In a well-crafted introductory address, Chairperson of the 50th Anniversary Anguilla Day Official Parade 2017, Mrs. Chanelle Petty-Barrett, took listeners back to the day when Anguillians assumed leadership of their island on May 30, 1967, having expelled the St. Kitts police on that day.
Speaking at the Ronald Webster Park on Tuesday, May 30, formerly Burrowes Park, where the decision was made to oust the police on May 29, fifty years ago, the Permanent Secretary traced some of the events leading up to the Revolution as the Anguillians sought to chart their own destiny. Later, after saying “the rest is history,” she expressed her personal sentiments.
“Ladies and gentlemen, I don’t know about you, but today, and every day, I am a proud Anguillian,” she stressed, drawing applause from the milling crowd. “When I think about our history, our struggle, where we were then, and where we are now, I cannot help but be proud. Being Anguillian is not just a circumstance of birth. It means that within me, and within you, is an indomitable spirit; one that is unshaken in adversity; strengthened by hardship; fearless when the odds are against us; and resolute in the pursuit of what is right and just.”
She continued: “In every circumstance, the Anguillian spirit does not allow us to give up. Instead, it forces us to buckle up and keep going to approach the future with confidence; to rely on our own ingenuity, initiative and our faith in God to see us through. Yes, we are proud Anguillians. No matter where we rest our head this will always be our home.
“We have been devastated by drought, famine, hurricane and flood. We have been mocked, oppressed and ordered to leave because this island was declared unfit for human habitation but we are still here; and we have come today to celebrate the greatest event in Anguilla’s modern history: a watershed in the forward movement of our people. I am so pleased to see all of you and on behalf of the Government of Anguilla, and in particular the Ministry of Home Affairs, I warmly welcome you.”
