NIA CHARLESTOWN NEVIS (September 17, 2025) – Five Nevisians, representing each parish, have been honoured with the Nevis Island Administration (NIA) Department of Community Development’s 2025 Unsung Heroes Award. 

The ceremony, held on September 11 at the Malcolm Guishard Recreational Park, recognized Mr. Joseph “Joe” Claxton, Ms. Tamara “Tammy” Farrell, Ms. Pamela “Pam” Barry, Mr. Orin Perkins, and Mr. Addison Jeffers for their outstanding contributions to community life.

Minister of Community Development, the Honourable Senator Jahnel Nisbett, extoled the awardees’ efforts at community and nation-building.

“We want individuals who are passionate, who contribute, and expect nothing in return other than an improved community, and I think the five individuals that we have before us definitely demonstrate that thoroughly. Please continue to contribute to your community and inspire others to do so.”

She also announced that portraits of the honourees will be displayed at the respective community centres with the hope that others will emulate their example.

Deputy Director of Community Development, Denesia Smithen, linked the awards to the theme of the Federation’s 42nd Independence celebrations, “Perpetual Progress- A Sustainable Future in View: Independence 42.”

“Often, it is the quiet, consistent work of individuals who give of themselves not for praise but for progress. As we honour these quiet giants, we also celebrate the fact that perpetual progress is not just about moving forward, it’s about lifting others as we go.”

The ceremony highlighted the unique contributions of each awardee. Mr. Joseph “Joe” Claxton of Bath Village has preserved Nevisian heritage through dance, music, and mentorship, keeping traditions like the Lancers and cakewalks alive for future generations. 

Mr. Orin Perkins, known as the trusted face of pharmaceuticals on Nevis, has served for decades with compassion and knowledge, bringing clarity and comfort to communities across the island. 

Ms. Pamela “Pam” Barry of Gingerland has been recognized as a driving force in her community, leading environmental cleanups, organizing sporting activities, supporting education, and empowering those around her through generosity and vision. 

Mr. Addison Jeffers of Mount Lily, remembered not only for his work as a postman but also for his humility and unwavering dedication, has consistently gone above and beyond in service to others, embodying the true spirit of community.

Ms. Tamara “Tammy” Farrell of Jessups Village has given more than 30 years of service to community festivals, cleanups, youth programmes, children’s events, and environmental restoration, offering what Ms. Smithen described as a blueprint for sustainable grassroots leadership.

Awards were presented by Premier the Honourable Mark Brantley, Parliamentary Representative for St. John’s; the Honourable Spencer Brand, Parliamentary Representative for St. Paul’s; the Honourable Eric Evelyn, Parliamentary Representative for St. George’s; Deputy Governor General Her Honour Mrs. Hyleeta Liburd; and Minister of Community Development, the Honourable Jahnel Nisbett.

The Department of Community Development’s Unsung Heroes Award continues to highlight the power of selfless service, ensuring that individuals who quietly shape communities across Nevis are celebrated, remembered, and used as inspiration for generations to come.

By: Spokesman Newsroom

BASSETERRE, St. Kitts (Thursday 18th September 2025) – “The struggle of our National Heroes was never for themselves alone; it was for generations yet unborn, for us. Their vision was not bound by their time but stretched toward the promise of a resilient, prosperous and united people.”

So said Prime Minister Dr. Terrance Drew during his presentation delivered on the occasion of National Heroes Day-Tuesday 16th September 2025 at the annual ceremony held at the National Heroes Park, as he called on citizens and residents to embody the spirit of the nation’s heroes.

The ceremony was held in observance under the banner of the Federation’s 42nd Anniversary of Independence calendar of events, celebrated under the theme “Perpetual Progress – A Sustainable Future in View: Independence 42.”

Dr. Drew paid tribute to the nation’s five National Heroes, who “together form the pillars upon which our Federation stands… Each gave us a piece of the foundation.”

Sir Robert Llewellyn Bradshaw, he noted, “showed us that freedom is born of courage and sacrifice.”

Sir Caleb Azariah Paul Southwell taught that “progress is measured by how far it reaches into every home and uplifts every worker.”

Sir Joseph Nathaniel France reminded the nation that “the health of a nation is inseparable from the health of its people.”

Sir Simeon Daniel secured for Nevis “a place of dignity and self-determination within our Federation, ensuring that our two islands would always rise together.” 

In relation to Sir Kennedy Alphonse Simmonds, the country’s first Prime Minister and only living National Hero, PM Drew said the nation sees “resilience and perseverance embodied. His steady hand guided us into sovereignty and continues to inspire us as we navigate the complexities of a changing world.”

PM Drew emphasized that the foundation laid by these leaders was built on the sacrifices of ordinary men and women whose resilience made change possible.

“Our ancestors, once enslaved, dared to dream of liberty. Our forebears, labourers and teachers, dared to demand justice. It is their collective strength, the unheralded heroes, that gave our National Heroes the foundation upon which to build,” he said.

Looking forward, PM Drew identified the modern challenges facing the Federation: ensuring prosperity, sustainability, and fairness for all.

“Today, our challenge is not the yoke of colonialism or the denial of sovereignty. Our challenge is how to secure a future that is both prosperous and sustainable, how to ensure perpetual progress,” he told the audience.

Furthermore, he outlined the path forward as one rooted in environmental stewardship, renewable energy, economic transformation, and social protection, while underscoring that sustainability must place people at the center.

“A sustainable future is one where no young person feels left behind, where workers earn fair wages, where entrepreneurs can innovate, where families can thrive, and where our culture and heritage continue to flourish as living testaments to who we are,” he affirmed.

PM Drew issued a challenge for all to commit themselves to the unfinished work of nation-building.

“Let us pledge to build upon their sacrifices by writing the next chapters of our national story with courage, purpose, and determination. For we are the inheritors of their vision. And we are the stewards of their dream. When future generations look back at us, let them say: we honoured the past by securing the future.”

By: Precious Mills 

BASSETERRE, St.Kitts (Wednesday 17th September 2025)-“The realization that we needed trade unions, and not just trade unions, strong trade unions,” was described as a significant outcome of the sugar estate workers riot of the 1935 Buckley’s Uprising, according to well-known educator and media personality Toni Frederick-Armstrong. 

She made the remarks during the ‘Legacy of the Nation’ event put on by the St. Christopher National Trust’s ‘Legacy of the Nation’ event, held on National Heroes Day -Tuesday 16th September 2025-at the National Heroes Park in Conaree as part of the Independence 42 Calendar of Events. 

 “Probably- in my mind -one of the most, if not the most, significant recommendation of the Moyne Commission was the realization that we needed trade unions, and not just trade unions, strong trade unions. So, they recommended that trade unions be legalized, recognized and strengthened to the point where they even recommended that leaders be sent overseas to learn about negotiating skills and that sort of thing. They understood that had unions been there, you were less likely to have these spontaneous outbursts and this unrest that really, because of its spontaneity, didn’t really have a plan. But if you had a structure in place that could allow for the grievances to be addressed, you could avoid the disorder and you could actually get things done.”

Taking the audience back to 1935, Frederick-Armstrong, who is a former Director of Visitor Experience at the St. Christopher National Trust and Museum Director at the St. Christopher  National Trust, described the Buckley’s riot as one of the turning points in our history.

She added: “What happened there in 1935 was not just a local disturbance, it was a turning point in the history of St. Kitts-Nevis, and at the same time Anguilla and indeed the Caribbean. It is a story about struggle, courage and change.”

Frederick-Armstrong noted that although the Workers’ League under Thomas Manchester had been advocating for improved conditions, the violence was not on their agenda. 

“The leaders were sympathetic, and they actually provided a means for some of the more visible protesters to get away, to Statia, Saba, St. Barts, and they assisted others with legal representation in the trials that followed. They also realized that the frustration which had caused the outburst had to find a vent, an escape through more structured and disciplined protest. So Thomas Manchester’s solution eventually-because the changes didn’t happen right away- was the formation of a union. So once unions were legally recognized in St. Kitts and Nevis, he asked his cousin Edgar Challenger to set up a union, which as you know, became the St. Kitts and Nevis Trades and Labour Union, and that was founded in 1940.”

As gathered, while the workers did not immediately see higher wages or better conditions, the events set in motion wider reforms.

Britain, Frederick-Armstrong explained, responded by establishing the 1938 Moyne Commission of Inquiry headed by a man named Lord Moyne, which-to their credit- included trade unionists and labour representatives and acknowledged the need for systemic change.

 “They stopped short of saying, let’s give everybody the right to vote without any qualifications or prerequisites but they recognized that that’s where they needed to go and they recommended that the qualifications to vote be gradually reduced. What was happening at that time is in order to vote, you had to have a certain amount of property and land and so on, which immediately locked out the working classes because they didn’t have what you needed to be able to vote.”

She pointed out that such was “one of the major recommendations” recognizing that the people needed to have a say.”

On the point about the legalization of trade unions, Frederick-Armstrong added: “For the first time, the black working class in St. Kitts and Nevis and Anguilla, had a legal collective voice. And those unions fought for higher wages, better hours, safer conditions, and they continued the push for universal adult suffrage. They continued the push to get rid of all the requirements to vote. So as long as you’re an adult, you could vote. And that was part of the legacy of the unions, and they continued to push for that.”

Additionally, she emphasized that the rise of trade unions also laid the foundation for organized political life in St.Kitts and Nevis and the Caribbean.

 “Political parties grew out of the trade unions or grew up alongside the trade unions. The trade unions’ base provided support and supporters of the political parties and so on. And then when you were looking for leaders to be in the political parties, you said, well, ‘What about that guy Bradshaw, we believe in him. We trust him. We trust Mr. [Joseph N.] France. These are guys that we should be putting to run for us in elections’. And through that and through Britain making the necessary constitutional changes gradually to increase the number of elected representatives in government, we began to see our own gradually taking control, taking the reins of power in local government.”

 “And by 1938, both West Indians and the British government knew that the old colonial system had to give way to more representation,” Frederick-Armstrong continued. 

“The protests of the 1930s, including the Buckley’s Uprising, told the same story-that Crown colony government had failed. It failed to connect to the people. It failed to relieve distress. It failed to prevent disorder. The people of the Caribbean were no longer satisfied to let the moneyed classes speak on their behalf. For the first time, the working classes themselves were demanding recognition. It was a sociological watershed, a point of no return. Out of that unrest, trade unions and political parties were born, pushing the colonies towards more and more self-government. And eventually, after a bold but unfortunately failed experiment to federate the colonies into one, each moved to independence by themselves, one at a time-with St. Kitts and Nevis being the last, and even today, a couple are still to do so.”

The Buckley’s Uprising, she highlighted, was not just about a few days of unrest but “the moment when ordinary men and women, armed with nothing but their voices and their determination, forced the authorities to take notice. And from that point forward, the path was set. The lives of future generations, our lives, were forever changed by the courage of those sugar workers in 1935.”

“The workers who stood up at Buckley’s were not fighting for glory. They were fighting to feed their families. They were fighting to live with dignity. And their actions remind us that ordinary people standing together can change the course of history. From their hardship was born hope, and from their struggle came those first steps toward freedom. And the spark that struck at Buckley’s, lit a flame of justice and dignity; a flame that still burns in the story of St. Kitts and Nevis today.”

Basseterre, Saint Kitts, September 15, 2025 (SKNIS): Saint Kitts and Nevis will pay tribute to its most prominent citizens tomorrow, Tuesday, September 16, 2025, officially celebrated as National Heroes Day.

As is the tradition, a ceremony featuring military honours by the St. Kitts and Nevis Defence Force and the Royal St. Christopher and Nevis Police Force will be held at the National Heroes Park at Conaree. The ceremony begins at 8 a.m. and will feature a short programme that concludes with the laying of wreaths at the base of the four statues featured – The late Right Excellencies Sir Robert Bradshaw, Sir C. A. Paul Southwell, Sir Joseph France, and Sir Simeon Daniel. Recognition and special presentation to the only living National Hero, the Right Excellent and the Right Honourable Dr. Sir Kennedy Simmonds will also take place.

“The usual commemorative pomp and circumstance is done by the military, always in a brilliant fashion, and so the public can look forward to that,” said Cabinet Secretary and Co-Chair of the Independence 42 Planning Committee, Dr. Marcus Natta.

Also on Tuesday, a separate ceremony will be held at 4 p.m. to honour the contributions of the First National Hero, the Right Excellent Sir Robert L. Bradshaw, at the Bradshaw Memorial Park in St. Pauls.

The ceremonies are attended by dignitaries, including the Governor-General, the Prime Minister, members of the National Assembly, members of the Nevis Island Administration, local and visiting diplomats and the like. Dr. Marcus Natta warmly invited the public, noting that their participation is equally important.

“It’s really significant for the public. This is not just about government officials and diplomats per se. What we are looking to do as well, is continuing to educate our young people, letting them know what our national heroes did to advance and develop our country, showing them that they have a space that they can take up as well, and maybe one day they [too] will be a national hero from their work,” Dr. Natta stated.

In keeping with the educational theme, students from across the Federation are invited to participate in both ceremonies. Representatives from various schools are engaged during the ceremonies, handing wreaths to officials and the family members of the national heroes to place at the base of the statues. A student also presents flowers to Sir Kennedy.

By: Precious Mills

BASSETERRE, St. Kitts (Thursday 4th September 2025)-As he approaches both the anniversary of his life-changing injury and his next birthday, 49-year-old Joseph Bergan of Sandy Point, a former soldier better known in the calypso world as ‘De Awesome Navigator’, is inviting the nation to join him in a week of gratitude and giving under the theme: ‘Reflection & Celebration: 20 Years of Survival- 50 Years of Life.’

 “On the 2nd of December 2005, I was shot in the line of duty, and I’m happy and I’m grateful to be living this time around, to see that 20th year’s anniversary has come by so quickly. I will be commemorating 20 years since my injury took place. One week later, I should be celebrating my 50th anniversary,” he told this reporter during an interview on Tuesday 2nd September 2025.

Of note, Bergan was shot in the neck during a robbery while on military escort duty, leaving him paralyzed. As a result, the former corporal of the St. Kitts-Nevis Defence Force (SKNDF) became a walking cane user and wheelchair user.  

As gathered, the 3rd of July of this year marked 27 years of military service, and his resignation and retirement took effect on 25th August. 

“The life-altering event left me paralyzed but I am still here and I invite your support. I am also reaching out to the public in terms of looking for sponsors, voluntary effort, donation, contribution, and whatever you could give in any capacity, I will appreciate it very much,” he expressed.

The activities calendar, scheduled from Tuesday 2nd December to Sunday 14th December 2025, is expected to feature: Food Hamper Distribution for the elderly, disabled and less fortunate across communities (December 2nd), Church Service at Lighthouse Baptist Church in Crab Hill, Sandy Point (December 7th), Town Hall Lecture & Crime Symposium at the Sandy Point Community Centre (December 10th – his birthday), SKNDF Inter-Platoon Competition + De Awesome Navigator Calypso Review (December 12th) and Boat Ride Celebration aboard Prince Devonte (December 14th).

More than just personal celebration, he emphasized the importance of community outreach.

Speaking about the food hamper distribution, he highlighted that it is not only centralised for Sandy Point but anywhere else people can be reached like in New Town, Half Way Tree and St. Paul’s “where maybe an elderly or disabled person who society has long forgotten… We want to reach them and show them appreciation and love simply by distributing a food hamper to them.”

Bergan, who is a father of two-a son and a daughter- also has his sights set on using his milestone as a platform for change. His Crime Symposium is designed to bring together victims, families, inmates, and the general public in dialogue about violence.

“I am hoping that I could reach those in society who are mostly affected because you see, when we lose a brother, a son, father… We want to give them [those affected] more awareness, more abstinence, and motivate them to just stay away from crime and violence. Get a good education and know there’s more to life than just being a gangster or a thug.”

Despite his physical challenges, Bergan remains committed to his positive outlook and determination to inspire others.

“Your support matters. Together we can give back and celebrate life,” he said.

Those wishing to support can contact 869-664-3429 or email navi_bergi36@hotmail.com .