Ordrick Samuel, also known as Jicky or Montgomery, operates the MRS Radio Station from his home. He broadcasts from speakers on his roof on Monday to Saturday at 6.30 am to 7.15 am and when necessary in the afternoon. He provides Barbudans with general news, village information, notices, and birthdays. Every Tuesday morning Elder Mills broadcasts religious thoughts and music. Every Friday morning Pastor Ralph Payton of the Seventh Day Adventist Church advises on marriage education. MRS Radio also features guest DJs. Jicky can be contacted on 460 0087 within Antigua and Barbuda.
We carry the latest news as it happens in Barbuda. Moreover we feature forthcoming events anywhere in the world, for example family reunions or graduations. Use the contact us form to provide information about your activity and we will include it here.
Click archive to read news from February to December 2004 and from January to December 2005.
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Black History Month is celebrated in February in Barbuda. On Friday 24 February the Young Leaders of Sir McChesney George Secondary School organised a concert with each class commemorating black heroes. Mrs Juliet Ohaegbulan and Form 3 explained traditional marriage ceremonies in Nigeria, with Calsey Beazer and Neil Jerrick playing the roles of bride and groom. The performance finished with a traditional dance accompanied by the playing of an African drum. Teachers, Mrs Ohaegbulan and Mrs Keizer, participated in the dance to loud acclaim.
Both Holy Trinity School and Sir McChesney George will be holding hair braiding competitions; Holy Trinity on Monday 27 when they will present the medals for sports day, and Sir McChesney George on Tuesday 28 February.
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Environmental educators held a two-day workshop at Sir McChesney George Secondary School on solid waste management. On day one the students and teachers were introduced to the basics of composting, including the definitions, biology, chemistry, and physics of the process. Students carried out practical work on day two. The workshop was part of the Schools Outreach Program taught by environmentalists from Gilbert's Agricultural and Rural Development Center (GARDC) and the National Solid Waste Management Authority.
This term staff and students at Sir McChesney George have been managing their waste. Each room has two bins, one for biodegradable garbage such as food and paper, and the other for non-biodegradable foil and plastic. Bottles are kept separately.
The opening of the new community technical vocational school has been put back to September 2006. Mackenzie Frank, the co-ordinator, said that the school would be holding refresher classes to prepare the students for the courses offered when the school opens officially. These courses will be for 10 weeks starting in May or June 2006.
People interested in teaching or studying at the community technical vocational school should contact Mackenzie Frank via the Barbuda Council
To celebrate its first anniversary the Barbuda Institute and Technology Center is offering free Internet access and email addresses for that day. They want everyone in Barbuda to have an email address so they may be in easy contact with friends and family all over the world. Pollen Handy said that email had taken over from the telephone as a means of inexpensive communication and BITC wanted all Barbudans to have access to this technology.
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Improvements to the basketball complex were being carried out at the weekend. The court and surrounding area are being resurfaced and drainage put in. In the future it is hoped the sports administration building will be finished and more stands added. The new tennis court can be seen in the background of the left photo.
Winston Williams, the Minister of Health, Sports, and Youth Affairs, visited the Holy Trinity School and the Sir McChesney George Secondary School. Later Mr Williams and his delegation addressed members of the community at the basketball complex. The delegation are in the process of commissioning a national task force for the development of youth in Antigua and Barbuda.
The Barbuda Council Day Care invites applications for the post of a crêche aide. Applicants must be at least 25 years of age. All applications should be sent to the Secretary of the Barbuda Council.
George Francis was presented with awards from the Antigua and Barbuda Basketball Association for the 2005 National Schools Basketball Championships. George received the top individual awards as Most Valuable Player and Player of the Year in the senior boys division for the knock-out competition and the regular season. George was competing for the Holy Trinity School. For the 2006 season Holy Trinity and Sir McChesney George have combined teams for the senior boys and the senior girls competitions. Both teams won their matches on Friday 10 February.
As always Valentine's Day was a special day for Barbudans. Couples
lunched at Cerene Deazle's
Palm Tree Restaurant, or had dinner
at the Park Terrace Restaurant of Janet Thomas. Teachers at Sir McChesney George
celebrated with a meal in the staff room after school at 1.30 pm. On Saturday
11 February the
Living Faith Baptist Church held a picnic
at their new camping ground at Rock Bay, south of Two Foot Bay.
The Young Leaders of Sir McChesney George Secondary School held a request show at Madison Square on Tuesday 14. People dedicated a song which was then played for their loved ones. The students held a romantic poetry evening on Thursday 16 and a concert at Jam City on Saturday 18 February.
Education Week is held every year in Antigua and Barbuda. The Holy Trinity School commemorated the week with a workshop for teachers, a food fair, and a sports day. The teachers and students raised a lot of funds for the school at the food fair and sports day, which were well attended and enjoyed by all.
Barbuda has its first women's football team. The players include
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Shewn David and Neil Gore, coaches for the Barbuda Council, are training the women in the afternoon at the football pitch at Holy Trinity School. Practices start at 4 pm Mondays to Thursdays with a game on Friday afternoons. The coaches are looking for sponsorship for kit.
The launching of the team was marked by a visit from the schools' female champions from Jennings. The players were accompanied by three national officials: Chesley Brown, their coach, who is also coach of the national women's team; Dr Victor Stanculescu, the Technical Director of the Antigua and Barbuda Football Association; and Ivor Davis of the National Referees Association, who directs the national referee training programme. Dr Stanculescu said that they intended to set up the same football programmes in Barbuda as exist in Antigua. The officials were looking to develop Barbudan players for possible future selection in the national team.
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Dr Stanculescu emphasised that football scholarships are available at American universities for women. Certainly an incentive for women here. I'm sure we have some who, with training, could "bend it like Beckham".
The Grade 6 students of the Holy Trinity School held a cake sale at Madison Square on Saturday afternoon. The students were raising money to make a research trip to Antigua to visit places of historical interest and significance. Cedric Beazer, their teacher, said that the students would be better able to answer questions in the primary common entrance exams about these sites when they had visited them. Mr Beazer and the students were delighted with the support shown by the community. He thanked the parents, who made the cakes and juice, and commended the students who sold the items.
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The Ministry of Education is opening a community technical and vocational school in Barbuda. Senator Mackenzie Frank is the co-ordinator of the organising committee. Core subjects are expected to be carpentry and building technology, automotive mechanics, kindergarten studies, and IT. More areas may be offered in the future, depending on local demand and the availability of teachers with the necessary expertise. A minimum of 8 students is required for a class. The courses will follow CXC, City and Guilds, and other vocational syllabuses.
The school will be open in the afternoon and evening, a fee will be charged to students, and the teachers will be paid. Anyone interested in attending classes or becoming a teacher should contact Courtney Burton, chairman of the Education Board or Mackenzie Frank via the Barbuda Council.
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Holy Trinity Primary School students organised a show to expose their talents in the performing arts. Children from different classes played musical instruments, danced, sang, recited poetry, and acted in short plays. The students themselves co-ordinated the event, which was held in their activities period at 12.30 after second break. The audience was impressed by the range of talents displayed.
The Barbuda Council held its annual reconstitution meeting on 19 January. The Council members elected Randolph "T C" Beazer as their Chairman for 2006 with Fabian Jones becoming the Deputy Chairman. Some other changes were made in the membership of the various committees, but these are unclear at the moment. Lincoln Burton, the Chairman of the Barbuda Council in 2005, has reportedly become Chairman of the Health, Social Welfare and Disaster Committee.
More news later as it becomes available. In the meantime visit the politics and committee pages to learn about the Barbuda Council and its responsibilities.
| The Immigration Office requests non-nationals and their sponsors to report to the office, west of Burton's Depot, to update their status. They should bring a passport, valid ticket, and an employment letter, if working. |  |
| Non-Nationals, who have lived in Barbuda for three years of more, may apply for temporary residence, which allows them to work without a work permit. Temporary residence needs to be renewed every two years and costs EC$300. Non-Nationals should bring two passport-sized photos and a passport to the Immigration Office. |
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Carib Aviation has a vacancy for a baggage agent. Anyone interested should contact Joycelin Knight at the aeroport on 268 481 2440. |
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From 1 January 2006 the government is introducing machine-readable passports for Antiguans and Barbudans. The passports will be issued from 16 January 2006. See the table below for the cost, which is payable in postage stamps.
| Type | Pages | Renewal/New | Replacement | Emergency Issue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 years and over | 32 | EC$100 | EC$200 | EC$200 |
| 16 years and over | 64 | EC$175 | EC$350 | EC$300 |
| Under 16 years | 32 | EC$50 | EC$100 | EC$200 |
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Two very useful new roads have been built recently. One starts to the west of the mechanical workshop, leads east to the Palm Tree Guest House and turns north to the Sir McChesney George Secondary School. An existing road, which leads due north between the main road and the workshop, has been linked by a short new road to the road from the Walbrooks to the new school campus and continues on to the People's Church road. These roads have opened up the east and northeast areas, with their new houses, school, and the desalination plant. Barbudans living here and on the southern side of Codrington, where there are also many new homes, can now travel in the east and northeast without having to go through the village.
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The South Asian tsunami sent chills through Caribbean people, especially Barbudans, who live on an island barely above sea level. Around 10 major tsunamis have been recorded in the northern Caribbean, the most recent, in 1946, claimed 1,800 lives. It was triggered by an earthquake in the Dominican Republic.
Concern over tsunamis and intense hurricanes has led to the first meeting of the Intergovernmental Co-ordination Group (ICG) for the Tsunami and Other Coastal Hazards Warning System for the Caribbean and Adjacent Regions which will be held in Bridgetown, Barbados. Representatives of 30 countries will take part and will determine a plan of action for risk assessment, collection and sharing of data, and emergency management. This meeting follows on from the international discussions held in Mexico City in June 2005.
Visit our geography page to read more about the physical features of Barbuda.
Staff and students of the Sir McChesney George Secondary School return to lessons after the Christmas break. The students will be appearing in their new uniforms for the first time. The girls will wear a maroon skirt and tie, with a white blouse, white socks and black shoes. The boys will be sporting maroon trousers and tie, with a white shirt, black socks and shoes. Modelling the uniforms are Sabesha James, Victor Harris, Crystal Jeffrey, Jeremy Baker, Jene Beazer, and Lorenzo Taylor of Form V. The Home Management Centre is in the background.