Caribbean Times 55th Issue - Tuesday 13th December 2016
Caribbean Times 55th Issue - Tuesday 13th December 2016
Caribbean Times 55th Issue - Tuesday 13th December 2016
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<strong>Tuesday</strong> <strong>13th</strong> <strong>December</strong> <strong>2016</strong> c a r i b b e a n t i m e s . a g 11<br />
cont’d from pg 10<br />
name and merely inserted<br />
Vere Cornwall’s between and<br />
below the scratched names.<br />
That act, when examined<br />
one hundred years later, has<br />
the look of sloppiness and a<br />
certainty that this child would<br />
not matter. No-one, the Registrar<br />
must have thought, would<br />
likely examine that Register<br />
following Vere Cornwall’s<br />
arrival on earth. He was so<br />
wrong!<br />
Although none of us was<br />
present in <strong>December</strong> 1909, it<br />
is possible to make some reasonable<br />
conclusions about the<br />
thinking of the official.<br />
In his hand was a certificate<br />
from the hospital. It indicated<br />
that a poor black mother<br />
named Amanda Edghill, living<br />
in a slum area called Garling’s<br />
Land, had given birth to<br />
a third son; further, he learned<br />
from the data on the certificate,<br />
that she was not married<br />
to the father of her first two<br />
sons by one man, and was not<br />
married to the father of her<br />
third child, whose father was<br />
a different man. This infant,<br />
he evidently thought, did not<br />
matter.<br />
Yet, Vere Cornwall Bird<br />
became the most important<br />
person to be born in Antigua<br />
during the 20 th century. His<br />
leadership, his application<br />
of sound policies, his moral<br />
framework, and his commitment<br />
to his people lifted him<br />
to the status of Father of the<br />
Nation.<br />
Second, I tell this history<br />
about Vere Cornwall Bird’s<br />
birth in order to demonstrate<br />
that the circumstances of one’s<br />
birth have become less of a<br />
predictor of the way in which<br />
the life of anyone—born in<br />
our Antigua and Barbuda—is<br />
likely to turn out. The greatness<br />
of Vere Cornwall Bird, a<br />
God-send, is discerned from<br />
his overcoming of the circumstances<br />
of his birth.<br />
I wish to point out the obvious,<br />
especially to the youth<br />
of Antigua and Barbuda. Noone<br />
selects his or her parents.<br />
No-one determines, when he<br />
or she is in the womb, how<br />
well his or her pre-natal care<br />
will be; or whether, after birth,<br />
that as an infant you will be<br />
well-fed, well nurtured and<br />
provided the inoculation shots<br />
required in order to grow up<br />
healthy.<br />
No-one could be assured,<br />
especially in the early 1900s<br />
in Antigua and Barbuda, that<br />
one’s mother would not be<br />
compelled to drink Cooks<br />
Pond water, because there<br />
was no clean running water<br />
and no APUA pipes in those<br />
days.<br />
Vere Cornwall Bird’s leadership<br />
assured all children<br />
born in Antigua and Barbuda—<br />
in the latter part of<br />
the last century, up until this<br />
day—that their parents would<br />
have access to clean water<br />
for infants, even if desalinated.<br />
That all will have decent<br />
homes at affordable prices.<br />
That every infant will receive<br />
the inoculation shots<br />
that have eliminated diseases<br />
that used to kill infants in<br />
large numbers. That healthy<br />
diets would become commonplace,<br />
although many<br />
now choose to eat fatty foods<br />
and sugary drinks to their detriment.<br />
And, above all, that<br />
every child has access to free<br />
primary and secondary education<br />
and a growing number to<br />
tertiary education. These factors—clean<br />
water, a healthy<br />
diet, a home in which to live,<br />
and access to school including<br />
tertiary education—will lift<br />
any healthy young boy or girl,<br />
who takes his or her lessons<br />
seriously, out of poverty and<br />
into a better place.<br />
The lives of all of Vere<br />
Bird’s lieutenants, during the<br />
struggle to free our country<br />
from the stranglehold of colonial<br />
rule, are the stories of<br />
men and women who rose to<br />
heights beyond the expectations<br />
of their colonial masters.<br />
V C Bird Day reflects a<br />
hard won victory as our democratic<br />
beach head. It is a defining<br />
moment in the fight for<br />
freedom and progress.<br />
It is our own D day; akin<br />
to the Homeric myth and legacy<br />
so that his efforts do not<br />
pass over the horizon of living<br />
memory. By celebrating<br />
V C Bird Day, our nation is<br />
demonstrating eternal gratitude<br />
for the long, arduous exertion<br />
and sacrifice of a truly<br />
great leader.<br />
It is a badge of honour for<br />
those who fought with him, to<br />
reflect upon and for the young<br />
to aspire knowing that they<br />
NATURALIZATION<br />
NOTICE<br />
Notice is hereby given<br />
that Joseph Eid of Radio<br />
Range, St. John’s Antigua,<br />
is applying to the Minister<br />
for Naturalization and that<br />
any person who knows any<br />
reason why Naturalization<br />
should not be granted<br />
should send a written and<br />
signed statement of the fact<br />
to the Permanent Secretary,<br />
Ministry of External Affairs<br />
stand on the shoulders of the<br />
Father of the Nation and that<br />
they have within them the<br />
same genetic predisposition<br />
to use this as national oxygen<br />
for the growth, development<br />
and advancement of this and<br />
future generations.<br />
Some men are legends in<br />
their mind; others are legends<br />
in their time. V C Bird was a<br />
legend in his time.<br />
THANK YOU ALL<br />
IN THE HIGH COURT OF<br />
JUSTICE<br />
ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA<br />
(PROBATE)<br />
A.D. <strong>2016</strong><br />
CLAIM NO. ANUHPB<br />
In the Matter of the Estate<br />
of ENID SMITH, also<br />
known as ENID BROWN,<br />
Deceased<br />
TAKE NOTICE THAT<br />
Kenneth I.E. Smith of Mount<br />
Vernon, New York, 10551,<br />
U.S.A will make an Application<br />
to the Probate Registry<br />
in the High Court of Justice<br />
as Intended Administrator of<br />
the Estate for an Order for a<br />
Grant of Letters of Administration<br />
of the Estate of ENID<br />
SMITH, also known as<br />
ENID BROWN, late of Bell<br />
View Heights who died on<br />
the 18th day of March, 2013<br />
be granted to KENNETH I.<br />
E. SMITH of Mount Vernon,<br />
New York, 10551, U.S.A the<br />
brother of the said deceased.<br />
All persons beneficially<br />
interest in the said Estate<br />
or who oppose to the said<br />
Grant are requested to send<br />
particulars to the Registrar of<br />
the High Court, not later than<br />
fourteen (14) days from the<br />
date of this Notice.<br />
DATED the 12th <strong>December</strong>,<br />
<strong>2016</strong><br />
Joy Dublin<br />
Attorney-at-Law