Heritage Collection Museum, at East End, renowned for its priceless records and artifacts of Anguilla, was the starting point of a tour of various parts of the island by Ms Sarah Macintosh, Director General for Defence and International Security at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in London.
Governor Christina Scott, who accompanied her to the museum on Monday, commented: “The history in Anguilla is so important and I thought that Sarah Macintosh needed to come and see the context for Anguilla, to understand where the Anguillians came from, and the many traditions… that have made them the people that they are.
“So I thought that there was no better place to start than at the museum of Colville Petty to provide context for all of the things she would see during the course of the day.”
Speaking for herself, the UK senior official stated: “For me, it is very important to try to understand a culture and a people when you start to engage with them. This is my first visit to Anguilla, and there are a number of aspects of the way that a people form their views about society, their relationship with each other and the Government; and one of those aspects is the history of where they come from. So I wanted to make sure that I had taken some advice, and got a feel for the history of Anguilla, before I started my calls with the Government and people of Anguilla so that I can have some background and more depth.”
Asked what she thought about the museum and how it had assisted her, Ms Macintosh replied: “It is amazing. There are a number of exhibits and the way that it is laid out [enables] you to walk through an important history of Anguilla. It is a treasure and resource, I imagine, for the whole island; and I just hope that all of your visitors are fascinated to come and see this, and I am so pleased to have had this introduction to Anguilla.”