12162022 WEEKEND

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The art of sail

Family matters

Husband-and-wife duo spark the imagination with new kids’ book

REVIEW:

‘Gilding: An Exhibition of New Work by Thierry Lamare’

By Emma Wagner

CAB Gallery & Studio’s most recent show, ‘Gilding: An Exhibition of New Work by Thierry Lamare’ was another exceptional display of Lamare’s highly sought-after, descriptive compositions of the Bahamian landscape, its people and the richness of the culture. This major suite of new works brings together a selection of Thierry’s exceptional strengths as a portraitist master and painter and is a shining example of his ability to translate and express powerful emotional landscapes and intricate relationships through a delicate but deliberate use of palette and space. What makes this show particularly exciting is his recent diversion from his signature take on portraiture with the addition of gold, copper and platinum leaf. This striking new glimmer underscores and exemplifies Lamare’s ability to expand further and have two elements working in tandem in complete artistic synergy. Lamare’s gilding debut was greatly anticipated and tremendously

applauded at the opening. Guests stood in awe, looking on at the stoic faces staring back at them, illuminated with a flickering, metallic note that seemed to very much belong. Lamare says the inspiration for the gold leaf was inspired by the film ‘Women in Gold’ which is the story of Maria Altmann taking on the Austrian government in an attempt to recover a famous painting of her aunt, Adele Bloch Bauer by Gustav Klimt that was stolen by the Nazis during WWII. After being very moved by this story and painting, Thierry decided then that he would try to include metal leaf in his work. After “a few timid attempts and four years of readying my mind” Thierry perfectly executes and, “Gilding”, is the result of this beautiful metallic journey.Lamare is acclaimed for his exceptional ability to build deep, highly emotive and incredibly realistic renderings of his subject matter whether it be of a beloved muse, an architectural

treasure or the perpetual blues of our Bahamaland. His works have become landmarks for Bahamian portraiture. His apparent affinity for the seemingly unremarkable is perhaps what gives the work its magic. Having travelled throughout the country in search of inspiration he found himself drawn to life in the out islands - to its humble simplicities, the harshness, the beauty - the ‘true grit’ of the people. Drawn to certain individuals by an inner compulsion to know and sketch them, Lamare’s career has followed a few central characters that his audience have quickly developed a deep respect and admiration for.

There was a new, prominent face amongst the works - that of Kendal Hanna. Kendal, a forefather of Bahamian abstract expressionism and a beloved member of the art community, got to know Lamare during a period where Kendal was in very poor health and had been given months to live by his doctors. His condition had deteriorated to the point where he was bedridden. Thierry and his wife, Joie, were amongst a small group who visited with him regularly. Incredibly, defying all odds, Kendal’s condition began to improve and his desire to paint again grew. Within a few weeks and to everyone’s astonishment and complete elation, Kendal was requesting canvasses and his brushes and started painting his next series from bed. Over these months Thierry and Kendal struck up quite a bond and the sketching began. Lamare recalls Kendal being immensely intrigued and flattered at the idea of being sketched. Thierry’s deep and profound fondness for his subjects, in this case Kendal, is so apparent when studying the work. He captures the very essence of Kendal in this series of soulful, impassioned portraits. Kendal was deeply touched and honoured to be a subject of Thierry’s. Now 86 years old and in much better health, Kendal arrived at the show dapperly dressed and made his rounds, studying the collection with a quiet smile and the warmest eyes.

entertainment

Popping up with iisabahamianbey at small business market this weekend

By ALESHA CADET | Tribune Features Writer | acadet@tribunemedia.net

The brand iisabahamianbey, known for its Bahamianinspired apparel, is hosting its second annual pop-up market this Saturday from 10am to 8pm at the Collins House Grounds on Shirley Street and Collins Avenue.

More than 50 vendors offering a wide array of products that make for the perfect gifts will be taking part. There will be Christmas tree decorating and Santa Claus will also be making an appearance.

Kaché Knowles is the woman behind the unique brand, who after moving from Eleuthera to Nassau, took what began as a digital community and turned it into a small business reality.

Today, the iisabahamianbey brand is best known for its clothing which celebrates Bahamian people, dialect and culture.

“We started in 2019 by posting Bahamian language as postable, shareable graphics and text on Instagram, which gave followers the (opportunity) to share, engage and uplift words and phrases that we’ve only ever heard, but never seen. This was extremely important because it was the first time that our language was being validated and allowed to take up space,” Kaché told Tribune Weekend.

“I’m an island ‘gyal’ from Eleuthera. I’ve always loved talking Bahamian at a very young age and always rejected the notion of ‘speaking proper’. It wasn’t until backpacking in Southeast Asia that the whole picture of my passion and purpose became clear.”

At Saturday’s pop-up market, she said, there will be over 50 vendors selling beauty products, clothing, crafts, jewellery, candles, baked goods, pet supplies, handbags, art

kits and photography, and more. There will also be live trivia, face painting and giveaways.

Kaché said there are so many small businesses that have amazing products, but sometimes accessibility and reaching the market may be difficult for them.

“When you support a small business owner, you support families, grow the economy and strengthen the importance of ownership,” she said.

“We understand how hard it is to be a small business owner in the Bahamas and we also understand that when one person buys our products it fuels not only our lives, but also the dream to keep going. There is so much joy and strength in realising we are stronger together.”

Follow the brand on socials: @ iisabahamianbey on Instagram and Facebook.

KIDZ BOP comes to Nassau

By JEFFARAH GIBSON | Tribune Features Writer | jgibson@tribunemedia.net

KIDS rarely have the opportunity to experience a fun live concert tailored to their likes.

However, filling the gap is Atlantis’s KIDZ BOP concert tomorrow.

KIDZ BOP Live 2022 is the ultimate family-friendly pop concert for kids (and their parents) at the Paradise Island resort on December 17.

Families can sing and dance along with the KIDZ BOP kids as they perform today’s biggest hits on stage, including “Good 4 U,” “Dance Monkey,” and “Stay.” The show has an awesome set, costumes, choreography, surprises, and features the fan-favourite Daddy Dance Off, which gives dads the chance to show off their best moves on stage to a mashup of Y2K hits.

Families are encouraged to head to the resort at 6pm where

concert-goers will have an opportunity to enjoy the play zone. It will feature various concessions, food, fun games and music. The concert starts at 7pm.

Kidz Bop is the #1 music brand for kids, featuring today’s biggest global pop hits, “sung by kids for kids.”

Since its launch, the family-friendly music brand has sold more than 23 million albums and generated over 8 billion streams. Kidz Bop connects with kids and families through its best-selling albums, music videos, consumer products and live tours.

KIDZ BOP has been Billboard Magazine’s “#1 Kid Artist” for eleven consecutive years. The brand has its own dedicated channel on SiriusXM – KIDZ BOP Radio (Channel 79) – and has had 24 Top 10 debuts on the Billboard 200 Chart.

Jason Spencer, Atlantis’ Vice President of On Island Marketing and Special Events, told Tribune Weekend the resort is excited to offer this experience to families.

He said given that KIDZ BOP has sold more than 23 million albums and generated over 8 billion streams it made sense to invite them to perform here in the Bahamas.

“KIDZ BOP is a hit and performs very well across the world and we expected it to be no different here. They provide family-friendly entertainment. They will be performing some of the biggest hits today. I think it will be a great show for everyone,” he said.

interview

Kandice Weech-Eldon and Marcel Major

This dynamic duo used the sport of running to improve their health and well-being, and now they are making it easier for Bahamians to run in safe, professional settings. They tell Cara Hunt about what goes into successful race management.

Running has long been a passion for Kandice Weech-Eldon and Marcel Major.

And now they are helping others feel that runner’s high by taking on an active role in managing road races around the country.

Kandice currently serves as the executive director of Corporate and Foundation Relations in the Division of Institutional Advancement. She is also the UBFIT organising chair and co-chair, alongside Inga Bostwick.

UBFIT has become one of the University of the Bahamas’ staple community-building and fundraising initiatives. In its inaugural year, 2017, more than 500 people participated, consequently contributing to UB’s annual fund and supporting the goal of increased mobility for students with special needs. The event grew from the university’s annual Health and Safety Week, held under the theme “Fit. Healthy. Safe.”

To date, more than $270,000 has been collectively raised from sponsorships, registrants and generous in-kind donations.

Kandice told Tribune Weekend that her passion for distance running started back in high school.

“I did do some running back at Kingsway Academy,” she said. “Then I went off to college and when I moved back home it really developed. I had my second son in 2013 and so I used running as a way to help me lose my baby weight and get active again.”

She also participated in several road races along the way.

“I love everything about racing,” she said. “I love that sense of community and camaraderie. I want it all: the team feeling, the trophies, the activities at the finish line; I love it all.”

It was that passion that motivated her and the UBFIT committee to implement the UBFIT and UBFIT Road to Wellness programmes.

“I have a great team working with me and the event has just blossomed over time. I had no idea that it would have expanded the way it has. It speaks to the power of community and the need for fitness-based events in the country,” she said.

Running was also the way Marcel took charge of his health.

“Back in June 2013, I weighed about 182 pounds and I knew I had to do something. I started running the Fort. At first, I couldn’t even get halfway around it, but I went back every day and I was able to go further and faster, and I

developed such a passion for running. There is definitely a runner’s high and I am hooked for life,” he told Tribune Weekend.

“For me, it’s mental therapy. When I am running I can process what I did and what I need to do.”

His passion led him to join the Bahamas Roadmasters, a group of racers who meet and train for national and international races. One of their signature events is the annual Bahamas Half, which features a 13.1-mile half marathon, a half marathon relay, a 10-kilometre (10K) run and a five-kilometre (5K) run,

“In April of 2018, I became the president of Roadmasters and that is when I really started getting more and more involved in everything that goes on with organising and executing races,” he said.

Its a passion Marcel also shares with his wife Theresa. Together, they formed Four Season Race Management.

The company handles all the logistics of road races from the start to finish.

“There is quite a lot that goes into race management,” he said. “It includes planning and lining the route with cones and everything that ensures the safety of hundreds, and in larger events, thousands of people.”

Additionally, his company also provides official time keeping, which is extremely important, particularly for those who are trying to qualify for major international events.

Marcel strongly advises local runners, if they are able to, to experience the excitement of a major international race with thousands upon thousands of participants. It is quite an experience, he said.

Kandice added that the safety of racers is the number one priority for organisers.

this weekend in history

December 16

• In 1775, the famous English novelist Jane Austen is born in the village of Steventon in Hampshire to George Austen, an Anglican rector, and his wife Cassandra. Her father wrote of her arrival in a letter that her mother “certainly expected to have been brought to bed a month ago.” To this day, she remains one of the world’s most famous writers, thanks to her novels “Pride and Prejudice”, “Sense and Sensibility”, “Emma”, “Persuasion”, “Mansfield Park”,

“That includes (ensuring) the actual road is safe for runners, having ambulances and medical teams on standby, having a police presence. You also want to build a race village that is fun for everyone involved. For a race to be successful, everyone has

to be on the same page, every system has to be in place,” she said.

Race management may also include dealing with the unexpected. For example, during the pandemic, when races could not take place, events like UBFIT had to occur virtually.

“We had to recalibrate the event, and virtually in 2021 meant that everyone simply ran wherever they were,” Kandice explained.

Marcel said while virtual races were a way to still feel like a part of the running community, the pandemic was difficult for them.

“We all definitely all missed it,” he said, “the adrenaline of competition and the atmosphere of the race village.”

The success of UBFIT, Bahamas Half and the recent Road to 50 (which saw thousands of Bahamians around the country participate in the lead-up of the country’s 50th anniversary of independence) prove not only how important it is to create a solid race environment, but also highlights the need to create a healthy and active society.

“We know the benefits that exposure to an active and healthy lifestyle can give for the country, and that also includes including more inclusive opportunities for certain segments of the society such as the push community,” he said.

And when it comes to being inclusive, Marcel wants the motoring public to be more aware and considerate of runners.

“A lot of times, people ask why we are running on the road and not the sidewalk. There is a big difference in the two surfaces and running on the sidewalks over a period of time can really mess with your knees. Running on asphalt gives minimal impact on the knees, so we ask the motoring public to respect us,” he said.

and “Northanger Abbey”.

• In 1773, during the midnight raid which has become known as the Boston Tea Party, American colonists disguised as Mohawk Indians board three British tea ships and dump 342 chests of tea belonging to the British East India Company into the Boston Harbour. It was a political and mercantile protest. The British government considers it an act of treason and responds harshly.

December 17

• In 1892, the first issue of the iconic fashion magazine Vogue is published by Arthur Baldwin Turnure. A product of the Gilded Age, it is dedicated to “the ceremonial side of life” and targets “the sage as well as the debutante, men of affairs as well as the belle.”

• In 1903, near Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, the brothers Orville and Wilbur Wright, make the first successful sustained flights in an airplane. Orville goes first and pilots a gasoline-powered, propeller-driven biplane which

stays aloft for 12 seconds.

December 18

• In 1865, slavery is officially abolished in the United States with the adoption of 13th Amendment to the Constitution, which states that “neither slavery nor involuntary servitude… shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.”

• In 1966, the animated TV special “How the Grinch Stole Christmas!”, an adaptation of the classic children’s book by Theodor “Dr Seuss” Geisel, narrated by horror icon Boris Karloff airs for the first time and immediately becomes a holiday staple. The story criticises the commercialisation of Christmas and the holiday season.

JANE Austen

THERESA and Marcel Major at the Chicago Marathon 2022

books

‘My Island Boy’ seeks to teach kindness and spark the imagination

By ALESHA CADET | Tribune Features Writer | acadet@tribunemedia.net

Although he currently doesn’t reside in the Bahamas, Garon A Sweeting has found a way to share the joy and beauty of the islands with not only his son, but with children everywhere.

Born and raised in Nassau, the barbershop owner now lives in Chicago, Illinois, with his wife Saavedra and son Garon Jr. It is where he and his wife have also written and published their first book – an illustrated children’s book called “My Island Baby”.

“I always wanted to write a book but didn’t realise it would be a children’s book until the birth of our son, Garon Jr,” he told Tribune Weekend.

“Reading to him daily gave me inspiration, but my upbringing as a Bahamian native sparked the concept for ‘My Island Baby’, the book. My memories of crystal-clear beach views and amazing beach creatures that roam the island inspired the beautiful (illustrations) in the book.”

The main character of the book is based on the couple’s son, Garon Jr, who goes on charming adventures exploring a gorgeous tropical location with new animal friends and finding a magical lagoon that no one has ever seen.

Garon said the book is full of vivid artwork that is sure to capture the imagination of readers of all ages.

“Being born and raised on a small island in the Bahamas sculpted the idea of the book. As a child I would visit the beach and be fascinated with the sun, sand and seashells. I would explore my backyard and play with the wildlife; simply letting my imagination run wild,” he said.

“The book was a first-time experience for both my wife and I. We encountered many hurdles during the publication process but once the hiccups were ironed out, everything went smoothly. As new parents and now being first time published authors, it’s truly a surreal moment

for us…Nothing beats the sense of satisfaction that comes with finishing something that may have been challenging. In addition, knowing this book will benefit future generations brings us joy. It will be a constant reminder that we are doing our part as parents.”

Garon said the book was also written to help spark children’s imagination and teach them the importance of being kind. He believes as parents, it’s imperative he and Saavedra teach their son about the world around him; morals,

values, and continue to introduce him to new people and ideas.

“This book not only teaches us to embrace our imagination, but it also sheds light on how breathtaking some of the places on our planet really are. Those who gave feedback on the book were blown away by the illustrations. Everyone believes the story was amazing but the pictures make the book a must-read,” he said.

“My Island Baby” is now available for purchase online at Amazon, Target, Walmart, Barnes & Noble, Books A Million, iTunes and Google.

Garon said readers can look forward to more children’s books, educational workbooks, videos, musical soundtracks, and the release of “My Island Baby”, the song, featuring Garon Jr, as well as an animated movie, potentially.

For more information, contact myislandbaby242@gmail.com, or visit https://myislandbabythebook. mystrikingly.com.

GARON and Saavedra Sweeting with their son Garon Jr

MY Island Baby - Cover

gardening

Companion plants

Good day, gardeners. Are you growing anything edible? If not, why not? Have you seen the price of lettuce imported from California, lately?

Growing fruits, vegetables and herbs for food consumption need not be complicated or overly time-consuming. If you’ve got a small space to work with, one large pot is all it takes, and one single pot can be used to grow some food in.

To make things a little easier and more efficient or effective, companion planting is an age-old method of using certain plants together to improve yield or flavor, or to allow for some benefit to the plants being used. Conversely, planting certain plants together can stunt the growth of one or more plants. Companion plants are plants that complement one another in terms of growth and production. For example, one plant may attract an insect that might protect a companion plant.

Another plant may act as a repellent for a bug that might be harmful to the plant next to it. Say what?

Simply put, planting certain things together can create a garden (in a container or in the field) that reduces the need for pesticides and labour! Sweet! Anything that cuts down on the need for pesticides is undeniably, without argument, and proven to be better for the health of your family and for the entire lifecycle of our mother earth. What plants are best used in companion planting? The list is far too long for me to write in this column, but it is easy to find companion planting charts by doing a simple search on the internet. Here are a few examples of some companion plants: dill and basil.

Dill and basil – They are natural protectants for tomato plants, keeping away the dreaded hornworm (this right here is huge). Dill also attracts aphids which in turn attracts ladybugs, mealybug destroyers and lacewing that will devour aphids, whitefly larvae and nymphs (babies) and mealybugs.

Marigolds – One of the best companion plants out there, marigolds help virtually any vegetable. They are particularly helpful for tomatoes,

repelling the nematodes that like to attack the roots of vegetables (it is extremely difficult to get rid of nematodes, so this too is massively important).

Mint – Mint repels both ants and cabbage moths (no need for poisons!).

Nasturtiums – Nasturtiums help prevent insects, particularly aphids, from attacking other plants. Aphids love nasturtiums and will surround them instead of their neighbouring plants (hello easy gardening) and here’s the kicker, nasturtiums are also edible and used to make a plate look particularly boujee (bourgeois), fancy plants!

Sage – Another helpful herb in the garden, sage can protect from cabbage moths (it is usually too late once the moth hits, so, sage is a wonderful plant to use).

Calling all companion plants, get into my garden! Moving on, one plant that I cannot seem to get a grasp on is strawberry. I grow a great plant with fruit, but the frisky critters keep beating me to the fruit as they ripen. I guess the cats are a bit lazy and the dogs are too it seems. I wonder if an attack goose would do the job. I’m not sure what is getting the strawberry fruit, but it is getting a bit frustrating to see them turning color and then poof! They’re gone. I

may have to consider a netting or a fine meshed cage for them to protect the fruit from hungry rodents.

Poisons would be counterproductive and more harm than good. I imagine it is rats or raccoons that eat the fruit, as usually they go missing overnight. Strawberries are easy to grow, and if you haven’t tried growing them yet, please do! They are simple in containers or in the ground. Please feel free to share your gardening questions, concerns, or success with me at gardening242@gmail. com! Until next time, and as always, I wish you happy gardening.

• Adam Boorman is the nursery manager at Fox Hill Nursery on Bernard Road. You can contact him with any questions you may have, or topics you would like to see discussed, at gardening242@ gmail.com.

MARIGOLDS and basil make excellent companion plants

MARIGOLDS and basil make excellent companion plants

literary lives – Eric Maschwitz (1901-1969)

From writing a wartime anthem to developing ‘Doctor Who’

Sir Christopher Ondaatje writes about the little-known lyricist, sometimes known as “Holt Marvell” –a pseudonym – an English entertainer, writer, editor and broadcasting executive.

“I don’t think the BBC is a cultural organisation. We’ve got to please the people. The job of a man putting on a show is to get an audience.”

– Eric Maschwitz

Eric Maschwitz was born Albert Eric Maschwitz in Edgbaston, Birmingham, England on June 10, 1901. He was the descendant of a traditional German family – and educated at Arden House preparatory school, Repton School, and Caius College, Cambridge.

As a lyricist, Maschwitz often wrote under his pseudonym “Holt Marvell”, the screenplays of several successful films in the 1930s and 1940s, but

is best remembered for his lyrics to “These Foolish Things” (music by Jack Strachey) and “A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square” (music by Manning Sherwin).

Before he was married, he had a brief romantic liaison with the British cabaret singer Jean Ross, and it is their relationship that inspired the lyrics for “These Foolish Things”.

In Maschwitz’s autobiography No Chip on My Shoulder (1957), he confirms this, citing “fleeting memories of a young love”. He

was married twice, first to Hermione Gingold, who was granted a divorce in 1945, and then immediately to Phyllis Gordon, who remained his wife until he died.

These Foolish Things

Oh! Will you never let me be? Oh! Will you never set me free? The ties that bound us Are still around us.

There’s no escape that I can see, And still those little things remain That bring me happiness or pain.

A cigarette that bears a lipstick’s traces, An airline ticket to romantic places, And still my heart has wings, These foolish things remind me of you.

A tinkling piano in the next apartment, Those stumbling words that told you what my heart meant, A fairground’s painted swings, These foolish things remind me of you.

You came you saw you conquer’d me. When you did that to me I knew somehow this had to be.

The winds of March that make my heart a dancer,

A telephone that rings but who’s to answer? Oh, how the ghost of you clings! These foolish things remind me of you.

The “Ile de France” with all the gulls around it, The beauty that is Spring’s, These foolish things remind me of you.

How strange how sweet to find you still, These things are dear to me, They seem to bring you near to me.

The sigh of midnight trains in empty stations, Silk stockings thrown aside, dance invitations, Oh, how the ghost of you clings! These foolish things remind me of you.

Gardenia perfume ling’ring on a pillow, Wild strawb’ries only seven francs a kilo, And still my heart has wings, These foolish things remind me of you.

The smile of Garbo and the scent of roses, The waiters whistling as the last bar closes, The song that Crosby sings, These foolish things remind me of you.

How strange how sweet to find you still, These things are dear to me, They seem to bring you near to me.

The scent of smould’ring leaves, the wail of steamers, Two lovers on the street who walk like dreamers, Oh, how the ghost of you clings! These foolish things remind me of you.

The lyrics of “These Foolish Things” were written in 1935 by Maschwitz one Sunday morning in his flat just off The Strand, still in his pyjamas and fuelled by coffee and vodka. He telephoned composer Jack Strachey and dictated the verses to him. By evening Strachey had come up with a melody and they had a song. However, the song attracted little attention until the Jamaican singerpianist Leslie “Hutch” Hutchinson found a copy of the song in Maschwitz’s office and recorded it.

Hutchinson, a favourite of the British aristocracy, had, adopted a precise clipped diction which suited Maschwitz’s lyrics exactly. Maschwitz wrote the words when he was separated from his first wife Hermione Gingold who lived in a flat on the same street as he did. She later suggested that the “tinkling piano in the next apartment” was about her, but this was denied by the actress Jean Ross, a friend of Christopher Isherwood, who was the inspiration for his character Sally Bowles in Goodbye to Berlin, played by Liza Minnelli in the film Cabaret. The song became a popular hit and Maschwitz was gleaning royalties from the tune as late as 1957.

First daffodils and long excited cables,

And candle lights on little corner tables, And still my heart has wings, These foolish things remind me of you.

The park at evening when the bell has sounded,

Billie Holliday recorded a sad interpretation in the United States soon after Hutchinson’s rendition in England. Frank Sinatra also recorded the it in 1946 but unwisely changed the words “the smile of Garbo” to “the smile of Turner”. Bing Crosby also recorded the song in 1955 but modestly left out the line from the original: “the song that Crosby sings”. Nat “King” Cole and Ella

MASCHWITZ was instrumental in bringing the sci-fi trailblazer Doctor Who to the BBC in 1963

MASCHWITZ with songwriter Jack Strachey

Fitzgerald also made popular recordings, as well as a forgettable later version by Bob Dylan.

Eric Maschwitz’s first stage job was playing Vittoria in the successful modern production of Webster’s The White Devil for the Marlowe Society, Cambridge ADC Theatre, in 1920. He joined the BBC in 1926, and his first radio show was In Town Tonight. While at the BBC he wrote a radio operetta Goodnight Vienna, with the popular song of the same title co-written by George Posford. It was adapted as a film starring Anna Neagle in 1932. Between 1927 and 1933 Maschwitz was the editor of the weekly broadcast listings magazine the Radio Times.

In 1937, he was under contract to MGM in Hollywood and co-wrote the adaptation of Goodbye, Mr Chips, made by MGM-British, for which he shared an Academy Award nomination. From August 1939 he was a postal censor in Liverpool, and from November 1939 he served with the Secret Intelligence Service. It was in the small French fishing village of Le Lavendou, shortly before the outbreak of the Second World War, that Maschwitz wrote “A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square”.

The title he admitted was stolen from a short story by Michael Arlen, published in 1923. The song had its first performance in the summer of 1939 in a local bar, where the melody was played by Manning Sherwin. Maschwitz sang the words while holding a glass of wine – but nobody there was in the least impressed. The song was published in 1940, when it was first performed in the London revue New Faces by Judy Campbell. It was recorded in the same year by Ray Noble and Vera Lynn – who made it popular.

A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square

When two lovers meet in Mayfair So the legends tell, Songbirds sing and winter turns to spring, Every winding street in Mayfair Falls beneath the spell, I know such enchantment can be ‘Cause it happened one evening to me.

That certain night, the night we met, There was magic abroad in the air, There were angels dining at the Ritz, And a nightingale sang in Berkeley Square.

I may be right, I may be wrong, But I’m perfectly willing to swear, That when you turned and smiled at me, A nightingale sang in Berkeley Square.

The moon that lingered over London town, Poor puzzled moon, he wore a frown, How could he know we two were so in love? The whole darn world seemed upside down.

The streets of town were paved with stars,

It was such a romantic affair, And as we kissed and said goodnight, A nightingale sang in Berkeley Square.

Our homeward step was just as light, As the tap-dancing feet of Astaire, And like an echo far away, A nightingale sang in Berkeley Square, I know ‘cause I was there that night in Berkeley Square.

It is still a perennial favourite and a version by The Manhattan Transfer won a Grammy Award in 1981 for its arranger Gene Puerting; and another version was featured in an early Tom Hanks movie entitled Everytime We Say Good bye, released in 1986.

As recently as 10 July 2005 there was a national celebration of the 60th anniversary of the ending of World War II and the song was sung live to millions by Petula Clark in Central London as part of the programme V45 Britain at War: A Nation Remembers.

In 1940, Eric Maschwitz worked to establish a resistance organisation in Yorkshire before being assigned to the Special Operations Executive (SOE), and then commissioned into the Intelligence Corps. He was sent to New York City to work for British Security Coordination (BSC). In 1942 he returned to London, supervised radio programmes for the troops, before being transferred to the Political Welfare Executive (PWE). He ended the war as chief broadcasting officer with the 21st Army Group, leaving the army as Lieutenant-Colonel.

Maschwitz, together with Major John Macmillan, was responsible for taking over the radio station “Reichssender Hamburg” in May 1945. This requisition enabled the British occupation troops to start broadcasting to soldiers in northern Germany, and was the nucleus for the British Forces Network (BFN), inaugurated with Maschwitz’s help in July 1945 – eventually to become the British Forces Broadcasting Service (BFBS).

In 1947, Maschwitz became Chairman of the Songwriters’ Guild of Great Britain, founded by Ivor Novello, Sir Alan Herbert, and others. He was the first Vice Chair, and then Chairman from July 1948, and again between December 1954 and April 1958.

Maschwitz rejoined the BBC in 1958 as Head of Television Light Entertainment. By 1962, he served as assistant to BBC’s Controller of Programmes and was responsible, with the BBC Survey Group to examine ideas for a science fiction drama series leading to the creation of Doctor Who the next year.

During the course of his varied entertainment career, Maschwitz adapted French comedies such as “Thirteen for Dinner”’ wrote the book and lyrics for numerous musicals – among them Balalaika, Summer Song, Happy Holiday, and Zip Goes a Million, and was the creator of the radio series Café Colette. In addition to editing the Radio Times, he co-wrote Death at Broadcasting House which was published in 1931. He was created an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1936, and his autobiography No Chip On My Shoulder was published in 1957.

Eric Maschwitz died on October 27, 1969. He was only sixty-eight years old but will always be remembered for writing two of the most soulful love songs of the 1930s.

• Sir Christopher Ondaatje is the author of The Last Colonial. He acknowledges that he has quoted liberally from Wikipedia; and from No Chip On My Shoulder (1957) by Eric Maschwitz.

JEAN ROSS, a British singer and actress, purportedly inspired Maschwitz’s lyrics

history

Queen’s College – The oldest private school in the Bahamas

Do the names Henry Bleby, George Terry, Francis Moon and R P Dyer ring any bells? Each was headmaster of Queen’s College.

On June 21, 1887, the foundation stone of Victoria Hall, designed by F J Aranha, an émigré from Brazil, and named in celebration of Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee, was laid on the property on the western side of Charlotte Street.

The property had been purchased by the Methodist church for the express purpose of building a school and, on January 13, 1890, under the name Queen’s College, the school opened its doors. The first headmaster was the Rev Henry Bleby.

From 1890 to 1925, the school grew steadily, under the guidance of S B Wilson, MA, and his successors, namely F G Bowers, Rev J B Longden, Rev W J P White, Rev Arthur Robinson, Rev Leonard Edge, and Rev Leonard Simpson.

Then, in 1926, the Englishman Rev R P Dyer, MBE, MA, took up the appointment as headmaster and it is he who made Queen’s College the school it is today. Dyer became a household name and indelibly associated with QC.

“In Charlotte Street there stands a school, Old QC

Full many a scholar knows her rule. Old QC

QC, Nassau, NP, Old QC

Victoria Hall may, one day, fall, but not QC.

If QC means as much to you as QC means to me.”

Whenever I think of QC, I think of the Rev R P Dyer, who served as headmaster until 1960.

I think it was he who introduced the school song (above), chose the school’s motto “Henceforth” and designed the school’s blazer badge.

He began to groom students for the day they could move into positions of leadership and it was Rev Dyer who urged Charles Sweeting into education, predicting in 1957 that he would one day be the first Bahamian headmaster of the school. Dyer was right, and in 1979, Rev

Sweeting became the first old scholar and first Bahamian to fill this post, serving until 1993. I must add that the first Bahamian administrator of Queen’s College, Yvonne Noronha, was appointed vice principal of the College and headmistress of the Primary School in 1978.

On the subject of QC, Michael Craton wrote, “The campus of Queen’s College – a coeducational school for children of the white élite…it remained effectively segregated until the 1950s”…“a high proportion of the white oligarchs of the Bay Street heyday received their education at QC…the few middleclass non-white exceptions included the future Bishop Michael Eldon, his sister Keva, future president of the College of the Bahamas, and Dr Gail Saunders, the future historian and archivist.”

If my memory serves me, two of the earliest Black students were Melbourne Wells and my old friend Nigel Bowe.

In 1957, Dyer got the church to buy property on Village Road, where Queen’s College is now located and,

by the late 1960s, the school had grown to over 2,000 students. One hundred of these students came in as boarders from the Family Islands, who lived in the Out Island Hostel (former home of my Aranha grandparents), but once the government had built high schools on most of the Family Islands, the hostel was closed.

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HEAD boy and future bishop Michael Eldon

CLASS of 1946

VICTORIA Hall in the 1950s

animals

Berkshire Hathaway goes to the dogs

Animal Matters |

By KIM ARANHA

Berkshire Hathaway Home Services certainly has earned the title of the real estate agency with a heart – a big, soft and loving heart for dogs of all shapes and sizes.

Last week, a dog show took place at the Old Fort Club sponsored completely by BHHS Bahamas.

They organised many fun categories for dogs and kids of all ages to participate in.

The setting was simply spectacular on the grass meadow that borders the spectacular Old Fort Beach and the brilliant blue bay beyond.

Kids showed off their best friends and many proud dogs strutted their stuff, as parents and dog lovers watched on.

There were some beautiful moments. One of them was when Nuka (a Shiba Inu) won Best in Show. She was rescued from a puppy mill many years ago and also won the best Golden Oldie category.

Foxxy, the elegant and dainty potcake adopted from the Bahamas Humans Society (and frequently seen out lunching with her mum in the Old Fort Old town), won Best Royal Bahamian Potcake. Foxxy also won best costume dressed up as Santa’s reindeer.

The Twinsies award went to Daisy, a Biewer, and her handler, eight-year-old Gabriella. They were dressed alike and the outcome was simply adorable Puppy and Small Champion categories were both won by a six-month white ball of fluff, a Maltese with the fancy name of Jean-Pierre.

The King-Sized Canine was carried off by Kali, a Golden Retriever whose handler was 12-year-old Felipe. Kali also won the Best Treat Catcher prize; no surprise as we all know how much Retrievers love their food.

Best Rescue Story was Luna, a potcake puppy found in the bush with her littermates. All puppies were homed and her rescuers kept her.

It was a wonderful day. Berkshire Hathaway Home Services showed a strong corporate commitment to the animal world. Many participants were living in homes that BHHS agents had found for their families.

The Bahamas Humane Society hopes more businesses will step up and show their corporate commitment by encouraging kindness to animals, it touches so many lives and make the world a better place.

If you can’t show kindness to animals, you are a lost soul.

• BHS Raffle tickets are now available! Tickets are $5 each or a book of 21 for $100. The grand prize is $10,000 worth of groceries from Super Value. The draw will be held on December 29. Tickets are available at the BHS or the Fox Hill Nursery.

BERKSHIRE Hathaway wag bags for all participants

YOUNG Will Bernard practising with Peter the Griffon

TWO young spectators giving BHS pups a cuddle

FELIPE and his senior Golden Luki on the podium

THE BHS was present with President Kim Aranha and General Manager Percy Grant

BARBARA Ann Bernard with her standard poodle Monsieur Moustache

POTCAKE Foxxy (with her mum), dressed as one of Santa’s reindeer

Aartrt Basel Miami Beach - the mega-art fair that transformed South Beach from a sleepy, crime ridden enclave into one of the most important art platforms in the world –turned 20 this year.

The latest edition took place from November 29 to December 4 and attracted more than 80,000 visitors.

Twenty years ago, visitors would have been hard pressed to find any galleries and only maybe a few artists from the Caribbean region, but over the last decade the massive event has seen an incremental growth in participation from the island nations in the Global South and, this year, Bahamian artists were all over the place, making their mark and putting the Bahamas on the map as an art destination.

Bahamian artist Tavares Strachan has been a staple at the main fair for several years. This year, Strachan –represented by his New York/ Paris gallery Perrotin – was covered in ArtNews magazine, along with another group of artists for having sold work for between $25,000-$350,000.

This year, though, he was hardly the only Bahamian at the main fair. Joining him was BahamianAmerican artist April Bey, who recently had a solo exhibition called “Colonial Swag” at the local gallery TERN.

TERN also organised her first solo show in London this September, at the Simon Lee Gallery, which was representing her at the fair, along with her third gallery, GAVLAK from Palm Beach, where her art was also prominently displayed at a new exhibit that opened over the weekend at The Bunker art space.

Bey’s artwork at Art Basel included portraits of Bahamians who work in our local cultural spaces, based on works developed during her stay in Nassau, turning them into fashion icons on her fictitious planet of Atlantica (works were selling for $16,000-$30,000).

Bahamian artists take Art Basel by storm

Also present was Lavar Munroe, an artist who grew up in Grants Town, Nassau, and had a mid-career survey exhibition at NAGB in 2018 entitled “Son of the Soil,” with works at gallery Monique Meloche from Chicago.

TERN was meanwhile over at the leading fair for emerging artists, UNTITLED, staged in a light-filled tent at the beach, alongside with 139 other galleries from all over the globe.

Despite the stiff competition, TERN was nominated as one of the “Top Ten Best Booths” in the fair by online art journals ArtNews and Artsy, and highlighted as one of five out of the 140 galleries to visit in Artillery Magazine. TERN artist Drew Weech’s “three stunning paintings” (ranging in price from $8,500-$12,500) were praised in the press; Heino Schmid placed works in several noted collections ($4,000$6,500), while Sigillian conceptual

artist Blue Curry was eyed as being a “Star in the Making” in online journal Artnet’s article “7 Breakout Stars to Watch from Art Basel Miami Beach 2022 and Surrounding Fairs,” while also being selected as one of the top ten artists by Salvadorean collector Mario CaderFrech, an impactful patron of contemporary art and co-founder of KC Social Impact Lab.

TERN Director Amanda Coulson said: “The impact of these fairs for us in enormous. It turbo-charges the artists’ careers, bringing them to the attention of international audiences. The fairs are also communication platforms and allow us to show that The Bahamas is a land with more than sun, sand and sea, and a national that also has an active cultural scene worth discovering. The press attention we have received has been phenomenal, we have made sales and secured museum shows, so we are absolutely thrilled with our participation”

These successes were further compounded by other Bahamian representation also being met with high praise by members of the international art scene. A near sell-out booth was to be found in the next tent over at SCOPE art fair, where Baha Mar’s The Current Art Gallery was exhibiting Nassau-based artist Kachelle Knowles.

Across the bridge, in the historic Overtown district of Miami, homegrown art star Gio Swaby – who just closed her first US museum show “Fresh Up” at the Museum of Fine Arts in St Petersburg – was exhibiting new works with her New York-based gallery Claire Oliver, while also launching a new collaborative fashion line with twin “Fashion Preachers” BruceGlen out of Los Angeles, whose designs are worn by stars such as Keke Palmer. Swaby’s stylised and colourful portraits of Black women were printed on silks, denim and cotton in a line that included slip dresses, denim jackets, trousers, T-shirts and tote bags.

MOST of the Bahamian contingent at the Swaby x BruceGlen fashion show (l-r; back, standing): Romel Shearer, Amanda Coulson, Heino Schmid, Keeya, Blue Curry, Veronica Dorsett, Jodi Minnis, Kachelle Knowles, Averia Wright, Jordon Ritchie, Christina Wong, John Cox, (L-r; front row) Gio Swaby and Steven Schmid.