Caribbean Times 6th Issue - Monday 27th February 2017

Monday 27th February 2017 c a r i b b e a n t i m e s . a g 13
ABITPC spearheads repainting of YASCO wall mural
By Joanna Paris
On Friday, members of
the Antigua and Barbuda Independent
Promotion Tourism
Corporation (ABIPTC)
along with a number of art
students from secondary
schools located in St. John’s
congregated outside the
YASCO Sports Complex for
a special community gesture.
By Marver Woodley
The Antigua and Barbuda Softball Association
has kicked off its 2017 season with an
opening ceremony this past weekend. The ceremony
was held on Sunday at Dredgers at 3:00
p.m. where teams heard remarks from several
prominent figures including the President of
the organization Javid Goodwin. Also, speaking
at the ceremony was a representative from
In 2008, famous artist
David Wyland and a group
of 150 students were instrumental
in creating the mural
that is a prominent feature
on the wall surrounding the
sports facility.
The mural instantly became
an attraction.
Over the years, however,
natural elements have contributed
to the fading of the
paint and in essence some of
the beauty had been lost.
Coming back to present
day, the ABIPTC contacted
officials at the Ministry
of Education, who gave the
schools permission to select
art students to be a part of the
restorative process.
The Chairperson of the
ABSA 2017 season opens
the Ministry of Sports and guest Speaker Petra
Williams. The first game of the season will
be held two weeks later on the 12th of March
with the 10 overs a side Softball Classic as the
opener, the Caribbean Alliance, St John’s Corporative
Credit Union T20 competition following
after. Several teams are slated to return, as
25 teams took part in the 2016 season with 15
male teams and 10 female teams.
ABIPTC, Martha Watkins-Gilkes
expressed thanks
to the students and teachers
for taking time away from
their academic schedules to
participate in the community
activity.
She also thanked all of
the sponsors who came forward
to support the effort.
Representative of the
Mill Reef Trust Fund, Jim
Lewis and his wife were
present. The Fund is one of
the financiers of the initiative.
Lewis indicated that he
is looking forward to the
finished project, which he
believes will further enhance
the appeal of the facility as
well as surrounding areas.