gemmanyah
10-22-03, - 08:55 AM
Population-Trends In Eleutherian History
Recommendations for change
The population, ever since I can remember as a boy here in Eleuthera was around 12,000 people from Spanish Wells in the North to Bannerman Town in the south. The problem also as I can remember has been that all throughout our history Eleutherians have always depended on other locations for employment and for education. We have no institutions at the college level.
Thus Eleutherians like other Bahamian Out Island people have always been a migratory people. Not to the extent of the Haitian people where they leave home and never return but to the extent that they continually reside either in Nassu, Freeport Grand Bahama, The United States, Britian or Canada. They do return home for vacation and for visits occasionally making the pilgrimage home as much as they can to contact and support their fellow islanders.
Since the great world wars in the 20’s and the 40’s I have heard my grand father and other islander talk about the projects when they left the island of Eleuthera and relocated to the United States for periods of six months to a year when they were given immigration status in order to work in the agricultural industry in the US. They worked as day labourers all over the united States from the Key lime plantations in the city of Key West Florida to the Apple orchards of the great western New York State.
Some of these men were married and had families at home. Many of them were single. Those who had strong family ties and interest at home in Eleuthera returned; many of them did not. Many like My uncle Wilfred remained after the projects and married in New Jersey where he raised a family. To date I have cousins in both New Jersey and San Francisco California as far as I am able to verify.
Since then in modern times beginning in the early sixties before the great tourism/ hotel boom took place in South Eleuthera many of our citizens left for employment and educational purposes and manly resided in the cities of Freeport Grand Bahama and Nassau. They were after opportunities of education and employment. Many became lawyers, teachers, government employees and doctors. Many became merchants in a growing city of Nassau and now own many of the landmark business establishments gracing the city of Nassau from one end of the city to the next. Certain names like the Carey’s, the Roger’s and the Culmer’s are synonymous in the city of Nassau with big business and commercial activity. They all descended from the island of Eleuthera and have risen to new prominence in the city over the last 40 years.
There has been no statistics kept over these many years documenting this migration from our home island but I estimate the out flux of residents to be in the hundreds of thousands over the many years these mass necessary migrations took place.
The fact is that not many people moved into Eleuthera from other islands and countries to replace these migrants therefore the population has remained steady at just over 10,000 souls on an annual basis since the Bahamas has been doing statistical studies and documenting the resident populations of our island.
In most recent times due to the most dramatic drop in economic activity during the years from 1980 to 2003 the population of Eleuthera has hit the new low of under 10,000. The most recent statistics put the population at just above 9,000 people residing permanently over the entire island. This new low in population demonstrates the dramatic out flow of the local populous and is a most disturbing trend when compared with the overall migratory trend that has taken place on the island of Eleuthera over the past 100 years.
It is evident in studying this trend that more than seventy percent of the people ever born on the island of Eleuthera are now immigrants residing elsewhere, though many of them residing in other islands of the Bahamas.
This trend must discontinue in our present times if we are to be able to realize any personnel resources, which are necessary for our development.
Ask yourself the question for example, how many Americans or Japanese migrate to other countries? They don’t, they stay at home, battle the trends and build the greatest economies in the world. In my estimation Eleutherians have to adapt the same attitude and grow with our economy in order to effect any meaningful change here in Eleuthera.
We must as a nation generate the necessary economy in Eleuthera in order to ensure that Eleutherians remain at home and concentrate on building a meaningful economy here.
We cannot do it alone. It cannot be done in a vacuum. It must be planned, studied and implemented as a rule and a way of life that will create a new future for the island of Eleuthera. In my opinion we must remain at home and begin to build the industrial processes that we will need to compete with the economies that are encroaching on us presently from around the globe.
We must remain at home and learn to compete on an equal footing through sweat and tears if necessary. Our community’s social/cultural structures demand that we stay in place and build from decade onto decade in order to realize the benefits that have been gained and built in countries and cities elsewhere in the world.
This has all been done before. We need only to study others examples and do likewise in order to succeed at the process.
Which will be the government of the Bahamas brave enough to take the necessary steps to discontinue this self-destructive migratory trend which has divided us for more than 100 years in our history?
Study the cultures of the industrial world and see what they do. They stay at home, build strong families, cultures and produce. Can Eleutherians ever do the same?
What we must do:
1. Create tourism employment on the island of Eleuthera by inviting in foreign investors for hotel/tourism projects.
2. The government needs to set aside a fund for loans in Eleuthera for Eleutherians to create the following businesses: Create industrial processes like OIL and GAS facilities, plastics productions, Fresh water plants, clothing factories, container packing facilities, Agricultural products like chicken and egg production factories, Solar Electricity generation facilities, Vegetable farms and Aquiculture facilities to grow conch, lobster and fish, Dairy production facilities, meat processing plants, animal husbandry, fruit juice production, Electronic factories and other similar facilities that can generate jobs and are necessary for our continued growth.
3. We need more competitive banking facilities and insurance companies.
4. More competitive shopping centres and malls.
5. More Educational facilities like colleges, vocational schools and training facilities.
6. Medical hospitals and clinics with better social healthcare plans and services.
7. More competitive transportation facilities like island wide busses, water ferries and trains for the mass movement of a productive work force.
The establishment of such funding and interest will again attract our lost population making it possible for them to consider moving home to Eleuthera again and sharing their experience and professional skills. In addition we will be able to attract new people with new modern expertise we may use and exploit to our benefit.
We must design a modern attractive environment built for growth and adapted to our lifestyle and future plans for the island.
We must however ensure that over the next five years and beyond the population of Eleuthera does not rise above fifty thousand. This way the island will remain natural, pristine and clean throughout its history with a manageable resident population and an abundant enough economic resource. Overcrowding is not a becoming scenario for such islands like Eleuthera.
Recommendations for change
The population, ever since I can remember as a boy here in Eleuthera was around 12,000 people from Spanish Wells in the North to Bannerman Town in the south. The problem also as I can remember has been that all throughout our history Eleutherians have always depended on other locations for employment and for education. We have no institutions at the college level.
Thus Eleutherians like other Bahamian Out Island people have always been a migratory people. Not to the extent of the Haitian people where they leave home and never return but to the extent that they continually reside either in Nassu, Freeport Grand Bahama, The United States, Britian or Canada. They do return home for vacation and for visits occasionally making the pilgrimage home as much as they can to contact and support their fellow islanders.
Since the great world wars in the 20’s and the 40’s I have heard my grand father and other islander talk about the projects when they left the island of Eleuthera and relocated to the United States for periods of six months to a year when they were given immigration status in order to work in the agricultural industry in the US. They worked as day labourers all over the united States from the Key lime plantations in the city of Key West Florida to the Apple orchards of the great western New York State.
Some of these men were married and had families at home. Many of them were single. Those who had strong family ties and interest at home in Eleuthera returned; many of them did not. Many like My uncle Wilfred remained after the projects and married in New Jersey where he raised a family. To date I have cousins in both New Jersey and San Francisco California as far as I am able to verify.
Since then in modern times beginning in the early sixties before the great tourism/ hotel boom took place in South Eleuthera many of our citizens left for employment and educational purposes and manly resided in the cities of Freeport Grand Bahama and Nassau. They were after opportunities of education and employment. Many became lawyers, teachers, government employees and doctors. Many became merchants in a growing city of Nassau and now own many of the landmark business establishments gracing the city of Nassau from one end of the city to the next. Certain names like the Carey’s, the Roger’s and the Culmer’s are synonymous in the city of Nassau with big business and commercial activity. They all descended from the island of Eleuthera and have risen to new prominence in the city over the last 40 years.
There has been no statistics kept over these many years documenting this migration from our home island but I estimate the out flux of residents to be in the hundreds of thousands over the many years these mass necessary migrations took place.
The fact is that not many people moved into Eleuthera from other islands and countries to replace these migrants therefore the population has remained steady at just over 10,000 souls on an annual basis since the Bahamas has been doing statistical studies and documenting the resident populations of our island.
In most recent times due to the most dramatic drop in economic activity during the years from 1980 to 2003 the population of Eleuthera has hit the new low of under 10,000. The most recent statistics put the population at just above 9,000 people residing permanently over the entire island. This new low in population demonstrates the dramatic out flow of the local populous and is a most disturbing trend when compared with the overall migratory trend that has taken place on the island of Eleuthera over the past 100 years.
It is evident in studying this trend that more than seventy percent of the people ever born on the island of Eleuthera are now immigrants residing elsewhere, though many of them residing in other islands of the Bahamas.
This trend must discontinue in our present times if we are to be able to realize any personnel resources, which are necessary for our development.
Ask yourself the question for example, how many Americans or Japanese migrate to other countries? They don’t, they stay at home, battle the trends and build the greatest economies in the world. In my estimation Eleutherians have to adapt the same attitude and grow with our economy in order to effect any meaningful change here in Eleuthera.
We must as a nation generate the necessary economy in Eleuthera in order to ensure that Eleutherians remain at home and concentrate on building a meaningful economy here.
We cannot do it alone. It cannot be done in a vacuum. It must be planned, studied and implemented as a rule and a way of life that will create a new future for the island of Eleuthera. In my opinion we must remain at home and begin to build the industrial processes that we will need to compete with the economies that are encroaching on us presently from around the globe.
We must remain at home and learn to compete on an equal footing through sweat and tears if necessary. Our community’s social/cultural structures demand that we stay in place and build from decade onto decade in order to realize the benefits that have been gained and built in countries and cities elsewhere in the world.
This has all been done before. We need only to study others examples and do likewise in order to succeed at the process.
Which will be the government of the Bahamas brave enough to take the necessary steps to discontinue this self-destructive migratory trend which has divided us for more than 100 years in our history?
Study the cultures of the industrial world and see what they do. They stay at home, build strong families, cultures and produce. Can Eleutherians ever do the same?
What we must do:
1. Create tourism employment on the island of Eleuthera by inviting in foreign investors for hotel/tourism projects.
2. The government needs to set aside a fund for loans in Eleuthera for Eleutherians to create the following businesses: Create industrial processes like OIL and GAS facilities, plastics productions, Fresh water plants, clothing factories, container packing facilities, Agricultural products like chicken and egg production factories, Solar Electricity generation facilities, Vegetable farms and Aquiculture facilities to grow conch, lobster and fish, Dairy production facilities, meat processing plants, animal husbandry, fruit juice production, Electronic factories and other similar facilities that can generate jobs and are necessary for our continued growth.
3. We need more competitive banking facilities and insurance companies.
4. More competitive shopping centres and malls.
5. More Educational facilities like colleges, vocational schools and training facilities.
6. Medical hospitals and clinics with better social healthcare plans and services.
7. More competitive transportation facilities like island wide busses, water ferries and trains for the mass movement of a productive work force.
The establishment of such funding and interest will again attract our lost population making it possible for them to consider moving home to Eleuthera again and sharing their experience and professional skills. In addition we will be able to attract new people with new modern expertise we may use and exploit to our benefit.
We must design a modern attractive environment built for growth and adapted to our lifestyle and future plans for the island.
We must however ensure that over the next five years and beyond the population of Eleuthera does not rise above fifty thousand. This way the island will remain natural, pristine and clean throughout its history with a manageable resident population and an abundant enough economic resource. Overcrowding is not a becoming scenario for such islands like Eleuthera.