 SCIENTISTS
EXPLAIN NEW DOME GROWTH
Dr Simon Young, the Director of the
Montserrat Volcano Observatory (MVO) said recently: "Even though
residents of Montserrat would have noted a period of relative
quiescence at the volcano over the past few weeks, scientists at the
Montserrat Volcano Observatory's (MVO) continue to monitor the growth
of the new dome at the Soufriere Hills Volcano. The dome, which was
first sighted in mid-November, now has a volume of approximately 15
million cubic meters.
The dome growth rate of some 2 to 3 cubic
meters per second is at the lower end of the range seen during the
1995 to 1998 dome growth episode at the volcano. The level and style
of seismic activity is in keeping with moderate dome growth. Other
monitoring information gives no indication of significant changes to
the volcanic system at this time.
The moderate growth rate, the fact that
seismic and other monitoring information is not showing any
significant changes, and the position of the new dome in the eastern
part of the crater all mean that there is no immediate threat to
either the Day-Time Entry Zone or inhabited areas of Montserrat.
MVO scientists continue to consider that, in
the near future, rockfalls, small pyroclastic flows and associated ash
falls can be expected. Rockfalls and pyroclastic flows resulting from
dome collapses are likely to affect only the Tar River valley and
nearby areas until the dome is substantially larger or until other
changes occur at the volcano. Although ash falls can affect the entire
island, it is most likely that ash will dominantly blow over the
Plymouth area. The MVO considers that an eruption large enough to
significantly affect the northern part of the island is highly
unlikely.
Unless there is an escalation in volcanic
activity, the MVO will continue to issue a weekly report to local and
international media. If there were a significant volcanic event which
warrants alerting the public, scientists and the Observatory's
Information & Press Officer will do so without delay. Residents of
Montserrat should note that at this time the mode of operation at the
MVO remains unchanged. The MVO's staff continues to remain vigilant in
its efforts to provide early warning of potentially damaging volcanic
events and to provide timely, accurate and complete information to the
public and authorities alike."
Buckingham Palace announced on 20, January
2000 that HRH Prince Andrew, The Duke of York will visit the
Overseas Territories of Anguilla, the British Virgin Islands,
the Cayman Islands, the Turks and Caicos Islands and Montserrrat
from Saturday 11 March to Monday 20
March 2000.
The Duke will visit Montserrat on 13 and
14 March for what will be his third visit to the island since
the start of the volcanic crisis in 1995.
BRITAIN
ASSISTS IN OECS PRIMARY EDUCATION UPGRADE
British aid in education to the member
states of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS)
which includes Montserrat moves a step further, with the
implementation of the second phase of a three year project valued
at £1 million (EC$4.3 approx).
The funding is being made available through
the Caribbean Office of the Department for International
Development (DFIDC).
Under this phase of the project, the
targeted group will be untrained inductee teachers, trained
serving teachers and school and education managers.
The School of Education of the University of
the West Indies Cave Hill Campus is providing the professional
inmputs in the project, which has been devised following a Needs
Assessment study carried out in 1995 by that institution. The OECS
Education Reform Unit is also collaborating on the project.
This continuing programme supports DFID's
objectives of better education, health and opportunities for the
poor in the Caribbean.
British High Commissioner to Barbados, Mr
Gordon Baker, and Principal of the UWI Cave Hill Campus, Sir Keith
Hunte launched the second phase of the OECS UWI/DFIDC programme on
Thursday 16, December 1999 at a ceremony held at the University.
The ceremony took the form of the hand-over of a series of
training manuals completed under Phase 1 of the project and, in
addition, a number of resource books for distribution to the
various Ministries of Education in the OECS countries.
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EDUCATION
PROJECTS ON THE MOVE
A key element of the Sustainable Development
Plan agreed between the Government of Montserrat and Her Majesty's
Government is the strengthening of the education system.
The movement of the population to the north of
the island over the past few years has presented considerable
difficulties for the education of pre-school children involving the
use of inconvenient premises and transportation of children from one
place to another, thus reducing learning time.
To help overcome these circumstances DFID has
approved a project of EC$912,000 for the construction and equipping
of an Early Childhood Centre at Look-Out to accommodate both nursery
and day care pupils. The nursery will accommodate up to 70 children
and there will be places for 15 day care pupils. The new building
will remove the need for children to commute to the St John's
Nursery School currently located at Brades. This will reduce
transportation costs and make available the best possible use of
time for learning activities.
The new building will be situated next to the
Primary School building at Look-Out and should be available for use
in January 2000.
In other related news, approval has been given
for the preparatory work to start on the renovation of Salem Campus
with a view to completing the project design and enabling the
Montserrat Secondary School to operate from there from the start of
the next school year in September 2000.
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IN
BRIEF
H.M. THE QUEEN SENDS MILLENNIUM
MESSAGE TO THE OVERSEAS TERRITORIES
Her Majesty the Queen, Elizabeth 11 sent a
message to all Britain's Overseas Territories on 1, January 2000.
The message, released by Government House locally, said; "As we
celebrate the start of a new Millennium, I send my warmest greetings
to the people of the United Kingdom Overseas Territories. The links
between us are deep-rooted and we shall think of you all as the dawn
of the Millennium spreads from east to west. My best wishes for the
Year 2000 and for the 21st Century".
Government House has stated
that H.M. The Queen's New Years Honours List published in
London on 31, December 1999 announced that two Montserratians had
received awards.
They are the OBE to Mrs Cynthia Claudia James
- Roach for lifelong service to the Montserrat Public Service and
the MBE to Mr Neville Antonio Dublin for outstanding service
throughout the volcanic crisis in the field of communications.
Mrs Roach is the Permanent Secretary,
Administration based at Government Headquarters in Brades and Mr
Dublin is the Manager of Cable & Wireless (Montserrat) who are
currently based in Sweeneys.
Government House was also pleased to announce
that Father Larry Finnegan the serving Roman Catholic Priest in
Montserrat and a national of the Republic of Ireland was awarded an
Honorary MBE for outstanding service to the community throughout the
volcanic crisis.
On 22, December 1999, the Department for
International Development (DFID) Parliamentary Under Secretary of
State, Mr George Foulkes approved a further £642,000 (nearly EC$3
million) under the Roads 11 Project to safeguard existing road
surfaces, to improve the quality of road access and provide
appropriate water drainage systems to; the Look-Out Housing Estate,
School and Commercial areas; Davy Hill developments; and the access
to the solid waste disposal site at New Windward.
These works are designed to minimise
damage during tropical storms to the road system and adjacent
infrastructure. The strengthened drainage will also allow safe
passage of emergency vehicles in adverse conditions and avoid
possible danger to people and damage to infrastructure that can
occur if water flows are not correctly channelled. This higher
specification work will also assist in the reduction to the repair
and maintenance costs of roads for the Government of Montserrat (GOM).
Ann Clwyd, MP for Cynon Valley in the British
House of Parliament and a Member of the House of Commons Select
Committee for International Development, paid a one day visit to
Montserrat on Tuesday 4, January 2000.
During her visit to the island, Mrs Clwyd
looked at British funded projects including housing at Look-Out, the
St John's Hospital, the Fuel Terminal at Carr's Bay, the Jetty
facilities at Little Bay, and the Montserrat Volcano Observatory
(MVO).
In addition, Mrs Clwyd also visited shelters
at Brades, met with H. E. The Governor, The Hon Chief Minister, all
Ministers of Government, and the Hon Speaker of the House, Dr Howard
A. Fergus. This was Mrs Clwyd's third visit to Montserrat.
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The St Patrick's Credit Union (SPCU) will
celebrate its 43 rd birthday in June 2000 while the National
Development Foundation, its sister organisation, will be 12 years
old. Both organisations have performed yeoman services over their
relatively short lives. Before the start of volcanic cativity, both
organistaions were building and furnishing homes, educating
children, training adults, financing marriages, starting and
expanding businesses, providing employment and leadership training.
Having had a history of being agents for
social change, generators of employment and income, and in the
empowerment of grassroot people; both organisations are well placed
to contribute, foster and lead the process of the rebirth of
Montserrat.
It is their proud boast, that neither
organisation faltered nor wavered during the height of the volcanic
crisis and with the support of the regional and international
network of Credit Unions and related organisations, they were able
to kep the savings of its members safe, regenerate community spirit
and encourage self-help enterprises.
The National Development Foundation (NDF) is a
business support organisation committed to providing finance,
technical assistance and training to the business community on
Montserrat.
Britain's Department for International
Development (DFID) have supported the NDF to enable their Business
Advisory Unit (BAU) to provide Technical Training and Assistance to
businesses in Montserrat who have been successful in obtaining
finance.
The BAU is the service arm of the NDF charged
with the responsibility of providing all the technical
services to the business community including training, technical
assistance, entrepreneurial development, preparation of project
proposals and business plans, library services and management
accounting.
The sister organisations work side by side in
the rebuilding of Montserrat. The NDF are approaching the
rehabilitation of the business sector through its committment to
refinancing businesses while providing management support services
and training and the SPCU are focusing on rebuilding lives and
communities.
The symbolic relationship between the two
organisations clearly defines the twin roles of regeneration and
rehabilitation - vital components in the island's redevelopment.
This clearly demonstrates the uniqueness of the NDF and the SPCU in
offering Montserratians the distinctive blend of investments,
savings, and financing opportunities to rebuild their country.
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TOURISM
FORUM
The Montserrat tourist Board and the
Government's Development Unit recently jointly sponsored a one day
Tourism Forum, His Excellency the Governor, Mr Tony Abbott told
those assembled " I am
very pleased the Montserrat Tourist Board has organised this forum
and for the opportunity to address you before you begin your
deliberations.
There
are of course a number of ideas being worked up to stimulate
economic development and put Montserrat back on the road to a
sustainable economy.
These include the exploitation of volcanic materials, revival
of the off-shore financial services sector, attracting light
industry, and niche opportunities in information technology.
But the basic pillar of the Montserrat economy, on which
everything else is built, has always been and is always likely to be
tourism.
We
do of course hope that with time there will be a resurgence of
villa based residential tourism but we cannot rely on this
alone.
Although we will never be able to compete in a big way for
the “sun and sand” market, I firmly believe that, among the
Caribbean islands, we have a unique product to sell.
This includes a beautiful and rugged island, an active
volcano, a friendly and almost crime free society and peace and
tranquillity.
In my view this provides a pretty solid base on which to
develop a product combining comfort, nature and adventure for the
visitor who wants to get more out of a holiday than just a tan.
However, whatever we have to offer, tourists are not simply going to
come to us.
We will have to go to them and persuade them that Montserrat
is a place they must visit.
There is also much that needs to be done to create the
facilities and ambience that will attract tourists and once here
convince them, and through them others, that the island should be
their regular holiday destination.
Some of these things will take time and money but work on the
basic infrastructure - accommodation, restaurants, bars, roads,
communications and reliable services - to develop tourism is under
way.
There are, however, any number of things that can be done now
at little or no cost
to improve our tourism product.
To my mind, the first thing we have to do is develop a culture where
the tourist is not regarded as a nuisance or the responsibility
solely of those working in the tourism industry.
As I have already said, tourism is the base on which the
economy of Montserrat is founded.
It is therefore in the personal interest of everyone living
on the island that visitors are treated with courtesy and respect.
If tourists are not treated properly they will vote with
their feet and not return and it is likely they will also tell all
their friends that Montserrat is not a place they should visit.
If they are treated well then the reverse is true and word of
mouth is a powerful promotional tool.
In the same vein, we need to make travel to and from the island as
hassle free and pleasant as possible.
I realise that, although there are plans to improve the
situation, the facilities available to us at present for the ferry
are less than ideal.
However, I cannot help but think that with a little ingenuity
and some help from our friends in Antigua the procedures for
handling passengers could be improved.
This puts a big responsibility on the shoulders of our own
Immigration and Customs officials as they are the shop window for
Montserrat and first impressions are enormously important.
Another small but essential aspect would be that access roads
and approach-ways to guest houses and beaches - Lime Kiln Bay - need
to be properly laid, made attractive and easy for visitors to
traverse.
I
think we should also give careful thought to what is available for
tourists to do once they reach the island.
I would like to see set tours of the island, perhaps
including lunch, made available at predetermined prices for day
trippers.
We could also establish and maintain walks in the Centre and
Silver Hills.
You will have many other ideas.
I would however like to sound two notes of caution.
The first is that whatever services we offer we should levy a
fair but reasonable price.
Overpricing is counter-productive and in the long run it
kills the market.
The second is the volcano.
The mountain and, sadly, the damage it has inflicted on
Montserrat is likely to be the major attraction for some time to
come.
We must exploit this but at the same time we must treat the
volcano with the respect it deserves.
There can be no excuse for contravening the rules governing
access to the day time entry zone and the exclusion zone.
It should be possible to establish and provide access to good
vantage points where the volcano and Plymouth can be viewed with
safety.
Much
of what I have said is self-evident and, in this forum I am probably
preaching to the converted.
However, I believe it is important that in seeking to expand
tourism to Montserrat we do not lose sight of the basics.
You have a heavy agenda before you and I will not take up any
more of your time.
But I would just like to say that, although it will not be
possible today to decide every problem or chart the way ahead on
every issue, I hope the result of this forum will be a list of
positive actions that can and will be taken forward.
I am sorry I cannot stay with you for the rest of the day but I am
sure the forum will be productive and I look forward to hearing
about the outcome".
MONTSERRAT
WELCOMES RICHIE RICHARDSON
 H.E
the Governor entertains cricketing guests
Montserrat
cricket took a further step forward on the weekend of 8th/9th
January with the visit of Lashings Cricket Club led by former West
Indies captain Richie Richardson.
This was the first visit by an overseas team to Montserrat
since the start of the volcanic crisis in 1995.
The
Lashings team was made up of players from Antigua and England, the
latter having flown out especially for the matches.
Two one day matches were played, the first won by Montserrat
by 17 runs and the second by Lashings by 16 runs.
Richie
Richardson was particularly impressed by Montserrat Under 15 captain
Lionel Baker who produced an extremely valuable 12 runs in the first
game batting at number 11 and bowled with pace and accuracy in both
matches. The whole
party also remarked upon the warm welcome they received from the
Montserrat public and they look forward to making regular visits,
probably twice a year.
The
Montserrat Cricket Association would welcome visits from other
overseas teams whether at senior, Under 19, Under 17 or Under 15 age
levels. Anyone
interested should contact :
John
C Smith
President,
Montserrat Cricket Association
P.O.
Box 490
Brades
Montserrat
West
Indies
Tel.
664-491-7840
E-mail : mratcricket@hotmail.com
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DFID officials visited Montserrat from 7 -
10 December to discuss with their Government of Montserrat
Ministry of Finance counterparts the budgetary aid requirements
for the Year 2000. This is the amount of money the British
Government will provide to finance the gap between the Government
of Montserrat's estimated revenue and expenditure for the year.
Following these negotiations, DFID's
Secretary of State, Mrs Clare Short, has agreed to allocate £6.2
million (over EC$26 million) for this purpose. This represents
about half of all the Government of Montserrat's budget
requirements for the Year 2000. The balance will be met from
existing revenue earning measures.
Montserratians will be pleased to note that
the trend in budgetary aid payments is on a downward path for the
first time since the volcano began to erupt in 1995 thus
reflecting the beginnings of a turnaround in the fortunes of the
Montserrat economy.
In the last week of January, nearly 1000
persons entered the Exclusion Zone in convoys to remove goods from
their homes. Some 377 vehicles formed the convoys over 6 days due to
a window of opportunity presented by the volcano.
The Volcanic Executive Group (VEG) decided to
allow the convoys in on the advice of Scientists at the Montserrat
Volcano Observatory (MVO) who said that the new dome growth would
eventually impact the areas visited.
People took belongings from; Parsons, Amersham,
Peebles Street, Wall Street, Victoria Village, the Groves area,
Molyneaux, Windy Hill, Harris' and Harris' Hill taking advantage of
the lull in seismic activity.
Scientists have advised that this lull will be
short-lived and that the window of opportunity could close at any
time. The retrieval of goods is timely as many people have recently
moved into their new homes at Look-Out.
Emergency Department, PWD, Police, Search
& Rescue teams, and the private sector all participated in the
exercise.
Over 200 children attended the "All
the World Sings Praise" get together at Brades School on 1
January 2000 to celebrate the birthday of Jesus Christ.
Children from around the world met at 3 pm
local time for what was described as the world's biggest party and
it is hoped that the event will go into the Guiness Book of Records.
The local leg of the event was organised by the Montserrat Christian
Council under the Patronage of His Excellency the Governor, Mr Tony
Abbott and Mrs Abbott.
Both Mr and Mrs Abbott attended the event as
did the Hon. Chief Minister, Mr David S. Brandt and Mrs Brandt and
the Hon. Minister for Education, Health & Community Services,
Mrs Adalina Tuitt.
The event was chaired by Richard Aspin and the
children sang songs and hymns to the musical accompaniment of
McClyde Roach. They were treated to refreshments and party games and
to a viewing of a film on big screen TV courtesy of Mr David Lee.
The school rooms were decorated by Christmas
ornaments and flags courtesy of a special committee of the
Montserrat Christian Council.
The planning process for the construction of
a state of the art Cultural Centre at Little Bay is moving
forward. A meeting was held recently at McChesney's Estate to
enable the project plans to progress.
Sir George & Lady Martin who are
spearheading the quest for funds for the centre are currently on
island and attended the meeting. They explained to the meeting,
held on 12 January, that the Music for Montserrat Concert held in
Britain to raise money for the project and to assist
Montserratians in England had raised in the region of US$1.2
million. Of this some $700,000 had been expended in Britain on
projects for Montserratians there, leaving a little over half a
million US$ for the Cultural Centre.
The design of the centre by Galloway
Associates, allow for the complex to be built in phases over a
number of years. Phase 1 would be the auditorium itself designed
to seat 400 for performances. The cost for this phase would be in
the region of US$1.2 and thus, it was explained to the meeting,
further funds would need to be raised. Efforts are being made in
Britain, Europe and in Montserrat to raise further funding.
The Government has formally agreed a site in
Little Bay for the centre and will service the site with power,
water and sewage system. On completion of the auditorium it will
be handed over to the Government and people of Montserrat to
manage and maintain. A business plan for its operation was also
discussed at the meeting and this is being carried forward.
The auditorium could be used for concerts,
theatre, films, meetings and a host of events. It was pointed out at
the meeting that the building needs to accoustically correct and
that a sound system, lighting, projection capabilities, and seating
needs to be sourced.
The auditorium would include stage, dressing
rooms, bathrooms, storage areas, projection room
and there would be a lobby area for entrance,
kitchen, bar and possible concession stands.
The meeting concluded with a decision that a
fund raising brochure be produced to enable further funds to be
raised both locally and internationally and a Board is to be set up
to carry forward the planning of the project.
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