From left: Dr. Lorna Todd-O’Neale, member of the Barrow family, Parliamentary Representative of St. Lucy, Peter Phillips, Dr. Jeanine Comma, Prime Minister of Barbados, Mia Amor Mottley, Nadia Barrow and Joan Comma-Doyle, following the unveiling of the plaque.
PM UNVEILS PLAQUE
The legacy of Errol Walton Barrow cannot go unmarked and as such, a call is being made to turn his birth place into a national site.
This call was made by St. Lucy’s Parliamentary Representative, Peter Phillips who spoke during the unveiling ceremony of the Errol Barrow Centenary Plaque.
“Today all of St. Lucy celebrates his achievements. He has certainly furthered the institution of democracy in Barbados and left a proud heritage which we must emulate. We acknowledge that Errol Walton Barrow grew into a giant of a man who made many significant innovations to Barbados’ political and social landscape. However, we know that inspite of his grandeur, he was a man of humility who would have been reluctant to have monuments with his name. But, as a son of St. Lucy, a son of Barbados and a self-proclaimed and practising regionalist, his beginnings cannot go unmarked, especially on this day in 2020, 100 years after his birth,” he said.
“We appreciate that there is no gesture that would befit his legacy and so the plaque, which we are unveiling today is a mere token of our appreciation of his life and will mark and rightfully centre his birthplace debunking the notion that he was born in Pickering. I trust that this occasion will also highlight the opportunity to turn this site into a FutureSpace of national significance and I pledge to continue our efforts to have his former home restored,” it was noted.
He proposed that The Garden be turned into an Errol Barrow Museum, adding that he believes there would be a large cross cultural appeal, as tourists and locals alike will get the opportunity to experience the excellence and many facets of Mr. Barrow.
“The spin off benefits of such an attraction would have positive economic impact and social implications for St. Lucy specifically and for Barbados as a whole,” he said.
CARICOM Ambassador, David Commissiong also expressed this view as he believes that the story told should also be of Dame Nita Barrow and Charles Duncan O’Neal.
He hopes that 2020 would be the year that they begin to make plans to bring this idea to reality.