Prime Minister Mark Rutte began on Sunday with a visit to the Caribbean parts of the Kingdom. The aim of the visit is to strengthen mutual economic relations within the Kingdom. He is accompanied by a Dutch trade delegation.
The strategic position of the Dutch islands in the Caribbean can be used much better. Dutch companies want to cooperate with the Caribbean parts of the Kingdom to do business in the wider region, especially countries like Brazil, Colombia and Panama.
Rutte landed Saturday on Aruba. He visits Sunday the Aruban Prime Minister, Mike Eman, and the Aruban governor, Fredis Refunjol. The Prime Minister and the trade delegation will go the rest of the day on a tour and visit twenty Aruban companies.
The tour includes the Valero refinery and the Vader Piet wind farm. They will also pay a visit to the Coast Guard.
On Monday Rutte travels to Curacao. After Curacao he will also visit the islands of Bonaire, St. Maarten, St. Eustatius and Saba. On Saturday, July 20, Rutte flies back to the Netherlands.
Prime Minister Mark Rutte began on Sunday with a visit to the Caribbean parts of the Kingdom. The aim of the visit is to strengthen mutual economic relations within the Kingdom. He is accompanied by a Dutch trade delegation.
The strategic position of the Dutch islands in the Caribbean can be used much better. Dutch companies want to cooperate with the Caribbean parts of the Kingdom to do business in the wider region, especially countries like Brazil, Colombia and Panama.
Rutte landed Saturday on Aruba. He visits Sunday the Aruban Prime Minister, Mike Eman, and the Aruban governor, Fredis Refunjol. The Prime Minister and the trade delegation will go the rest of the day on a tour and visit twenty Aruban companies.
The tour includes the Valero refinery and the Vader Piet wind farm. They will also pay a visit to the Coast Guard.
On Monday Rutte travels to Curacao. After Curacao he will also visit the islands of Bonaire, St. Maarten, St. Eustatius and Saba. On Saturday, July 20, Rutte flies back to the Netherlands.
Hurricane season starts
Because the hurricane season starts today, here the story about the 1772 hurricane. Written by Will Johnson, taken from his weblog the Saba islander.
By: Will Johnson
As a boy I used to hear the old timers saying that in the great hurricane of 1772 the doors of the Dutch Reformed Church on Statia had been found in The Level where I now live. Before writing this article I checked with my brother Guy and my cousin Bernard as to what they knew about it. Bernard said right away;”Yes my father told me that story several times.” And my brother Guy confirmed that he had heard the old folks back then often talking about it.
The Level, Saba after hurricane George in 1998. Here is where the church doors of the Dutch Reformed Church of St. Eustatius reportedly landed in the Great Hurricane of 1772.
From all accounts it must have been a category five hurricane. Besides the damage done on Statia and Saba there are numerous reports of damage done on all the islands of the Lesser Antilles.
Hurricanes are a constant concern to our people on these islands, and in recent years they seem to be an ever present threat to those of us living here. I will share some newspaper articles from England after the great hurricane of 1772. Also, a story written by Richard Austin Johnson, about how his grandfather Cohone had to deal with a hurricane some one hundred years after the Great Hurricane of 1772. There was also another very strong hurricane in 1780 which also did a lot of damage to these islands, but it may have been of lesser intensity. In the eighteen nineties in one year three hurricanes struck Saba. Claudia Whitfield (80) used to tell me that her grandmother had told her so, and later on in the Journal of the Lt. Governor I was able to confirm that it was indeed so. The newspapers in England at the time also carried articles of other natural disasters, slave uprisings and so on. One such report is from the Oxford Journal of 11 August 1770. “By letters from Amsterdam, there are accounts of an Earthquake having lately been felt at the island of St. Eustatia, in the West Indies, which considerably damaged the Dutch plantations.”
As for the hurricane we would like to share several articles from newspapers in England at the time:
Derby Mercury 13 November 1772:
Extract of a letter from Dominica, September 19th.
“We have the most melancholy accounts from our sister islands, Barbados only excepted. At Antigua, by the Hurricane, their towns and plantations are almost destroyed, and not more than two schooners escaped undamaged of the great number of ships in their harbor; at St. Christopher’s the damage was rather greater; and at St. Eustatia still more melancholy. Not the least detriment was done to this island.”
Leeds Intelligencer 17 November 1772
Sept. 5th. “The horrible picture of this islands general distress, represented in our last day’s print, is greatly inferior to the original, the general loss sustained cannot possibly be computed at less than 500,000 [pounds sterling]. A subscription is set on foot by the Gentlemen of this town and neighborhood, for the immediate relief of the poor. Nothing crowds in upon us from this perilous day, but the same tragic scene from our sister island, St. Eustatia; many houses and families have been taken from the summit, and have not been heard of, and what has not been effected by the violence above, was completely so by the other below, by a cruel violence of the waves, which particulars we have not learned.
Caledonian Mercury 18 November 1772
New York, September 28th. “Saturday last arrived here from St. Martin’s, Capt. Harris, who informs us, that on the 29th of August last, a most violent hurricane happened there, which drove several vessels from their anchors, three of whom were lost. While Capt. Harris lay at St. Martin’s, advice was received there from St. Eustatia, that they had the most violent hurricane ever remembered there; that the greatest part of the houses on a place called Statia-Hill, were blown down, whereby a great number of lives were lost; that four large Dutch ships in the harbor foundered as they lay at anchor, and all the people on board drowned; that a number of other vessels were driven on shore, and some put out to sea.”
Caledonian Mercury 18 November 1782
A letter from Eustatia, dated September 3rd, giving an account of the destruction of a great part of that island by a hurricane and whirlwind, says “What adds to our distress is, that there is not a barrel of flour on the island for sale; the country provisions are all out, as yams &c. and expected till Christmas; no vessels to fetch foreign provisions; five Joes are asked for a barrel of flour by a person who has a few for his own use. Rice sells at seven pieces of eight per hundred. Unless the hand of Providence interposes, a famine must ensue. At present it is terrible to hear the cries and lamentations of those who think themselves the objects of Almighty vengeance.”
Oxford Journal 28 November 1772
“From the advices just come to hand from America, is selected the following melancholy account of the effects of the Great Storm on August 31st, at the Caribbean islands.—St. Eustatia, 400 houses on the higher grounds destroyed, or rendered untenantable ; many houses carried ten or twelve yards, and others quite into the sea. Plantation-houses all down, except two, and the canes on the ground all twisted up. The Dutch church blown into the sea.—At Saba, 180 houses blown down, and the cattle carried away from their stakes.- At. St.Martin’s scarce a house standing, all their plantations destroyed. —St. Croix a every house almost at Christianstad, and all the plantations and negro houses leveled. Only three houses left standing at Frederickstadt, and numbers of people killed. At St. Kitts’s, almost all the estates are destroyed, there being scarce a mill or boiling house left standing.”
As you can read this hurricane was indeed a great one. With a relatively small population in the islands as compared to now there were more than twenty thousand (20.000) deaths of people reported and much loss of livestock and ruined plantations all over.
Here on Saba when a hurricane was coming, our forefathers had to go by signs of animals and how they behaved. Also, frequent small showers coming in, the sea getting rougher, and the skies darker. At the time Saba was very much dependent on its schooners owned by local people. I was fortunate to come across a story written by Richard Austin Johnson about a hurricane of 1871 and his grandfather Cohone having to leave his family behind to go and take a schooner anchored at the Fort Bay out to sea to weather the storm.
A schooner at sea similar to the one in this story.
“The last day of September 1871, a day long to be remembered by the inhabitants of Saba, broke with an overcast sky and a light drizzle. Mountainous easterly ground swells pounded the coast line, throwing spume in the air to be blown away by the increasing Northeast winds.
My grandfather, Cohone Johnson, was awake at daybreak and for a while listened to the roar of the waves 15 hundred feet below, then hastily dressing himself, he went outside and noted with a seaman’s eye, the signs which clearly heralded an approaching Hurricane.
Going back inside the house he wakened his wife Betsy and said, “I don’t want to alarm you, Betsy, but I believe a hurricane is coming, see to it that the children are dressed and fed, while I secure the loose things and batten down some of the windows.
At the time, Cohone was sailing on a two master 90 foot vessel, which was at anchor in the Ladder Bay.
Her owner and captain was at home, recuperating from a severe grippe and in no fit condition to take the vessel to sea. Cohone’s mind turned to the vessel as he worked and wondered what old Captain Richard Simmons would decide to do. At that moment my grandfather had no premonition, that before the day ended, he would be fighting for his life, on a sea gone mad with hurricane force winds.
As the morning wore on, Cohone’s neighbors, came to him for advice about the weather. To one and all he said “Prepare for a hurricane, which I expect to reach us before nightfall”.
About 10 o’clock, a boy, breathless from running, came to Cohone with a message from Capt. Simmons, saying “There is a hurricane approaching and I need you to help take the vessel to sea. Come at once.” After instructing his wife to have one of her cousins stay with her during the hurricane, Cohone took leave of his family and hastened to the Ladder Bay, where a boat was waiting to take him to the ship. After being nearly swamped because of the increasing wind and sea, Cohone managed to board the vessel, where he found to his dismay that only the captain, the mate, the cabin boy and himself were aboard.
Going to the cabin, Cohone confronted the captain, who sat at the cabin table, reading the Bible and demanded to know why he had been sent for and none of the other sailors.
With tears in his eyes, Captain Simmons said “The cowards refused to leave home. Just plain scared to risk their lives in a hurricane at sea. Pointing to the mate, who lay snoring in his bunk, with a half empty bottle of rum at his side”, he said. “Just look at that drunken slob there. Don’t expect any help from him. If I come out of this alive it will be my pleasure to kick him off my vessel. Now I just don’t know what to do.”
The schooner “Dorothy Palmer” in rough seas. Our Saban ancestors who survived these storms had many tales to pass on to their descendants.
Cohone thought for a minute and said “Captain, we cannot abandon the ship, even if we wanted to because we cannot get back to the shore. If we stay here any longer and the wind moves farther north, this will be open harbor and then nothing can save us. I suggest that we slip the anchor hoist the staysail and run south.” Then he added as an afterthought;” but we need your help at the wheel, until we can get the vessel underway.” To this plan the Captain agreed. Going on deck he said to the cabin boy, a sturdy youth of sixteen years, “Boy, you and I are the only ones to get this vessel under way. I want you to begin hoisting the staysail when I give you the word. Can I depend on you?” The boy nodded wordlessly. Cohone went forward, unshackled the chain and said to the cabin boy, “Now stand to hoist away.” Looking aft he saw that the Captain was at the wheel. Waiting until the vessels bow swung to port, he yelled “Now” and released the anchor chain, which went out of the hosepipe with a roar and was gone. Leaping to the assistance of the cabin boy he hoisted the staysail. The vessel released from her anchor surged forward, driven by a wind that had increased to gale force.
The Captain was glad to have Cohone relieve him at the wheel because he was a sick man and had the chills, brought on by the wind driven rain.
All afternoon and far into the night, the vessel fled Southward, driven by the wind which had increased to hurricane force, while Cohone fought the wheel to keep her on course. Shortly before midnight the cabin boy, who acted as lookout, yelled” Breakers on the port bow.” Cohone immediately, heaved on the wheel swinging the vessel’s bow away and to starboard. Shortly afterward, during a lightning flash, Cohone saw that they had narrowly missed piling up on Aves island also known as Bird Island, which is situated about 110 miles South and West of Montserrat.
About one hour later, the wind veered to the South. Cohone again changed course and fled before the wind. It was shortly after this that a mountainous wave loomed up amidships on the vessels starboard side. Yelling to the Cabin boy to jump for the riggings, Cohone let go of the wheel and did the same. With a thunderous roar the wave crashed down on the vessel, smothering her under tons of water and heaving her over on her beam ends. There she stayed until Cohone jumped to the deck in knee-deep water and seizing an axe, chopped away part of the bulwark, allowing the water to pour off. Slowly the vessel came back to even keel. Both the galley and the ships boat had vanished in the darkness.
During the early morning hours, the wind, which was now blowing from the South-Southwest, lessened and the sky began clearing. The island of Santa Cruz could now be seen ahead. Cohone again changed course, this time to Eastward. On the day after the hurricane, which was afterwards known as the Great Storm, Cohone dropped anchor at the Ladder Bay. The island that Cohone had left the day before was devastated, but luckily for my Grandfather, both he and his family were very much alive.”
And so you can read from a firsthand account what our people went through during a hurricane, and only then the worries as to how you would be able to feed yourself had only begun as all the crops on the island had been destroyed by the hurricane. We hope that our merchants will stock up on supplies when the hurricane season starts up as it can take weeks before a new shipment of foodstuff can come in from the United States and elsewhere.
Because the hurricane season starts today, here the story about the 1772 hurricane. Written by Will Johnson, taken from his weblog the Saba islander.
By: Will Johnson
As a boy I used to hear the old timers saying that in the great hurricane of 1772 the doors of the Dutch Reformed Church on Statia had been found in The Level where I now live. Before writing this article I checked with my brother Guy and my cousin Bernard as to what they knew about it. Bernard said right away;”Yes my father told me that story several times.” And my brother Guy confirmed that he had heard the old folks back then often talking about it.
The Level, Saba after hurricane George in 1998. Here is where the church doors of the Dutch Reformed Church of St. Eustatius reportedly landed in the Great Hurricane of 1772.
From all accounts it must have been a category five hurricane. Besides the damage done on Statia and Saba there are numerous reports of damage done on all the islands of the Lesser Antilles.
Hurricanes are a constant concern to our people on these islands, and in recent years they seem to be an ever present threat to those of us living here. I will share some newspaper articles from England after the great hurricane of 1772. Also, a story written by Richard Austin Johnson, about how his grandfather Cohone had to deal with a hurricane some one hundred years after the Great Hurricane of 1772. There was also another very strong hurricane in 1780 which also did a lot of damage to these islands, but it may have been of lesser intensity. In the eighteen nineties in one year three hurricanes struck Saba. Claudia Whitfield (80) used to tell me that her grandmother had told her so, and later on in the Journal of the Lt. Governor I was able to confirm that it was indeed so. The newspapers in England at the time also carried articles of other natural disasters, slave uprisings and so on. One such report is from the Oxford Journal of 11 August 1770. “By letters from Amsterdam, there are accounts of an Earthquake having lately been felt at the island of St. Eustatia, in the West Indies, which considerably damaged the Dutch plantations.”
As for the hurricane we would like to share several articles from newspapers in England at the time:
Derby Mercury 13 November 1772:
Extract of a letter from Dominica, September 19th.
“We have the most melancholy accounts from our sister islands, Barbados only excepted. At Antigua, by the Hurricane, their towns and plantations are almost destroyed, and not more than two schooners escaped undamaged of the great number of ships in their harbor; at St. Christopher’s the damage was rather greater; and at St. Eustatia still more melancholy. Not the least detriment was done to this island.”
Leeds Intelligencer 17 November 1772
Sept. 5th. “The horrible picture of this islands general distress, represented in our last day’s print, is greatly inferior to the original, the general loss sustained cannot possibly be computed at less than 500,000 [pounds sterling]. A subscription is set on foot by the Gentlemen of this town and neighborhood, for the immediate relief of the poor. Nothing crowds in upon us from this perilous day, but the same tragic scene from our sister island, St. Eustatia; many houses and families have been taken from the summit, and have not been heard of, and what has not been effected by the violence above, was completely so by the other below, by a cruel violence of the waves, which particulars we have not learned.
Caledonian Mercury 18 November 1772
New York, September 28th. “Saturday last arrived here from St. Martin’s, Capt. Harris, who informs us, that on the 29th of August last, a most violent hurricane happened there, which drove several vessels from their anchors, three of whom were lost. While Capt. Harris lay at St. Martin’s, advice was received there from St. Eustatia, that they had the most violent hurricane ever remembered there; that the greatest part of the houses on a place called Statia-Hill, were blown down, whereby a great number of lives were lost; that four large Dutch ships in the harbor foundered as they lay at anchor, and all the people on board drowned; that a number of other vessels were driven on shore, and some put out to sea.”
Caledonian Mercury 18 November 1782
A letter from Eustatia, dated September 3rd, giving an account of the destruction of a great part of that island by a hurricane and whirlwind, says “What adds to our distress is, that there is not a barrel of flour on the island for sale; the country provisions are all out, as yams &c. and expected till Christmas; no vessels to fetch foreign provisions; five Joes are asked for a barrel of flour by a person who has a few for his own use. Rice sells at seven pieces of eight per hundred. Unless the hand of Providence interposes, a famine must ensue. At present it is terrible to hear the cries and lamentations of those who think themselves the objects of Almighty vengeance.”
Oxford Journal 28 November 1772
“From the advices just come to hand from America, is selected the following melancholy account of the effects of the Great Storm on August 31st, at the Caribbean islands.—St. Eustatia, 400 houses on the higher grounds destroyed, or rendered untenantable ; many houses carried ten or twelve yards, and others quite into the sea. Plantation-houses all down, except two, and the canes on the ground all twisted up. The Dutch church blown into the sea.—At Saba, 180 houses blown down, and the cattle carried away from their stakes.- At. St.Martin’s scarce a house standing, all their plantations destroyed. —St. Croix a every house almost at Christianstad, and all the plantations and negro houses leveled. Only three houses left standing at Frederickstadt, and numbers of people killed. At St. Kitts’s, almost all the estates are destroyed, there being scarce a mill or boiling house left standing.”
As you can read this hurricane was indeed a great one. With a relatively small population in the islands as compared to now there were more than twenty thousand (20.000) deaths of people reported and much loss of livestock and ruined plantations all over.
Here on Saba when a hurricane was coming, our forefathers had to go by signs of animals and how they behaved. Also, frequent small showers coming in, the sea getting rougher, and the skies darker. At the time Saba was very much dependent on its schooners owned by local people. I was fortunate to come across a story written by Richard Austin Johnson about a hurricane of 1871 and his grandfather Cohone having to leave his family behind to go and take a schooner anchored at the Fort Bay out to sea to weather the storm.
A schooner at sea similar to the one in this story.
“The last day of September 1871, a day long to be remembered by the inhabitants of Saba, broke with an overcast sky and a light drizzle. Mountainous easterly ground swells pounded the coast line, throwing spume in the air to be blown away by the increasing Northeast winds.
My grandfather, Cohone Johnson, was awake at daybreak and for a while listened to the roar of the waves 15 hundred feet below, then hastily dressing himself, he went outside and noted with a seaman’s eye, the signs which clearly heralded an approaching Hurricane.
Going back inside the house he wakened his wife Betsy and said, “I don’t want to alarm you, Betsy, but I believe a hurricane is coming, see to it that the children are dressed and fed, while I secure the loose things and batten down some of the windows.
At the time, Cohone was sailing on a two master 90 foot vessel, which was at anchor in the Ladder Bay.
Her owner and captain was at home, recuperating from a severe grippe and in no fit condition to take the vessel to sea. Cohone’s mind turned to the vessel as he worked and wondered what old Captain Richard Simmons would decide to do. At that moment my grandfather had no premonition, that before the day ended, he would be fighting for his life, on a sea gone mad with hurricane force winds.
As the morning wore on, Cohone’s neighbors, came to him for advice about the weather. To one and all he said “Prepare for a hurricane, which I expect to reach us before nightfall”.
About 10 o’clock, a boy, breathless from running, came to Cohone with a message from Capt. Simmons, saying “There is a hurricane approaching and I need you to help take the vessel to sea. Come at once.” After instructing his wife to have one of her cousins stay with her during the hurricane, Cohone took leave of his family and hastened to the Ladder Bay, where a boat was waiting to take him to the ship. After being nearly swamped because of the increasing wind and sea, Cohone managed to board the vessel, where he found to his dismay that only the captain, the mate, the cabin boy and himself were aboard.
Going to the cabin, Cohone confronted the captain, who sat at the cabin table, reading the Bible and demanded to know why he had been sent for and none of the other sailors.
With tears in his eyes, Captain Simmons said “The cowards refused to leave home. Just plain scared to risk their lives in a hurricane at sea. Pointing to the mate, who lay snoring in his bunk, with a half empty bottle of rum at his side”, he said. “Just look at that drunken slob there. Don’t expect any help from him. If I come out of this alive it will be my pleasure to kick him off my vessel. Now I just don’t know what to do.”
The schooner “Dorothy Palmer” in rough seas. Our Saban ancestors who survived these storms had many tales to pass on to their descendants.
Cohone thought for a minute and said “Captain, we cannot abandon the ship, even if we wanted to because we cannot get back to the shore. If we stay here any longer and the wind moves farther north, this will be open harbor and then nothing can save us. I suggest that we slip the anchor hoist the staysail and run south.” Then he added as an afterthought;” but we need your help at the wheel, until we can get the vessel underway.” To this plan the Captain agreed. Going on deck he said to the cabin boy, a sturdy youth of sixteen years, “Boy, you and I are the only ones to get this vessel under way. I want you to begin hoisting the staysail when I give you the word. Can I depend on you?” The boy nodded wordlessly. Cohone went forward, unshackled the chain and said to the cabin boy, “Now stand to hoist away.” Looking aft he saw that the Captain was at the wheel. Waiting until the vessels bow swung to port, he yelled “Now” and released the anchor chain, which went out of the hosepipe with a roar and was gone. Leaping to the assistance of the cabin boy he hoisted the staysail. The vessel released from her anchor surged forward, driven by a wind that had increased to gale force.
The Captain was glad to have Cohone relieve him at the wheel because he was a sick man and had the chills, brought on by the wind driven rain.
All afternoon and far into the night, the vessel fled Southward, driven by the wind which had increased to hurricane force, while Cohone fought the wheel to keep her on course. Shortly before midnight the cabin boy, who acted as lookout, yelled” Breakers on the port bow.” Cohone immediately, heaved on the wheel swinging the vessel’s bow away and to starboard. Shortly afterward, during a lightning flash, Cohone saw that they had narrowly missed piling up on Aves island also known as Bird Island, which is situated about 110 miles South and West of Montserrat.
About one hour later, the wind veered to the South. Cohone again changed course and fled before the wind. It was shortly after this that a mountainous wave loomed up amidships on the vessels starboard side. Yelling to the Cabin boy to jump for the riggings, Cohone let go of the wheel and did the same. With a thunderous roar the wave crashed down on the vessel, smothering her under tons of water and heaving her over on her beam ends. There she stayed until Cohone jumped to the deck in knee-deep water and seizing an axe, chopped away part of the bulwark, allowing the water to pour off. Slowly the vessel came back to even keel. Both the galley and the ships boat had vanished in the darkness.
During the early morning hours, the wind, which was now blowing from the South-Southwest, lessened and the sky began clearing. The island of Santa Cruz could now be seen ahead. Cohone again changed course, this time to Eastward. On the day after the hurricane, which was afterwards known as the Great Storm, Cohone dropped anchor at the Ladder Bay. The island that Cohone had left the day before was devastated, but luckily for my Grandfather, both he and his family were very much alive.”
And so you can read from a firsthand account what our people went through during a hurricane, and only then the worries as to how you would be able to feed yourself had only begun as all the crops on the island had been destroyed by the hurricane. We hope that our merchants will stock up on supplies when the hurricane season starts up as it can take weeks before a new shipment of foodstuff can come in from the United States and elsewhere.
How Fragile We Are
Nowadays, we hear so much negative things about St. Eustatius. I want to be positive. So here I will write down, what I think is positive about the island.
In school, everyday, the children sing. In church, everybody sings. Rare talents were raised on Statia, music and dance are in the genes of all families.
On St. Eustatius, all year long, the sun shines. At night, it becomes dark, all year long, around 6.45 to in summertime maybe 7.15, 7.30. That means, that when you have a family, with children, it is easy to get them to go to bed. After having dinner, it’s dark. Not dark, but pitch-dark. When you move from house to house, you do that in the dark. Children are tired, they sleep easily. Nowadays, sports are being played at night.
The Hurricane season is exciting. The people know the signs. The animals do too. After a storm, cleaning up the island is a joint effort and people help each other.
Around Christmas time, it is cooler and that is the time people fix up their houses. Christmas is Caribbean, but it is English-American aswell, everybody makes their homes friendly and with loads of colorfull lights and Christmas decorations.
In this climate, people get up early. For festivities, like Statia Day, Emancipation Day and the Queens’ Brithday, there is ceremony at Fort Oranje, there are drums throughout town, waking up the people, this happens at 4 in the morning.
There used to be a cactus called the prickley pear. This fruit was used by Ms. Blyden, to make her favorite drink. Drinks are made of some kind of cherries and tamarind, sour sop, papaya, mango, sugar apple, and much and much more.
On Statia, there are many, many small areas where you can be alone, where you can enjoy the view and dream.
People are fragile, children are fragile. If we would care for each other, listen to each other and give each other some space, slowly but surely, Statia will rise.
This is the link to the letter Koos Sneek wrote: http://www.scribd.com/doc/151849014/I-Have-Made-a-Number-of-Mistakes-in-My-Life
He resigned as commissioner, as before him did Glenn Schmidt and before him did Koert Kerkhoff and before him did Clyde van Putten…
At this moment, it is very difficult to be part of the executive council of St. Eustatius. St. Eustatius has to change and wants to change, but it is difficult to change. I think St. Eustatius first has to figure out where its’ strenght lies.
Statia has many heroes and many stories but above all Statia is a family island. Everybody is family, also the police officer and also the island secretary. You might agree to disagree, but the next day, you meet again. Of course, you can hide and live a private live. But you do meet everybody all the time.
Mr. Gerald Berkel, the Lt. Governor, will now work with Mr. Carlyle Tearr and Mr. Reginald Zaandam in the executive council. Berkel and Tearr are businessmen, Zaandam is an educator. Maybe something good will come out of it.
I want to share this song with you; Sting and Stevie Wonder, a white man and a black man. I think the musical people of St. Eustatius will appreciate it.
Nowadays, we hear so much negative things about St. Eustatius. I want to be positive. So here I will write down, what I think is positive about the island.
In school, everyday, the children sing. In church, everybody sings. Rare talents were raised on Statia, music and dance are in the genes of all families.
On St. Eustatius, all year long, the sun shines. At night, it becomes dark, all year long, around 6.45 to in summertime maybe 7.15, 7.30. That means, that when you have a family, with children, it is easy to get them to go to bed. After having dinner, it’s dark. Not dark, but pitch-dark. When you move from house to house, you do that in the dark. Children are tired, they sleep easily. Nowadays, sports are being played at night.
The Hurricane season is exciting. The people know the signs. The animals do too. After a storm, cleaning up the island is a joint effort and people help each other.
Around Christmas time, it is cooler and that is the time people fix up their houses. Christmas is Caribbean, but it is English-American aswell, everybody makes their homes friendly and with loads of colorfull lights and Christmas decorations.
In this climate, people get up early. For festivities, like Statia Day, Emancipation Day and the Queens’ Brithday, there is ceremony at Fort Oranje, there are drums throughout town, waking up the people, this happens at 4 in the morning.
There used to be a cactus called the prickley pear. This fruit was used by Ms. Blyden, to make her favorite drink. Drinks are made of some kind of cherries and tamarind, sour sop, papaya, mango, sugar apple, and much and much more.
On Statia, there are many, many small areas where you can be alone, where you can enjoy the view and dream.
People are fragile, children are fragile. If we would care for each other, listen to each other and give each other some space, slowly but surely, Statia will rise.
This is the link to the letter Koos Sneek wrote: http://www.scribd.com/doc/151849014/I-Have-Made-a-Number-of-Mistakes-in-My-Life
He resigned as commissioner, as before him did Glenn Schmidt and before him did Koert Kerkhoff and before him did Clyde van Putten…
At this moment, it is very difficult to be part of the executive council of St. Eustatius. St. Eustatius has to change and wants to change, but it is difficult to change. I think St. Eustatius first has to figure out where its’ strenght lies.
Statia has many heroes and many stories but above all Statia is a family island. Everybody is family, also the police officer and also the island secretary. You might agree to disagree, but the next day, you meet again. Of course, you can hide and live a private live. But you do meet everybody all the time.
Mr. Gerald Berkel, the Lt. Governor, will now work with Mr. Carlyle Tearr and Mr. Reginald Zaandam in the executive council. Berkel and Tearr are businessmen, Zaandam is an educator. Maybe something good will come out of it.
I want to share this song with you; Sting and Stevie Wonder, a white man and a black man. I think the musical people of St. Eustatius will appreciate it.
A non issue
Why would anyone want to be considered a local? What is so important? Why is it an issue? I would love that question answered. I have been coming to Statia every other year since I was 2 and I live here now permanently for 17 years. My entire family is from here yet I am not a local, don’t want to be considered one becuz I am not. I was born on Curacao, raised on St. Maarten and consider myself a St. Maartener because that’s where I was raised. And whatever I consider myself to be still isn’t putting food on my table or paying my taxes. If someone has to ask and wonder then they are not a local…. move on, there’s nothing to see here. Be proud of who you are and where you come from. And just be happy to be living on Statia. Until we regress to separate water coolers for locals and non-locals (if you get my drift) let’s stop giving weight to the debate. Its a non-issue.
By Jessica Berkel (quoted from facebook with permission)
BONAIRE STATIA AND SABA MEET TO RESOLVE 10.10.10. ISSUES
By Xallers on December 1, 2012
A Representative of Economic Affairs in the form of Ms. Wilma van Zoest accompanied the Commissioner of Economic Affairs, Mr. Koos Sneek to the meetings on Bonaire from November 7th throughout November 9th 2012, which was of an economic nature. Discussions were held with the Kingdom Representative, Mr. Wilbert Stolte. They talked about problems experienced with the Customs on Saba and Statia. A few of the problems experienced are, that goods that should be exempted are not; civil servants are treated poorly by the customs. Both Saba and Statia governments are seeking the input of the Kingdom representative to assist with the broker ( declaring goods upon arrival) system which is scheduled to be implemented by January 1st 2013. According to Commissioner Sneek “good results were booked in the Netherlands regarding the extension of the ABB exempted goods, but it is being interrupted by the way the Tax office is operating. Commissioner Sneek is of the opinion that the system needs to be simplified.
A meeting was held with the director of Spatial Development. They agreed on a number of important points with regard to the execution of price control, and the accompanying calculation of the maximum cost.
The agreements are:
-The Weeker accord of October 2012 will be used as the point of departure
• The BES islands will use the same strategy, but a different execution system
• (The profit) margin needs to be calculated for the entrepreneur (in consultation), taking the value added tax into consideration, and the other cost
• Local ordinances needs to be drawn up, and should indicate that entrepreneurs are compelled to have their list with maximum prices visible in their establishment
• Purchase prices needs to be requested from the Wholesaler from for example St. Maarten
• Freight cost needs to be requested
• A committee needs to be appointed
• A list needs to be requested from the Tax office of exempted goods, where after the islands should start preparing a list of the various brands per product.
• The desired date to start with the execution maximum prices is January 2013.
In the discussions Saba and Statia sought for opportunities for locals on each island to train to become custom officers.
A meeting was held with the director of Spatial Development. They agreed on a number of important points with regard to the execution of price control, and the accompanying calculation of the maximum cost.
The agreements are:
-The Weeker accord of October 2012 will be used as the point of departure
• The BES islands will use the same strategy, but a different execution system
• (The profit) margin needs to be calculated for the entrepreneur (in consultation), taking the value added tax into consideration, and the other cost
• Local ordinances needs to be drawn up, and should indicate that entrepreneurs are compelled to have their list with maximum prices visible in their establishment
• Purchase prices needs to be requested from the Wholesaler from for example St. Maarten
• Freight cost needs to be requested
• A committee needs to be appointed
• A list needs to be requested from the Tax office of exempted goods, where after the islands should start preparing a list of the various brands per product.
• The desired date to start with the execution maximum prices is January 2013.
In the discussions Saba and Statia sought for opportunities for locals on each island to train to become custom officers.
In the meeting held in Bonaire the
three island governments highlighted areas that requires attention and sought for solution to the various issues. Together they formulated the agreements with regards to the execution of price control, and the accompanying calculation of the maximum cost. They met with Mr. Bermudez and other representatives of the tax office on Bonaire.
Both island governments, Saba and Statia complained of the frustration that Business people are experiencing with regard to the new Broker system which will be introduced in January 2013 along with the many trainings which they are forced to follow. The island governments of Bonaire, Saba and Statia stated that the agreements signed with the Netherlands are being disregarded based on the system of the tax office. By 2013 a broker will be required above a certain cost while other cost falling below a certain margin, will be each persons responsibility along with the completion of a form. Instead of the process becoming more simple it is becoming more complicated. The islands indicated clearly
in this meeting that they definitely do not want this complication. A request was made for the ABB list of exempted goods. According to the arrangements made the islands would receive the list by November 16th 2012. (This List will be publicized in January 2013). The Economic Affairs department on Bonaire will set up meetings with the Tax office to further specify the list, Saba and Statia will contribute their input through an audio conference. The requested addition of goods still needs to be worked out in the Netherlands through a ministerial decree. At the same time the governments of Saba and Statia indicated that they prefer to have locals trained to become custom officers instead of officials from Bonaire. Their mentality and customer friendliness of the Officers from Bonaire leaves much to be desired. Other areas of concern was the poor communication maintained between the Tax office on the various islands to the local governments. The islands are advised to list their complaints and forward them to Mrs. Astrid Mc Kenzie. Meetings were held with management of Control and Order. Mrs. Jones of management is responsible for circulation of preventive information to the entrepreneurs about the rules and legislation. She explained that they will soon commence with trainings for detective. Commissioner Sneek asked if persons from Statia would be able to participate in this programme. Participants will be responsible for self financing, although it is something geared more to the Police. This training is for approximately 8 months to 1 year. If needed the services of the detective of Bonaire can be used.
Source: Statianews
three island governments highlighted areas that requires attention and sought for solution to the various issues. Together they formulated the agreements with regards to the execution of price control, and the accompanying calculation of the maximum cost. They met with Mr. Bermudez and other representatives of the tax office on Bonaire.
Both island governments, Saba and Statia complained of the frustration that Business people are experiencing with regard to the new Broker system which will be introduced in January 2013 along with the many trainings which they are forced to follow. The island governments of Bonaire, Saba and Statia stated that the agreements signed with the Netherlands are being disregarded based on the system of the tax office. By 2013 a broker will be required above a certain cost while other cost falling below a certain margin, will be each persons responsibility along with the completion of a form. Instead of the process becoming more simple it is becoming more complicated. The islands indicated clearly
in this meeting that they definitely do not want this complication. A request was made for the ABB list of exempted goods. According to the arrangements made the islands would receive the list by November 16th 2012. (This List will be publicized in January 2013). The Economic Affairs department on Bonaire will set up meetings with the Tax office to further specify the list, Saba and Statia will contribute their input through an audio conference. The requested addition of goods still needs to be worked out in the Netherlands through a ministerial decree. At the same time the governments of Saba and Statia indicated that they prefer to have locals trained to become custom officers instead of officials from Bonaire. Their mentality and customer friendliness of the Officers from Bonaire leaves much to be desired. Other areas of concern was the poor communication maintained between the Tax office on the various islands to the local governments. The islands are advised to list their complaints and forward them to Mrs. Astrid Mc Kenzie. Meetings were held with management of Control and Order. Mrs. Jones of management is responsible for circulation of preventive information to the entrepreneurs about the rules and legislation. She explained that they will soon commence with trainings for detective. Commissioner Sneek asked if persons from Statia would be able to participate in this programme. Participants will be responsible for self financing, although it is something geared more to the Police. This training is for approximately 8 months to 1 year. If needed the services of the detective of Bonaire can be used.
Source: Statianews
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