AND COLLECTIBLES
Lavity Stoutt, Willard Wheatley and Prominent, Pioneer Members of the BVI Legislative Council 'Stamped' in History
By Giorgio Migliavacca©
On 22 November, 2000 the British Virgin Islands Postal Administration released a set of seven postage stamps in commemoration of the 50th Anniversary of the Restoration of the Legislative Council. The new set comes a week after the issue of a similar set honouring a local hero and prominent islanders, thus adding to the Philatelic Hall of Fame for British Virgin Islanders inaugurated in 1993 by local stamps honouring historian and prominent educator Dr. Norwell Harrigan, and teacher Stanley Nibbs.
The new set of stamps is the culmination of the celebrations of the golden anniversary of the restoration of constitutional rule in the Territory. On November 24, 1949, a demonstration march of over 1,500 persons demanded the removal of CommissionerJ.A.C. Cruickshank. The leaders of the demonstration, T. H. Faulkner, I.G. Fonseca and C.L. de Castro presented a petition expressing the populaceās grievances and demanding freedom and democracy. In July 1950, the General Legislative Council of the Federation of the Leeward Islands reconstituted the Legislative Council of the BVI which consisted of four members elected by a single - territory-wide - constituency. The restored Legislative Council was inaugurated 5 December 1950; the elected members being: I.G. Fonseca, H.R. Penn, Carlton deCastro, and C. Brudenell-Bruce.
On
2 April 1951 a set of four stamps was issued to mark the restoration of
the Legislative Council. Interestingly enough these were the first stamps
to bear the inscription 'British Virgin Islands'. Subsequent issues continued
in the old tradition of inscriptions reading 'Virgin Islands'. Following
a memorandum issued by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (London) in
1967 and commencing with the Game Fishing set issued 2 January 1968, all
B.V.I. stamps bear the words "British Virgin Islands". However, there
was an exception, and in 1968 the Martin Luther King commemorative stamps
drew criticism for omitting the word "British". This new set celebrating
LegCo's Golden Anniversary and earlier stamp issues are in compliance
with the official policy set out by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office
that requires that no living person is to appear on stamps of the Territory
except for Her Majesty and members of the Royal Family.
The
new stamps commemorating the 50th Anniversary of the Restoration of the
BVI Legislative Council are as follows: 10c. featuring Dr. Q. W. Osborne
who was elected from 1963 - 1979. He came from Montserrat to the BVI as
a Medical Officer in 1955; he then entered the political arena and was
elected in 1963, and from 1971 to 1975 was a Minister of Government. The
spelling of his name on the stamp is wrong, in fact it is mispelled 'Osbourne'
instead of Osborne. Appearing on the same stamp is Arnando Scatliffe who
was elected from 1963-1967 and served as the second member for the Road
Town area. Together with Fonseca and Osborne he supported the introduction
of a Ministerial System. The 15c denomination depicts H. Robinson O'Neal
- an elected member 1967-1971 who was instrumental in improving the education
system in his native Virgin Gorda. The Robinson O'Neal Memorial School,
named in his memory, was the first public building in the BVI to bear
the name of a native. The other elected member on the same stamp is Alfred
Austin Henley who was elected from 1971-1977 and became Leader of the
Opposition in 1975.
The
20c. stamp depicts Wilfred W. Smith, an elected member from 1954 - 1957
who made notable contributions and introduced the resolution to name Cottage
Hospital after Major Peebles. John Charles Brudenell-Bruce (born in London,
1885) and a member of the diplomatic service came to the BVI in 1935 after
his retirement. He is depicted on the 20c stamp to remember him as an
elected member of the pioneering years when he lobbied to keep the Territory
out of the West Indies Federation. The philatelic gallery continues with
the 30c stamp featuring Isaac Glanville Fonseca, a native who served from
1950 to 1971 and is well remembered as a dedicated and outspoken politician.
The other cameo on this value is devoted to Howard R. Penn who was elected
from 1950 to 1963. In 1949 Penn chaired the Constitutional Committee which
made the recommendations for the restoration of a Legislative Council
in the Colony. The two cameos on the 50c stamp depict Theodolph H. Faulkner
[1914-1989] and Carlton Leslie deCastro. The Anegada-born Faulkner was
instrumental in sensitizing public opinion in the events that led to the
March of 1949, which in turn paved the way for the restoration of the
Constitution. He served as an elected member from 1954-1957 and 1960-1963,
and the Administration Building on Anegada was named after him in 1991.
deCastro was one of the three leaders (with Fonseca and Faulkner) in the
historic March of 1949. He was elected and served as member of the Legislative
Council from 1950 to 1954, and distinguished himself as a civic leader
and a legislator.
The
two top values in this captivating set are devoted to the first two Chief
Ministers of the Territory since the introduction of the new Constitution
and Ministerial System in 1967. In that year the BVI was granted a greater
degree of autonomy. The 60c stamp features educator Willard Wheatley who
served from 1971 to 1986. He was appointed Chief Minister from 1971 to
1979, and distinguished himself as an outstanding political leader. During
his tenure the economy saw a substantial recovery and a Ministry of Finance
was created. Wheatley also served as Deputy Chief Minister from 1983-1986.
The $1 stamp features H. Lavity Stoutt, an elected member from 1957 to
1995. He became the first BVI Chief Minister in 1967 and served in that
capacity until 1971. He was appointed Chief Minister from 1979 to 1983
and then uninterruptedly for three consecutive terms from 1986 to 1995.
As a five-term Chief Minister, Stoutt distinguished himself for his foresight
and wisdom in leading the Territory to economic self-sufficiency while
pressing for constitutional and political advancement. The stamps are
designed by G. Vasarhelyi and printed by The House of Questa [perforation
14; watermark CA Spiral Old].
The set celebrating the Golden Anniversary of the Legislative Council will remain on sale at the General Post Office, Road Town, and the Branch Offices at East End, and West End, Tortola and The Valley Virgin Gorda until 21 May 2001 or until stocks are exhausted. The stamps are available at the BVI Philatelic Bureau, General Post Office, Sir Olva Georges Plaza, Road Town, Tortola, British Virgin Islands.
Stamp collectors wishing to acquire earlier stamps, from 1866 to the
mid-1990s may contact the
BVI Philatelic Society,
P.O. Box 704,
Road Town,
Tortola,
British Virgin Islands.
Or e-mail: issun@candwbvi.net