Due to inclement weather the renaming ceremony for the Norma Headley Drive was not held this past Wednesday as previously announced and has been post poned til October, but the street sign was changed.

Speaking to Mrs. Headley said that she is humbled and honoured at the same time having this street renamed after her.

“I want to thank the (Grand Bahama) Port Authority for bestowing this honour on me” she added. “You know I do what I do from my heart and so it comes naturally.”

Management at the Grand Bahama Port Authority felt it best to honour Mrs. Headley in this manner after her many years of dedicated service to those persons in the late stages of Cancer through the Cancer Association, as well as sharing preventative messages to the wider community. Sir Jack Hayward, Chairman of the Grand Bahama Port Authority, donated the land for the cancer hospice which was built through donations garnered by Mrs. Headley. He wants on be on hand for the official ceremony but had to leave the country this week and post poned the event to his return.

In a previous statement Sir Jack was quoted saying ".. through the tireless efforts and persistence of Norma Headley, President, The Cancer Association of Grand Bahama, what started as a conception of an idea, is today a reality," Sir Jack was quoted saying.

With the assistance of the community, business entities, cancer survivors and their families, and international donors, Mrs. Headley and the Cancer Association of Grand Bahama were able to commence the first phase of the community headquarters last year and now can house a number of patients on a 24 hour bases with Mrs. Headley being the mean care given for those persons. The streets in the down town area prior to were named after British explorers and/or dignitaries. It is believed that the John Tinker Street was named after (John) Joseph Tinker (1875 – 30 July 1957) who was a British Labour Party politician.

He was said to have been elected at the 1923 general election as Member of Parliament (MP) for Leigh in Lancashire, and held the seat until his retirement from the House of Commons at the 1945 general election.

During his 22 years in the House of Commons, Joseph Tinker was said to have ensured that the safety of coal miners and their welfare became a key issue discussed, debated and acted upon. Against considerable opposition, he ensured that the dreadful working conditions of miners were improved.
Joseph Tinker was also introduced the first legislation which brought equal funding to Catholic schools in the UK.

Announced earlier this year, this street is near the hospice and as of tomorrow will bear the name of one who worked tirelessly in Grand Bahama.

Since late last year work has been taking place on this street which now has the Alpha Omega School on the corner as well as the Freeport Bible Church.

The school has gotten involved by painting one side pink and planting gardens for the dedication day. Staff of the City Services Department at the Grand Bahama Port Authority has been working hard on make the road having it repaved and the sides beautified.

Last year Mrs. Headley was also honoured by the Kamalamee Foundation for her life's work in the fight against cancer.

It was said that her determination to bring awareness about the disease came following her own battle in the early 1990s. Experiencing breast cancer would be the beginning of a massive crusade to make a difference, especially on Grand Bahama.

Mrs. Headley, a native of Barbados, convinced her husband Neil to apply for a job as a senior drafts- man in The Bahamas in the mid-1960s. Curious about what the country had to offer and what it would be like to visit, Headley along with her husband, and two children arrived in Nassau soon after making an application for the job. More than happy that everything worked out for the better, with her husband receiving the job, Mrs. Headley would not only experience The Bahamas, but also become a prominent figure.

In the initial stages of her move to The Bahamas, Headley was unable to find work and so decided to give back. With the assistance of another group of women, she volunteered her services at the Sandilands Rehabilitation Centre, offering Occupation Therapy. The program was well received and during its tenure, made a valuable impact.

While carrying out her volunteer work, Mrs. Headley found a job working as an Executive Housekeeper with a Nassau based resort property. It was a job she enjoyed, but eventually left, after her husband was offered a position at the Grand Bahama Port Authority some 25 years after residing in Nassau.

With relocation to Freeport in the early 1990s, Mrs. Headley faced a major test, in her faith and of the Grand Bahama Port Authority; it was the beginning of a new chapter for the Cancer Association.

Less than a year after receiving property from the Grand Bahama Port Authority, construction on the Cancer Association Headquarters began on West Atlantic Highway. Supported by her husband, Mrs. Headley used personal funds to begin the process, which also garnered help from businessman Harold Sonny Waugh (deceased) in phase one of its construction.

Headley's desire to educate the Grand Bahama community about cancer did not stop with phase one of the building, and following that achievement, plans to expand got underway. Aware of the need for Cancer patients to have a place that was comfortable and one in which family and friends could visit at any time, Headley embarked on phase two of the Cancer Association Headquarters. The Hospice Care Center consisting of seven rooms was officially opened on Sunday, October 14, 2012.

Blessed with two children, George Emerson and Ann Marie, Headley along with her play- wright husband, Neil have been in The Bahamas for more than 50 years.