I shall be voting on May 7. Will you? I shall be at home in the Virgin Islands, but a friend in England will be casting my proxy vote for …
April 15, 2015
March 18, 2015
Residents urged to communicate
We give false impressions of ourselves and what really matters to us by not communicating with each other effectively. In order to do so, we must find time to talk …
December 3, 2014
Writer continues account of doctor’s life
In his History of Camberwell (1875) Blanch describes Dr. John Coakley Lettsom as an “extraordinary man” from the Virgin Islands who had built Grove Hill, the villa which his hospitality …
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November 26, 2014
Writer recounts life of John Lettsom
Browsing in a village bookshop in South London on a rare school reunion, a copy of History and Antiquities of the Parish of Camberwell (1875) by William Harnett Blanch mesmerised …
November 11, 2014
Late priest’s works recognised
In 1940 Father Ralph Perry-Gore and his family moved from Tortola to Trinidad to better their children’s education, as described in my Oct. 30 commentary “More VI-Cornwall ties explored.” In …
October 29, 2014
More VI-Cornwall ties explored
Following on the commentary “Librarian explores Cornwall ties” in the Oct. 2 edition of the Beacon, I am now recognising the indelible contributions in parochial work, restoration of our church …
October 1, 2014
Librarian explores VI’s Cornwall ties
A local author recently deplored that there is no active society dedicated to preserving Virgin Islands heritage, history and culture. Perhaps we might learn something from the Federation of Old …
August 27, 2014
Historian analyses WWI history
We saw in my Aug. 14 commentary that Prussia’s military leaders extended the frontiers they had had to accept in 1815, after the Napoleonic Wars. In doing so, they demonstrated …
August 13, 2014
WWI: Causes of ‘The Great War’ considered
The causes of World War I originated many years before the first shot was fired, yet it might have been averted with goodwill and diplomacy on all sides The United …
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May 21, 2014
Resident muses on sheep and elephants
Two Saturdays ago I rejoined the Saturday Morning Walkers on a walk from outside our house in Jennings Hill to Queen Elizabeth II Bridge via Her Majesty’s Prison after a …
May 6, 2014
Lost sheep, archives and buried treasure
I must add another question to those I raised in my commentary last week about “cultural icons:” Why are valuable livestock turned into traffic hazards? I also want to clarify …
April 30, 2014
Call made for panel of ‘cultural icons’
The congratulations and anecdotes from family and friends had brought a quiet smile to Marlene Penn Trotman at her 75th birthday dinner on April 12, and I was about to …
April 15, 2014
‘Adopt-a-road’ proposed for VI
Don’t be misled by the business-oriented title of a recent blog post by Kate Mullan in BVI Business: “Our infrastructure is holding back our tourism industry, damaging our real estate …
April 3, 2014
‘Hertfordshire County’ is six letters too long
The BVI Beacon’s recent report on the visit of educators from Hertfordshire — “Hertfordshire County educators work with VI teachers” on March 6 — related a welcome deepening of Hertfordshire …
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July 17, 2013
Potential seen in ‘friends’ groups
Thanks for those two delightfully descriptive and informative articles on Green Cay and Sandy Cay,
June 5, 2013
Need seen for online event diary
Several visiting attendees at Rotary’s District 7020 Conference joined the Saturday Morning Walkers
May 22, 2013
Writer: VI needs national library
As a student librarian, I envisioned a caped crusader with “PLIERS” (Public Libraries for Information, Education, Recreation and Saving our culture) emblazoned across his tunic. On May 2 I left …
May 15, 2013
Late Beacon contributor remembered
Thanks for giving us the benefit of an unpublished dose of William Walker’s
May 1, 2013
VI seen as unfriendly to the disabled
This is the first of a two-part commentary. I applaud the Beacon’s editorial of last week, “Disabled get short shrift in VI,” pushing our political leaders to translate a draft …