by Winston Strachan
I was absolutely thrilled when I read a recent article by Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell stating that his government will take positive action to restore historical buildings in Grenada.
For several years, I have targeted 3 buildings in the capital that I believe should be restored. They are the National [Shiela M Buckmire Memorial] Library, York House and Government House.
Between 2005 and 2008, upon returning to Grenada, I developed a relationship with the staff of both the library and the Grenada National Museum. At one point, I attempted to establish a connection between the libraries of Grenada and the Library Plus Service of Northamptonshire. Not too long afterwards, the library on The Carenage was closed for good.
I would like to see this library building restored, and since there have been talks of designing a modern, purpose-built library, perhaps the National Museum could be rehoused in the restored building.
Apart from seeing the site’s destruction, I was not familiar with York House until I became a member of The Willie Redhead Foundation, although my wife and I visited it on several occasions to obtain ancestry records for my grandparents, my mother, and land associated with the family.
History tells me York House was the site of our country’s first parliament. This building must be restored to its natural glory. Historians will never forgive us if we don’t take the necessary action to preserve this site and its buildings for future generations.
God knows that the historical site that is mostly dear to my heart is Government House. As a child, we only lived about three miles from the site and every time we visited the capital, we travelled along St Paul’s main road and Lucas Street. The grounds and buildings were always visible as having an authoritative environment, with a sentry at the gatehouse.
As children in the classrooms, we were taught that we were part of the Windward Islands, with Grenada as its capital. The Governor of the Windward Islands were based here, and Government House was his official residence. All of the official administrative duties relating to the other Islands were linked directly to Government House, and to me, it is shocking, absolutely shocking, that the former Prime Minister has done nothing whatsoever to at least maintain the grounds of such a magnificent historical site.
As a national, I say hurrah! Grenada finally has a Prime Minister with vision who acknowledges the importance of preserving our history for current and future generations. I say this as someone with no affiliation to any political movement in the country. We also need to consider our tourism industry and the assets these sites and buildings could be in terms of additional tourist attractions, and additional sources of revenue.
We have been desperate to see some leadership in this regard for several years. I am aware that several attempts have been made by The Willie Redhead Foundation toward meaningful dialogue with successive governments, without success.
It is important that all Grenadians at home and abroad are allowed to make contributions towards restoration projects; therefore, national appeals should be organised by the government in conjunction with the Grenada National Trust and The Willie Redhead Foundation to help raise some of the estimated funds needed to restore each project.
Finally, may I point out that the views expressed in this article are mine and mine alone and do not represent those of any organisation I am associated with.
