LOCAL NEWS

LITTLE DIX BAY CELEBRATES 35TH ANNIVERSARY A momentous occasion and a celebration befitting! From a fascinating history walk and interpretive display to employee recognitions. Everything went splendidly throughout the three days as Little Dix Bay on Virgin Gorda, celebrating its 35th anniversary, joined with its parent company Rosewood Hotels & Resorts in observing its 20th anniversary, October 26 - 28, 1999. The theme was A World of Growth: Honoring the Past, Celebrating the Present and Enriching the Future. The opening programme on Tuesday was attended by His Excellency the Acting Governor Mr. Elton Georges, Chief Minister the Honourable Ralph T. O'Neal, Territorial-at-large Member Hon. Reeial George, Minister of Health, Education and Welfare Hon. Eileene Parsons as Director of the Heritage Dancers, who were, as usual, resplendent in their performance and Mr. James Brown, President and Chief Operating Officer of Rosewood Hotels & Resorts. Rosewood Vice President and Managing Director of Little Dix Bay Peter Shaindlin said the rich heritage of 35 years of service and tradition to guests and the community of Virgin Gorda is filled with many successes, fine memories and is made possible by the loyal staff of the resort. Little Dix was recently acknowledged as being the number one resort in the Caribbean and one of the top five in the world. It was in 1961 that the government of the Virgin Islands leased 365 acres of crown land to Mr. Laurance S. Rockefeller. Three years later, he opened a 50-room hotel. While he was not able to attend this week's activities, Mr. Rockefeller remains a regular visitor to Virgin Gorda. In a letter to Mr. Shaindlin, he reflected on the major problems of electricity, transportation, water, communications and schools back in 1964, but said it is gratifying today to see the progress that has come to Virgin Gorda over the past 35 years. The Managing Director acknowledged several retired employees of Little Dix Bay, including Conrad Stevens, Haldene Davies, Ada Flax, Allan George, Dennis Riley, Inez Gumbs, Evelyn George, Leo George, Walter Smith, Rudolph Vanterpool, Hugo Harrigan, Reynell Faulkner, Osmond Stevens, Richard Samuel, George Legiere, Gordon Smith, Grace Hope, Amelia George, Priscilla Vanterpool, Esme Wheatley, Melba Vanterpool and Wilbert Wheatley. In honour of 35 years of loyal service to Little Dix Bay, Rosalie Gardener, Hudson Stevens, Grace Flax-Waters, Clyde Cobin, Wilford Vanterpool, Danford George, Vanceto Waters, Tebert George and Joseph Smith all received plaques. Musician Morris Mark was also honoured with a plaque for his 30 years of service and a cheque for $500 was presented to the Heritage Dancers in recognition of their efforts to promote the BVI's unique cultural heritage. In celebrating the present, they focused on personal and professional development with a wellness walk, a health fair, a seminar on financial planning, a seminar on nutrition and health, a cooking demonstration and Employee Olympics. On Thursday, Little Dix Bay hosted a ceremonial mahogany tree planting, recognized the children of the community and christened Rosewood Park, a coconut field in the north end of the Yacht Harbour which has been opened up to the Little League Baseball Association and sports teams of the island and those visiting, in order to create a safer playing area. Visiting the BVI and guests of Little Dix Bay this week were Dr. and Mrs. Ranking who have been coming to Virgin Gorda since the hotel opened in the 1960s. Certainly, the highlight of the anniversary programme for many was the premier of two very professionally produced video presentations, one entitled 'In Their Own Words', which features the retirees reflecting on the early days of Little Dix Bay and the other 'Dance to the Music', a motivational video for staff and a programme of orientation for new employees. In his remarks, Hon. R.T. O'Neal, Chief Minister and District Representative noted that the lands on which Little Dix Bay was built were some of the finest cattle pasture land in Virgin Gorda Valley and the owners must indeed be counted among those who played a role in the success of the hotel. He recalled that in those days, the government was very anxious to secure this type of development and the first license granted to Mr. Rockefeller under the Non-Belonger Landholding Act stated that he would spend half a million dollars within five years developing the land. He later expanded his land holdings to some 500 acres. "I should however add, that Little Dix Bay at that time, in addition to being one of the cattle areas of Virgin Gorda, was the bay where the sailing boats would come in if there wasground seas raging at St. Thomas Bay and asVirgin Gorda was a maritime community, the rights of the people had to be protected at all times. And this was done by the government introducing the Little Dix Bay Right of Way Bill, which gives sailors and passengers the right to disembark and embark and use the road from the beach to the hill at Little Dix Bay," Hon. O'Neal observed. According to the Chief Minister, Little Dix Bay Hotel has meant a great deal to Virgin Gorda and the BVI. "Indeed, it has transformed the society from a rural agricultural subsistence economy to a commercial society and has put this island on the map," he remarked. He said the standard of living has been raised far beyond their expectations of 1960 and the quality of life has been greatly improved. The Representative for Virgin Gorda said in honouring the past, tribute must be paid to Mr. Laurance Rockefeller for his foresight and daring investment. He also paid tribute to the American firm that designed the project, the British firm that carried out the construction and all the past Managers. He went on to note with satisfaction that Mrs Grace Flax-Waters and Mr. Clyde Cobin, who worked at Little Dix Bay the longest of the employees, are still with the hotel today. "While it is not possible to mention every employee who passed through this hotel, I would like to make reference to Pastor Leo George, who did a yeoman's job as Personnel Officer at Little Dix Bay; he is now retired," said Mr. O'Neal. He said while the ownership of Little Dix Bay Hotel has changed over the years (it became part of the Rosewood Collection June 1, 1993), the operators continue to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars to further improve the resort to ensure that it remains the flag carrier of hotels in the BVI and one of the finest in the Caribbean. "Personally, I am glad to have been associated with this establishment from its early beginnings until this day and as Leader of the government, I pledge to support the establishment with whatever is legally possible. Certainly, any establishment that employs over 300 people year-round in these islands, is worthy of such support, regardless of what is said at an election campaign," Chief Minister O'Neal stated. He encouraged the staff to go forward together conscious of the fact that they are doing a wonderful job. But he challenged Rosewood that to properly enrich the future, the company must carry out a massive training programme for locals in an effort to get more BVIslanders assuming senior positions. President and Chief Operating Officer of Rosewood Hotels worldwide James Brown was humbled at the celebrations. Without giving any details, he announced that plans are in the pipeline to invest more money into Little Dix Bay. He also noted that efforts must be maintained to keep up with the competition. "Because the British Virgin Islands and the whole Caribbean in fact are changing very, very quickly and one of the things that we need to maintain is the integrity of Little Dix Bay, the integrity of the British Virgin Islands, while still remaining competitive," said Mr. Brown. In responding to the Chief Minister's challenge, the Rosewood President said discussions are underway to have staff participate in 5-6 month attachments at other resorts. Currently, Little Dix Bay offers tuition reimbursement for those of its staff who pursue ongoing career development and education through training and courses at the H. Lavity Stoutt Community College. The vote of thanks was given by Hon. Reeial George, who himself was one of the beginners at Little Dix Bay Hotel 35 years ago.

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