RADIO ABACO NEWS
Regatta Date Set: The All-Abaco Regatta Committee announced through
their chairman Jackson McIntosh that this year’s regatta, the seventh, will
be held from 25th to 27th September. The regatta will cost some $180,000.
Sandy Point Death: The whole island was shocked by the news of the
death of Sandy Point businessman Bruce Lightbourne, 54. A broker in the fishing
industry, Bruce Lightbourne was also the organist for St Martins Anglican
Church. On Mothers’ Day 11th May, Bruce played the organ for a special service
at 11 am and then helped serve the Anglican mothers; he had prepared much
of the food himself. There was another service at 4 pm at which Bruce played
the organ. He was also local agent for Cat Island Air and after the service
helped unload and load the plane. He returned home and complained to his wife
Valeria about chest pains. Valeria called Nurse Estelle Lightbourne but Bruce
Lightbourne was unconscious when she arrived and never recovered. He is survived
by his wife Valeria and son Brandon.
Horse Haven: It was announced by minister of tourism Obie Wilchcombe
that the unique wild horses of Abaco will receive government protection. A
section of the Norman Castle area will be fenced off and the welfare of the
horses will be supervised. Minister Wilchcombe praised Mimi Rehors who for
many years had been virtually a lone voice on behalf of the horses. He also
said that the horses would become an attraction for tourists. The Abaco wild
horses may have descended from Spanish stock and may have been on Abaco for
200 years.
National Arts Festival: Five Abaco schools and several community
groups took part in the 2003 National Arts Festival held at Central Abaco
Primary School on 13th May. Every island in The Bahamas is represented and
judges travel to each one to evaluate song, dance, drama and instrumental
presentations. The local coordinator is Alfred Dean, Music teacher at Abaco
Central High School. The judges announced that The Knights, a dance group
of three young men from Abaco Central High School, were far ahead of all competition
with two islands still to visit. If they and other competitors from Abaco
are winners they will be featured in an early June concert on Paradise Island,
Nassau.
Winding Bay: On 14th May a meeting was held outside the school in
Cherokee Sound to introduce a $140 million development in the area of Winding
Bay, which has a glorious beach. The development, to be called The Abacol
Club, would be centred around an 18 hole links golf course - the only tropical
links course in the world - and would also feature a stable and equestrian
activities. Leading the project is Peter de Savary, an Englishman who made
his fortune in shipping. He has other luxury resorts in Scotland (Skibo Castle,
once owned by Andrew Carnegie), Egypt and the United States. The 460 acre
development will be designed for millionaires and have 50 houses traditionally
built like those in Hope Town and 75 cottages on the golf course, which, along
with the club house, are expected to be in place by December 2004. In addition
to the other facilities there will be a golf academy with extensive practice
greens and driving ranges. There will also be docks to accommodate boaters
and sports fishermen. Peter de Savary emphasised that the ecology of the
area would be sacrosanct and a nursery would be established to care for plants
that had to be removed so they could be later replaced. He would personally
supervise the project and ensure there was no intrusion on the landscape.
Also at the Cherokee Sound meeting was Hon Allyson Maynard Gibson, Minister
of Financial Services and Investments. She noted that the proposed investment
would be shortly approved by government and that work would begin immediately
thereafter. The Winding Bay development would be the largest investment in
The Bahamas this millennium and was part of $400 million in total projects
for Abaco that would provide at least 1,000 jobs.