Volunteers clean up Colonaire Beach

Over the past months volunteers from Colonaire have been working diligently to clean up the Colonaire Beach.

A visit to the beach today will reveal it’s transformation and beautification.

All the garbage is gone, and the old fridges, stoves, galvanize and other waste materials have been placed in heaps.

The volunteers are appealing to the Solid Waste Management Unit to collect and discard these materials.

The five volunteers: Harvey Pope, Gregory Crichton, Gilbert Alvis, Gary Adams and Rolstand Pope, are now being praised for transforming the Colonaire Beach from a dump to a scenic location that will attract both locals and visitors alike.

One of the volunteers, Harvey Pope, admitted to SEARCHLIGHT that cleaning up the beach at Colonaire was no easy task.

“Nobody asked we to do it, we do it off we own.

“Five of us came together and planned to do it, and we got it done.”

Pope recalled that in the past, “the beach was very dirty and nasty.”

So much so that it was a health hazard to persons living nearby.

“We decided that we going to take we own time and clean it up,” Pope said.

In the process of clearing and cleaning, the volunteers also planted coconut and almond trees, improving the aesthetic of the Colonarie Beach.

Pope also spoke of plans to plant even more trees along the beach, not only to enhance the view of the area, but to also ward off the sea blast.

“This is our beach, and we had to clean it up,”he stressed.

During the clean up process, there were many times the volunteers had to borrow tools to get the work done.

“It would be nice if we could get some tools, to help us to maintain the beach now,” Pope suggested.

The Colonarie resident, who lives close to the beach, said cleaning up the area is for the benefit of everyone.

Volunteer Gregory Crichton

Gregory Crichton is another resident who also saw that the beach was unsightly.

He quickly embraced the idea of having the area cleaned.

Crichton said in the process of cleaning, they were able to burn some of the garbage, while other stuff was placed on heaps.

Further, they were able to build benches and tables along the beach for persons who want to have a picnic.

“We are not finished yet, but already we have made a big difference,” Crichton pointed out.

There is still another area of the beach to be cleaned and this is now being worked on.

Now that the beach is cleaned, Crichton said bins need to be placed in the area, so that garbage can be properly disposed of.

As a member of the Colonarie Turtle Conservation group, Rolstand Pope is “always on the beach.”

Volunteer Rolstand Pope

Therefore, it was his pleasure to volunteer along with the others to have the beach cleaned.

He too admitted that the beach used to be very “nasty.”

He said now that the area has been cleaned, “the place looks better and feels more refreshing.”

Colonarie residents are also breathing easier and are praising the men for their good work.

“They did a really good job, especially putting in seats and planting trees,” Margaret Lynch commented to SEARCHLIGHT.

The Colonaire resident said, “it used to be a nice beach to bathe, but then it became like a dumping ground.”

Now that the beach has been cleaned, the volunteers are appealing to everyone to help keep it that way.

They are admitting that the transformation process was not easy, but it was definitely worth it.