Bequia gets Mission upgrade

Some well intentioned persons mainly from Bequia, Canada and elsewhere are on a mission to assist the needy in Bequia. They call themselves the “Bequia Mission”.{{more}}

For the past seven years, they have been identifying families which need assistance in the Bequia community, but this year, the team has broadened its scope and voluntary membership, resulting in the establishment of two playgrounds, their largest undertaking so far.

On Friday, March 23, two playgrounds, replete with slides, swings, carousels and ‘see-saws’, among other exercise devices, were officially handed over to the children of Bequia. The beneficiaries are the children from Union Level and the surrounding area, with the largest playground located at Gellizeaux serving the community of Paget Farm and environs. A small playground initiated by Kim Young and “Action Bequia” was erected near the early childhood centre at the Anglican Primary school. Richard Roxburgh of Action Bequia said a covering of an outdoor play area for the pre-school to provide shade from the sun and shelter from the rain is forthcoming.

During a brief handing over ceremony held at Gellizeaux, Member of Parliament for the Northern Grenadines Godwin Friday thanked the donors for their kindness and support in providing the facilities which would allow youngsters to have clean fun and exercise. He asked the children present to take good care of the facility if they wanted to have it for a long time to come. Also addressing the ceremony was chairman of the Bequia Mission Sylvester Tannis, who provided an overview of the project, in addition to outlining some of the projects the Bequia Mission has accomplished this year.

Tannis said without the intervention of Herman Belmar, Deputy Director of Grenadines Affairs, the playgrounds would not have been a reality, owing to the scope of work involved. Belmar and representatives of the Mary Tidlund Foundation were on hand to deliver short addresses.

March was also a busy month for the Bequia Mission. On Sunday, March 11, they donated food hampers to 80 needy families, the following day handing over to the Bequia Hospital a portable defibrillator. The fund raising for this was initiated by our own Kurt Cordice and Gerry Bird, President of Bequia Mission Canada. An EKG machine provided by members of the Grace United Church of Canada was also delivered. On Tuesday, March 13, school supplies, including stationery, were delivered to all schools in Bequia, and they held a book sale on National Heroes’ Day, as well as effecting repairs to three homes in Paget Farm. Making a sterling input for these events was the Grace United Church of Canada, along with other Canadians who have taken up residence in Bequia.

The Bequia Mission over the years has provided scholarships for Bequia students studying in St Vincent at the postsecondary level. Currently, 10 students are receiving bursaries to allow them to complete their postsecondary education. The list of things and activities yet to be done during March and April include the distribution of shoes and clothes to needy persons, nine bicycles (some of which will be donated to the Liberty Lodge Boys Training Centre), and a donation of pharmaceuticals to the clinics and hospital in Bequia.

The Bequia Mission wishes to thank the individuals and agencies which enabled all these activities to be accomplished; they include the staff of K Electric, Rudy’s Electrical and Uthan McIntosh construction for preparing the ground for the construction of the playgrounds, Verrol, Angus and Ekron Bunyan for trucking services, Laun Construction and staff, Bert Davis Construction, Kerwin Gooding, Daphne Baptiste, Helmut Koller, Kenneth Lavia, Ranny Gregg, Herman Belmar, Junior, Smiley, Trucky, Michael and Attie, along with the resident and visiting Canadian volunteers who together made the playground and repair projects a reality.