Captain Owen G Harrigan Visitor Centre official opens in VG

Premier Andrew Fahie officially declared the newly refurbished Captain Owen G. Harrigan Visitor Centre open earlier today in a ceremony at Gun Creek, Virgin Gorda.

Speaking at the ceremony, Fahie said he is amazed when people say they cannot see anything happening in Virgin Gorda in the last few years. He jokingly said he is willing to pay for an appointment to visit the Tortola Vision Centre because those people need help with their sight.

“Today we come here to the Owen G Harrigan Visitor Centre, and I remember coming here when we first took office and we looked around and they said there is a situation here and every day the representative [Vincent Wheatley] would call and every day the At-Large Representative Honourable Shereen Flax-Charles would call and then I would hear Honourable [Neville] Smith telling me that we have to do better,” Fahie said.

“Then every now and again I would get a WhatsApp from Honourable Sharie De Castro saying, ‘Premier, I shame to go over by Gun Creek. We have to fix it” and the Minister of Health [Carvin Malone] would remind me that until you fix Gun Creek, we are not out of the woods yet,” the Premier added.

He said fixing the visitor centre became a priority and the project was turned over to the BVI Ports Authority (BVIPA). And according to Fahie, the BVIPA did not let the government down.

“You know whenever you have to do these projects you will have a lot of issues popping up. Any time you are going to do anything that is beyond your power in authority, you can only get it done through God but if you wait until you have everything calculated and the funds intact to move; you are not going to get it done. Never allow the perfect to be the enemy of the greater good,” Fahie said.

Meanwhile, Junior Minister for Tourism Sharie de Castro noted that the Virgin Islands has made a legacy of naming establishments and infrastructure based on people who have greatly impacted the territory.

“I want to give special commendations to BVI Ports Authority today for ensuring that this building has been reopened and refitted for purpose to ensure international travel to this area. It is important because as we put names to buildings the legacy of the individual should be kept in mind. And I want to say to Mrs Skelton and the rest of the family that we will continue to do whatever is necessary to enhance the infrastructure and opportunities in this building to ensure your loved one memory lived on,” de Castro said.

The Junior Minister also highlighted the importance of tourism to Virgin Gorda and how the visitor centre will help to improve the experiences of people.

“We keep hearing the phrase gateway in reference to this facility because we understand the importance and how this facility caters to transit to the outer islands and resorts in this area. The Bitter End Yacht Club, Necker Islands, and Mosquito Island all use this facility and we understand that we have an environment that is conducive so that our visitors can have a welcoming experience as our residents so we can traverse our waters,” de Castro said.