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Volume No. 1 Issue No. 43 - Wednesday May 28, 2003 |
History Revisted: Community Life Among the Estates by Thomson Fontaine
Dominica in the late twenties was seeing major change as mulattos, whites and blacks jostled for their place in society. Opportunities were opening up for locals to secure some education and assume the role of teachers, nurses and other professionals.
Vibrant communities were been established around former estates such as Wesley, Woodfordhill, Marigot, Coulibishrie etc. A noted community was also springing up around the Rosalie estate, which for years had provided some means for the surrounding villagers whose forebears had worked as slaves on this estate.
Henckell Lockinvar Christian, educator and former Education Minister under the Leblanc and Charles governments recalls in vivid details his experience with the Rosalie community. The Following extract is taken from his book �Gatecrashing Into the Unknown�.
�In 1932, I became very integrated with the Rosalie Grand Fond Community. The Rosalie Estate, where the school, church and Police Station were located, was a-buzz with activities. Quite a sizable population of estate workers lived in houses provided by the owner of the Rosalie Estate, Miss Johnson. She was a white heiress who later married Mr. Gerard Winston, a native mulatto who was quite a chanticleer it was rumoured.
Rosalie rum was said to be the best rum manufactured in Dominica, and people came from all over the state to buy this rum. They transported the rum in barrels by boat, and in five gallon demi-johns by head. This was done almost daily but more so on Saturdays and especially at Christmas-time.
On Sundays the villagers of Morne Jaune, Riviere Cyrique and Grand Fond joined with the residents of Rosalie for Holy Mass. During the children�s First Communion and Confirmation ceremonies Rosalie was a bee hive of feasting and carousing. Nowadays when I drive past Rosalie Estate, and note the changes of the entire environment I recall the apt description �Change and decay in all around I see�.
My involvement with the young people in the villages consisted of an attempt to improve on their social and cultural activities. We would do so by organizing concerts, starting string bands complete with guitar, violin, mandolin and percussion instruments, tambourine, shack-shack and boomboom pipe! As a result, when in 1934, I was transferred to the Grand Bay Boys School, the school and community were very, very sad indeed�.
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