of the inequities with regard to representation of the poor before the legal system. He realized that the Bar Association was not effective and, with the help of Norman Manley and Basil Rowe of Jamaica, he got a copy of the Jamaican Bar Association constitution and adapted it to the Bahamian situation. He fought hard for the establishment of Court of Appeal. He also petitioned for the abolition of the all white male jury system. Following a court case in which he represented a Civil Servant, Fawkes was suspended from practicing law for two years. His Notary Public License was revoked and the Board of Education would not allow him to carry out his duties as the duly elected Chairman of the Parent-Teachers’ Association of Western Senior School.

As result of the foregoing, in 1954 he left his young family and travelled to New York where he held a number of menial jobs. Upon his return to The Bahamas and the restoration of his license to practice law, he continued undaunted in his struggle for the poor man. He described himself as David fighting against the formidable power structure of the white minority Goliaths, who were determined to keep blacks enslaved through poor wages and lack of education.

Fawkes ran on the Progressive LIberal Party (PLP) ticket in the 1956 election and he was one of the Magnificent Six PLP candidates who won seats in that historic election. Seated l-r: Cyril Stevenson, Lynden O. Pindling, Clarence Bain; Standing l-r: Samuel Isaacs, Milo B. Butler and Randol Fawkes..

Fawkes was one of the leaders of the 1958 General Strike which came about, yet again, because of the blatant discrimination of the minority white ruling class. Late in 1957, The Bahamas Government granted the white owned tour companies exclusive franchises to transport tourists to and from the newly constructed Nassau International Airport. As a result of this a group of taxi drivers led by Clifford Darling (later Sir Clifford and Governor General) and others used their taxi-cabs to block all access to and from the airport. In 1958 the members of the Taxi-Cab Union sought the assistance of The Bahamas Federation of Labour in their fight with the tour company operators. On 13^th January 1958, Randol Fawkes and Lynden Pindling and others travelled to the various hotels and gave the order for work to stop. The strike spread to all sectors and finally came to end on 29^th January 1958, after the Governor brought representatives the government, the taxi drivers and the tour companies together.

But that was not the end of Fawkes’s problems. Sometime later in 1958, he was charged with trespassing and disorderly conduct because of his having met with mill workers in Abaco to hear their grievances concerning their poor working conditions and pay. I don’t know when the accidents occurred but, my sister-in-law’s father, James Roy Williams and his brother Reginald, lost a hand and foot respectively in the Abaco mills and they had no recourse. Fawkes was given a suspended sentence by Magistrate Maxwell J. Thompson, and bound over to keep the peace for three years. However, that did not deter him and he proceeded to have a meeting at Windsor Park on 8^th August, 1958, the same evening of the day on which he was bound over to keep the peace. The following day he was arrested and charged with sedition (treason) and hauled off to jail.

He was brought to trial before a white Judge and a jury of eleven white and one black man. Fawkes was represented by Vivian O. S. Blake of Jamaica, who fought an uphill battle on behalf of his client, which ultimately resulted in the Judge ordering a not guilty verdict.

In the historic January 1967 general elections, the PLP and UBP parties both won eighteen seats. Randol Fawkes who had run on the Labour ticket also won and Alvin Braynen, a white man who had fallen out with the UBP won as an independent, so the balance of power hung in the hands of these two gentlemen. Fawkes was persuaded to join with the PLP and thus was born the PLP-Labour Coalition Government with Alvin Braynen accepting the position of Speaker of the House. Pictured are: Front l-r, Lynden O. Pindling, Premier and Sir Ralph Grey, Governor; back l-r: Cecil Wallace-Whitfield, Milo B. Butler, Arthur D. Hanna, Clarence Bain, Jeffery Thompson, Carlton Francis, Randol F. Fawkes, Warren Levarity, Curtis McMillan and Clement T. Maynard.

The Fawkes family moved from McPherson Street to their estate, “La Campanella” on JFK Drive where Lady Fawkes still resides. Their former house at McPherson was later occupied by the R. M. Bailey tailor business.

In an 18^th May 1998 interview with the magazine, Consumerism Today, published in its June/July 2001 issue under the heading: “Profile of a Great Bahamian” Sir Randol is quoted as follows:

“Today, both political parties are trying to ride the bandwagons of the TUC and others. As a result they (the Labour movement) are not as effective as they can be, for the poor people. I hope there will be another Bahamas Federation of Labour, but is takes a long time to build a man.”

And further:

“The only advice I can give them is that they have to study Business Administration. How they can bring the administration together without losing any power or sovereignty of separate unions. In fact, you said they are not united, and asked me for advice for them; well they should unite and stay clear of these political parties. Because, no matter what they do the political parties want to get on the bandwagon. And in getting on the bandwagon, they adulterate the aspirations of the labour movement, and eventually they will destroy it.”

Sir Randol fought for and was the author of the Bill that established Labour Day as a public holiday. The first official Labour Day was celebrated in 1962. Yet, forty-nine years later in June 2010, P. Anthony White wrote concerning Randol Fawkes:

“Six years were to elapse before a stubborn, shortsighted Bay Street would reluctantly cause the first Friday in June each year to be observed as Labour Day and a public holiday. But it was Randol Fawkes’s dream and desire for the workers of The Bahamas, and it came about largely because he, even more stubborn than Bay Street, harboured a faith that would, indeed, one day move the mountain. “Yes, Sir Randol Fawkes was the determined man who made it all happen. The nation has not yet completed its task of according him his deserving reward and recognition.”

Other great Bahamians and, in my estimation some not so great, have had public buildings, schools, highways and monuments named in their honour. Yet successive Governments of The Bahamas have failed to bestow any such honour in memory of The Father of Labour.

ADDENDUM

In April 2013, forty (40) years after his pivotal role in the attainment of Majority Rule, the Government of The Bahamas passed a Bill to rename Labour Day as Sir Randol Fawkes Labour Day, which was celebrated on Friday, 7th June 2013.

From the Author

Introduction & Acknowledgements

This book seeks to paint a picture of what life was like in the Over-the-Hill area of Grant’s Town and surrounding areas on the Island of New Providence, The Bahamas, beginning in the mid-nineteenth century following Emancipation, when the area was settled by freed slaves. It includes a brief history of the settlement and development of the area, the role of the Church in that process, and introduces some of the families that lived Over-The-Hill.

On my frequent drives through the old neighbourhood, I observed that most of the once lovely and immaculately maintained homes of my childhood had disappeared or were in a state of disrepair. Only a few of such homes remain as oases in the midst of decay and I thought it important to record the Over-the-Hill story for those of us who remember and for future generations. I began by taking photographs of the old houses and developed the idea of telling stories about some of the families who occupied them. Most of the houses pictured are still occupied by descendents of the original owners. Others were sold and are being well kept by the new owners. However, I thought it was important to bring to life and put a face to some of the families who lived in the area before they began to move out to the newly developed suburbs, and also to highlight the tremendous contributions that Over-The-Hill people made towards the development of The Bahamas.

The stories are told from my perspective as a child and young adult growing up at my family’s home situated at the corner of Gaol Alley and Anderson Street and also as a member of St. Agnes Anglican Church. However, much of the information contained in the book was gleaned from family and friends as well as through interviews with present and former Over-The-Hill residents, to whom I am very grateful for their enthusiastic support of this project. Their names are listed in the oral sources and bibliography. I am also grateful to my cousin, the late Jackson L. Burnside III, who was a great source of inspiration. His comments are noted in the Appendix II. Thanks also to my dear lifelong friend, Sylvia E. Richardson, for allowing me to include the beautiful poem that she penned in memory of Jackson, (Appendix III).

I extend special thanks to Sir Orville Turnquest for writing the Foreword.

I hope that, through these pages, you will enjoy meeting some of the people from Over-The-Hill.

The book is available at local bookstores and Amazon.com

Link to The Tribune newspaper article.

Comments about the book

In her meticulous ingathering of the stories of people in a small segment of The Bahamas, Ms. Rosemary Hanna has recorded the history of the fashioning of a people whose ancestors were transplanted in a foreign land under the most dehumanising conditions and have in a relatively short period changed the history of a former plantation society. The story is built around the people who played active roles primarily in their churches, family units, lodges and community building. Education was seen as a means of true liberation and advancement in the colonial setting hence the academic success of our people is worthy of note. Blood, sweat, tears and discipline brought this about. The craftsmanship and skills necessary for integration as a whole people are highly valued. Because there was the knowledge that man cannot live by bread alone religion, music and family interrelationships played invaluable ligaments in making us a people. I congratulate Ms. Hanna for this tremendous contribution in the telling of the story of a small portion of “Over-The-Hill”.

Bishop Gilbert A. Thompson (Ret.)

Rosemary’s book reinforces my view that the families that peopled the Over-The-Hill district of New Providence just over a half century ago – basically from 1940-1970 – had more class, showed more character and were demonstratively more inspirational than any generation before or after. It was not a perfect world – far from it. But as the book quickly indicates, the streets, the neighbourhoods and the institutions were dominated by families with shared similar values and ambitions. Charles Carter, CEO, Carter Marketing

APPENDIX II

Butler House, Market Street – Page 126 – 9th January 2011

“I have always admired the simple elegance of this house. This is typical of the architecture of Grant’s Town and Bain Town that should inspire the research of the ‘University of The Bahamas’ (if we serious).”

Walker House, Hospital Lane – Page 205 – 12^th January 2011

“Rosemary: You are starting a most important collection of images for the Architectural History of Bain and Grant’s Towns. We have become the ancestors. There is so much information that will disappear with us unless we document as you are doing.”

Burnside Homestead “The White House”, Fort Fincastle – Page 190 – 13^th January 2011

“A Black man has been living in the White House for over 60 years”

Concerning Decay of Over-The-Hill Neighbourhoods – 13^th January 2011

“This repeats itself throughout our Island particularly where the banks do not support re-investment. Most owners of Fort Fincastle, for example, were able to finance moving to the newer subdivisions, but the assessed value in a ‘declining’ area denied them the same investment there. This phenomenon has happened in many places in the U.S. and the Caribbean where new investors come in and ‘gentrify’ the areas after the prices of the land become little or nothing. Then the original owners cannot find the money to pay for the expensive property in the redeveloped area. Harbour Island, Key West, Coconut Grove are all examples of this and it is happening in ‘the city of Nassau’. Beware.”

Lightbourne House, Hay Street – Page 145 – 14^th January 2011

“This house is typical Grant’s Town. If we taught a course in Bahamian Civilization and Architecture, many of the most important lessons would come from this period in our history. Sadly we have allowed imported influences to deny our heritage.”

16^th January 2011

“The massive rubble stone walls, that make the railings on either side of the stair, anchor the sense of welcome to the home like two strong arms, pulling loved ones into a bosom. (There is so much to learn from our over-looked heritage.) One of the most elegant examples of Grant’s Town architecture: though modest in size, a mansion in simple detailing.”

Johnson House, Hay Street – Page 148 – 17^th January 2011

“There are so many powerful lessons to learn from these houses: the relationship to the streets, the disposition of the gardens, the proportion of the footprint of the dwelling to the lot etc. Students come to Nassau from all… over the world …to study our heritage, our urban condition and our buildings and we take it all for granted. How if our, so-called uneducated, ancestors could produce such beauty have we come to the point where we believe we are incapable of being productive, with all that we are supposed to know?”

Rudy Williams Band – Page 116 – 23^rd January, 2011

“This is the kind of history that will give dignity back to our communities and inspire our children”

Transfiguration Baptist Church, Market Street – Page 235 – 8^th March 2011

“Charles Thompson experienced the same discrimination as Joseph Robert Love who left The Bahamas to become an Episcopal Minister in the US… He also became a medical doctor and would later become the mentor of the young Marcus Garvey.”

Concerning the Milk Stands – 8^th March 2011

“These ‘Milk Stands’ and other small shops in the neighbourhoods allowed us to find all we needed to support ourselves within walking distance. The positive social impact of meeting in the streets as we walked everywhere made our communities all feel like ‘one family’. When we got cars, we became impersonal, did not have to care ‘no more’ as we drove to the ‘super market’ and stored our goods in our new Fridge.”

Jackson L. Burnside III (1949-2011)

Mrs. Antoinette Weech – St. Agnes “Precious Pearl”

Mrs. Antoinette Weech (nee Ritchie) is the senior member and a “Precious Pearl” of St. Agnes Church, where she regularly worships on Sundays and during the week. She is still very active, reads without eye glasses, crochets and tends to her garden. Mrs. Weech has lived at her home on Hercules Street for the past sixty-there (63) years, ever since the day she got married in 1948.

She was born in Long Island on 12^th June 1915, the second child of Leopold Arlington Ritchie and his wife the former Doris Vivienne Taylor. Antoinette’s older brother was Leopold and her sister was Pearl. Mrs. Weech was christened and confirmed in Long island. Her mother died when Antoinette was twelve years old. In 1933 her father allowed her to move to Whymms Bight, Eleuthera to live with his only sister, Virginia Eliza Adelaide and her husband, Henry Martin Gibson, who had no children. Mr. Gibson was a teacher. He died six months later and Antoinette and Mrs. Gibson moved to Savannah Sound. Mrs. Gibson was an accomplished tailor and Antoinette assisted her with the finish work and learnt how to make shirts. Her father later remarried and had eleven children with his second wife. Mrs. Weech became foster mother to her younger sister, the late Dr. Mary Ritchie, when she came to New Providence to attend the Government High School and later the University of The West Indies.

Mrs. Weech says that it was love at first sight for both of them in 1939 when she met her future husband, Leland Weech, when she was travelling the Air Pheasant mail boat from Eleuthera to Long Island and Leland was going to Inagua in connection with his job as a telegraphist at Bahamas Telecommunications. Leopold Ritchie was the engineer on Leland’s parents’ boat which was captained by the senior Mr. Weech and also used as a mail boat. Mrs. Weech says that when she told Leland who she was he was thrilled to meet his good friend Leopold’s sister. She later received a letter from Leland which confirmed their engagement that lasted for nine years because he was determined that he would not marry until he had a house into which to move his wife. Then in 1948 Antoinette received a first grade telegraph from Leland saying that he was coming home to her. Soon thereafter, on 29^th July 1948, they were married by Fr. Henshaw, at St. Anne’s Anglican Church. Leland knew Fr. Henshaw from the time when he was stationed in Bimini and was an altar boy. After their marriage Leland and Antoinette joined St. Agnes Church.

Leland always wore shirts made by his wife. The well made shirts caught the eye of Mr. Saunders, the owner of the Nassau Shop who asked who made them and shortly thereafter Mrs. Weech became fully occupied at home making shirts for the store. After a number of years the demand for the shirts and other garments became so great that the owners of the Nassau Shop decided that they wanted to have the garments made by factory and they opened a sewing room in the store. However, Mrs. Weech declined the offer to work outside of her home. Subsequently, she was hired by G. R. Sweeting & Son to close out their shoe department at the corner of Bay and Charlotte Streets before moving to the new department store in Palmdale where she worked for eleven years before going home to take care of Mary’s children when she opened her private practice. Mrs. Weech also continued sewing for clients at home and helped the Salvation Army and hospital with sewing quilts, and other items.

When Leland and Antoinette moved into the neighbourhood, they were warmly welcomed by all. Mrs. Weech describes the Hercules Street and Mason’s Addition neighbourhood as a place where everyone was friendly – the Halls, Maycocks, Smalls, O’Briens, Godets, Johnsons and many others, who all lived in harmony and respected each other. Hercules Street is one of the very few Over-The-Hill where all of the homes are well kept and people continue to take pride in their surroundings.

Mr. Weech was employed at The Bahamas Telecommunications Company up to the time of his death on 24^th September 1957 at the age of 42 years.

Archer Family – Anderson Street

Captain Albert Archer and his wife, the former Caroline Lightbourn, of Abaco, lived next door to Howin and Zelda. They were the parents of Zelda, Walter, Alvord, Baltron, Annette, Mildred (Millie), Jenethia, Velma and Durward. Walter, who was a highly skilled boat builder, was married to the former Agnes Lightbourne. Walter and Agnes lived on Shirley Street just west of Mackey Street. As a child, I dubbed Agnes Archer as Mother’s “kissing friend” because they embraced and kissed whenever they met. Agnes’ sister, Mildred Lightbourne-Sawyer was my godmother. Walter and Agnes had ten children: Gurth (deceased), Anthony, Florinda (Clarke), Valerie (Smith), Gregory (deceased), retired Rector of Epiphany Anglican Church, Delano, Persephone (McQuay), Rosemund, Angela and Lambert. Alvord was married to Herman Bethell of Eleuthera and their children were Baltron, Joyce (Maycock, deceased), Iris (Knowles) and Philip. Baltron and Joyce Bethell came to New Providence to attend GHS and they lived with their grandparents. Baltron Archer was married to the former Patricia Bethell and their children are: retired nurse, Melanie (Farrington), Colin, who is a Psychologist and Methodist Minister, businessman Donald, insurance executive Albert, and businessman Robert, the manager of Archer’s Nursery, adjacent to the family homestead in Chippingham.

Velma married Pastor Ed Allen and they had two children: Ferne (deceased) and Michael. Annette was married to the late Conrad Knowles and their children are Dr. Ronald Knowles, Joan Albury (owner of The Counsellors Limited), attorney Paul, and Dr. Sonia Knowles (dentist). Millie was unmarried and lived in the family homestead on Anderson Street until her death. Durward married Delores Douglas of North Carolina and they had a daughter, Carolynn. He was one of the first nineteen students admitted to the Government High School, graduated from Howard University with a degree in mechanical engineering. However, as stated in his obituary, he found it difficult to find appropriate employment in The Bahamas, so he returned to the United States to teach at engineering schools in South Carolina and Tennessee where he passed the Professional Engineers (PE) Board Examination. He was the first full black member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and later worked for Esso Standard Oil (Exxon) in the United States and for many years in Singapore where he was elected to serve on the board of the Singapore American Schools.

After The Bahamas attained independence Durward took an early retirement from Exxon and returned home in 1974 when he was engaged as the General Manager of the Burmah Oil Transshipment Terminal at South Riding Point in East Grand Bahama. Upon retirement he became a consultant to BORCO Oil Refinery in and Freeport Power Company. He was an active Corporate Member of The Bahamas Institution of Professional Engineers (BIPE) and served as a member of council of its Northern Branch in Grand Bahama.

Durward, who died in September 2011, was involved in the establishment of the First company of Boys Brigade in The Bahamas at Wesley Methodist Church and served for many years as Chairman of the Grand Bahama Regional Branch of The Bahamas national Trust as well as on the board of the Trust.

Mrs. Caroline Archer was an excellent cook and neighbours looked forward to buying her hot bread on Saturday afternoons. Her granddaughter, Diane Dean, inherited Mrs. Archer’s culinary skills and operated a catering business.

Captain Archer’s mother, Susan Jane, was a wonderful quilt maker and she lived with the Pinders. Annette and Velma are the surviving children of Captain and Mrs. Archer.

Bruce Braynen, M.B.E. – Parliamentarian / Businessman

Mr. Bruce Braynen, MBE, a former Parliamentarian, was born in Fresh Creek Andros on 27^th December 1912. He was the son of Lupereon and Ida Braynen. Lupereon was a European and Ida was a black woman. The Braynens had four other children, two sons and two daughters. The Braynen family moved to New Providence when the children were young. Later Mr. & Mrs. Braynen and Bruce’s four siblings moved to Florida where it was easier for Lupereon to find employment and Ida worked as a dressmaker at Burdines Department Store. However, Bruce chose to remain in The Bahamas with his grandmother, Catherine Bain, to whom he was very close. They lived on Hospital lane south of Meeting Street. Bruce attended the St. Agnes Day School. The late Dr. Cleveland W. Eneas, Sr. described Bruce Braynen as a Grant’s Town Boy who liked to play with the boys from Bain Town.

Mr. Braynen lost his sight some years ago but, at age ninety-nine (99), he still had a sharp wit and fondly remembered his youthful days growing up in Grant’s Town. He recalled when the Southern Recreation Grounds (then called the Government Yard) was bush. Prisoners were brought down to cut down the bush and maintain the property. Mr. Braynen remembered that he and a few other boys built the cricket pitch and planted grass on the field, which was often eaten by the horses and had to be replanted; however, the grounds developed into a beautiful place. He also noted that Mr. Edgar Munnings (the father of Harold Munnings and Gwendolyn Munnings-McDeigan) built the steps leading to the bandstand. The original one was a wooden structure that was “in town” (downtown) before it was moved to its present location.

Bruce chuckled when he recounted that he was a good looking boy who was well liked and allowed to get away with doing some things the other boys were not allowed to do. I got the impression that he was a little bit peeved about the West Indian boys from the neighbourhood who he said “acted like they knew everything”. Nevertheless, he acknowledged that many of them had a higher level of education than their Bahamian counterparts, and everyone got along well.

Mr. Braynen married the former Gwendolyn Todd whose family came from Barbados. He said that he saw Gwendolyn for the first time when she was about ten years old as she disembarked from the horse and carriage when her family arrived from Barbados; he thought to himself at the time that he would marry her one day. They were married at St. Mary’s Church on 22^nd May 1939 and had three sons, Anthony, Michael and Alaasis. Mr. Braynen’s other children are Rodney, Barbara King and Mavis Miller. Mrs. Braynen was a nurse by profession. She died in 1999.

Bruce learnt carpentry as a boy and he became a master carpenter. As a teenager he built coffins and worked with local undertakers and, at his death, he still owned the saw that he used as a boy. He was a truck driver for Kelly’s Bakery for twenty-one (21) years and continued to hone his skills in the building industry. In 1943 he became established as a licensed builder and he eventually became a very successful building contractor. He built the Aurora Lodge Hall at Charlotte Street North (near the steps) as well as the home Mr. Edgar Bain, on Blue Hill Road, opposite the Government House lower gardens, shown at right.

Mr. Braynen was first elected to Parliament in 1972 as the PLP representative for the St. Agnes Constituency. He was subsequently re-elected and served in Parliament for fifteen (15) years, where he held the posts of as Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the House. He chose not to run for election again and was subsequently appointed a Senator, serving in that capacity for ten (10) years. He was a philanthropist and quietly helped many persons in Grant’s Town. He served as Secretary General of The Bahamas Federation of Labour (BFL) and as Chairman of The Bahamas Electricity Corporation (BEC). He was also a member of the National General Council of the PLP. For forty one (41) years he operated his laundry business on Vesey Street at the site which is now the rear parking lot of the Grant’s Town Post Office.

Mr. Braynen died on 3^rd October 2012.

Dean Sisters – John Road, Bain Town

Sisters, Patricia Dean-Bazard (Pat) and Audrey Dean-Wright, formerly of John Road, off Blue Hill Road, are the leaders of The Bahamas National Children’s choir (BNCC). They write in an excerpt from the history of the BNCC quoted below:

“In the summer of 1990 two sisters, Dr. Patricia Bazard and Mrs. Audrey Dean-Wright, in an effort to give back to the community in which they were raised, formed a choir of twenty five (25) students from government and private schools in the Bain town area. The purpose was to enable the children to identify with their culture, cultivate their many talents and provide opportunities for their individual development. Students are expected to maintain a 3.0 grade point average.

“The members of the choir range in ages from five to fifteen years. The number of choir members has grown from 25 at its inception to approximately 120 active members to date. The choir is a complete representation of all economic levels (strata) of society.”

Pat and Audrey have literally taken the children of the BNCC around the world. In addition to performing for Government and national events and other organisations in The Bahamas the choir travelled to many historic cities throughout the world. They represented The Bahamas at the Smithsonian Folk Life Festival in July 1994 in Washington, D.C. and also performed at the Martin Luther King Library; they have toured the United States on several occasions, and performed at the Thirtieth Anniversary Independence Celebrations of The Bahamas in New York, and for the opening of Harlem Week. In 2001 they took part in the First World Youth Music Festival in Russia and, again in 2004, they performed at the VIII Moscow Children and Youth International Choir Festival, where they placed second over sixty-seven countries. The children of the BNCC have also performed in Haiti, Ghana, West Africa, on a Caribbean Cruise Tour, on two occasions in Poland, at the Young Prague International Music Festival when they won a bronze medal in 2010. Most recently in July 2012 the Choir won a bronze medal at the International Choral Festival in Beijing, China where they competed against sixty-nine other choirs.

Pat was the first director of The Bahamas National Youth Choir (BNYC) which was established by Director of Culture, the late E. Clement Bethel, on the occasion of The Bahamas’ tenth anniversary of Independence in 1983. Because of other commitments Pat relinquished her role of director of the BNYC and she recommended Cleophas Adderley to Mr. Bethel. Under Cleophas’ direction the BNYC has achieved great heights at home and internationally, having won many international choir competitions, including two gold medals and one silver medal in the 2012 World Choir Games in Cincinnati Ohio in July 2012.

Patricia is married to Lucito Bazard of Haiti and they have five children and twelve grandchildren. Audrey is married to Carleton Wright. They have three children and two grandchildren.

Patricia has had a long career in the Civil Service having worked forty-five years. Audrey is an accomplished musician and sought after pianist. She is an Associate Professor and Head of the Visual Arts and Performing Division at The College of The Bahamas.