The opportunity of the Walter G. Hodge Memorial Anguilla Day Lecture was taken to inaugurate the Social Security-sponsored Albena Lake-Hodge Chrome Steel Pans on Thursday, June 14.
The inauguration, prior to the lecture, was marked by a concert performance rendered by the school’s Steel Orchestra Band – under the direction of Mr. Michael “Dumpa” Martin – to the applause of the listeners.
The extended performance was not only to demonstrate the skills of the young musicians, but to show the difference of the improved sound of the pans when compared with the way they sounded before being chromed in Puerto Rico. The pans were originally built in Trinidad and Antigua by Mr. Vincent Friedland.
Mrs. Chanelle Petty Barrett, Permanent Secretary, Home Affairs and Education, who was instrumental in assisting with securing the funding for the steel pans from the Social Security Board, was one of the speakers. “We are very grateful for the contribution made,” she stated. “It is a significant contribution because, to tell you the truth, they [the steel pans], are not cheap. It is a worthwhile contribution as well because the fact that the pans are chromed also means that they will last for a much longer time. While the investment is significant, it does pay off in the end.”
She continued: “The pans have been long in coming but I am very pleased that we are able to celebrate this particular milestone. A few years back, Mr. Martin would have spoken to me about his desire to have some chromed steel pans. As you know, Mr. Martin is a very passionate and persuasive person and we had no option other than to support him in his endeavours – not only for his advancement, but for the genuine advancement of the children. This is not just about him. We know that he has a passion, and he is very dedicated, and we recognise that the Music Department at the Albena Lake-Hodge Comprehensive School is one of those centres of excellence that we can all boast of in terms of the quality of the productions; the quality of the students and the graduates. We are always very proud of the work of that they do.”
Mr. Martin, an Antiguan by birth, said the inauguration of the steel pans was his best day ever in Anguilla. He was delighted with the support of Mrs. Petty Barrett, the Ministry of Education and the Social Security Board and the performance of his music students, some of whom had started playing steel pans from the time they were in third grade in the primary schools.
Chief Education Officer, Mrs. Rhonda Connor, and the Principal of the Albena Lake-Hodge Comprehensive School, Mrs. Joyce Webster-Stuart, also expressed their gratitude for the chromed steel pans and the involvement of the students in a positive area of learning and personal development.
Mr. Tim Hodge, Director of Social Security, spoke about his love for steel pan music and his pleasure in assisting, through the Social Security Board, with the funding of the pans in the schools of Anguilla. He even spoke about the possibility of Social Security having its own steel orchestra.
Meanwhile, Mr. Vance Amory, the speaker for the Walter G. Hodge Memorial Anguilla Day Lecture, the main activity on the programme, praised the steel pan players for their concert performance. He saw them as making an important contribution to the continuation of the Anguilla Revolution, the subject of his lecture.
