Former Premier to be honoured during govt’s UK visit
Government officials are expected to honour the late former Premier, Honourable Ralph T O’Neal, with a bust at a reception at the BVI London House during their trip to the United Kingdom (UK) this week.
Premier Dr Natalio Wheatley led a delegation to London to attend the Annual General Meetings of the Overseas Territories Joint Ministerial Council (JMC), which is expected to participate in the celebration of the 20th anniversary of the BVI London House.
“Over the past year, the London Office embarked on a journey of reflection and appreciation, culminating in the final event, the highlight of which will be the unveiling of a commemorative bust, in honour of the first Premier of the Virgin Islands, Honourable Ralph T O’Neal,” Dr Wheatley said recently.
According to the Premier, it was under O’Neal’s leadership that the BVI London House was purchased. That building has served as the location of the BVI London Office since its inception.
“The two are inseparable. Honourable O’Neal’s vision of the Virgin Islands representing itself in the UK, Europe and beyond via our own Representative Office has been fully realised,” the Premier said.
Dr Wheatley added that O’Neal is worthy of recognition in light of the 20th anniversary of the BVI London Office.
In the meantime, Deputy Premier Lorna Smith described O’Neal as a visionary and said he understood the importance of direct representation in London.
She said the London building not only houses the London Office but is also a revenue earner in that one of the four floors is rented to the private sector.
Smith also described the office as a launch pad for going further into the European Union to places such as Brussels. “It would also give us that kind of direct access to… the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office. So, it’s extremely fitting. It’s in a great address in Mayfair. We got it at an excellent price and it continues to do excellent work for us,” Smith added.
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Vip has built this country
vip built this country but much of the foundation they laid was not on solid ground. They along with other governments failed to stamp out the culture of corruption that has become endemic to the bvi and which threatens to destroy everything that they have uilt
The British is who failed to stamp out corruption it was their responsibility.
The early VIP has some credit to be had, but the late ones after the transition of Mr. Stoutt and others saw a turn away and towards money grabbing corruption beyond recgnition.
It was not pretty what went down in those years. ASk all the people who lost and or got peanuts for their land. Grand father still bawling in he grave.
Reprinted
Tafari Zharr
November 11, 2021 at 12:38 PM
HON. RALPH T. ONEAL
Member Emeritus, OBE
A Requiem, Written for This Day, For This Hour, And That Hour They Inter Him
By Tafari Zharr.
[Breathe In]
Oh, Virgin Islanders
His Days Were Numbered
Thirty-One Thousand, Three Hundred Seventy- Seven (31,377)
And You Held on To Him Thirty Days More
Monday Till Wednesday
Picture-Perfect, Statesman, Procession:
Showered with Adulation Three (3) Days
Before They’d Later [Privately] Inter Him
Jack, It’s Hard to Believe RTO Is Gone
Oh, Virgin Islanders
Oh, It’s Up to You Now
Left to Be Seen What You’ll Do
With What He Advanced
Oh, Of Freedoms Be Neither Sleep nor Still
Oh, Great Man, Groomed to Become More Than an Island
Oh, Whose Days Are No Longer, And Nights Are No More
Oh, Whose Profound Legacy—Virgin Islanders: Simply
He Did It, Get Up, Go, and Grow
Oh, Virgin Islanders
Oh, Approbations: Left by Him for You
A Great Blue Print Of Life
Oh, For His Period, Strong, Reconstruction Efforts, Sing Sweeter, Newer, Lullabies
Oh, For His Hopes of Economic Equity and Security
Be Neither Blind nor Distilled
Oh, For Our Stability and Preservation Make Homes
Not Houses, Polished, High on Hills
Oh, Virgin Islanders
Oh, For His Ambitions Traded for Yours
Oh, For Her Hopes Prorogued for Yours
Oh, For Their Futures Deferred for Yours
Oh, For His Promises Fragmented for Yours
Oh, Virgin Islanders
His Love Has Been Your Affairs
Oh, For His Aberration for Virgin Gorda
Oh, For A Romanticism with Tortola
Oh, For A Proclivity for Anegada
Oh, For His Political Life, A Sac-ri-fice?
Oh, Virgin Islanders,
Oh, But for His Earlier Excitement in The Vicinage
You Might Never
You Might Never Have
You Might Never Have Had
Your Treasured, Highly Acclaimed, and Colossal Rising Son!
[Repeat: Breathe In, hold it, Breathe Out].
Oh, Virgin Islanders
His Days Were Numbered:
Thirty-One Thousand, Three Hundred Seventy-Seven (31,377)
And You Held on To Him Thirty (30) Days More
Monday Till Wednesday
Picture-Perfect, Statesman, Procession:
Showered with Adulation Three (3) Days
Before They’d Later [Privately] Inter Him
Jack, It’s Hard to Believe RTO Is Gone
And Alongside Him Came the Turtle Dove Inviting Him Home
[Breathe Out]:
All Right Reserved. Copyright © 2019. Tafari Zharr.
Tafari Zharr
November 11, 2021 at 12:38 PM
HON. RALPH T. ONEAL
Member Emeritus, OBE
A Requiem, Written for This Day, For This Hour, And That Hour They Inter Him
By Tafari Zharr.
[Breathe In]
Oh, Virgin Islanders
His Days Were Numbered
Thirty-One Thousand, Three Hundred Seventy- Seven (31,377)
And You Held on To Him Thirty Days More
Monday Till Wednesday
Picture-Perfect, Statesman, Procession:
Showered with Adulation Three (3) Days
Before They’d Later [Privately] Inter Him
Jack, It’s Hard to Believe RTO Is Gone
Oh, Virgin Islanders
Oh, It’s Up to You Now
Left to Be Seen What You’ll Do
With What He Advanced
Oh, Of Freedoms Be Neither Sleep nor Still
Oh, Great Man, Groomed to Become More Than an Island
Oh, Whose Days Are No Longer, And Nights Are No More
Oh, Whose Profound Legacy—Virgin Islanders: Simply
He Did It, Get Up, Go, and Grow
Oh, Virgin Islanders
Oh, Approbations: Left by Him for You
A Great Blue Print Of Life
Oh, For His Period, Strong, Reconstruction Efforts, Sing Sweeter, Newer, Lullabies
Oh, For His Hopes of Economic Equity and Security
Be Neither Blind nor Distilled
Oh, For Our Stability and Preservation Make Homes
Not Houses, Polished, High on Hills
Oh, Virgin Islanders
Oh, For His Ambitions Traded for Yours
Oh, For Her Hopes Prorogued for Yours
Oh, For Their Futures Deferred for Yours
Oh, For His Promises Fragmented for Yours
Oh, Virgin Islanders
His Love Has Been Your Affairs
Oh, For His Aberration for Virgin Gorda
Oh, For A Romanticism with Tortola
Oh, For A Proclivity for Anegada
Oh, For His Political Life, A Sac-ri-fice?
Oh, Virgin Islanders,
Oh, But for His Earlier Excitement in The Vicinage
You Might Never
You Might Never Have
You Might Never Have Had
Your Treasured, Highly Acclaimed, and Colossal Rising Son!
[Repeat: Breathe In, hold it, Breathe Out].
Oh, Virgin Islanders
His Days Were Numbered:
Thirty-One Thousand, Three Hundred Seventy-Seven (31,377)
And You Held on To Him Thirty (30) Days More
Monday Till Wednesday
Picture-Perfect, Statesman, Procession:
Showered with Adulation Three (3) Days
Before They’d Later [Privately] Inter Him
Jack, It’s Hard to Believe RTO Is Gone
And Alongside Him Came the Turtle Dove Inviting Him Home
[Breathe Out]:
All Right Reserved. Copyright © 2019. Tafari Zharr.
I hope they honor him and AG for selling out all that land in VG leaving not even a spoonful of dirt for locals to build a house on allegedly.
Don’t talk about the racket he and the greedy man from cgb did up Anegada paving Roads in his last tenure as Premier allegdly. But we will continue to lift up those who cast us down and cast down those who want to uplift us.
We continue to Honor these people who helped f..k up this country. But as a black person, I can say it’s one of the biggest problems with the race embracing too much negativity.
Natalio is a waste of time.