Weekend 04152016

The Tribune

Friday, April 15, 2016

art books entertainment film fashion music charity poetry food

Weekend

DESIGN YOUR LIFESTYLE Page 19

Pretty in print Colourful styles for summer

Fashion, pages 14&15

02 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, April 15, 2016

art

“Anchored Boats” by Brigitte Bowyer-Carey

“Still Life with Shells” by Katerina Kovatcheva

“Watch Your Steps” by Sheldon Saint

A watercolour dream Seven Bahamian artists exhibit at international show

T

he Bahamas will joining 45 other countries from around the world in exhibiting at the prestiguous Fabriano In Acquarello convention in Italy next week.

Seven artists will be showing their work during the art event hosted by the International Watercolour Society (IWS) from April 21-24. The participants include permanent resident-artist Katerina Kovatcheva, Malcolm Rae, Sheldon Sait, Brigitte Carey, Angela Lightbourn, Dion Lewis and Katrina Vanderlip.

Mrs Kovatcheva, who is also leader of the IWS Bahamas Division, will represent the Bahamas in person in Fabriano.

Fabriano In Acquarello aims to promote cooperation and creative exchange between international watercolourists. It supports the traditional techniques and at the same time wants to inspire new creative and avant-garde methods.

According to the event’s website, the convention has no commercial or political purpose of any kind, but intends to be an operativel base of brotherhood and a seed for a culture of peace.

“Seashore” by Dion Lewis

“Mummy, Mummy, Look, The Sea” by Malcolm Rae

“And then He Smiles at Me...Pa Rup Pum Pum” by Katrina Vanderlip

“Seabiscus” by Angela Lightbourn

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Friday, April 15, 2016

Inside Weekend Interview

4-5 Cara Hunt talks to Emily Morley, the Bahamas’ first Olympic rower, as she gets ready to make history

Food 7 Home cooking at your desk

Art 8 New Big Picture Paint & Sip Studio offers unique social outing

Entertainment 9 Queen’s College students bring iconic musical “Grease” to life

Charity 10-11 Local artists team up with Le Petit Gourmet for a fundraiser to benefit the Seahorse Institute, plus “Night of Art” assists students in the Timothy Education Programme.

Poetry 12 A sixth grader wins big with cautionary poem about child abuse

Fashion 13-16 Carlo Milano opens up at One&Only Ocean Club, plus embrace the summer in style with Lilly Pulitzer

Music 17 Jivin’ duo ready to take on Music Masters competition

Design your lifestyle 19 Jim Whitehead and Victoria Sarne explain how to stage your home for sale

Film 20 ‘Barbershop: The Next Cut’ reviewed

Mailboats 23-25 Captain Eric Wiberg on how mailboats brought ‘Briland closer

Animals 27 Kim Aranha explains how to rescue baby birds, plus Pet of the Week

Gardening 28 Jack Hardy on the wonders of the Moringa plant

Cover Photo | Aaron Davis

My perfect Bahamian weekend Colin Ruggiero Documentary filmmaker Q: Saturday breakfast or Sunday lunch?

Sunday lunch. I love to sleep in unless I have to get up to shoot the sunrise. I’m probably in the wrong profession given how much I love to sleep.

Q: Wine, Kalik, rum or cocktail?

Rum. Something about rum and islands just seems right. Sipping rum and giving thanks for the day as the sun sets over the ocean is my standard island salute.

Q: Beach or sofa?

Beach, unless a sofa on the beach an option.

Q: What could you not do without?

The natural beauty of the Bahamas. Let’s face it, we could all do without most of our stuff. There is no perfect Bahamian weekend for me without clean water and healthy reefs and fish populations.

Q: Weekend away: where would you go?

I have a little bit of a love affair with the Exumas, but a trip further south to Acklins or Crooked Island, or maybe the Ragged Islands would be nice, too.

Things 2 Do this weekend Friday • Bahamas Junkanoo Carnival Grand Bahama Weekend Time: 6pm (and Saturday) Venue: Taino Beach, Grand Bahama A prelude to the Music Masters competition in Nassau; the top 20 semifinalists will compete for a spot in the finals.

• Grease the Musical Time: 7.30pm (2pm on Saturday) Venue: Queen’s College QC’s Geoffrey Brown Auditorium will be transformed into Rydell High and 70 students will take the stage for fun musical and dance numbers as they perform the Broadway version of “Grease”. SEE PAGE 9

Saturday • Second annual ‘Walk to Wendy’ Time: 6.30am Venue: Goodman’s Bay Park Proceeds from the walk to go to Dr Wendy Stuart’s medical expenses fun.

Dr Stuart suffers from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease.

• IM Bears Football Club Knock-out Tournament Time: 9am - 1.30pm Venue: Queen’s College The tournament will also serve as a fundraiser for the Bears, to assist with expenses for the U8 and U10 teams to participate in matches hosted in Orlando, Florida.

• The Spring Celebration Jewellery Sale Time: 10am-2pm Venue: Bahamas Humane Society Thrift Shop • Chris Brown Bahamas Invitational 2016 Time: 5pm Venue: Thomas A Robinson National Stadium The CBBI is a professional track and field event showcasing elite national and international track and field

athletes.

• Art from the Heart Time: 7pm Venue: Le Petit Gourmet An evening of good wine, great food and art for auction. SEE PAGE 10 • Fa Fete Sake Time: 8pm Venue: Fort Charlotte Junkanoo Carnival group Rhythms Bahamas celebrates its launch with costume giveaways, international DJs, including Miami’s dream team Sinistar and Steeliback, and more.

Sunday • The 4th Annual Nassau Smokin’ Hot BBQ Competition Time: 12noon-7pm Venue: Club Waterloo on East Bay Street The grills are about to get hot as more than 2,000 lbs of BBQ will be given away and more than $2,500 in cash prizes will be up for grabs.

04 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, April 15, 2016

interview She is making history as the Bahamas’ first Olympic rower, but Emily Morley hopes to do more than that. Taking a brief break from her training for Rio 2016, she tells Cara Hunt about how she hopes to inspire the country to embrace the sport she is so passionate about.

Emily Morley

W

hen the Bahamian team marches into the Olympic stadium in Rio de Janeiro this summer, for the first time ever a rower will be among the athletes representing the country.

And while Emily Morley may be the first in her sport to wear the Team Bahamas uniform, she will not be the first in her family; she is following in the footsteps of her father David Morley who was himself an Olympic swimmer.

The young rower, who started with the sport while she was at boarding school, recently qualified for the 2016 Summer Olympics at the FISA Americas Olympic Continental Qualification Regatta in Valparaiso, Chile. She ultimately earned a spot in the B final where she rowed to a personal best time and a fourth place finish. She placed 10th overall through four races. Despite not placing in the top six, which would have enabled her to automatically qualify, the Bahamas Olympic Committee successfully requested that she be given the opportunity to represent the country in single sculling based on her strong performance. This move is called an universal at large bid.

“These bids are for countries with developing rowing programmes. By granting these countries bids it brings hope to the awareness of the sport around the world,” Emily said. “It is an honour to be the first Bahamian rower to compete in the Olympics. I hope that this is the first step to making the sport more popular throughout the islands of the Bahamas. I hope that my passion for this sport can expand the

awareness of the amazing opportunities that come along with rowing.”

From a young age, Emily had the support of her family.

“My parents, David and Susan Morley, always wanted their children to find a passion in something, whether it be sports, arts or a club. Fortunately, all of my siblings and I found passions within sports. My father always talked about how sports shaped his boarding school and college career and so I wanted to find something that gave me that much joy,” she said.

That passion for rowing began shortly after she enrolled at Emma Willard, an all-girls boarding school in Troy, New York, after completing grade nine at St Andrew’s in Nassau.

“My house parent freshman year told me that I should row because I was really tall. I decided to join the team my freshman spring and that was when I fell in love with the sport. Being from the islands I have always been attracted to anything to do with water. I was never much of a competitive swimmer, so rowing was my next best bet.

All of my best friends at Emma Willard School also rowed with me, so it was fun to have a sport that I enjoyed doing and being able to enjoy it with my best friends. Even though I did not start my rowing career in the Bahamas, I have trained on Lake Cunningham this past December during my winter break,” she told Tribune Weekend.

After high school, Emily started Ithaca College, also in New York, primarily because of their well known D-3 rowing programme and their undecided programme. She has since become an marketing and communica-

Friday, April 15, 2016

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tions major and is now in her senior year.

“With my Integrated Marketing and Communications major I hope to go into the advertising world and be involved in the strategic side of advertising,” Emily said. She is also the co-captain of the women’s crew team at Ithaca “After I joined crew I knew that this was going to be my passion for a while. Before I found my passion for rowing I played soccer in Nassau and at boarding school, as well as many other sports such as cross-country, field hockey and basketball. Right now all I have time for is rowing,” she said.

And its no wonder, as rowing is hard work and preparing for Olympic rowing is even harder.

“Leading up to the qualification regatta in Chile I was doing double practices four times a week that included extra swimming workouts and ergometer workouts in the mornings. These workouts would be on top of the workouts that the whole Ithaca Col-

“Outside of competing I hope I can explore Rio and get a taste of their culture. I did not get to do this much in Chile and so I hope I get some time to explore while I am there. Other than that, I am excited to watch great rowing and hopefully I will get to see some swimming as well,” she said.

But while rowing is her personal passion, Emily acknowledged that it is not a very popular sport.

“There is awareness of the sport and knowledge throughout the world, but it is more popular in the United States and Europe than anywhere else in the world. The popularity of the sport is now growing in Australia and South America,” she said.

However, Emily may just be the athlete to make rowing more popular here in the Bahamas.

Sir Durward Knowles, legendary sailor and the country’s first Olympic medallist, spoke to The Tribune about the young rower.

“We’ve seen the recent success and media blitz over Buddy Hield in basketball and hopefully one day,I think the Bahamas Basketball Federation has indicated that they are preparing to get ready to qualify for the 2020 Olympics.

So to see Emily make this breakthrough in a sport like rowing, which isn’t popular at all, it shows that we have the talent to do anything that we want to do,” he said.

“We’re looking forward to one day having more Olympians in other sports, so this is a historic moment for us in the Bahamas. It’s like the Buddy Hield event, it’s like the Golden Knights event, it’s like the Golden Girls event, it’s like the Tonique Williams event, it’s like the Arianna Vanderpool-Wallace event. So it’s good to have a rower now qualified for the Olympics.”

Olympic rowing starts on Saturday, August 6, and continues through Tuesday, August 9, with medal rounds beginning on August 10.

Emily Morley will be the first Bahamian woman to compete internationally in the sport of rowing today when she races in the W1x (Women’s single) at the 2016 FISA America’s Olympic Qualification Regatta for Rio. lege crew team had throughout winter training. After Chile my focus was to get back into the team’s workout schedule, which was a water practice every day. Before the qualification regatta in Chile I did not compete in any inter-

national regattas, but rather just the collegiate races that are scheduled with my college team,” she explained.

She has now set her sights on Rio De Janerio, a city she also hopes to see a bit of after competition.

“It is an honour to be the first Bahamian rower to compete in the Olympics. I hope that this is the first step to making the sport more popular throughout the islands of the Bahamas. I hope that my passion for this sport can expand the awareness of the amazing opportunities that come along with rowing.”

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Friday, April 15, 2016

The Tribune | Weekend | 07

Friday, April 15, 2016

food

Home cooking at work Delivery service provides lunch at your desk

By CARA HUNT cbrennen@tribunemedia.net

T

he dilemma of what to eat for lunch each day during the work week is one every Bahamian has faced at one point or another.

Either you had no leftovers at home that you could bring to the office to warm up, you’ve exhausted all the lunch options close to your work place, or you’re tired of going the “easy” route and just getting fast food.

This is where Amy Richardson comes in.

She is utilising social media to provide busy Bahamians with a “taste of home” during their work day.

Home-made, healthy dishes are delivered right to your office.

“I started cooking as a child with my mom, so it’s really been self-taught, I never went to school to learn,” she told Tribune Weekend.

Three years ago she opened her catering and delivery company called “A Taste of Home” inspired by her desire to be her own boss and create meals her own way.

“I definitely wanted to work for myself. I have a lot of ideas, and sometimes when you work for other people you can’t be as creative as you would like,” she said.

“In the past three years, business has been off and on and I have had my ups and down, but now I have a full clientèle. And because it’s just me, it’s almost more than I can handle.”

But she’s not complaining at all. She’s too busy cooking up a storm of tasty treats to deliver to her hungry clients.

“A Taste of Home is a home-based business. We do catering and lunch deliveries. So every day, I set the menu for the next day and Whatsapp to everyone on the list and then they can get back to me with what they want. I have to have the orders in by 8.30am for that day and then their food is delivered to them at lunchtime.”

Among her specialities are the client favourite broccoli cheese soup, guava BBQ grilled pork or chicken wings.

To see Amy’s lunch specials, check out her Facebook page, “A Taste of Home.”

“A Taste of Home” lunches awaiting delivery

08 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, April 15, 2016

art

Looking at the ‘Big Picture’ New Paint & Sip Studio opens in Sandyport

G

ennyne Hepburn, a certified public accountant, is giving locals and visitors alike a new outlet to express themselves with the opening of her new Big Picture Paint & Sip Studio.

Located in the Olde Towne Mall at Sandyport, the company offers a variety of art-inspired programmes designed for patrons to paint, sip, mingle and have fun.

Ms Hepburn said she was inspired to open the studio so that people can incorporate art into everyday living.

The 1,018 sq ft space features an elegantly designed studio with 24 work stations equipped with canvases and paint supplies.

“Art has always been a passion of mine since childhood. Even while working in the corporate environment for the past decade, I always found myself seeking to balance my technical mindset with creative projects,” she said. “Opening a full paint studio allows me to share my talents with clients and give them a different way to celebrate special occasions. At Big Picture, they are able to paint in a relaxed, social environment and reconnect with their inner artist while creating memories.”

A 2005 graduate of Hartwick College in New York, Ms Hepburn holds a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting with a minor in Studio Art. And while the greater part of her career involved crunching numbers and producing financial audits, she continued to hone her artistic talents throughout the years. In 2009, she hosted the first of many private exhibits where art lovers were able to acquire her pieces for their personal collections.

Last year, she began art tutoring sessions on the weekends, teaching specific painting techniques to young learners. “That’s when it clicked and I finally saw the ‘big picture’, where I could combine my love for art and my passion for sharing it with others into a viable business,” she said.

The studio is currently accepting

Gennyne Hepburn, proprietor of the Big Picture Paint & Sip Studio

“Opening a full paint studio allows me to share my talents with clients and give them a different way to celebrate special occasions.” bookings for private paint parties, group events, corporate team building functions, bridal showers and interactive “Little Picture” sessions for kids.

Weekly in-studio paint sessions are also available Wednesdays to Saturdays. Session prices range from $45 per painter for kids to $60 and up for adults and includes the guidance of an instructor. Each in-studio sitting in-

Guests enjoy the Big Picture Paint & Sip experience

Guests show off their final pieces cludes wine and light refreshments for adults and lunch for kids. At the end of the paint session, clients are able to take their keepsake paintings with them as a reminder of the day. Off-site private paint parties start at $35 per painter for kids and $40 per painter for adults.

“So far, the response from the community has been a mix of excitement and curiosity,” Ms Hepburn said.

“People are stopping by to inquire about booking events and we’ve had several in-studio paint sessions already

since our official start date on Friday, April 8. Our opening event created quite a bit of buzz and we look forward to persons visiting our studio and having the full experience.”

• For more information on the Big

Picture Paint & Sip Studio and to book paint sessions or private event, visit https://www.bigpicltd.com, call 242601-0144 or follow them on facebook. com/bigpictureltd, Instagram and Twitter @bigpictureltd

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Friday, April 15, 2016

entertainment

‘Greased Lightning’ strikes Queen’s College

QC students play beloved “Grease” characters

BY ALESHA CADET Tribune Features Writer acadet@tribunemedia.net

E

ven though it’s been over 40 years since its debut, the musical “Grease” remains more popular than ever. After FOX successfully pulled off a starstudded live TV version earlier this year, it’s now Queen’s College’s turn to bring Danny, Sandy and all the T-Birds and Pink Ladies to life.

QC’s Geoffrey Brown Auditorium will be transformed into Rydell High and 70 students will take the stage for fun musical and dance numbers as they perform the Broadway version of “Grease”.

Performances continue tonight at 7.30pm and conclude tomorrow with a 2pm matinee.

Named after the 1950s workingclass youth subculture known as greasers, the musical is set in 1959 and follows ten working-class teenagers as they navigate the complexities of peer pressure, politics, personal core values, and love.

The main characters are the hip

Danny Zuko (Kristian Rolle) and the wholesome Sandy Dumbrowski (Asha Collie). As the young lovers resolve the problems of their mutual attraction for each other, their gang of friends sing and dance their way through a pyjama party, a prom, the burger palace and the drive-in movie theatre.

The cast and crew of QC’s show said they went all out to make audiences feel like they have stepped back in time once they pass through the auditorium doors.

There will be costumed ushers, concession goodies popular in the 50s, era appropriate décor, amazing sets and fantastic student musicians, dancers and actors.

They are sure their audiences will be surprised and delighted with the level of professionalism which comes with an investment of time and resources born from a passionate love for the theatre.

Director and producer Gregory Deane said “Grease” is the fourth official production mounted by his “Broadway Over Queen’s” group.

Mr Deane is a former QC student who himself was very involved in high school theatrical performances under

the direction of the late Phillip Cash.

In the 1970s and 80s, high school musicals were an annual event and most were held at the Dundas. After a long hiatus and a school trip to New York back in 2008, and in an effort to expose students to other genres of music, Mr Deane led the charge to reintroduce the high school musical to QC. “This is not the first time that ‘Grease’ has been performed in the Bahamas. The Operatic Society presented the musical some years ago when the group was a thriving company and brought theatre-goers to the Dundas in droves. Just last year, St Andrew’s mounted this very same show. The coincidental emergence of the live (TV) performance of ‘Grease’ starring Vanessa Hudgens and Keke Palmer back in January only added fuel to the burning desire to get the show off the ground. ‘Grease’ is hugely popular and everyone knows the music. It should be a part of every high school student’s experience,” Mr Deane told Tribune Weekend.

The students have been working hard since October to bring ‘Grease’ to life at QC, and for Mr Deane the

best part about the experience has ultimately been the journey, which he said has been long and challenging at times.

“There are moments where it has become difficult to have all cast members together for rehearsals due to our students’ well-roundedness and involvement in other projects. Having a hand in all aspects of the show and ensuring a high production value has been a joy. Seeing the show like this come together is phenomenal, but more importantly sharing my love of theatre with students who like to be ‘on show’ is amazing. Nothing beats sharing a part of who I am with students who never knew much about me before,” he said.

Mr Deane said is certain the cast have learned that teachers can be funny, anxious, stressed, silly and determined at the same time. Also, the fact that this was a group effort, pulling together many people of varying talents, made the experience enjoyable for the director.

“I cannot fathom mounting this project on my own. We are aiming not just to produce a show but to provide an experience,” he said.

10 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, April 15, 2016

charity

‘Art from the Heart’ A gourmet fundraiser for children with autism

A

pril is Autism Awareness Month, and one teacher wants to ensure that the increasing number of children in the Bahamas who are on the spectrum get the help they need to live happy and fulfilled lives.

Grand Bahama-based teacher and artist Julie Hoyle is spearheading a special fundraiser called “Art from the Heart” for the Seahorse Institute. She is being joined in her efforts by Le Petit Gourmet and five other artists who are each donating a piece of their work for the cause.

The event will be held tomorrow from 7pm to 9.30pm at Le Petit Gourmet on Shirley Street.

The evening will offer its guests good wine, great food and inspiring art, Ms Hoyle said.

The funds raised from the event, she said, will go a long way to help the Seahorse Institute.

“Their mission is to bring critically needed services to Bahamian children with autism and other special needs. They apply the latest therapies and education to unlock the vast potential of the children and their rate of success is the highest in the country,” she said.

“However, the intensive support and individualised attention necessary to serve the children is costly. With autism incidence rates now one at in every 68 children, there is a growing need for services in the Bahamas. The support gained from this fundraiser will be used to provide scholarships to those children whose families don’t have the financial means. These kinds of scholarships will make a critical, positive difference in the future of the children and their families.”

The Seahorse Institute’s

programmes for children with autism and other special needs were first brought to the attention of Ms Hoyle by a friend, Sonia Pimentel, who lives in Nassau and who was involved in fundraising activities for the school. “(Sonia) introduced me to Dr Michelle Major (who runs the Seahorse Institute) five years ago. From that point on, I developed a keen interest in Michelle’s work and in her school. Since I am a mixed media artist and art educator, this past fall I offered a series of intuitive painting workshops on Grand Bahama Island for adults and children. Although it was the first time many of the participants had painted on canvas, the results were impressive and it was obvious there was a huge therapeutic benefit,” Ms Hoyle said.

“After hearing about these workshops, Julie Knowles, who runs Le Petit Gourmet, offered to host similar events and invited me to bring the workshops to Nassau. Michelle came along and she enjoyed the therapeutic process so much she invited me to the Seahorse Institute to teach her students. I agreed and taught two classes, one to the little ones and one to the older students. At this point, I was already being spiritually nudged to create a fundraising event for the Seahorse Institute.”

Tomorrow night’s fundraising event will provide guests with a crisp glass of wine, and Chef Julie Knowles will create appetisers such as mini beef wellingtons, smoked salmon roulades, lobster thermidors, grilled shrimps, lamb mini macs and cheese bites, chili chicken kebabs, crab cakes and a few more surprises.

There will also be pieces of art up for auction, donated by Ms Hoyle, Claudette Dean, Paula Boyd-Farrington, Tina KlonarisRobinson, Gloria Rodriguez and Johanna Willis.

Tickets are $75 and available at Le Petit Gourmet and the Seahorse Institute.

Learning and having fun painting at the Seahorse Institute

The Seahorse Institute on Soldier Road

Kids enjoy painting at the Seahorse Institute

Sweet Sisters and African Queen by Julie Hoyle

“Creation” by Claudette Dean

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Friday, April 15, 2016

charity PHOTOS/AARON DAVIS

Performing arts night raises funds for ‘deserving’ students

By ALESHA CADET Tribune Features Writer acadet@tribunemedia.net

Y

OUNG, talented Bahamians recently came together for a special “Night of Art” fundraiser to help students overcome financial, social and emotional challenges in order to pursue their high school education.

Under the theme “Love That Fosters Hope,” the event organisers invited artists from all mediums, including dance, song, drama and poetry/spoken word, to participate in the evening in support of the Timothy Education Programme (TEP).

Performers included Lyrically Blessed, Stacs & Sii (Gospel Boys), Aleitheia Sweeting, Lennelle Michelle and Royalty, Bertrum O’Bubbler, CollageDem, Kingdom Mime Ministries, Eman, Malaika Pinder and J Reign.

They all took to the stage at the Epic Church Bahamas to endorse TEP, an initiative that provides 23 children who have shown academic potential with the support they need for the full six years of their high school education.

Proceeds from last Saturday night’s event are expected to go directly to the provision of resources like school uniforms, books, shoes, and more.

TEP Director Giavana Jones said this represents an investment in the future of some very deserving children and families, and it is for this reason that “A Night of Art” is so valuable. She said it was no easy task to host the event for the second year in a row, but it all came together in the end with the assistance of TEP members and volunteers.

“This programme is a traditional grassroots one with no full-time or parttime staff. Everything comes through the work of volunteers, all of whom have full-time commitments with work and family among others responsibilities.

This event was birthed last year by one of our team members, De’Andrea, who thought a showcase of the arts would be a great show that could be attractive to the entire family and give some of our

local artists a great platform to share.

All the pieces were centered around our consistent theme of hope, which is what the Timothy Education Programme is all about – fostering hope,” said Giavana.

Through the work of the TEP, she believes education can serve as a tool to help families lift themselves out of poverty. She noted that traditionally most families are involved with their children’s educational pursuits throughout primary school but have less financial and academic engagement with their children as they move into junior and senior high school levels.

“We are here to fill that gap as the ‘Teppers’ move into their teens. We at TEP Bahamas are seeking to make a difference in the lives of these students by helping them to overcome financial, social and emotional challenges as they persevere to successfully graduate from high school. We have committed to come alongside these students and their families to assist them on their journey through junior and senior high schools,” she said.

Currently, the Epic Church located in the Summerwinds Plaza provides space for monthly workshops and team meetings, but Giavana said their hope is to one day outgrow the space.

“We are super grateful, but want to be able to say next year that we need some place bigger. The goal is to have this as the event to attend, not only because it’s for a good cause but also because it is a great worship experience through the arts. We have seen first-hand the positive impact of our work and the funds necessary,” she said.

Performers take the stage for a good cause

12 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, April 15, 2016

poetry

Sixth grader wins big with cautionary poem about child abuse Trinity Christian School student named spokesperson for serious issue

PHOTO/SHAWN HANNA

L

auren Nwankwo, an 11-year-old student of Trinity Christian School, beat out 200 other six graders from all over the country to win the Ministry of Health’s annual poem competition with a focus on child abuse and neglect.

The ministry asked the students to compose a poem between 150 and 200 words under the theme “A Child’s Life is Precious”.

Lauren told Tribune Weekend that she treated the challenge just like any other homework assignment.

Her poem for entry into the competition, she said, didn’t take her that long to write.

She said that once she was reminded by her sister that not every line in a poem had to rhyme, the process became easy.

“I was so happy when I heard that I was winner,” she said. “I just could not believe it.”

Lauren’s poem speaks to the different forms of child abuse, and how children are a country’s future and should not be made to suffer.

The primary school student said she believes she wants to be a teacher when she grows up.

In addition to being named Child Abuse Youth Spokesperson for 2016, Lauren will receive a $100 gift certificate from the Mall at Marathon, gifts from Custom Computers and Electro Telecom, and a trophy. She has also been asked to participate in media shows throughout the month of April, which is being observed as Child Protection Month.

The Ministry of Health’s Department of Public Health Suspected Child Abuse and Neglect (SCAN) is hosting several events and initiatives under the theme “Protect Our Children, Protect Our Future”.

Things kicked off last month with the two-day “Say No. Then Go.” training session sponsored by the National Child Protection Council. The seminar was geared towards social workers, guidance counsellors, family life educators and school nurses to assist them in teaching children about abuse and ways they can get help.

Lauren Nwankwo

A Child’s Life is Precious

By LAUREN NWANKWO My Bahamian people, Didn’t you know?

A child’s life is precious, filled with potential and the ability to grow.

My Bahamian people, Do you care?

That we must handle the precious children gently, don’t let them live in fear.

My Bahamian people, Do you know?

A child must not be verbally and mentally abused or made to endure painful blows?

My Bahamian people, You must remember This country’s development depends on our precious children’s future.

My Bahamian people, Did you ever think of?

All of the important things that our precious children could be

My Bahamian people, When you see a precious child, That is your future nation builder, soon to be lawyer, future doctor, engineer, policeman and farmer, too.

My Bahamian people, You must realise, Every child must be nurtured, loved and cared for, not neglected, hurt or traumatised.

My Bahamian people, Please make it a priority, To love all children whether Bahamian, Haitian, white, black or brown.

A child’s life is precious, Filled with potential, Don’t let us down!

My Bahamian people, Please ponder all I’ve said, A child’s life is precious!

A child’s life is precious!

A child’s life is precious!

Don’t you ever forget!

The Tribune | Weekend | 13

Friday, April 15, 2016

fashion Raising the fashion bar in the Caribbean

The new boutique offers top luxury fashion brands

F

using the beauty of the Bahamas with international designers, Carlo Milano for One&Only celebrated its debut last month.

Located at the One&Only Ocean Club, the new boutique features top fashion brands, as well as luxury watches, accessories and eyewear. Guests will discover a range of brands such as Chopard, Hublot, Versace, Celine, Prada, Tom Ford and many more.

And being located in the Bahamas, there is also stylish resort wear and swimwear with fashions featured from Agua Bendita and Beach Bunny to Chio di Stefania D. “Fashion is an intrinsic part of our guest’s lives and of the One&Only brand,” said Helen McCabe-Young, executive vice president of One&Only Resorts.

“Introducing new experiences for our guests and collaborating with leading designers allows us to provide something truly unique, with fashions for men, women and children which can be enjoyed on vacation as well as at home.”

With a consistent yet evolving appreciation for fashion, One&Only has partnered with several high calibre designers over the years, from Alice Temperley and

Christian Louboutin to Missoni.

The most recent collection was a partnership between One&Only Resorts and luxury resort wear designer Marie France Van Damme.

Her “City to Resort” line includes ten versatile resort wear pieces in black and white and an exclusive print in fabrics such as silk chiffon and silk satin. One&Only also celebrates local designers and artists.

“Our team is excited about Carlo Milano for One&Only. The boutique will showcase some of our finest products,” said Rodney Chee-A-Tow, Carlo Milano operations director. “We will provide a unique shopping experience, one that is personalised to each guest.

One&Only is a chic island resort that offers the very best to guests and visitors alike and we aim to enhance their experience.”

The new boutique offers an open plan, allowing guests the ability to navigate easily and for no item to go undiscovered. Meanwhile the Ocean Pool Cabana pop-up will offer fun and convenient access to items for sunning plus eyewear, beachwear and other relaxed fashion perfect for lounging by the pool, on the beach or enjoying lunch on the deck of the resort’s new Ocean Grill.

16 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, April 15, 2016

fashion With Karin Herig and Cara Hunt

PHOTOS BY EVAN AGOSTINI/INVISION/AP

The Weekend Fashion Report Variety’s Power of Women: New York

HIT

FAIL

SPLIT

SPLIT

SPLIT

Lupita Nyong’o Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens”

Misty Copeland, ballet dancer

Mariska Hargitay “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit”

Danai Gurira “The Walking Dead”

Alyssa Milano “Mistresses”

Karin says: “Cute, but boring.

I mean, this is probably what many of us would wear to the office on a daily basis (even with the ‘I had nothing but these black pumps to match’ factor). It offers absolutely nothing style wise. But maybe that wasn’t her intention.

Maybe she just wanted something serviceable. Still, when you’re on one of the biggest ever TV shows, you need to try a little harder to rock the red carpet.”

Cara says: “Cute dress. It’s a basic, but well-fitting evening out dress. I’m not blown away by it, but she looks quite elegant.

Karin says: “Alyssa is a stunning woman, but she’s made herself look like a bag lady. This is absolutely hideous. The print is something Aunt Betty wore in 1975 and thought she was stylin’ (she wasn’t, even back then.) And what is up with the shoes? She should leave the ballet shoe inspired look to Misty.”

Cara says: “This dress is a little old church lady-ish, but still an all right look. It’s a nice fit and all, and the print is nice, but it is just a tad boring for her. At least her shoes match, but they are a bit boring, too.”

Karin says: “Lupita is celebrating springtime and I love it. This is striking the perfect balance between an old-fashioned style and modern chic. And she continues to slay all the bright colours. Love the pink shoes as well.”

Cara says: “I love it! It’s so bright and cheery, and the flowers are just enough to be cute and not look like granny’s bathrobe. I am unsure about the shoe choice, but they do kinda work. Flawless Lupita.”

Karin says: “Sadly this shows that Misty doesn’t really have a good fashion sense. This is a pretty dress in normal circumstances, but not on a red carpet and not on a celeb.

Also, while I love me some colour contrast, those yellow shoes do not work.”

Cara says: “This dress is way too old and boring for her.

And what is it with the horrid non-matching shoes? First with Lupita and now Misty.

I mean, OK, I get this whole ‘let’s have a pop of colour’, but I just don’t understand the ‘throw on a pair of shoes that totally don’t go with the dress’ thing people have going on.”

Karin says: “Just all around terrible – the hair, the hideous statement necklace (that sure makes a statement, just not the right one) and the boring black dress, which she surely just had in the back of her closet. Please tell me she didn’t actually spend time planning and shopping for this outfit.”

Cara says: “It’s OK. The necklace is quite interesting, and along with the cute animal print pumps it somewhat saves what otherwise would be an extremely dull look.

The Tribune | Weekend | 17

Friday, April 15, 2016

music

Jivin’ duo ready to dominate Music Masters competition

BY ALESHA CADET Tribune Features Writer acadet@tribunemedia.net

T “We definitely see music in our future and we see us developing ourselves into international artists. Music is such a passion for us and we cannot imagine a life without music being involved.”

Jive members Valene Rolle and Illsha McPhee

he Bahamas’ new singing duo Jive want to make a bold statement with their two song entries into this year’s Bahamas Junkanoo Carnival’s Music Masters Competition.

Since the release of the 15 participants’ music videos last week, Valene Rolle and Ilsha McPhee have been gaining viewer numbers in the popular vote category for their tracks “Carnival Time” and “Rhythms”. So far this week, they received more than 400 likes on the Bahamas Junkanoo Carnival’s Facebook page.

“We feel humbled, grateful and extreme appreciation,” Ilsha told Tribune Weekend.

“This is where we belong; in our element. Both songs were inspired by the feeling of being around great people and music. They capture the moment when all cares have subsided and good feelings come rushing in.”

Sharing a similar music background with Valene, Ilsha said they both started singing in church at a young age, attended Aquinas College and sung together in their school choir, as well as in a pop band called the Ace of Spades.

The ladies later came together to form the band Jive.

Illsha said supporters can look forward to “pureness” in their music and fun from their group this season, as opposed to the vulgarity that sometimes rears its head at festival time.

Valene said she is thankful to family, friends and Bahamians in general who expressed their excitement when finding out about Jive and their songs.

“They sent it all over Whataspp and shared it on Facebook like crazy. My mother sent it to her friends who then sent it to 365 contacts in the Turks and Caicos.

So as you can see, we are really trying to take Jive to the World,” she said.

Being the youngest competitors in the 2016 Music Masters competition, 20-year-old Valene said this is definitely the biggest milestone in their career so far. And they are adamant that this is only the beginning for Jive.

“We definitely see music in our future and we see us developing ourselves into international artists. Music is such a passion for us and we cannot imagine a life without music being involved, therefore if we are given the chance to make this our full-time career we definitely will. We both have a love for the arts. Valene is active in groups such as Shakespeare in Paradise, therefore we can see a bright future in the performing arts,” said Ilsha.

With an EP called “Words I Would Have Said” in the works, the duo said persons can expect to see Jive dominate the local music scene with “flair and style” in the near future.

18 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, April 15, 2016

The Tribune | Weekend |19

Friday, April 15, 2016

design your lifestyle

Staging your home for sale A bi-monthly conversation with Jim Whitehead and Victoria Sarne

W

e are all only too aware that this sluggish economy is affecting many aspects of our daily lives. It has an effect on us if we own a home or are in the market to sell, as this is usually a family’s most valuable asset and one which, over the years, should have increased in value both as an investment and as a home.

Just as there are basic rules to follow in home improvement or decorating, there are things you can do, not necessarily involving much expense, to make your house as sellable as possible. Your realtor may or may not give you this advice, and I have to say personally I don’t hear much locally about “staging”, which is a pity as it can add value. Most of you have seen the television programmes showing makeovers, drastic or

Place fresh flowers or a bowl of fruit on the kitchen counter for an inviting ambience.

Make sure the exterior of your house looks attractive

otherwise, which usually contain advice on how to stage a home to its best advantage.

If you are going for a job interview, or out for a fun evening, you probably take great care with your appearance; you find the right dress, suit or shirt for the occasion, and if you are a woman you will have your hair, nails and makeup done.

Your house is no different; think about dressing it up so that it looks its very best, because it is your house that has the biggest potential for earning you a profit on your investment. It’s not complicated to capitalise on this asset and put you a step or two ahead of any competition.

First impressions are everything. Just as most people make up their minds about a person in less than 60 seconds based on appearance and demeanour, when we see a house we usually have a similarly spontaneous feeling about whether it appeals to us or not. Initially this has nothing to do with practical considerations. It is a gut reaction to a visual trigger. Naturally, when common sense asserts itself and our brain gets to work, we go through our laundry list of necessities based on our needs and lifestyle, but that initial impression will continue to play a part in our decision making.

Here’s where staging comes in, and it applies

to the interior as well as the exterior of your house. If there are major repairs to be done, make them; it will be worth it and reflected in the price you are able to ask. Alternatively, it can be as simple as putting a fresh coat of paint on the front door or a fence, cleaning the windows, making sure the grass is cut, plants or shrubs neatly trimmed and any stains on a driveway cleaned up.

For the interior I am less concerned about the arrangement of furniture but much more with the cleanliness of the home. Make sure it is spotless; no dirty dishes in the sink; no clothes or laundry lying around in bedrooms.or toys for buyers to trip over – you may have to encourage children to keep their rooms tidier than usual (I found bribery worked well with mine). Put everything where it belongs, in a closet, a drawer or a laundry basket. Make sure your kitchen and other drawers are tidy – prospective buyers will open cupboard doors and drawers and will expect to see order not an untidy jumble. The simple addition of new hardware on cupboards can give a completely updated look. An old real estate tric we used in the city was to make sure the house smelled of newly baked cinnamon apple pie or cookies, not cheesy or overpowering air fresheners. It was very effective in creating an inviting ambience which we complemented with a vase of fresh flowers or plants and a bowl of fresh fruit on the kitchen counter.

Your home will look lived in, but mostly it should look loved and cared for, as if you and your house are all dressed up just waiting for friends to come by for dinner.

Call us if you would like a site visit and suggestions at the Nassau Florist, telephone number 302-6121.

20 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, April 15, 2016

film (CHUCK ZLOTNICK/WARNER BROS. VIA AP)

review

It’s worth stopping into ‘Barbershop: The Next Cut’ BARBERSHOP: THE NEXT CUT 112 MINUTES

W

hen you come back to a beloved place after many years, sometimes you find all the faces have changed and the vibe is completely different.

Not so with Ice Cube’s “Barbershop.”

Though the third film in the franchise comes a dozen years after part two, “Barbershop: The Next Cut” is as colourful and clever as its predecessors. There are some new faces (including Common and Nicki Minaj) and new elements (an attached beauty shop), but the warm energy, subtle social commentary and big-hearted laughs are the same.

Cube returns as Calvin, proprietor of a barbershop on Chicago’s South Side, where he oversees a motley crew of haircutters who spend as much time boasting and bantering as they do snipping and styling. Perpetual scene-stealer Cedric the Entertainer returns as outspoken oldtimer Eddie, and Eve is back as sharptongued Terri, once the shop’s lone female hairdresser.

But you don’t need any background to be charmed by the chatter at this community hangout, where the staff has grown to include a bunch of new barbers and beauticians and the discussion subjects range from Kim Kardashian to President Obama.

The crew includes Terri’s husband and Calvin’s friend Rashad (Common), opinionated Raja (Utkarsh Ambudkar), neurotic Jerrod (Lemorne Morris, even funnier here than on TV’s “New Girl”), and man-of-many-hustles One-Stop (JB Smoove), who offers haircuts, health exams, fake IDs and other services from his barber chair. They share the shop with a new business partner, Angie (Regina

Ice Cube, left, and Cedric The Entertainer are back for the third instalment Newcomers Nicki Minaj, far left, and Common join Eve in “Barbershop: The Next Cut”

Hall), and her team of stylists, including spandex-clad Draya (Minaj) and unluckyin-love Bree (Margot Bingham).

Director Malcolm D Lee and writers Kenya Barris and Tracy Oliver develop each of these characters enough to deliver a winning ensemble comedy with multiple story lines and just the right dose of realistic drama.

Set in present-day Chicago, the film opens with Calvin’s voiceover about the explosion of violence in the city. “The streets are talking,” he says. “They’re tired. They’re angry.” Chicago had the most homicides of any US city last year, and it’s on track to earn that sad distinction again in 2016. More than 140 people have been killed there so far this year.

Calvin worries about how the surge in violence is affecting his 14-year-old son,

Jalen (Michael Rainey Jr), who’s getting into fights at school and considering joining a gang. Calvin is also concerned about the effects on his business, especially when former barber and now mayoral aide Jimmy (Sean Patrick Thomas) tells him about a proposal to stem South Side violence by building a wall around the neighborhood.

The shop responds by sponsoring a 48-hour cease-fire. They convince two rival gang leaders, both customers, to get on board. But as a tenuous peace takes hold outside, drama continues inside the shop as Draya makes a play for Rashad and Calvin considers moving his family to a safer part of town.

Minaj is a riot as a sassy flirt

whose work uniform is a skimpy bra and skin-tight leggings.

Common brings the smolder as a modern man who supports his wife’s career but feels frustrated at her lack of effort in the relationship. Morris is a comic highlight, as is Deon Cole, who plays Dante, a guy who hangs out at the barbershop dishing one-liners. As in past trips to the “Barbershop,” Cube and Cedric the Entertainer are the heart of the story.

“The Next Cut” manages to address racism, sexism, police brutality and gang violence in a thoughtful way without being heavy-handed. It’s a call for community activism balanced with plenty of playful laughs. There’s also the bonus of seeing Cube bust out some dance moves and Common do an old-fashioned backspin.

The two rappers also wrote a song for the film, “Real People,” which plays over the closing credits.

So whether it’s your first trip to Calvin’s or you’ve got a standing appointment, it’s worth stopping in for “The Next Cut.” SANDY COHEN AP Entertainment Writer

The Tribune | Weekend | 21

Friday, April 15, 2016

books

“Phoenix Rising” offers self-help road map

By CARA HUNT cbrennen@tribunemedia.net

I

n his new book, “Phoenix Rising”, motivational speaker Spence Finlayson seeks to help his readers rise above the trials and tribulations of their lives just as the mythical bird rose from the ashes.

“Phoenix Rising” is the Bahamian author’s third book in 10 years, following his previous motivational books “Reach for the Stars” and “Dare to be Different”.

“Writing is something that I always wanted to do and these books were just a natural progression from the experiences and teachings from more than 20 years of being a motivational speaker,” Mr Finlayson explained. “People always told me that I should write the

ideas and thoughts down.”

This latest book, he added, was a result of people who had read his previous work asking him for more.

“It took me about two years to write this book; it became habitual and therapeutic in a good way for me to write it,” he said.

Mr Finlayson said he wrote the book in a very disciplined and determined manner.

“I would wake up every Saturday morning and start writing at 10am for two hours consistently, which takes quite a bit of discipline,” he said.

The author said he drew inspiration from the mythical bird the phoenix, which also inspired his company’s name – The Phoenix Institute for Positive Development and Empowerment.

“The phoenix rose from the ashes to become a new phoenix and that is what

Author Spence Finlayson this book is about, themes of transformation, being born again and starting a new life,” he said.

The book includes practical guides with chapters such as “You Are the Thinker That Thinks The Thought”, “Stop Looking to People”, “God is our Source”, and more.

“Anyone can read this book, no matter their age. Young or old, there is something in it for them to appreci-

ate,” he said. “It is a road map for anyone who wants to succeed in life and overcome their trials and tribulations. None of us are exempt from life’s troubles, but you can overcome them.”

Mr Finlayson will host an official book launch for “Phoenix Rising” on April 30 at the Paul Farquharson Centre. The book will be available at local book stores and through e-book providers.

“Life’s Little Lessons” teaches Christian parenting

By JEFFARAH GIBSON Tribune Features Writer jgibson@tribunemedia.net WITH her latest book, a Bahamian author is hoping to teach her readers valuable life lessons when it comes to parenting.

Borrowing from the things she was taught while growing up, Valderene Gardiner shares a story about the right way to raise children in her Christianthemed “Life’s Little Lessons”, a fictional story that also serves as a parenting guide.

The author is hosting a special signing of the book tomorrow at the Zion Yamacraw Community Centre from 4pm to 6pm.

The book, she said, introduces J’Von and Jazzmyn, twins who are enjoying life. They are blessed with parents and grandparents who incorporate biblical principles in the life lessons they teach twins at every opportunity. The twins’

adventures are sometimes hilarious, but they come with lessons lovingly taught and hopefully learned.

The book focuses on characterbuilding values such as honesty, manners and gratitude. The values are backed by Christian principles and biblical passages.

“Our young people are faced with many challenges today, and so it is very important that they learn at an early age the real values of life. They need to know and understand that a good character is far better than riches or material gain,” Ms Gardiner said.

“Therefore, it should be the desire of every Christian parent to want to raise their children in the fear and admonition of the Lord. Consequently, ‘Life’s Little Lessons’ is a great tool for parent/child interaction and a guide that shows how everyday circumstances can be turned into lessons supported by biblical scriptures and stories.

“I hope that upon reading this book, young and older people will

Author Valderene Gardiner realise that living a life with high moral standards is essential and it’s the little experiences that can become great opportunities to learn lessons, enabling them to become better persons.”

Ms Gardiner was born in the Crooked Island, where she was part of a close-knit Christian family. Coming from that Christian background, Ms Gardiner said it she always knew she

would one day write a book.

“It was spoken over my life that I should write a children’s book. After many years of writing skits and plays for church functions, the idea for this book was birthed in me and it took off from there,” she said.

• For more information contact jarredl_6307@live.com.

22| The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, April 15, 2016

books

The 14th Colony’

by Steve Berry is gripping novel review

C

otton Malone fights a ticking clock and a Russian conspiracy to give the United States government payback in Steve Berry’s latest adventure, “The 14th Colony.”

This is his third book in the Constitution trilogy, and while “The Lincoln Myth” and “The Patriot Threat” dealt with specific clauses in the US Constitution, “The 14th Colony” reflects on what isn’t covered in a particular section.

The 20th amendment has a provision for when the new president will assume office and men-

tions the vice president in case the president cannot take office. But what if both are incapacitated on Inauguration Day? The amendment and the 1947 Presidential Succession Act don’t cover this possibility.

A Russian named Aleksandr Zorin has hated the United States since the fall of the Soviet Union, and he wants revenge. Cotton learns Zorin is working with a sleeper agent stationed in Canada and that they have possibly uncovered nuclear devices. The two agents have concocted a plan that will disrupt the inauguration of the incoming president on Jan. 20, less than two days away.

Cotton works with his love Cassiopeia and the outgoing president’s nephew Luke Daniels to stop the plot. Cotton’s former

boss, Stephanie Nelle is, like the president, on her way out of office. The incoming administration believes the plot is nothing more than a ruse for Nelle to keep her job, so they don’t believe there’s any danger.

The race to stop Zorin will have readers turning the pages, and the action is tighter and more gripping than some of Berry’s other titles.

Besides the history surrounding the significance of moving the inauguration date, the novel delves into the history of a secret society started during the Revolutionary War and a secret plan to invade Canada.

Berry makes history exciting, and he has written another winner.

JEFF AYERS Associated Press

James McBride pays tribute to the Godfather of Soul JAMES McBride, best-selling author of “The Color of Water” and “The Good Lord Bird,” has written a furious ode to the troubled life and legacy of the incomparable James Brown.

Part appreciation, part biography, the book is structured as a mystery: Why has this singular figure in American culture — a genius on the order of Elvis Presley and Bob Dylan — been so grievously misrepresented and misunderstood, all the more so since his death in 2006 at age 73?

Unlike other writers who have focused largely on Brown’s groundbreaking music, McBride seeks to investigate the “amorphous blend of black politics, culture and music” that shaped the Godfather of Soul.

He travels to the South to interview Brown’s first wife, former manager and other close associates, including the last of the Famous Flames. In England, he talks to former Brown bandleader Alfred “Pee Wee” Ellis, who wrote the

music to “Say It Loud, I’m Black and I’m Proud,” lyrics McBride argues changed the self-image of black America “in one fell swoop.”

He sits down with Brown’s protege, the Rev. Al Sharpton, to whom Brown imparted his hard-won lessons in showmanship, among them “Kill ‘em and leave,” the title of this book. And he unearths a tangled and tragic story, one rooted in Brown’s personal history of growing up dirt-poor in a broken family in the segregated South and in America’s vicious history of slavery and racism.

Heroes emerge, including a smalltown reporter who has doggedly pursued the legal maneuvering surrounding Brown’s contested estate, and villains abound, most looking to make a buck.

The entertainment industry, McBride asserts, is one of the bad guys, treating black life as “fragile compost for the American storytelling machine,” grinding “old stereotypes and beliefs into a

kind of mush porridge best served cold, if at all.”

This is an angry book, but also one that sings and soars. A saxophonist and composer, McBride has an astonishing sense of rhythm and uncanny ability to conjure the sound of human voices.

He writes sentences that swing, invents images that pop: “Brown’s saga is an industrial-strength story, a big-box store of a life ...” or Brown is “hollering from the back of the bus of history.”

There are sour notes as well — for instance, his account of the marital and financial woes that led him to write this book. But anyone who loved his earlier books — or was a fan of the hardest-working man in show business — won’t be disappointed.

ANN LEVIN Associated Press

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Friday, April 15, 2016

mailboats ABOUT THE AUTHOR

CAPTAIN Eric Wiberg is a marine and naval historian, author and a maritime lawyer who grew up in Nassau in the 1970s and 1980s and is a regular visitor to The Bahamas.

In 2009 Capt Wiberg began the first of three books on U-Boats in the Bahamas and Bermuda and in 2012 began a blog focusing on mailboats and their contribution to Bahamian history. He is the author of ‘Tanker Disasters’, ‘Round the World in the Wrong Season’ and ‘U-Boats in the Bahamas and Turks & Caicos’ and is working on a book about mailboats in the Bahamas.

He is writing a series in The Tribune on the glorious history of mailboats, their place in island life, the characters that define them, the variety of craft, the dozens of islands they serve, the mailboat ‘dynasties’ and the challenges facing the modern fleet.

Bringing ‘Briland’ closer From the Mary Jane to the Bo Hengy, Harbour Island and Eleuthera have a rich history in trading cargo and daytrippers, Captain Eric Wiberg says

A

lthough the Dart is given credit as the first mailboat to serve North Eleuthera from Nassau, it would appear that her predecessor - the Mary Jane - has earned that distinction.

The Mary Jane was a 41-tonne schooner built of wood in 1853.

Rather than a government-subsidised mail route, however, the Mary Jane was financed by a joint stock company, with half the funds raised in Nassau and the other half in Harbour Island.

According to Anne and Jim Lawlor’s “The Harbour Island Story”, in 1868 such a “company was set up and the Harbour Island packet schooner Mary Jane carried the mail and passengers from Dunmore Town and Spanish Wells to Nassau”. She held the mail, cargo and passenger route to Harbour Island, with stops in Spanish Wells, until 1870 when the Dart replaced her. Owned by a Harbour Islander named John Cleare and named after his daughter, she would have an active career of 47 years until broken up in Nassau in 1900.

The sailing schooner Dart was

The Bahamas Daybreak III, the queen of mailboats, pictured around 2005 built around 1867 and was 35 feet long on deck, though enlarged twice during her career, which lasted until she was lost in a hurricane before 1930. Her owner was John Saunders Harris, of Harbour Island. According to a placard hanging in the lobby of The Mail Boat Company in Nassau, “The Dart was the first scheduled mail boat from Nassau to Harbour Island. Originally a pilot boat of about 35 feet in length, she should sail from Harbour Island to Nassau in the record time of eight hours. She lived up to her name and won many regattas in Nassau, until she disappeared during a Bahama hurricane.

Twice she was lengthened by adding to her amidships.”

The Lawlors go on to say that “Captain William G Harris, a veteran sailor, had captained both previous Harbour Island mailboats, the Dart and the Endion”. This suggests that the Dart was the first Harbour Island mailboat.

Another of the boat’s skippers was William James Harris, born in 1848 in Harbour Island. It appears to have been a family endeavour. In “The Land of the Pink Pearl” by L D Powles in 1888, the author points out that the cabin was for “whites only”.

By 1922 the Dart was replaced by the Endion, having served for roughly 50 years.

The Endion was 90ft 8in long, 14ft 1in wide, and 8ft 6in deep. Weighing

61 gross tons, she was propelled by a Fairbanks Morse crude-burning engine, and could accommodate 17 passengers in two staterooms (the passages, after all, were quite short).

Originally built in Boston in 1898 as a private yacht, in May 1917 she was purchased by the US Navy as a section patrol boat during World War I. She served as USS Endion (SP-707) until stricken from the Navy List in October 1919 and sold.

Her Bahamas owners were the Harbour Island Steamship Company Ltd, which purchased her at public auction. The Lawlors write that Captain Albert Sweeting took delivery of her and was the vessel’s master for the next 17 years.

Her first voyage with the mail contract was on January 17, 1922. According to an advertisement in The Nassau Guardian, “In October, 1921 the sailing ship Endion was bought in New York, refitted and converted and converted to a power vessel, in Harbour Island, to accommodate passengers.” Endion plied the route until 1939 until replaced by the Lady Dundas - her final fate is unknown.

Built in the spring of 1939, the Lady Dundas was designed by Harbour Island resident and American ship designer Lawrence Huntington and built by Messrs Berlin T and Harry Albury of wood in Harbour Island. Lady Dundas was 92 feet long, 19ft 5in wide and 9ft 3in deep.

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Friday, April 15, 2016

A rare photograph of the Endion, originally built in Boston in 1898 as a private yacht, but refitted in 1917 as a US Navy patrol boat during World War I.

Rigged as a schooner, she was also propelled by a Fairbanks Morse 150 horsepower engine which pushed all 115 tons at 10 knots. Her cargo capacity was 80 tons. She was owned by the same Harbour Island Steamship Company which owned the Endion before her.

Two of the vessel’s captains were William G Harris and Roy William Smith. According to the Lawlors, her launching was a special event: “Just a few months before the sombre days of the Second World War, flags flew and the Harbour Island town band played as Lady Dundas, the Governor’s wife, broke a bottle of champagne over the bow of the Lady Dundas. This was the first of the inter-insular mail-boats that gained Harbour Island new fame.”

Within a year the Dundas were pushed out to make room for the Duke and Duchess of Windsor. Their new assignment was to Kampala, Uganda.

The vessel’s end was more ignoble: in 1974 she was arrested in Port-auPrince, Haiti, and seized on suspicion of smuggling drugs.

The motor vessel Noel Roberts was built in 1943 by Sir George W K Roberts, who was to own eight mailboats in the Bahamas before passing away in the mid-1960s. The vessel was 115 feet long, 23ft 3in wide and 11ft 3in deep, and weighed 180 gross tons. Her engine was 180 horsepower and she was built of wood. She served North Eleuthera until at least 1957, though carried freight as far afield as Jamaica.

All vessels owned by Sir George Roberts, who named this one after his son, a Member of Parliament in his

“The Spanish Rose was equipped with refrigeration, enabling them to haul frozen crawfish - an essential commodity - from Spanish Wells to market in Nassau. In 1997, whilst en route between Nassau and Spanish Wells in daytime the vessel sank.

The captain and his family members and crew were all rescued.”

The Dart, a humble Bahamian-made vessel, was one of the first mailboats own right, will be examined later in the series. The same applies to the Air Swift, a former US Navy craft built of wood in 1943 by Thomas Knutson Shipbuilding of Halesite, New York.

Sir George Roberts purchased her around 1948, and she served North Eleuthera until the Bahamas Daybreak replaced her on the Harbour Island run in the 1970s. According to Jeff Albury her remains lie in shallow water off Six Shilling Channel, between Rose Island and The Current.

The motor vessel Current Queen was purchased in 1965 by brothers Gurney Elon Pinder and Stephen Pinder to serve Spanish Wells. Built of wood, she was 64 feet long and her original name was Spanish Rose.

In 1977 the brothers sold the vessel, which had been running to and from Spanish Wells for 12 years, to interests in The Current settlement in Eleuthera, who renamed her the Current Queen and diverted her to their new home port. Her final fate is unknown.

The second Spanish Rose was 75 feet long, also built of wood, a mo-

tor vessel and owned by the Pinder brothers. The boat was equipped with refrigeration, enabling them to haul frozen crawfish - an essential commodity - from Spanish Wells to market in Nassau. In 1997, whilst en route between Nassau and Spanish Wells in daytime the vessel sank. The captain and his family members and crew were all rescued. Jerry Hulse, the travel editor for the LA Times, wrote in 1985 that “if you’re in no hurry it’s a bargain - only $18 for the five-hour ride, which includes a soft drink and a sandwich and a world of untroubled waters”.

The first Eleuthera Express was built as the Spiekeroog in Wilhelmshaven, Germany, in 1962. Her other names were Wischhafen and Treasure Trader until 1979, when Captain Junior Pinder purchased her for the run to Rock Sound, Governor’s Harbour, Spanish Wells and Harbour Island.

She was a large motor ship of 250 gross tons and 400 ton cargo capacity. Her tenure was short-lived as, in the early 1980s, she was sold to “a group in Miami who renamed the vessel” according to a conversation with Capt Pinder.

The Tribune | Weekend | 25

Friday, April 15, 2016

Forgotten Facts Paul C Aranha She sank between Haiti and Cuba in the late 1980s. It is possible that, as the Treasure Trader (1978-79), she traded in the Bahamas as well.

The justifiably named Current Pride was built of wood, probably in the 1970s, and continued to serve Upper and Lower Bogue, The Bluff, Current Island, North Eleuthera and Gregory Town, James Cistern and Hatchet Bay/ Alice Town in South Eleuthera. The vessel weighs 88 gross tons and her master is Capt Patrick Neilly. Richard M Langworth cycled Eleuthera and utilised the Current Pride to get there from Nassau. In 2009 he wrote: “The Current Pride is a microcosm of the old Bahamas, laden with produce (this really is a “banana boat”) and Eleutherans heading for the big city. You can’t pay for the entertainment you get free. One gent spent the entire voyage singing and shucking peas; another trolled part of the way and hooked a giant barracuda which flopped around on the deck and scared some of us passengers. The sturdy, wood-hulled Current Pride shook off high seas and covered 52 miles in four hours - and cost only $30, including coffee, sandwiches and soft drinks.”

The Bahamas Daybreak III has gone by several names, including simply Bahama Daybreak. She is 110 feet long and can carry 24 passengers in enclosed cabins - more on deck.

The vessel serves South Eleuthera (Governor’s Harbour, Hatchet Bay) leaving on Mondays at 5pm, then North Eleuthera (Bluff, Spanish Wells, Harbour Island) leaving Nassau on Wednesdays at 5pm. Her captains include Quincy Sawyer and Ashok while a previous master, Capt Moss, now serves with Bahamas Ferries. According to The Tribune, in 2006 her owner is Capt Theophilus Stuart of North Eleuthera. Details of this vessel’s dimensions and pedigree are scarce but she is believed to have been serving these routes since around 1985, meaning Bahama Daybreak III has been in service roughly 30 years.

The mailboat Harley & Charley is 91 tons and roughly 100 feet long.

Originally proposed for service to Andros, in the late 1980s she was serving Governor’s Harbour and Hatchet Bay. By around 2000 this vessel no longer showed up on ship lists and databases.

Another vessel about which very little is known is Captain Fox, which served as a mailboat from Nassau to Governor’s Harbour and Hatchet Bay in the late 1990s, leaving 1pm on Thursdays, taking six hours and costing $30 each way. By the 2000s this vessel was also not listed as active, and like the Harley & Charley her final fate is unknown.

The second Eleuthera Express is

a modern vessel purpose-built for the Bahama trades in Louisiana in 1996-1997. She is 250 gross tons and capable of carrying 400 tons of cargo.

With a large crane on her foredeck, wide hatched and a squat, broad wheelhouse and a square stern, this light green ship has become a fixture in Eleuthera over the last two decades.

Her captain is Junior Pinder, believed to be at least a co-owner. Her route includes Harbour Island, Spanish Wells, Rock Sound and Governor’s Harbour.

Although not strictly mailboats - they carry freight and passengers mostly - the Bo Hengy and Bo Hengy II have revolutionised travel between Nassau and North Eleuthera, providing a fast, efficient and affordable alternative to both conventional mailboats and aircraft. Built as Hull no.5 by Pequot River Ship Works in New London, Connecticut, the original Bo Hengy was named “after a Harbour Island shipwright Henry Sawyer, known as “Bro Henry” which then became Bo Hengy, who on top of wooden vessels made fish traps and tools for fishermen and spongers in the 1920s. Her impressive specifications include that she is 115 feet long, 27.5’ beam, draft said to be 5’, catamaran hull, 209 gross tons, capable of 177 passengers. Powered by MTU engines, 4,726 horsepower and flagged to the Bahamas (increasingly inter-island boats are flagged to Panama or other countries). Her owners are Bahamas Ferries Limited conveniently situated at Potter’s Cay Docks.

In May 2009 after ten years of service was sold to the Red Funnel Group of Southampton UK for service to Cowes, Isle of Wight, UK. This reverses the usual trend whereby many vessels were acquired secondhand from Europe and sold on to Latin America. The Bo Hengy II was built in 2008 to replace her predecessor. She is 135 feet long, capable of 400 passengers (or harbour cruise, no luggage), and 394 passengers interisland. Powered by Cummins engines, the vessel is capable of 25 knots. It features cold and dry storage, interior seating for passengers, weatherproof luggage stowage. She is 540 gross tons and capacity for 53 tons of cargo.

Leaving by 8am the vessel makes the trip to Harbour Island in a few hours and permits visitors to take a day-trip to picturesque Dunmore Town - something unthinkable in the days of the Mary Jane, Endion and Dart.

NEXT WEEK: Andros, Captain Moxey and the northern Bahama islands.

Comments and responses to eric@ ericwiberg.com

The way we were WHEN I think of St Matthew’s church, I picture the place where I was baptised, attended Sunday school, was confirmed, and attended family funerals.

On March 5, I returned to St Matthew’s and spoke at the funeral of my life-long friend, Dr John Knowles, son of the late Bishop Donald Knowles, who was, for many years, the rector there.

I sat in the pew where my family used to sit and felt surrounded by old friends – Roosevelt Godet, Michael Martinborough, Raphael Cartwright, J Barrie Farrington, Donnie Johnson, Jean Knowles and Burton Knowles – as if the clock had been set back to 1949, when churches did not have to lock their doors.

I remembered J Barrie Farrington’s description of John “so unassuming in character that it overshadowed his brilliance”. Thinking how true that was, I recalled the day when John and I, and one or two other boys, stupidly climbed up into the steeple to hear the bells strike noon - starting with the 12 notes of the Westminster chime, followed by12 strokes for the hour.

To reach the bells, one had to climb through a trapdoor, wide enough for only one person at a time. We had no idea how loud the sound would be but, at the first stroke, we were desperate to escape - through that same trapdoor. It was difficult not to panic.

Then I remembered a newspaper clipping from 1886 that John had found in his father’s files and allowed me to transcribe. It said that the ceremony of laying the corner stone of the new chancel of St Matthew’s church, had taken place.

“While the choir was singing heartily, and the organ pealing forth, the Bishop and the Rev R Saunders, Rector of St Matthew’s, together with the before-mentioned clergymen, marched in procession, through the northern door of the Church, to the north-east corner of the edifice, where everything was in readiness for the performance of the ceremony.

A few short prayers were followed by the singing of Hymn 394, after which the Rev R Saunders deposited, in the cavity of the stone, a bottle, containing amongst other mementos, the following inscription, on parchment, written in English and Latin: ‘TO THE GLORY OF GOD This Corner Stone of the new Chancel was laid May 6, AD 1886

PHOTO/CARIBBEAN PHOTO ARCHIVE

St Matthew’s EDWARD CHURTON, Bishop, RICHARDSON SAUNDERS, Rector, Churchwardens JOHN HENRY McKINNEY EDWIN SAMUEL HALL ROBERT SWANN, Rector of Christ Church, JAMES HARTMAN FISHER, Rector of St Agnes, CHARLES CARTHEW WAKEFIELD, Rector of St Mary’s.

This being done, the trowel was handed to the Bishop, by Mr F J Aranha, the Contractor, and, while spreading the cement, the Bishop said: “In the faith of Jesus Christ, we place this foundation stone, in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost. Amen.’

After this, the Bishop read Psalm CXXII and pronounced the Benediction, thus bringing to a close the interesting ceremony.”

My ‘Book of Common Prayer’, a gift from my mother at my Confirmation, confirmed why Hymn 394 had been chosen. The second verse is “Grant that all we, who here today rejoicing this foundation lay, may be in very deed thine own, built on the precious Cornerstone.”

As for Psalm 122, it starts with the words “I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the LORD.” • islandairman@gmail.com

you have to Friday, April 21st15, 2016 grid too! Use

Best described as a number crossword, the task in Kakuro is to fill all of the empty squares, using numbers 1 to 9, so the sum of each horizontal block equals the number to its left, and the sum of each vertical block equals the number on its top. No number may be used in the same block more than once. The difficulty level of the Conceptis Kakuro increases from Monday to Sunday.

Century Dictionary (1999 edition)

Sudoku is a number-placing puzzle based on a 9x9 grid with several given numbers. The object is to place the numbers 1 to 9 in the empty squares so the each row, each column and each 3x3 box contains the same number only once. The difficulty level of the Conceptis Sudoku increases from Monday to Sunday

CRYPTIC PUZZLE Across 1 Cheese of unusual hue is bland (6,4) 6 Part of the White Man’s Burden in detail (4) 10 It sounds like the height of resentment (5) 11 Surliness I shall need to moderate (3,6) 12 Don’t contact workers in their free time (5,3) 13 Number feel concern about cut (5) 15 Deeds brought before a judge (7) 17 Soaked in the deepest concoction (7) 19 Presumably they had good reasons for being late (7) 21 Control may rest in the wrong position (7) 22 Place to hang the bath plug is available (2,3) 24 Believe Bill has surplus wealth (8) 27 Hijacked, so named to be brought to book (9) 28 A vast expanse to have to clean (5) 29 A girl in the pink (4) 30 Wind instrument (10)

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G L O TARGETW K N THE

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Chambers

26 | The Tribune | Weekend

Yesterday’s Easy Solution Across: 1 Contact, 5 Dross, 8 Velasquez, 9 Fan, 10 Tidy, 12 Parlance, 14 Dental, 15 Unsafe, 17 Meteoric, 18 Chum, 21 Ill, 22 Stevenson, 24 Glory, 25 Poultry.

Down: 1 Covet, 2 Nil, 3 Also, 4 Toucan, 5 Dazzling, 6 Offenbach, 7 Sincere, 11 Donatello, 13 Famously, 14 Damning, 16 Line up, 19 Money, 20 Menu, 23 Set.

Yesterday’s Cryptic Solution Across: 1 Ringlet, 5 Boris, 8 Gold medal, 9 Tie, 10 Tack, 12 Bears out, 14 Flagon, 15 Census, 17 Aversion, 18 Keep, 21 Fee, 22 Doornails, 24 Loner, 25 Essence.

Down: 1 Right, 2 Nil, 3 Limp, 4 Tidied, 5 Belfries, 6 Retrousse, 7 Sheaths, 11 Chameleon, 13 Consider, 14 Fearful, 16 Morose, 19 Paste, 20 Onus, 23 Ian.

EASY PUZZLE

Across 1 Without preparation (3,3,4) 6 Person greatly admired (4) 10 Farewell (5) 11 Ensure (9) 12 Express in fewer words (8) 13 Complain inarticulately (5) 15 An irregularity (7) 17 An upstart (7) 19 Conductor’s platform (7) 21 Brief notice (7) 22 Characteristic mode of expression (5) 24 Official list regularly kept (8) 27 Confinement (9) 28 Fish-eating semiaquatic animal (5) 29 To abandon (4) 30 A complete change (5,5)

Down 1 A spoken examination (4) 2 Paltry (9) 3 Harass relentlessly (5) 4 Power to convince (7) 5 Become suddenly angry (5,2) 7 That which has been said (5) 8 Be completely destroyed (3,2,5) 9 An importunate dependant (6-2) 14 Impartial (4-6) 16 Ill-feeling (8) 18 Area above an earthquake’s focus (9) 20 Warlike (7) 21 Purplish-red (7) 23 Preface (5) 25 Articles of footwear (5) 26 Catch out by trick (4)

N I Y G L O WK N

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Down: Skip, Dock, Evic Axe, Chanteuse, Divot, Fell, Lied, Pique, Scratcher, Ago, Cleft, Writ, Type.

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*Calls cost 80p per minute plus your telephone company network access charge.

PLAY MORE CR

The Tribune | Weekend |27

Friday, April 15, 2016

animals Animal matters

By Kim Aranha

Spring has sprung!

If you find a baby bird, try and locate its nest and put it back.

N

ow that we are in April we are seeing clear signs that spring in upon us. One of my favourite signs is that the days are a little longer and the evenings linger on for so much longer than they do in the winter months.

In the morning the birds are singing more loudly and everywhere I look adult birds are flying with twigs, bits of fluff, or threads that they have found to put into their nests. Only recently I saw a bird with a bundle of my dogs’ fur; what a cosy nest that baby bird will have.

During the season many baby birds will fall out of their nests and we will want to help them. The best thing that you can do it put them back in their nest. Find the nest, get a ladder, climb up and gently replace the little one in the nest. The mother bird may well be hopping around near you, chirping and making angry dashes at you, but it is your duty. If the nest has been blown out of the tree or it has fallen, again, replace it where you thought it was. Try and attach it firmly to the tree. If this proves to be difficult, place the nest in a plastic bowl of an appropriate size and attach the plastic bowl to the tree. When the babies grow up you can have your bowl back.

I can almost hear readers saying:

PET E H OF TEK WE

The sea birds clearly survive on a diet of fish, whereas some birds are worm and bug eaters. So before you call the BHS for advice, see if you recognise your bird. Failing that, get a photograph that can be e-mailed to the expert for the guidance.

I have one friend who has handraised a pigeon which was found alone with no visible mother. The pigeon is now an adult and flies free. He has a mate, but still comes “home” to my friend regularly and sits on her balcony, and takes food from her dog’s bowl. A bond formed when he was just a little ball of fluffy feathers and he has not forgotten.

Somehow when one writes about animals, which I do every week, clearly, it frequently returns to that bond forming between human and animal, and the glory of it. I still shake my head and wonder, every day, how any normal person could possibly neglect, hurt or maim an animal intentionally and not care. It certainly is a funny world we reside in.

Spring will bring many baby animals, birds, puppies, kittens, rabbits, turtles and scores of others; please be on the look out. Babies do not cross the street as quickly as their mothers, so slow down, stop, save a life; don’t squash a life!

Spring special

By The Bahamas Humane Society

PHOTO/PATRICIA VAZQUEZ

Baja and Ash

“But you cannot touch a baby bird” or “If a mother bird smells a human on the baby she will reject it!”

Both are old wives’ tales. Birds do not have a good sense of smell and do not mind if you have touched their baby. The advice I have given you has been proven over and over again, with a massive success rate.

If you come across a baby bird, with no idea where it came from, secure it and try and see if you can find a nest or a concerned mother. If you are totally unsuccessful, then keep the little one in a quiet, warm spot and phone the Bahamas Humane Society (323-5138). We have several very experienced volunteers who will either take the bird from you and care for it, or if you wish to do it yourself, they will tell you how to go about it, and what to feed it, how often ecetera.

I personally have a very bad track record at rescuing baby birds. Time and time again, I thought that I had finally succeeded, only to come downstairs in the morning and find the little fellow had passed away during the night. My volunteer friends who do it often are amazing when it comes to successfully saving and raising orphan baby birds.

It is important to try and identify what kind of baby bird you have as different species eat different food.

ABBA once sung, “If you dream of the girl for you, then call us and get two for the price of one.”

Ash isn’t too impressed with being mistaken for a girl. His lovely orange markings set him apart from many of the other ginger cats at the Bahamas Humane Society. However, both he and Baja (who really is a girl) would like you to know that if you’re ready to adopt a cat, you can adopt both of them for the price of one.

This Spring special will continue until the end of the month. So if you’re dreaming of the cat for you, come down to the BHS and get two for the price of one. Ash and Baja are quietly awaiting your arrival. They’re both about a year and a half old and are ready and

eager to meet new people and find that perfect home of their own.

If you’d like to meet them and the other adoption cats, please come in to the BHS during adoption hours or call 323-5138 for more information. Adoption hours are 11am to 4pm, Monday to Friday, and 10am to 4pm on Saturday.

We look forward to seeing you soon!

• Have you ever considered foster parenting? With the arrival of spring, the BHS has many kittens and puppies in need of fostering. Fostering helps young pups and kittens get the one-onone TLC that is difficult to give in a shelter situation. It’s usually from one to six weeks, and we are happy to assist whenever needed. If you are interested in learning more, and in fostering, please give Fiona a call at 323-5138.

28 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, April 15, 2016

gardening

Moringa The Moringa plant has been recognised as both a medicinal and nutritional powerhouse. Jack Hardy recalls his history with the most widely cultivated species, the horseradish tree, and explains its many uses.

Moringa trees growing in the Himalayas

O

ver 20 years ago I planted a horseradish tree - Moringa oleifera - in the quadrangle of Abaco Central High School next to the library.

It soon established itself as a centre of attraction with its fast growth, twisted limbs and sprays of ivory flowers that produced edible pods. I knew the pods were edible but never tried to eat them. I knew too that the roots of the tree could be grated and used as a horseradish substitute, but again that seemed to be too much trouble. What we had was a beautiful and interesting tree that gave welcome shade on sunny days.

Over the past decade or so there has been great commercial interest in the horseradish tree, now known exclusively as Moringa. A native of the foothills of the Himalayas, the Moringa tree is grown extensively in India, China and the Philippines for its pharmaceutical properties as well as for nutrition. The leaves are boiled as for spinach, the young seed pods are cooked and used in curries, and oil that does not turn rancid can be extracted from the seeds in ripe pods.

It is obviously a tree that is worth a closer look.

My first thought on the Moringa tree as a commercial proposition was that the trees would be very difficult to harvest from. When I investigated I found that the tree was so fast growing it is used as an annual. Seeds are

Moringa planted in fertile soil or individual containers and within 10 months are tall enough to produce lots of foliage and some pods. The leaflets on the compound leaf stalks are very small but are harvested several times during the year with all work done at ground level. The plant is then pulled up so its roots can be processed and new seeds sown for the next year. It all began to make sense.

The leaflets are the most important part of the tree in commerce.

Although they can be used green for soups and such, and also made into a form of pesto, the commercial practice is to dry the leaves and use them to make a condiment, or a tea for health purposes. Nowadays extracts from the leaves are also sold in capsule form.

The oil from the seeds is called ben oil and is used for many purposes, including the lubrication of fine watches.

The seeds are the size of large peas and contained in a long triangular pod.

A mature Moringa tree can produce between 300 and 500 pods a year and the pressed seeds can be fed to livestock as well as used - with a little

processing - as a water purifier. Fresh seeds can also be boiled and used in human meals.

Why all the interest in Moringa? It has been found that the leaves are a powerhouse of nutrition and contain amino acids, anti-oxidants, calcium, protein, vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients in substantial quantities.

You will never starve with a couple of Moringa trees around.

We must be careful about attributing miraculous powers to natural products but claims have been made that Moringa aids diabetes, high blood pressure, the immune system, cancer prevention, metabolism, and the digestive system. That is an impressive list and puts Moringa into the list of botanicals that can be used sparingly but regularly as a tonic. I know many people who use fermented noni regularly and others who take daily drinks of fresh aloe juice.

If, like me, you already have a Moringa tree and wish to give the health benefits a try it would probably be best to use the annual approach. Plant a few seeds and transplant individual seedlings to a 15 to 20-gallon container with good potting soil. Once removed from the pod Moringa seeds are only viable for up to 11 days, so be quick.

When the sapling is producing lots of leaves you can harvest from both the adult and the juvenile tree. One good way to dry the leaves would be to place them in a wicker basket and put the basket in a shady area where it can benefit from any breezes. Once the leaves are dry the leaflets can be removed and stored in a container. A

brown paper bag would suffice.

How much to use? You will have to find out by experiment because everybody has different taste buds. I would suggest you do not exceed one cupful of tea a day to begin with. If you believe you are receiving positive benefits after a month or so you can up the dosage to two cups, one in the morning and one at night.

I am not a faddist but while researching the properties of Moringa I dried some leaves for two weeks and over the space of the next two weeks I sipped a daily cup of Moringa tea. I can hardly call it addictive - it tastes just like tea from dried leaves. The sheer amount of nutrients - Vitamins A, E and C; iron, calcium, potassium; protein and of course fibre - make the prospects interesting, though I am not sure all of the nutrients are water soluble.

Moringa has been used as a food for centuries so there is little chance that it has any harmful properties. The tea (once cold) can be added to soups and stews to beef up the nutrition count and could be a boon to elderly people who eat very little.

I am somewhat bemused by the fact that all the recent miracle fads – aloes, noni, soursop º can be found already growing in our back yards. What will the next one be, pussley? What would impress me is an interview on the health benefits of each one with at least half a dozen lifelong devotees, each between the ages of 115 and 125.

• For questions and comments e-mail j.hardy@coralwave.com