It is with great sadness that I look down at the rain-filled, rubble-strewn hole in the ground that was once the Sir Rupert Briercliffe Hall. I suspect that not many of your readers knew Sir Rupert, who died more than 50 years ago, but he was a great philanthropist and a very good friend to the Virgin Islands.
Sir Rupert bequeathed the vast majority of his estate to a trust fund to be applied for the benefit of the people of the territory. My late law partner, Neville Westwood, was one of the trustees, and he and his co-trustees decided to apply the trust fund in the construction of a hall which would be available for the benefit of the public. For many years, he worked to make this a reality.
Popular venue
Over the years, the hall was the venue for concerts, sporting events, plays, charitable events, rallies, family gatherings, social events of all types, and a host of other activities. Tens of thousands of the residents of these islands have enjoyed the benefit of its encompassing walls and welcoming embrace.
Sir Rupert loved the VI and gave it a venue for a host of activities which otherwise would not have been possible to organise. Whatever government plans for the site of the hall, I sincerely hope that in one way or another some suitable recognition will be given to a man who brought so much pleasure to so many of us. His memory should not just be allowed to fade away and be lost to generations to come.