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BAHA MAR FOYER - BAHAMAS
INDEPENDENCE DAY DECORATIONS
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Today has been the
45th Anniversary of Bahamas Independence. Before The Bahamas became Independent
on July 10th, 1973, this island nation was a British Colony. My husband Erskine
even had a British passport up until then. He says there was a long building on
the Prince George Wharf that housed the passport office. After Independence The
Bahamas became a British Commonwealth country.
When we lived in
the U.K. in the eighties, I wrote to the Bahamian High Commission in London,
requesting contacts for Bahamians living in the U.K., so I could approach them
to write feature articles about them. Instead, the Bahamian High Commission
said they would send Erskine and me an invitation to the Bahamas Independence
festivities in London, where we would be able to meet other Bahamians. Mr.
Richard Demeritte was the Bahamian High Commissioner at the time.
We lived in
Exeter, Devon, which was a four hour National Express bus journey from London.
Erskine owned and operated St. David’s General Stores and could only get one day
off for the Independence event (my mother used to work part-time for him and
she looked after the shop so we could go to London).
We set off early
that July 10th day. When we arrived in London we caught a tube train to get to
the Bahamian High Commission. There was a restaurant nearby. We had something
to eat there and later changed our clothes in their restrooms!
When we entered
the Bahamian High Commission that evening, we left our bag in the cloakroom and
proceeded to the venue. The barker, dressed in a red uniform, at the door took
our invitation and announced very grandly: “Mr. and Mrs. Erskine Knowles!” We
continued on into the ballroom and began mingling.
It was a wonderful
evening, full of laughter, good Bahamian music, dancing and comradery. As the
event came to an end, we made our way back to the bus station via the tube. The
bus swooped in, picked us up, and we slept most of the way back to Exeter.
Everything would
have been perfect if I hadn’t left my handbag on the bus when it stopped at
Exeter Bus Station! Erskine woke me up and I rushed off the bus with him. It
wasn’t until the bus swiftly disappeared in the distance that I realized I’d
left my handbag on the bus with our car and house keys in it! We had only
brought the larger bag with our clothes. On top of that, it started to pour
with rain.
The plan had been
to catch a taxi to Erskine’s shop where our car was parked. However, when we
phoned for a taxi from a public phone booth, for some strange reason all of the
taxis were miles away in Plymouth!
We started walking
through the deserted city and when we came across the Rougemont Hotel thought
we would try calling another taxi company from there. However, the hotel’s
doors were closed and locked!
We continued
walking and eventually reached St. David’s Railway Station, but couldn’t pick
up our car, as we didn’t have the keys! We continue walking across the railway
and up into Exwick where we lived.
One of our college
age sons was living with us and the other son was away at boarding school.
Unfortunately, the son who was home slept like a log and it took ages to wake
him up. Eventually a few rocks thrown at his window brought him to our rescue!
The next day I
reported to the bus company from my work that my handbag had been left on the
bus, which had travelled all the way down to Cornwall. The following day the
bag arrived in a National Express box, all safe and sound, with the keys in it!
It had been a
Bahamas Independence Day to remember!
