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The Cultural Centre in Little Bay is nearing completion. The building works are almost completed and now the internal fitting out is about to commence.Galloway & Sons the local Building Contractors have made a fine job of the Centre which is being built from funds initially raised by Sir George Martin through his Music for Montserrat concerts. Other events have been subsequently held to raise further funds for the Centre.
Within the next few weeks the painting of the interior and exterior will be finished as well as the landscaping of the grounds.
In the next 2 weeks the acoustic ceiling will be fitted by Sound Engineer, Mr Christopher Runciman who is coming out from Britain specifically to carry out this installation. Then lighting, stage lighting, sound installations, stage construction, curtains, seating, drapes and emergency generators will have to be installed.
It is expected that a screen and projector will also be fitted towards year end to allow the building to be also used as a cinema.
The building contains a 700 seat auditorium, changing rooms for performers, stage and backstage areas, bathrooms, ticket booth, bar area, kitchen, entrance foyer, meeting rooms and rehearsal rooms. In addition there is an outdoor seating patio which will overlook the landscaped gardens and car parking area.
It is hoped that the building will be in regular use by year end. The state of the art Cultural Centre will be a great asset to Montserrat and it's cultural community.
Efforts will contribute to significant enhancement of the national GIS. Results will be used by policy makers, scientists, and planners in the development of a management plan for the Centre Hills, which is under consideration to become Montserrat's first National Park. Key activities will include:
Interested candidates should be very comfortable in collecting points and tracks using a hand-held GPS. A high level of physical fitness is required as participants should be willing and able to hike daily on often steep terrain in a hot, tropical climate. All equipment will be supplied, and detailed direction provided by the Centre Hills Project Manager. The timeframe is flexible between July and August 2006. It is anticipated that the work could be carried out by an individual in approximately 6 weeks, or shared among multiple volunteers/teams in a shorter timeframe.
Ideal candidates will be self-funded, either through an academic scholarship, work fellowship, or some other such arrangement. However, it is possible that some support may be sourced to cover costs/accommodations in Montserrat. Interested and qualified persons should contact darwin@candw.ms for more information.
A four person team represented the island, headed by Mr Bruce Farara of the Montserrat Amateur Athletics Association. The three athletes who accompanied Mr Farara all competed in the sprint events. They were Odingo Gordon, Michael Henry and the New York based Ikbarry White.
Mr Gordon and Henry competed in the 100 metres event and both gained personal bests at the meet. Mr White competed in the 200 metre event.
The games, held in Melbourne, saw Montserrat as the smallest team represented and they drew a large cheer from the crowd at the opening ceremony. Mr Farara was very pleased with his athlete's performances and said it was a significant achievement that the athletes made an appearance at the games."We appeared at the games against great odds and the spirit shown in getting here will undoubtedly inspire others on the island" added Mr Farara.
The athletes were coached by Mr Winston Scotland who feels that as they continue to participate in events of this kind the team will gain experience and confidence making them a force to be reckoned with in the future.
“I acknowledge the importance of recognising the unsung heroes who keep our health services going. I think that it is particularly apt that the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) have both chosen the theme ‘Unsung Heroes’ for this year’s World Health Day because we do take so many people for granted. How could our health services continue successfully without those good people providing the essential services to keep things ticking along.
I read with interest recently published citations and I learnt something about the importance of the work of, for instance, the laundry workers, the sanitation workers, the kitchen and nutrition staff. I noted that a number of people had given long service, and I was pleased to see them singled out by name so that we can all know who they are.
During the last two Royal visits to the island (Prince Andrew and the Princess Royal) both asked to visit the St John’s Hospital to speak to the ‘people behind the Scenes.’ This is a reflection of how important they felt that the ancillary workers are to any health system.
I too, believe that it is those behind the scenes who make an institution work. Where would we be without the cooks and the dietary workers, the maids, orderlies and drivers. How could our hospital services continue without those who wash the sheets and the kitchen pots and those who look after the elderly.
What a terrible situation the island would be in without the sanitation and vector control workers and those who look after our sewage disposal systems. Can you picture what state we would be in without these services – it is unimaginable! Our future economic outlook would indeed be dismal if tourists wouldn’t come to the island because of litter and dumped debris. That Montserrat is one of the cleanest islands in the Caribbean even in the middle of volcanic eruptions is a tribute to these workers.
If you have been watching the news on TV in recent months, you will have seen the spread westwards of Avian Flu, better known as bird flu. It started in the east of Asia and has now reached the United Kingdom. Will it jump across the Atlantic next and head for our Caribbean islands? Avian Flu could lead to a human flu pandemic and if you take a look at WHO’s precautions against this flu it is once again our unsung heroes who would lead the fight against it. We should be thankful that it has not arrived on our shores as yet, but we should be prepared just in case it does. This means that our ancillary workers need to be trained now on what to do if Avian Flu arrives and not wait to respond to the challenge after its arrival. Finally, I want to add my personal thanks to you all. Without folks like you our health service would grind to a halt. To all you unsung heroes being recognised tonight a special thank you from everyone in Montserrat and please continue the good work.
The workshop was opened by the Commissioner of Police, Mr John Douglas MBE who told the over two dozen officers assembled "The first officers who arrive at a crime or accident scene could become the story themselves if they are not media wise". He pointed out that the workshop would focus on media relations, crisis communications, damage limitation and the development of a media policy for the RMPF.
Local media personnel including, Mr Bennettte Roach the editor of the Montserrat Reporter, Mr Justin Griffith of GIS and TV and radio staff all helped facilitate the workshop which was deemed by all as a huge success.
All ranks from the RMPF as well as representatives of the Fire Department were represented at the workshop and each was subjected to a one on one interview by a member of the media on various issues ranging from missing persons to departmental sports meets.
At the end of the workshop, the vote of thanks was presented by Deputy Commissioner, Steve Foster and all the participants received certificates from Mr Russ Jarvis, the Head of the Governor's Office.
Monday 15 May is nominations day and at the present time it looks as if three political parties and a number of independent candidates will stand. The revised list of voters, containing over 3000 names was published and came into force on Monday 10 April 2006.
The three parties contesting elections are the NPLM headed by outgoing Chief Minister, Mr John Osborne; MCAP headed by outgoing LEGCO member Mrs Roselyn Cassell-Sealy and the MDP headed by another outgoing LEGCO member, Dr Lowell Lewis. Two other outgoing LEGCO members Mr Chedmonde Browne and Mr Claude Hogan have announced that they will fight the elections as independent candidates as has former Chief Minister David Brandt. A number of other independent candidates are also expected to be nominated.
Since LEGCO was dissolved parties and independent candidates have been addressing village meetings and rallies throughout the north of the island and a number of political broadcasts have been made on local radio.
The Montserrat Christian Council has published its guidelines for political parties and candidates as well as its guidelines for the electorate.
The last general elections to be held in Montserrat were on 2 April 2001.
The Development Unit is committed to integrating social concerns into government planning and action. Efforts to date include the publication of a Participatory Poverty and Hardship Assessment (PPA) in 2001, which defined hardships faced by Montserratians, their coping strategies and recommendations for government action to improve the quality of life for all. The PPA also contributed to the continued revision of social welfare benefit, the targeting of social programmes to vulnerable groups and the inclusion of social concerns in project memorandums, development plans and programmes.
The social policy is being developed through a consultative process. A team of highly trained facilitators will be conducting focus group consultations with a sample of community based organizations, civic groups, business groups, and non-governmental organizations . Consultations will be conducted during the months of April and May, 2006. The key outputs of the consultations are:
1. A social development vision for Montserrat clearly describing the future desired social condition and aspirations;
2. The social development goals to be pursued in order to achieve the vision;
3. A set of social indicators to measure the impact of Government’s action on the society as a whole.
The meeting, normally held in Britain, will bring together the leaders of BRC branches in Anguilla, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Falkland Islands, Gibralter, Montserrat and the Turks & Caicos Islands. The meeting is being held outside of Britain for the first time to showcase the work of the Red Cross branches in post disaster situations.
Subjects such as volunteerism, principles of the Red Cross movement, finances and fund raising, project development, and legal issues will feature at the meeting which will be held from 28 - 31 May 2006. The branches will also present reports on their activities over the past year. Senior Red Cross personnel from Britain's Red Cross headquarters in London will also attend the meeting.
The meetings will be held at the Red Cross Headquarters in Brades and it is hoped that participants will visit post volcano projects on the island and to be able to look at some views of the volcano itself from safe vantage points in the north of the island.
Following the recent meeting of the SAC in Montserrat the following preliminary statement was issued:-The third episode of lava dome growth is now eight months old. The dome has grown within the crater to a height of about 250 metres above its base, an altitude of 930 metres above sea level, and its margins have reached to just below the crater rim on the northwest, but not to the south. Thus far there have been no major collapses or explosions.
Lava was extruded at a rate of one cubic metre per second or less for the first three months of the current episode, but the rate increased in late November to about three cubic metres per second. In the second week of February the rate increased to over ten cubic metres per second for a period of about two weeks, forming a large lobe of lava on the northern side of the dome above Farrell's. Since then the extrusion rate has fallen to about two cubic metres per second in late March with growth currently on the eastern side facing the Tar River Valley. The average rate over this current episode is about three cubic metres per second, a rate comparable to the average rate of the first (1995-8) episode of dome growth.
The dome must grow much larger to approach the size of that of late 2002 to 2003. A large collapse down the Tar River Valley, which is the most likely event, would lengthen the period to achieve such a large value. The potential for collapse of the dome lava to the west or north, leading to the possible generation of pyroclastic flows in the Gage's valley and Tyer's Ghaut, has increased. Also, the likelihood of a collapse of the Northwest Buttress remnant into Gage's valley that would produce a rock avalanche towards Plymouth has increased. Rapid growth of lava lobes on the northwest sector of the dome could trigger such collapses.
The overall risk to people as a result of this quite vigorous resumption of dome growth has increased from six months ago. In particular, the risk of flows reaching Plymouth, St George's Hill and Belham Valley as far as Cork Hill has increased over the next year.
The main report (173KB) and annex (2.2MB) have been published and can be accessed through these links.
The visits, on April 24 and 25, saw Her Excellency attend the school assembly at MSS where awards for academic performance for last term were distributed. Following the assembly, Mrs Barnes Jones met with 5th Form students to speak about Governance and this led to a lively debate.
Following the MSS visit, the Governor toured the Samuel Academy in Olveston and spoke to students and staff there.
The following day, Her Excellency visited the Lookout Primary School, the Brades Primary School and St Augustine's R.C. Primary School.
At Lookout, a full programme of events was presented by the students. Wendicia Aymer led the school in prayer and this was followed by a dance from Tiffany Rogers. Grade 6 of the school presented an acrostic (making up the name of the Governor) and there were songs from Grade 4 and 5. A poem was presented by Grade K and Miss Nickyra Hixon presented Her Excellency with a bouquet of flowers.
Mrs Barnes Jones then met with the eight member staff, headed by Miss Edith D. Duberry the Head Teacher and then toured all the school looking at literacy programmes being taught.
Similar programmes were presented at Brades and St. Augustine's.
The WHO have issued an alert phase three (3), which means that there have been human infections of the virus, but very rare instances of human to human spread. Avian influenza or bird flu is largely a disease of birds. By mid February of this year, 169 persons have caught bird flu around the world and of these 91 have died. Most human cases confirmed have been in the far east but cases have also been reported in Europe.
Medical experts have warned that bird flu could combine with influenza viruses already circulating in the human population or adapt into a form which could be transmitted readily between people. It is impossible for experts to predict when this might happen, but if it did it could trigger a human pandemic. It is very important to distinguish between avian or bird flu, the current disease affecting mainly birds, and pandemic flu, which would affect mainly humans and is at this stage only a possibility.
Precautions against avian flu:
There are no restrictions on travel to countries affected by avian influenza, as the risk is believed to be very low. However, if you do need to travel to any of the affected countries the following precautions can be taken:
Authorities in Montserrat reiterate that there is no danger at present on island as no cases have been reported in the Caribbean area.
However, the September to January period is known as the bird migratory season and agriculture and health officials are watching the situation carefully. Ministry of Agricultural staff recently underwent training in Trinidad on how to spot and deal with avian flu.
At a recent meeting of the Montserrat Small Livestock Farmer's Association it was reported that Montserrat's chicken farms, producing poultry and eggs all have their livestock penned so they are not in contact with migratory birds. This is one of the measures used in Europe to try to stop the spread of avian flu.
Any member of the public spotting dead wild birds or chickens in the future are urged not to handle them and report the spotting immediately to the Ministry of Agriculture.