By DENISE MAYCOCK

Tribune Freeport Reporter

dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

The late Sir Jack Hayward’s dream of a museum on Grand Bahama is becoming a reality through efforts spearheaded by businesswoman Erica Gates and others.

Before his death in January, Sir Jack, one of the pioneers of Freeport, brought together several individuals who were interested in creating a museum and charged them with the mandate “to make it happen”.

Today, work is underway on a museum at the former Shannon Country Club on Magellan Drive, at the entrance to the Garden of the Groves. It will be an important source of history and information and is intended to be “a centre of interest and activity as it celebrates the explorers, pioneers and settlers of Grand Bahama Island”.

Ms Gates heads the working committee which includes Graham Torode, Michael Clough, Peter Barratt, Arthur Jones, Janet Albury, Chantal Bethel and Tiffany Dennison.

According to Mr Torode, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Grand Bahama Development Company (GBDC), the project would not be possible without the generous donation of the building and land by Sir Jack. Donations by the GBDC, the Lucaya Service Company and the Grand Bahama Port Authority (GBPA), has allowed work to commence.

“The interior of the building was gutted several months ago and Freeport Construction Company is now in the process of stripping off the old shingles and replacing them with a new metal roof,” the committee announced.

The entrance to the Museum and Art Gallery will feature a shop that will offer items with an island historical connection. There will be a room for audio-visual presentations and meetings.

Mr Barratt will lead the work of transforming the 5,000 square foot building to showcase numerous exhibits displayed in chronological order, starting with the Lucayan Indians who were part of the Taino culture.

Sequential exhibits will feature the island’s maritime history, including piracy, slavery and wrecking; settlements covering the populating of the island after 1800 with information on the lifestyle of the islanders, and important economic activity, particularly lumbering; the scourge of hurricanes; and “The Freeport Story”, which will explain the history of the city since 1955 in photographs, maps, film, original records and hands-on computers.

There is an area devoted to Junkanoo and the industries of Grand Bahama which are accessed down a ‘mall’ and around an appropriately named roundabout called “Ranfurly Circus”.

According to the committee, future plans include open air exhibits - a re-constructed Bahamian Village, a butterfly garden, an ecological exhibit constructed in association with the Garden of the Groves, a bush medicine garden and a children’s playground that may have a small model railway replete with stations and tunnels. A re-constructed coal mine shaft where Bahamian pit props were employed may also be included.

Special allocation was given to the National Art Gallery of The Bahamas (NAGB), which will continue its mission to preserve and exhibit the national collection of Bahamian art and to engage the history of Bahamian art and visual culture.

Broadening its reach to its first Family Island annex, artwork will be displayed by fine artists from the collection or who have met the criteria of the NAGB with an aim to educate the local visitors in the history and development of Bahamian art. Approximately 3,000 square feet is designated for the museum in its entirety, of which 1,000 square feet is designated for the NAGB and 1,000 square feet is shared space.

Amanda Coulson, Director of NAGB, said: “As an archipelagic nation, it has proven to be very difficult to share our important work adequately throughout the nation. Without a dedicated space it is impossible to tour the collection or put on the type of world-class Bahamian art shows that engage with our history, which New Providence-based audiences have come to expect. This generous opportunity afforded to us by the Museum of Grand Bahama will make a world of difference to us and - I hope - to the local Grand Bahamian community.”

Chantal Bethel, the Freeport-based NAGB representative who currently serves as Deputy Chair of the institution, has been involved with the Grand Bahama Heritage Foundation for the past ten years, whose mission was to celebrate the story of the island through creating artworks where historical artefacts did not exist.

“This is the first satellite location of the NAGB outside of New Providence and our presence in the Museum of Grand Bahama will provide a space where local artists can aspire to exhibit in the National Gallery in their own community,” she said.

“A mural will be painted on the outside wall of the museum by one of our very own artists, which is something we are also very excited about.”

Mr Barratt brings a wealth of experience ot the project. In 1965 he was Town Planner at the GBPA and is the author of three books featuring Bahamiana. He was also the designer of the original Museum of Grand Bahama in the Garden of the Groves, which proved to be a popular attraction with visitors to the island. “Everywhere has history; whether it is interesting or not is the important question,” he said. “Grand Bahama has an incredible history and we intend to represent it in all its facets as faithfully as possible. Though history is also dynamic, we hope to keep in step with the history of the island as it unfolds.”

Sarah St George, vice chairman of the GBPA, said a museum in Grand Bahamas is “fundamental for us”.

“Sir Jack and I always discussed the importance of memorialising our history as time marches on and we risk forgetting and even losing fascinating artefacts. Those who have lived it, must be remembered and recorded.”

The museum will be a non-profit organisation and will rely on public donations.

Further information contact Janet Albury at 351-5310 or e-mail vipservices.fpo@gmail.com.