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Richard Goddard – 1935 to 2021
Richard Goddard tribute by William Burton I first met Richard Goddard through my parents. But it was not until the early 1980’s that I joined his Sunday morning walks which started at Union Hall where he lived at the time. Soon groups from the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme joined as part of their qualification.…
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Plantation Life in Barbados in the 1950s
I grew up in St. John and St. George in the middle of some of the best agricultural land in Barbados, among numerous sugar plantations, at a time when sugar was still king and was the lifeblood of the island’s economy. During the 17th century, Barbados was celebrated as the richest colony in British America.…
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The New Joe’s River Pedestrian Bridge
After approximately 15 long years of waiting the Joe’s River Pedestrian Bridge was officially re-opened at the handing over ceremony on 17th December 2020. Joe’s River is one of only a few above-ground rivers found in Barbados. It has gone through many name changes since the 17th Century which included being called a Streamlet and…
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How they came to Barbados and found no men therein…
Amyas Preston was an English privateer of the Elizabethan period. Preston came from Cricket, St Thomas in Somerset. He took part in many wars and battles in support of England. Among these were the Preston Somers Expedition in 1595. The Preston–Somers expedition was a series of military actions that took place from late May till…
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BajanThings six years on…
It is that time of year to reflect on BajanThings six years on since launch and over the past twelve months. We hope you had a Happy Christmas even if you had to self-isolate away from your family. What was your BajanThings all time favourite post? What was your BajanThings 2020 favourite post? My all…
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Alan Emtage – the Bajan who invented the ftp search engine in 1989 while a post-grad student at McGill University
Bajan Alan Emtage in 1989, aged 25, invented the first internet (ftp) search engine – Archie. The name Archie is derived from Archive with the v removed. At the time Alan was a post graduate student at McGill University working as a volunteer systems administrator for the School of Computer Science where he conceived and…
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Four days up and twenty days down – The Small World crossing of the Atlantic December 1958
The Small World was a silver and black hydrogen filled balloon captained by Arnold “Bushy” Eiloart, whose quest was to be the first balloon to complete a transatlantic voyage from Tenerife to the east coast of the United States. The Small World balloon had the registration G-APOB. The gondola had the registration The Small World…
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George Blackman BWIR – There were no parades for us
In 1915 Britain’s War Office, which had initially opposed recruitment of West Indian troops, agreed to accept volunteers from the West Indies. A new regiment was formed, the British West Indies Regiment (BWIR), which served in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. “They called us darkies. But when the battle starts, it didn’t make a…
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Banja in Barbados and its influence on calypso throughout the West Indies
The story of Banja and its development and its influence on calypso though the West Indies told by our guest contributor Roger Gibbs – who is Toronto based. Here we re-publish Roger Gibbs’ video presentation: Early Calypso in Barbados. In addition to the video Roger has also provided us with a transcript for those that…
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King Ja Ja, L’Année Passée and Rum & Coca-Cola
This is a follow-on to the well-known Barbadian folk song Millie Gone to Brazil and is how two classics songs L’Année Passée and Rum & Coca-Cola trace their heritage back to the Bajan folk song: King Ja Ja. It is told by our guest contributor Roger Gibbs. King Ja Ja of Opobo King Ja Ja…
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BajanThings
Bajan history. Interesting Bajan people. Hiking in Barbados and Overseas. International Travel…