YOUNG STUDENT DIES IN FIRE: Clemnardo Johnson (11), the youngest child of Mr. Clement & Mrs. Coreen Johnson of Lower Bogue and a 6th grade student at North Eleuthera Primary School died tragically during the wee hours of Saturday morning, January 14th, when his room was destroyed by fire. His parents who were in the home at the time of the fire, managed to escape as the remainder of the house escaped the fury of the flames.
BAHAMAS METHODIST HABITAT FLYING IN TO HELP OUT – AGAIN!
Bahamas Methodist Habitat fleet at Governor’s Harbour Airport. Fourteen (14) private planes swarmed Governor’s Harbour Airport via Showalter Air in Orlando, Florida on Thursday, February16th, 2012 for the 10th Biannual Bahamas Habitat Fly-In and Help Out event.
US Chargé d’Affaires Visits Island:
Pictured are Mrs. Deborah Deal, Principal (now retired), Preston H. Albury High School, US Embassy’s Family Island MLK Civil Rights Essay Contest winner Stevanno Miller (a student of PHAHS) and U.S. Chargé d’Affaires, John Dinkelman.
AN ISLAND POLITICALLY SPLIT DOWN THE MIDDLE. – An amazing fact about the 2012 election: If everyone in the North Eleuthera District outside of Current, Spanish Wells and Harbour Island had stayed at home, the outcome would have been exactly the same = 101 votes difference in favour of the FNM. Lower Bogue, Upper Bogue, Current Island, Gregory Town, Hatchet Bay and James Cistern were split exactly 50:50.
Supporters of the two Major parties turn up in big numbers at rallies across the island in preparation for the May 7th, National Election. The PLP won Central and South Eleuthera while the FNM won North Eleuthera.
WOMEN Stand out on RBDF Port Call in Governor’s Harbour
HMBS Nassau with stand-out female contingent including the highest ranking in the force, makes port-call during patrols as a result of heightened Illegal Immigration ‘Boat Activity’ around Eleuthera
ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION repeatedly made the news in Eleuthera in 2012
In the 7 months prior to the end of May 2012, more than 200 Haitian immigrants had been apprehended by police and immigration with the assistance of citizens, having entered the island illegally.
Mr. Garnett Thompson meets AN-TIKI captain
Garnett Thompson of James’ Cistern, Eleuthera, was only one year old when the British life boat, “The Jolly Boat” ended up on the Atlantic side beach in Central Eleuthera, east of the Governor’s Harbour airport, but he had been born in the family directly responsible for rescuing the two emaciated men. They were discovered on the beach by Mr. Thompson’s aunt, his father’s sister, who, as the story goes, had a dream the night before that directed her and her husband to take the unusual route along the beach to their farm. As Mr. Thompson shared, it was along the way that they discovered the men in the boat. She stayed with the men and her husband returned to town and got help in the person of Elijah Mackey, a resident police constable. The AnTiki owner/captain, Anthony Smith (86), met up with Garnett Thompson at an official welcome/fundraising reception, two days after his April 29th, arrival on shore, relatively close to where the Jolly Boat had come ashore. The two arranged to meet on the original landing beach during Mr. Smith’s stay on island to confirm the spot the original ‘Jolly boat’ landed, in comparison to the AnTiki’s resting place.
Sunday, April 29th, was a windy, rainy day in Central Eleuthea and a harrowing day for the team on the raft, with stormy conditions, and sharp reefs to battle as they paralleled South and Central Eleuthera.
Mr. Thompson (73) died in November 2012 and he was laid to rest on December 8th in James’ Cistern, Eleuthera.
DOG ATTACKS Make Headlines
Photo caption: Percy Grant, Education Officer with the Bahamas Humane Society, engages local enforcement authorities and care groups, educating them on legislation surrounding responsibilities of canine owners, dog licensing, public safety, abuse, and the relationship between cruelty to animals and criminality. This followed a spate of Dog Attacks on Tourists, publicised nationally and on the internet. Two people were convicted in court in relation to the attacks.
PHOTO MOMENT: DRIVING on the right side of the road.
A Wednesday afternoon accident on June 13th, 2012 in Gregory Town shows a danger that lurks around corners on our roads, constantly. Very often its a near miss, but in Gregory Town, Eleuthera it was a head-on collision. The local driver in the white car was driving south along the Queen’s Highway road (keeping left) and the yellow car, an SD, was being driven by a visitor to the island, who had forgotten that in the islands of The Bahamas, its Wrong to Keep Right. No one was
seriously injured in this accident. In a comment on the Trip Advisor web page linking our online photo blurb on this accident one visitor commented, “When I rented a car in
Eleuthera last year and drove for the first time on the left side of the road, I put a large note on the dashboard that said ‘DRIVE ON LEFT!!!’. That helped with only one episode of forgetfulness.”
SKYBAHAMAS MOVES INTO NORTH ELEUTHERA
Sky Bahamas in July 2012, announced big plans for North Eleuthera with the start of a new daily service to and from Nassau and possible expansion
to Ft. Lauderdale in the fall. The response according to several sources, has been less enthusiastic than expected.
FAMOUS AMERICAN TWINS MEET THEIR ELEUTHERA COUSINS
Tia Mowry-Hardrict & Tamera Mowry-Housley, American reality twin stars and former stars of the 90’s TV show ‘Sister Sister’ spent two days in Eleuthera in July, filming part of their reality series as they reunited with their Bahamian roots, the Sweetings of South Eleuthera, related through their mother.
ELEUTHERA’S OLYMPIAN HONOURED
Eleuthera’s Olympic Gold medalist, Chris Brown, unveils a street named in his honour at an August 2012, celebration on the island for the “Golden Knights’ – the 4 x400m relay team that won gold at the XXX London Olympics.
Olympic Gold medalist, Chris Brown inspiring young Eleutherans in Harbour Island.
ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS IN RAINBOW BAY
Illegal Haitian immigrants in custody in Rainbow Bay on August 10th.
BTC OPENS NEW ELEUTHERA STORE IN GOVERNOR’S HARBOUR
BTC / LIME in Eleuthera, celebrated the opening of their newest flagship store in Governor’s Harbour on Saturday, August 11, 2012, beginning with an opening ceremony at 10 am in front of the new store located in Thompson’s Plaza, on Queen’s Highway. (L-R) BTC Manager, Naaman Ellis; Featured Artist, Kevin Cooper; BTC Exec., Gershon Major; BTC VP, Marlon Johnson and Jeanie Key, oldest BTC employee – now retired.
ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS AT THE GLASS WINDOW BRIDGE
On September 6th, a 30ft motorized cabin vessel with illegal Haitian immigrants onboard came ashore in Upper Bogue near the Glass Window Bridge. Police apprehended 11 that night after being alerted to the scene at about 11:30pm. Sources say another five were caught the next day, but the official number was not confirmed.
MP for South Eleuthera holds promised public updates
Staying true to a pre-election promise, MP for Central and South Eleuthera, Damian Gomez has remained very engaged with the electorate, providing regular updates at open events, about Government initiatives for the island. In October, he spoke as a special guest of the Rotary Club of Eleuthera announcing then that The new mini hospital, “a full-fledged facility”, on Eleuthera will be located in the center of the island, between Palmetto Point and Governor’s Harbour. He also revealed efforts to bring a major Town Center Complex to Governor’s Harbour, akin to Abaco’s.
ELEUTHERA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE PUTS FORWARD PLAN TO GOVERNMENT
The Eleuthera Chamber of Commerce submitted to Government, during the Fall, via the The Minister for Investments an 8-point plan termed “ The Eleuthera Revitalization and Commerce Initiative”. The aim of the plan, according to the Chamber, is to, “Provide a lifeline for struggling businesses throughout Eleuthera, encourage the modernization and upgrade of businesses and to encourage domestic investment back into Eleuthera.”
ELEUTHERA NURSE IS National Employee of the year, in the Ministry of Health
Local Nurse Bianca Edwards, who works very creatively and diligently in the South Eleuthera District was nationally recognized for her stellar efforts to make a meaningful difference within the communities she serves. Earlier in October she received notification that she had been chosen as the Employee of the Year for the entire Ministry of Health. As such, Nurse Edwards was recognized at a special Awards Ceremony in New Providence on November 4th,2012.
HURRICANE SANDY LEAVES HER MARK
Hurricane SANDY with maximum winds of 90 to 100 mph rolled across Eleuthera, beginning October 25, 2012, bringing devastation to island farms, flooding in low lying areas and depositing large amounts of marine debris along the island’s coast. The unusual storm expanded in size as it passed the east coast of Eleuthera and high winds lingered until the small center was well north of Abaco.
In the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, much of Eleuthera was out of electricity and low lying areas were under water. Significant flooding had been reported around
the Glass Window Bridge, in the heart of Governor’s Harbour and along the west coast of Rock Sound.
A SAD DEATH DURING HURRICANE SANDY, HIGHLIGHTS WHY ELEUTHERA IN 2013 SO BADLY NEEDS THE HOSPITAL PROMISED BY GOVERNMENT IN 2012
Mrs. Helena Mae Smith-Pinder, smiling at the Hatchet Bay Festival in 2011 – File photo The Eleutheran.
Mrs. Helena Mae Smith-Pinder of Hatchet Bay Eleuthera, wife of Mr. John Pinder and mother of six, suffered a massive stroke, hours before Hurricane Sandy moved into the island (Thursday October 25th). Her plight had been aired on national radio, however, because of the duration of the storm winds on Eleuthera, she was unable to fly out of the island until Saturday morning to get to the closest hospital which is in New Providence. Mrs. Smith was attended to by nurses early but according to reports, the Doctor based in Central Eleuthera, said he was unable to travel from Governor’s Harbour because of operational instructions he had for the passage of Hurricane Sandy. Prime Minister Perry Christie while touring Eleuthera on October 30th, praised nurses for the care they administered to the patient. Weather hindered attempts to fly Mrs. Smith-Pinder out of Eleuthera on the Friday, when the island was still experiencing tropical storm winds. She had reportedly been transported to the Levy Clinic in Governor’s Harbour, to await the first possible flight out of the airport, however, with no working generator at the clinic, she was transported back to Hatchet Bay, when flights on Friday were unsuccessful. She was flown out on Pineapple Air on Saturday, and in her weakened state taken to hospital, but did not survive the attempts to treat her. She passed on Sunday October 28th. Her death and circumstances surrounding made national headlines.
THE YOUNG ALL ELEUTHERA DEBATE CHAMPIONS OF 2012 FROM CEHS HIGH SCHOOL
The trio of Darelle Sands, Jameka Carey and Octavia Rolle, students of Central Eleuthera High School, captured the title of 2012/2013 Eleuthera Debate Champions, outperforming the other five schools on the islands in November.
Panel holds discussions on proposed Hospital in Eleuthera
MP Damian Gomez in a good mood as he leads his delegation in the town meeting, speaking to the construction of a mini-hospital in Eleuthera in November.
ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS LIVING ON ISLAND, ROUNDED UP IN PALMETTO POINT
Haitian men and women detained by Immigration after being found on Eleuthera without the necessary documents. The operation occurred in the Palmetto Point region in November 2012.
NUA INSURANCE BUYS OUT JOSHUA CULMER AND MOVES INTO PALMETTO POINT
NUA Insurance Agents and Brokers, ‘The hands-on insurance agency’, officially opened its new service centre doors in Eleuthera on Friday, November 16, with a grand opening reception on the grounds of their new offices in Palmetto Point, Eleuthera.
FRENCH LEAVE MAKES PRESENTATION TO ELEUTHERA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
The Eleuthera Chamber of Commerce in partnership with Mr. Eddie Lauth, French Leave and The Shaner Group welcomed a capacity audience at a mix and mingle and Presentation of the French Leave Marina Project held at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, November 13, 2012 at Sunset Inn, Governors Harbour, Eleuthera. Mr. Lauth told the audience he had deliberately broken ground without much fanfare, however, a few weeks later there were national and local press along with the Prime Minister and several other ministers, on site for a grand official ground breaking ceremony.
OIL THEFT LEADS TO OIL SPILL
On December 7th, the Ministry of the Environment organised a delegation of DEHS Inspectors and Environmental experts to visit the BEC site in Eleuthera and assess the 70,000 gallon diesel spillage that amassed into a lake of toxic and highly flammable fumes near the Coastal shoreline. An investigation is currently pending into how and why the rust coloured substance leaked out from and is sitting in pools underneath decommissioned storage tanks.
PROMISE FOR 2013 & BEYOND
Promise for the future: The Success Training College, Center for Extended Studies in Eleuthera celebrated its 2nd annual commencement ceremony, in Rock
Sound, South Eleuthera, on Sunday, December 9th. 19 graduates participated in the anticipated event, receiving Associate Degree qualifications.
