Last Friday morning, February 11, the Rodney McArthur Rey auditorium was illumined with several attractive stalls that showcased the entrepreneurial spirit associated with the annual Ethne Richardson Business Expo, now in its third year.
The opening ceremony got started by Tr. Lois Carbon as she called on Tr. Johnessa Harrigan to offer a prayer of thanksgiving. Tr. Avenella Griffith, Head of the Business Division at the school, then gave words of appreciation to the former Head, Ethne Richardson, who had been engaged in 40 years of teaching business-oriented subjects at the ALHCS.
A major part of the ceremony was the recognition of prominent business related teachers. Ms. Griffith said: “All three of these teachers need to be recognised together. They are our engine-room people of the ALHCS. Behind the scenes of many of our systems, programmes and operations, these teachers have a busy world which few are privy to.”
She then cordially acknowledged, first, Tr. Fawn Campbell-Toussaint who served in the Business Department for one year. In commending her, Ms. Griffith called her “an EDPM boss”, having taught Electronic Document Preparation and Management for a number of years. Also recognised for his hard work and dedication to his teaching tasks was Tr. Perry Richardson who Ms. Griffith referred to as “a staple”. The third teacher honoured was Tr. Worrel Brooks. According to Ms. Griffith, the Business Department relies heavily upon his expertise. She noted that both his and Tr. Perry’s roles in the Business Department are similar.
One avid traditional supporter of the Ethne Richardson Business Expo is the Anguilla Development Board. Its Managing Director, Mrs. Althea Hodge, made a few complimentary remarks: “On behalf of the Anguilla Development Board, I must once again commend Tr. Avenella, and the Business Department of the school, for continuing to showcase business ventures in Anguilla. I do recognise the entire staff of the school and, in particular, I applaud the three honourees who were recognised here this morning.
“I would like to commend the variety of businesses being displayed here today. I do appreciate our young local entrepreneurs who are attached to the ALHCS — and who come year after year to showcase what they have to offer to the public and to the rest of the school body.
“Amidst the many challenges that we face today, your presence here shows how determined and resilient you are at keeping your business afloat, and I think you deserve a round of applause.” She finally said: “So, on behalf of the Anguilla Development Board, we are proud once again to assist with the business exposition. We wish every one of you all the best, and we hope that this business expo continues to grow.”
A dance, displaying the work of business professionals, was staged by four energetic female business students. This was followed by a video presentation of the School Song.
Tr. Ethne Richardson herself, the pioneer after which the exposition was named, was then introduced. After cordially greeting the gathering she said: “There is a saying which goes, ‘necessity is the mother of invention’. And often entrepreneurs are created out of necessity. Two home grown examples of this creation are two local restaurants — Sharkey’s and Nat’s.
“During the restoration of the island after Hurricane Irma when Anguilla was devastated, and many hotels in the west were closed, the necessity of providing food service became the brainchild of one of the employees of Blanchard’s Restaurant. This created an entirely new and thriving busines venture, where the owner, Lowell Hodge, whom I taught at ALHCS transformed his front porch to accommodate his sit down customers. Today, Lowell is CEO of his own business.
“Similarly, in 2020 when the Covid-19 pandemic emerged, the Government went into a protective mode and closed the borders. No visitors or tourists could then come to our island. Nat’s in The Valley then became the brainchild of my daughter, Natilie, who had no other choice but to branch out from our family restaurant in Junks Hole, which was generally patronised by visiting tourists. In The Valley, Nat found it easy to attract and serve her new local customers. Today, Nat’s is a local thriving business right in the heart of The Valley.
“So, jump..and soar,” she encouraged the young entrepreneurs. “Be Anguilla’s next generation of purpose. Create generational wealth. Make your parents proud.”
She expressed her gratitude to the Business Department at the ALHCS for the annual event, and then she proudly declared the Ethne Richardson Business Expo 2022 open. From that moment, the auditorium was abuzz with activity as students from the other forms of the school, as well as persons from the general public, descended on the scene to check out the business displays and purchase whatever they desired.
