‘Treat your inheritance well’- Hon Pickering as Copper Mine Visitor Center opens
Dr Pickering, who was delivering remarks at the National Parks Trust of the Virgin Islands dedication of the Copper Mine Point National Park Visitor Centre at Copper Mine Point, Virgin Gorda on Friday January 27, 2017 said the way that the territory’s inheritance is cared for and enhanced will determine whether the Virgin Islands becomes a success or a failure.
Centre raises aesthetics of Copper Mine
According to the Deputy Premier, the new Visitor Centre has given the Copper Mine National Park a much-needed boost.
“My commitment is to ensure that we understand the value of this product that we have here, this environment. You hear it all the time of how beautiful these islands are, but we can never take it for granted,” he pleaded.
“This adds value to its immediate surroundings. Diamonds are not found in the earth as you wear them, somebody mines it, takes it to a factory, cleans it up, adds value to it and then you pay an amount of money for it as jewelry. That is what we need to get into our spirit, into our soul, into the core of our being. That God has blessed us with this and what we do with it ultimately determines our outcome. If we treat it well, if we enhance it, if we protect it we will continue to benefit from it.”
His remarks also came on the heels of Virgin Gorda again making it to the top of Travel and Leisure Magazine’s list for its charm.
“So Virgin Gorda being rated one of the most beautiful islands in the Caribbean and probably in the world is just part and parcel of what we have inherited but what we do with our inheritance will determine not only our history but whether we are a success or whether are a failure.”
Milestone for Trust & VG
Chairperson of the National Parks Trust Miss Ayana S. Hull said the opening of the Centre is a continuation of the celebration that began in December 22, 2016 when the Sage Mountain Visitor Centre was commissioned.
She described it as another milestone in the history of the Trust and also in the history of the island of Virgin Gorda.
“The Copper Mine ruins stand as a testament to a bygone era of vision, industry, and opportunity. It has always held immense, iconic presence and historical value and although it was abandoned in the 19th century, since 2003 it has only multiplied in its value for its protected status of a national park of historical and cultural import,” she said.
According to Ms Hull, the Copper Mines for the territory holds many nostalgic memories for the people of the Virgin Islands.
Refreshing view into the past
“Today it offers a wealth of opportunities for us of another kind. It offers a refreshing view into the nostalgic past, a celebrated legacy for our future, rare and enduring physical beauty and a now hard to find new visitor experience to these beautiful Virgin Islands. These are fundamental factors for us that make high-quality tourism and serve to add a supremely rich layer to our territory’s tourism product.”
Hull also went as far as describing the Visitor Centre as the “crown jewel in the set of visitor centres that we have opened and will continue to open.”
Ninth District Representative Dr The Hon Hubert O’Neal stated his pleasure for the new facility, saying it will serve well for the people.
“Virgin Gorda being the gem of the Virgin Islands, we have a lot to offer here and during my tenure, as your Representative I am going to continue to enhance Virgin Gorda and make it the great island of the Caribbean,” he vowed.
Background
Funding for the programme was provided by the 9th European Development Fund (EDF). The Trust was assisted by the EU delegation in Jamaica headed by Mrs Marlene Lamonth.
Designs of the centre were undertaken by Thor Downing of Downing Ltd and his team, while actual construction was done by Tarris Hill Associates Ltd, Led by Zane Potter and his team.
According to the Trust, the vision for the Copper Mine Visitor Centre began in the 1990’s when the Copper Mine Restoration Committee and the National Parks Trust partnered together to preserve the historic ruins even before it officially became a park.
The centre offers restroom facilities, local artistry, interpretive displays and very soon, official Tour Guides, and an area for the sale of refreshments and souvenirs, a set of walking trails that will be established between the numerous mine shafts in the hills above the centre, for the added enjoyment of those who visit the park.
It was also announced by the National Parks Trust that the Anegada Visitor Centre will be opened in March.
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18 Responses to “‘Treat your inheritance well’- Hon Pickering as Copper Mine Visitor Center opens”
He is not crooning and salivating all over himself about the Rockefellers again. And look see his other friend - that lame duck governor in the background. Soon ready to head-out without making any significant impact in the VI - to some undisclosed retirement location and collect his comfortable pension from his gueen like the last commissioner of police they sent here to our shores.
Let's see who they sent next. We should have a vetting process in who we want here as a queen's representative.
Vetted by the People of the Virgin Islands. Now put that in our revised Constitution and have him take that message back to his queen.
Without demeaning the good intentions of others, I have my reservations about making the wild accessible to all. While it is good that the territory’s inheritance is being cared for, “enhancement” can all too easily lead to taming and beautification. The Copper Mine can do without “paraphernalia”.
Lines from Sheila Hyndman's prophetic poem, “To Virgin Gorda” are relevant:
They will come
With tools and machines.
They will bring to light your secret places
They will demand your mysteries
They will destroy,
Build up.
They will dilute your treasures,
And rob you of your chastity.
They will adorn you like ancient Jezebel.
That also goes for Main Street. get students to research and write guide pamphlets for visitors. Get plaques on buildings and save the wooden ones. There is more educational value in a natural setting. Now we have to stabilize the ruins before they are lost. that also goes for Brewer's Bay and ruins in each and every community.