On Tuesday His Excellency Governor Thomas Macan officially renamed the Communication Control Centre at the Department of Disaster Management  in honor of the late Arthur Marston Swain. As part of the ceremony Robert Swain (right), son of the late Arthur Swain donated high frequency radio equipment, VHF radios, GIS projects, antennas, solar panels, and maps to the Department of Disaster Management. 

Communications Center

named after Arthur Swain

 The Department of Disaster Management (DDM) has named its Communications Control Centre after a well-known veteran telecommunications pioneer, the late Arthur Swain.

The Arthur Swain Control Centre, which is located on the bottom floor of the Department of Disaster Managemen, is the department’s central control hub. It is where the Vhf radios, seismographic instruments and sirens are deployed and monitored.  The Control Center is attached to the Department’s radio room, and was first opened on 25 February 2005, by Her Royal Highness Princess Anne.

In Swain’s honour his son Robert Swain presented some communications equipment to the DDM. Friend of Mr. Swain, Mr. Wesley Woolhouse also made a presentation on behalf of the late Lee Reisenweber. He handed  over telecommunications equipment that would be beneficial to the center.

Other members of Swain's family were present to pay tribute to his accomplishments including Cecille Jardin, and Tyrone Fonseca.

His Excellency the Governor Mr. Tom Macan said that he could not think of another more fitting person than the late Mr. Swain to have the Control Centre named after him. He reminded that Swain was passionate about emergency radio communications and explained that maybe that was because “short frequency radio was not such a thing of the past . It can easily be fixed, which cannot be done with the new communications technologies.  The BVI owes much gratitude to Mr. Swain for his decades of work, especially in the Department of Disaster Management."

After handing over some equipment to the Department Mr. Robert Swain said that he was honored that the Center was named after his father; he said that his father contributed significantly to the development of communications in the BVI and he said that he knew that his father would have been pleased.

One of Arthur Swain’s contribution was being a member of the BVI Amateur Radio League. The League specialized in operating short wave radios which are necessary in the case of communications failure. The League once operated on a volunteer basis.

Arthur Swain died on the 16 March 2005.  All together he had served in the  area of telecommunications in the BVI for over 40 years.

Mr. Swain came to the Territory in 1960 to set up the first telephone on the island. He stayed on and became Government’s telecommunications officer.

After his retirement Mr. Swain went to the Department of Disaster Management as their emergency officer. While at the Department of Disaster Management, Mr. Swain installed and established a telecommunications system.