thebahamasweekly.com - South Andros Public Library Renamed After ‘Father of The Nation’

From:TheBahamasWeekly.com

Bahamas Information Services Updates
South Andros Public Library Renamed After ‘Father of The Nation’
By Betty Vedrine
May 21, 2014 - 9:44:43 AM

Money Rock, Andros, BAHAMAS – A tribute was paid to former Prime Minister, the late Sir Lynden O. Pindling in South Andros during a ceremony Friday, May 16.

Prime Minister the Rt. Hon. Perry G. Christie, Cabinet Ministers and Government Officials, joined members of the Legacy Foundation (chaired by Mrs. Monique Pindling –Johnson, Sir Lynden’s daughter) and the community of The Bluff, Andros at the South Andros Public Library. Prime Minister Christie said Sir Lynden’s legacy should never be forgotten.

“While others may have conveniently forgotten the true measure of Sir Lynden’s service, the good people of The Bluff, Andros have not,”

He said the re-opening of South Andros Public Library is a reminder to all who would seek to forget that The Bahamas is what it is today, in large part because of the courage and commitment of Sir Lynden "to fight for Black Bahamians, indeed for all Bahamians to be free.”

Mr. Christie said the ceremony demonstrated a parallel of history. “Some twenty five years ago, Sir Lynden, through the Committee for a Better South Andros sought to raise the funds to build the library,” he said. “Today, the family of Sir Lynden through the Lynden Pindling Foundation has provided the funding to repair and restore this structure after it sat closed and in disrepair for many years.”

The Prime Minister said that this refurbished library represents a "restoration of an indelible bond" between a great man and a people who loved him dearly.

“It also represents the gift of education which Sir Lynden ensured that all Bahamians received as a fundamental right and as a tool for empowerment. Education was one of his deepest passions. Mr. Christie said Sir Lynden believed in the power of education to transform and elevate a people. He said in perhaps, one of his first public addresses after being victorious in the 1967 election, there is that unforgettable phrase, “Education is the key.”

He said that Sir Lynden’s life was multi-dimensional because his interests varied.

“For you, the good people of South Andros, he was your Member of Parliament. He served you as your member of parliament from the time he was elected on 10th January, 1967 until he retired in 1997.”