BASSETERRE, ST. KITTS, March 26, 2025 (MMS-SKN) — Former editor of the Labour Spokesman Newspaper, the late Dawud St. Lloyd Byron aka Mudada, will be honoured this Sunday, March 30, when the East Basseterre Labour Branch and the Deputy Prime Minister, the Hon Dr Geoffrey Hanley, will officially launch the Youth On The Go Community Picnic Square in his memory.
Making the announcement at a Labour Constituency Number One Branch Executive meeting held at the Newtown Community Centre on the evening of Tuesday March 25, Area Parliamentary Representative the Hon Dr Geoffrey Hanley, appealed to members of the general public to turn out in their numbers for the 4:30 p.m. event on Sunday.
“On Sunday you are invited to the official opening of the Dawud Mudada Byron Picnic Square,” said Hon Dr Hanley. “That is an area just opposite Newtown Playing Field on Leonard Dickenson Road. Those who are driving or walking to Valu Mart you will realise that on the green space where people sell cane juice we have developed that area so that people can have their lunch and their picnics there.”
Mr Dawud Mudada Byron, who served at the Labour Spokesman newspaper for over 36 years first working under the paper’s editors who included the late Joseph Nathaniel France, and rising to be its editor, died on November 3, 2015.
He was an original member of the Ellie Matt and GI’s Brass International Band, where he was a trombonist, and was also a founding member of the Grand Masters Band. Mudada was on 25 August 2015 awarded a Medal of Honour for his contribution to journalism and music.
The branch executive meeting, which was chaired by Constituency #1 Labour Branch Chairperson, Ms Thamesha Fyfield, was advised by the Deputy Prime Minister that at the picnic site a permanent barbeque grill has already been set up so that persons and families would on weekends be able to go there.
According to the Hon Dr Geoffrey Hanley, Constituency Number One Branch Meetings are held every last Tuesday of the month, advising that they presented “an opportunity for our comrades and residents of the constituency to be updated on a number of issues, a number of concerns, and at the same time I solicit your recommendations, your suggestions of things that need to be done in your areas – part of your community – although we are part of East Basseterre.”
He reminded those who would have attended the town hall meeting held at the same venue in January that he would have commented on the fact that the road outside there (Southwell Street) was in much disrepair and it was one that he advised them that it would be fixed soon.
“I am happy to report that you would realise as you walked in, in a few weeks after that meeting we have the road dug up and is being repaired,” said the Area Parliamentary Representative. While apologising to people in the Pond Pasture area in particular, he advised that delay in having the road repaired was as a result of the fact that the equipment was down and needed parts that were not available locally.
After work on the Southwell Street is completed by next week, the equipment will move on to George Street which will be resurfaced. He chided the irony displayed by detractors who had earlier complained that the Southwell Street was in bad shape, but when work on it started they changed tune and started complaining why the work could not wait until the school (Tucker Clarke Primary) was closed.
Dr Hanley, who is also the Minister of Education; Youth Empowerment; Social Development, Gender Affairs, Aging and Disabilities; Ecclesiastical & Faith-based Affairs; Housing & Human Settlement, updated the constituents on a number of developments being undertaken by the St. Kitts Nevis Labour Party-led government, including housing development taking place in the constituency and the desalination plant among others.
“The desalination plant – and I ask you when you get an opportunity to drive up in the area – I was there again this afternoon and the work is going along smoothly,” he advised. “It is right behind the Best Buy Supermarket in the Bird Rock area, and that is on schedule to complete, all being well in July this year. I would say August, so that should eliminate some of the situation that we are experiencing with water in Constituency.”