ABACO 1973-2003
Patrick J. Bethel and Jack Hardy
Many people thought that there would be trouble on Abaco when 10th July 1973 came around. Not so. Abaconians black and white celebrated Independence with enthusiastic loyalty.
Marsh Harbour is the centre of activity on Abaco, the commercial pulse of the island. In 1973 there was an economic slump because the Owens Illinois sugar company had failed and laid off hundreds of workers. Most of them turned to agriculture and crawfishing which both fortunately went on an upswing. Existing farms like the Key and Sawyer enterprise did well and Abaco now has Bahama Star and Bahama Palm Groves exporting citrus to the US.
Other farms have been successful and many of them concentrate on banana production. Abaco Big Bird poultry farm provides chicken for all of Abaco and exports to Nassau and Freeport. Rocky Farm provides both Abaco and Nassau with quality poinsettias during December as well as landscape plants throughout the year. Pine Woods Nursery in Marsh Harbour has developed over the years into what is probably the finest nursery in the country.
Tourism on Abaco took off in the mid 1970’s with three condominiums in Treasure Cay, to this day the most successful resort community in The Bahamas. There are now six condominium communities in Treasure Cay and one in Marsh Harbour. The tourism impetus was twofold: yachting and second home ownership. The latter led to hundreds of rental facilities, along with Bahamian owned cottages that make Abaco a unique vacation venue as rental cottages sometimes come with boat and golf cart. There are over 1,500 second home owners on Abaco and some 40 to 50 new home owners come each year. Over 6,000 yachts visit Abaco every year, enjoying the many cays and the ideal sailing area of the Sea of Abaco between the mainland and the cays.
Marsh Harbour has five commercial banks, plus the Bahamas Development Bank, and several banks have branches on the mainland and the offlying cays. Marsh Harbour is close to becoming a city and can provide almost any service or product one requires. It is a place where Nassau businessmen come to retire and then are inspired to open up a new business.
The success of Abaco business depends upon a reliable infrastructure. In 1973 the airport at Marsh Harbour was an airstrip with a single hut. A new terminal was built but in the meantime tourism had taken off and there were flights coming in from Nassau, Freeport, Miami, Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach and Orlando. By the time the new terminal was completed it was outdated, only being able to seat 26 people. Marsh Harbour International Airport is now the second busiest airport in The Bahamas but is woefully short of space. A new terminal is on the drawing board.
BaTelCo has been a staple of Abaco’s infrastructure during the past 30 years. In 1973 there were about 150 telephones on the island. Many residents had to “Go to BaTelCo” to make a call. Now everybody who wants one has a phone and most businesses have several lines, dedicated fax numbers and internet service. There are also several private internet service providers on Abaco.
BEC serves most of Abaco from its Marsh Harbour plant with the exception of Moores Island, Sandy Point and Grand Cay, which have their own plants. After Hurricane Floyd service was restored in a remarkably short time due to dedicated staff. Cable Bahamas provides service from Sandy Point to Coopers Town and is in the process of providing cable TV and internet to the Abaco cays.
The water supply to North Abaco and Treasure Cay was greatly improved during the past year with miles of pipes from a new well field.
In the early nineties the greatest source of discontent on Abaco was silenced by the construction of the S C Bootle Highway from Crown Haven to Marsh Harbour, followed by the tarring of the Abaco Highway between Marsh Harbour and Sandy Point. Tyre and muffler companies suffered reduced business and Abaconians began buying cars instead of trucks.
The new Port of Marsh Harbour was completed in 2003 allowing several large merchant vessels to dock and unload at the same time. Abaco’s increase in prosperity led to a much greater shipping tonnage than the previous dock could handle. Congestion around the Port of Harbour was relieved by the construction of a new road from the Port to S C Bootle Highway.
Not all of Abaco’s infrastructure was provided by government. Many local roads were provided by private citizens and developers. The remarkably reliable ferry service between the mainland and the cays has been provided by private enterprise, as well as the service between Crown Haven and Grand Bahama and that between Nassau and Sandy Point.
As with the airport, a government clinic established in Marsh Harbour proved to be inadequate for the population by the time it was completed, especially for the estimated 3,000 Haitians or people of Haitian descent who live in the Abaco communities. New clinics in Fox Town and Coopers Town were opened during the past ten years and helped alleviate the problem.
In 1973 there was only one high school, Abaco Central High School, where lessons were taught in run-down plywood structures in Spring City. The school later moved to Forest Drive adjacent to Murphy Town with far superior facilities. S.C. Bootle High School in Coopers Town became the second high school. Instead of 16 all-age schools Abaco now has two government high schools, central primary schools and several township primary schools. There are five primary and secondary private schools: Wesley College, Forest Heights Academy, St. Francis de Sales, Long Bay and Agape Christian. These private schools have relieved the government of capital expenditure but have diluted the student quality at the government high school level.
The government provides scholarships for secondary students at Moores Island to attend schools in Abaco, Nassau or Grand Bahama. It also provides bus service for students in the south from Sandy Point, Crossing Rocks, Casuarina Point and Spring City as well as free ferry service from the cays. All settlements in the north are provided with bus service to S.C. Bootle High School, Fox Town Primary School and Coopers Town Primary School.
Local government was introduced to Abaco and has, according to impartial sources, been amongst the best of such exercises, imperfect though it may have been.
Abaco has several distinct cultural centres. In Green Turtle Cay there is the Albert Lowe Museum and the Sculpture Gardens. In addition, artist Alton Lowe opens his residence and garden to artistic and cultural events. The Architectural Preservation Foundation in New Plymouth actively preserves and protects historical buildings in the settlement. In Hope Town there is the Wyannie Malone Museum and a very active Friends of the Environment chapter.
During the last 30 years a sea and land park was established in the Pelican Cays and a land park in the Hole in then Wall area designed to protect the Bahama parrot, which is unique on Abaco because it nests in caves and crevices rather than in trees where the same species on Inagua nests. This makes it prey to feral cats.
Wild horses are another unique attraction on Abaco. Recent legislation will mean that the herd, which has been severely depleted over the years, will have a large area in their native region of Norman Castle fenced in and will receive regular medical attention. It is expected that these very special wild horses, the only ones remaining in The Bahamas, will become a tourist attraction in their new home.
Other economic benefits of Abaco’s very special properties are bird watching (Abaco has more bird species than any other Bahamian island), kayaking (the Marls are endless for such purposes) and bonefishing. The Marls are both breeding grounds and fishing grounds for bonefish and there are several bonefish lodges on Abaco. When the Ministry of Tourism Bahamas Bonefish Championship was held on Abaco in 2002, many more bonefish were caught than in any previous championship on other islands.
This brief review of Abaco gives nothing of its charm and beauty: the flapping of permit fins on an airless morning, the Abaco rage phenomenon, the quiet hum of golf carts, the friendly good mornings to tourists and neighbours alike, the stopping of other drivers when you have a flat tyre on the highway, the use of ‘Sir’ and ‘Ma’am’ by children, the sure sense that you are in a place where people know who they are and respect you for whom you are. That’s Abaco.