SALUTATIONS:

The Honourable T.  Desmond Bannister, Minister of Education;

Mr. Alfred Gray, Member of Parliament, MICAL Constituency;

Dr. Preston Cunningham, Island Administrator;

Father Tellis Glover, Rector of St. Philip’s Parish;

Mr. Allen Cleare, Chief Councillor;

Mr. Joel Lewis, District Superintendent;

Ms. Christine Williamson, Principal, Inagua All Age School;

Administrators, Teachers, Staff;

Parents and Guardians, Family and Friends;

Distinguished Graduates and Returning Students:


Good evening.

It is good to return to the island of my birth to celebrate the milestone of the graduation of the Class of 2010 at the Inagua All Age School, the school where I began my own life-long quest for knowledge.  

Though many of us continue to talk about Inagua as one of the  best kept secrets in the Bahamas, I suspect you already know that many of this island’s best kept secrets are already out.

For me, it is a privilege to be the first Inaguan to serve as Governor General.  But, I have no doubt that more Inaguans will serve in national leadership capacities in the future.

Indeed, Inaguans have already made numerous contributions around the world.  From noted educator T. G. Glover to musician Alphonso “Blind Blake” Higgs to the world renowned opera singer Randolph Symonette, many of our best kept secrets are now being shared with a wider world.

There were other Bahamian pioneers from Inagua, such as Cyril Richardson who studied medicine in Aberdeen, Scotland, in the 1920s.  There were the Nixon brothers whose legendary contributions to conservation and environmentalism have led to the repopulation of our archipelago with our wonderful national bird, the flamingo.

Like these pioneers, I am sure Class of 2010, that you will likewise do Inagua proud as you continue your journey beyond today’s celebration.  I know that you will also do the Bahamas proud here in Inagua and wherever else you should choose to venture in the world.

No matter where you go, remember this:  Because of geography and the determined individuals who took advantage of the possibilities arising from this, Inagua has always been at the crossroads of our history.  This is also your history, graduates.  It is a part of your destiny.

Incidentally, may I invite the community of Inagua to do more to showcase and preserve the rich cultural and built heritage of Inagua.  As you know, many of our islands are doing this important work, with Abaco, Cat Island, Eleuthera and other islands leading the way.  There is also significant work being done in New Providence.

I invite you to consider the  development of an Inagua Heritage Committee which will coordinate the preservation and exposition of the rich history of this island.  There are a number of persons and groups who may assist in these efforts.

If we do not preserve the history, records, architecture and artefacts of Inagua, they may pass into history not as secrets, but as history lost and never to be found again.    

You already have the historical triumph of the preservation of our national bird and Inagua’s natural heritage to guide you in the preservation of this island’s cultural and built heritage.

Class of 2010:  You and I share a common bond.  We now share the same alma mater.  We also share a deeper bond:  The opportunity to use the gift of this education to serve the country we love.

The opportunity for every Bahamian child to attend and complete secondary school only came about in my lifetime.  Today, many thousands of Bahamians have advanced degrees whether a Bachelor’s, a Master’s or Doctoral.

So, you are most fortunate to have completed high school.  I beseech you to use this good fortune to help uplift the least fortunate in our country.

Today is a moment to be proud.  Yet, a deeper pride will develop when you are able to apply the knowledge you have obtained to make life better for yourselves and the wider community.   In essence, it is important to make a living, but it is equally important to make life worth living.

As I just noted, the opportunity to attend high school in the Bahamas is a relatively recent occurrence in the history of our country.

Prior to 1967, most students left school at the age at 14 to enter the workplace as there were precious few secondary schools for them to attend.  

This changed because of men and women who decided to dedicate themselves to something bigger than themselves.  

Graduates:  Our country is not without its challenges.  We have significant social problems, including a high incidence of violent crime.

The Bahamas, like many other countries, is experiencing one of the worst economic downturns since the Great Depression of the Twenties and Thirties.

Fortunately, this world economic crisis has not affected Inagua as badly as it has the rest of the country.

Another challenge is also the need for us to return to greater civic pride, civility, respect and basic good manners.  Good morning, thank you and please are not merely courtesies.  They are also a part of the social ties and graces which bind us together as One Bahamas.  

We afford others basic courtesies because they are a part of our human and Bahamian family.  These courtesies are a part of the Golden Rule that we should do unto others as we would have them do unto us.

Dressing appropriately, refraining from foul language in public and driving courteously demonstrate that we have respect for our own person as well as others.

Proper public behaviour, good manners and simple kindness are at the very heart of our Bahamian way of life.

Our young people today are bombarded with unwholesome messages in the popular, social and mass media from video games to violent language and images in film and on the Internet.

Still, despite our national challenges, I remain hopeful.  Things are not as bad as some may suggest.  There is often too much negativity and cynicism on the part of many adults.  If you listen to some people, you would think that these are the worst of times.

The media never tire of telling us what is bad in our Bahamas but they are not so anxious to tell us the good things, especially the wonderful achievements of many of our young people who are the doing the right things.

I am often amused that for many older people, no matter the decade, that in their minds their times are always the worst of times.  I heard this when I was a mere boy, then as a teenager, then as an adult. I continue to hear this even now as a senior citizen.

So, allow me to say a word to the parents, guardians, teachers and community leaders here tonight.

With the vantage point of age and history, let me remind you that not everything was better yesteryear.  Indeed, many things were quite worse in terms of a lack of opportunity, discrimination and inequality.  Many doors that are open today were shut tight back then.

Also, our young people are faced with challenges the likes of which us older folks have never had to contend.  So, even as you provide a firm hand to our children and youth, also provide them with encouragement and examples of hope.

We are often quick to condemn our young people for their mistakes but slow to praise them when they do good.  Let’s lift them up more, and row them out less.  Let’s lift them up with stories of hope and examples of success.  And let us be generous in our encouragement.

Most young people are not engaging in antisocial behaviour.  Most young people want opportunities to succeed.  Most young people are hungry for a chance to be truly involved in life-giving pursuits which challenge their minds, engage their hearts and touch their imaginations.

From the National Children’s and Youth Choirs to community service to the National Spelling Bee to church youth groups to speech, debate and athletic competitions, our young people are excelling and contributing.

Our children and youth are also excelling in various national arts and cultural activities and programmes.  I was most pleased to listen to the renditions by your students of “This Land Is My Land” and “All a We is One Family”, when I arrived.   And, I also appreciated the music played by the Third Bahamas Boys Brigade.

We need more such programmes and opportunities where young people can be mentored by caring adults who lift them up, who inspire them into being and doing their best.

I marvel at the young people who have had to go to work at a young age to help take care of their families and their younger siblings.  Indeed, more often than not, it is not our young people who are failing.    Disturbingly, it is too often the adult community that is failing.  

During my tenure as Governor General I dedicate myself, among other things, to encouraging our young people.  I want to remind them of the possibilities before them.  This includes the fine legacies of men and women in whom they can find inspiration.

I want our young people to know about Dr. Albert Forsythe, a Bahamian. He was a medical doctor and a pioneer in aviation who was one of the first of two men to ever land a plane on New Providence.

I remind our young people about Myron Rolle and other Rolles hailing from Exuma who have played in the National Football League in the United States.  

Myron Rolle is also a Rhodes Scholar who joins the ranks of the other Rhodes Scholars we are continuing to produce on a regular basis. The brilliant musician and guitar player Joseph Spence was from Andros.  

Indeed, all of the islands in the Bahamas archipelago have contributed to national and world history.

When I had the privilege of serving as High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, I met many Bahamians from whom our youth can draw inspiration.  In both Franz Hepburn and Dr. Cleveland Williams, they will find world class musicians who are excelling at home and abroad.

For those young people interested in history and education, they will find in Dr. Gail Saunders and Dr. Keva Bethel fine Bahamians who have contributed significantly to our national development.

From athletics to the arts to scholarship, Bahamians have excelled way beyond the measure of our small country.  We are Golden Girls and Boys and Men and Women from the Olympics to the Grammy and Academy Awards to other world stages and awards.


Beyond our accomplishments, there is also an entrepreneurial spirit that is alive and well, and becoming more vibrant.  I think of men like Israel Rolle, better known to most of us as Bonefish Foley.

Mr. Rolle represents the best of the Bahamian Imagination.  He realized long ago how to use the many gifts God has given us a people.  He used his talents to pursue various careers which brought him personal fulfillment.  

He also used his talents to care for his family and enrich his community.  In the process, he taught us how to make use of the extraordinary natural beauty and beneficence of the Bahamas.  He taught us how to drop our buckets where we are and create something new and wonderful.  This is the Bahamian way.

Graduates:  It is this same entrepreneurial spirit of enterprise and excellence that I invite you to discover and make your own.  God has already provided the Bahamas with the resources.  And, he has provided you with the talents.

It is now your task to marry your talents to those gifts.  Think of the riches we have as a country.  The Minister of Tourism and Aviation, the Hon. Vincent Vanderpool Wallace likes to say that the Bahamas is not only a country, it is a region.  

It takes a jetliner over two hours to fly through the airspace of the Bahamas from north to south.  If you fly over many islands in the Caribbean it takes approximately ten to twenty minutes.

Andros is the fifth largest island in the Caribbean. Little Inagua is the largest uninhabited island in the Caribbean.  Mayaguana is three or four times bigger than Bermuda.  Many of our islands are bigger than Barbados.  Our marine resources are extensive and extraordinary.

We used to think of such a large archipelago as a development challenge. We now recognize ours as an archipelago of opportunities.  Remember that: An archipelago of opportunities.


As we continue to celebrate our nation’s past and present accomplishments, let us also look to the unfolding dawn and new horizons.

Graduates:  We need your ideas and energy to embrace tomorrow’s opportunities today.  We need you to help to continue to diversify our tourism industry in the areas of eco, heritage and sports tourism.   This will include the ongoing development of Bahamian boutique tourism brands and establishments.

We need you to gain the scientific, technological and other skills needed to make our country more environmentally conscious and sustainable.  In essence we need the scientists and technicians who will help us to harness the wind and the waves.  And, we need the dreamers who will help us to harness a thousand tomorrows and beyond.

Graduates:  Your country also needs the farmers who will produce niche agricultural products.  And, we will need competent well-trained individuals in every area of national life from teachers to artists to engineers to civil servants to social and business entrepreneurs.

The stakes are too high and the opportunities too extraordinary to waste our time with bemoaning our troubles as a country.  Self-criticism is good but self-abuse is destructive of our national aspirations.

As we celebrate your graduation from primary to secondary school and secondary school to the next chapter in your lives, I urge you to consider how your individual goals and intentions may impact The Bahamas.

In closing, I suggest to you three life lessons:

1. Business acumen without values quite often leads to a full bank account, but a bankrupt spirit.   So be business people guided by values beyond the mere accumulation of profits.

2. Academic knowledge and intelligence without character typically leads to corruption of heart and mind.  So become people of intelligence, guided by virtues which allow you to apply your knowledge to the common good rather than simply personal interests.

3. Power without conscience leads to despotism of heart and mind.  So become men and women for others guided by conscience and compassion.

So even as you prepare for tomorrow by making yourself competent in whatever area you choose to pursue, make sure that you are also a person of character, compassion and citizenship.

And remember that the only life worth living is the life of service to God through service to God’s people.

So, dear graduates, I invite you as a fellow product of this wonderful institution to get ready for a life of adventure and service.  You will have many challenges along the way.  

When you come to the evening of your life, you will be able to look back with joy and pride if you do your best, remain honest and dedicate yourself to causes larger than yourselves, and give a full measure of service to our beloved Bahamas.

Graduates:  Congratulations.  May the Lord who has blessed Inagua and the Bahamas with so many riches, bless you tonight and as you go on your way.


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