Palm Grove Park is a reality

Chief Minister Honourable Dr. D. Orlando Smith (right) is pleased to share the spotlight with several members of the Positive Action Movement after the opening and unveiling of a plaque at Palm Grove Park in Road Town.  GIS photo

By Mellica McPherson

“Isn’t it a gorgeous park?!” the Chairperson of the opening ceremony for the Palm Grove park Ms. Marlene Penn-Trotman announced during her welcome remarks on 25 January, before the new urban beautification project was officially opened to the public.

Director of the BVI Tourist Board, Mrs. Janis Braithwaite-Edwards said that she was happy to witness the opening of an enhancement feature of the Territory’s tourism product. She mentioned that the park will provide an attractive location for tourists to rest during their shopping or before they go back to the cruise ships. Mrs. Braithwaite-Edwards stated that the recreational area will also furnish residents with a clean and attractive area for cultural events.

Road Town Elected Representative, Hon. Mark Vanterpool disclosed that the area brings back memories of a Road Town with very little flat land for development.  He pointed out that the “park serves as a stark reminder of those who sacrificed their lives for us.”  He urged the people of the BVI to “treat this park as sacred ground, and preserve it for future generations.”

In delivering the keynote address Chief Minister, Dr. the Hon. D. Orlando Smith told the audience “let us not forget that today we stand in hallowed ground. Four decades ago an agreement was signed giving the entire area of Wickham’s Cay to a foreign developer. This agreement was signed without the consent of the people of the BVI. At that moment, our community had to make a definitive choice—either to accept our status as subjects in our own land—or stand up to the powers that be and demand our fundamental rights. This community made a choice –we stood up and we resisted.”

The Chief Minister went on to list some of the heroes who stood up: Noel Lloyd, Lindy DeCastro (Ras Uhuru), Wilfred Smith, Louella Harrigan, Roosevelt Smith, Cromwell Nibbs, Patsy Lake and others. “They rallied together under the banner of the Positive Action Movement. The community stood firm in the face of resistance from the British authorities—stood firm even when a battleship was deployed at Road Town Harbour to monitor the events.  Thanks to that act of bravery—that choice---- the land of Wickham’s Cay was restored to its rightful owners --- the people of the BVI,” Hon. Smith noted.

The BVI Leader pointed out that the land of the Cay was used in the days of slavery as a burial ground for “our ancestors.” “It is land that has seen our community endure its most painful hardships---and celebrate its moment of greatest triumph. It is in a real sense, the heart and soul of the BVI, and it was in recognition of this great truth, that we the community of the BVI made the choice to sanctify this ground by building this wonderful park,” the Chief Minister declared.

Hon. Smith recalled that “when the decision was taken to build this park and to improve the roadways and traffic through the area, that choice was met with angry protests and criticisms.”  He then said that it is his “hope that all those who were so quick to rush to judgment and to throw unfounded accusations of betrayal will now see that the intentions of this Government were all good. I hope the entire community can learn from this experience that in order to prosper as a people we must make unity our first instinct. We must give one another the benefit of the doubt and not be so quick to anger.”

A lot of struggles went into the acquisition of Wickham’s Cay, and Ms. Patsy Lake an eye witness to the great efforts gave an account to those who attended the ceremony. She informed that “Wickham’s Cay was once a small, mangrove-fringed Cay within swimming distance of the Road Town coastline.” The brief history of Wickham’s Cay that was presented stated that before emancipation in 1834, the area was used as a burial ground for slaves and was owned in 1798 by James Wickham a free-coloured seaman. Most of this information came from local historian Vernon Pickering and his first book, “Early History of the BVI”.

In the 1960s, the Bates-Hill Company bought out Mr. Fowler the then owner of Wickham’s Cay. It is said that Bates-Hill then signed an agreement with the local government giving the British development firm the permission to reclaim the area around the Cay, a project Mr. Fowler had already begun in 1964. The agreement, essentially a 199-year lease, was signed in 1967 and gave Bates-Hill control of Wickham’s Cay and three quarters of Anegada.” 

According to Mrs. Lake, opposition to the agreement began to build almost at once when it was discovered that Bates-Hill was not planning to allow locals to have access to the site except in a subservient capacity. The meetings to discuss the issue were started by Noel Lloyd, Patsy Pickering (now Lake) and Wilfred Smith. They were later joined by Lindy de Castro (Ras Uhuru). The four formed themselves into the Positive Action Movement (PAM). They rallied and opposed to what they saw as foreign control over a large part of the Territory’s capital. Public meetings were held at the Bandstand and several protest marches were organized, some ended in confrontation with the police. Some of the leaders were arrested and rearrested but opposition to the development grew.  In 1971, the agreement was finally annulled.

After giving an overview of the events, Ms. Lake told the gathering: “I was just a young woman in those days and in spite of many criticisms against me personally and the group we stood firm, that’s why we can celebrate here today.  Noel Lloyd stood out; he sacrificed himself, and got a nervous breakdown after all of this. He received many blows to his head and he has never been the same. He is now in a nursing home in Florida.”  Mrs. Lake emotionally requested that the Palm Grove Park be named after Mr. Noel Lloyd: “Let us Honour Noel Lloyd while he is still alive, I hope everyone considers my suggestion.”

The ribbon to officially open the Park was cut by Master Maat Penn, the grandson of Roosevelt Smith.