Brimstone Hill Society Elects New Council of Management

(Brimstone Hills Fortress National Park Society) Friday, May 2nd 2019: The newly elected Management Council of the Brimstone Hill Fortress National Park Society is planning to roll out a number of ambitious initiatives over the coming year, with an emphasis on restoration, preservation and modernization.

On Tuesday evening (April 30th April 2019) the Society hosted its first Annual General Meeting since the passing of President Sir Probyn Innis in 2017. Former Vice-President Mr. D. Michael Morton C.B.E., J.P. was elected unopposed as the new President of the Management Council.

The President serves for a three-year term. All other members of Council – who will serve for one year – were elected unopposed.

Mr. David Lake who sat on the previous Council as a Corporate Member, was elected Vice President. Mr. Schneidman Warner was re-elected to the post of Honourary Treasurer. Ms Toni Frederick-Armstrong and Mr. Garth Wilkin were elected as Governor Members and Mr. Basil Woods and Mr. Walford Gumbs O.B.E. Ordinary Member Representatives.

Greg Pereira of Greg’s Safaris and Regiwell Francis of St. Kitts Marine Works were elected as Corporate Member Representatives and Mr. Africa Mills as Student Member Representative. Meanwhile, Mrs. Viola Jacobs and Mr. Anthony Wiltshire were returned as Government Representatives. Immediately following the election of the new Board, Mr. Michael Martin J.P. was again appointed as Honourary Secretary (Ex Officio) by the Board and the firm Pannell Kerr Forster as Auditors for another term.

Tuesday night’s AGM began with a minute of silence for the late Sir Probyn Innis who had served as President of the Council for 12 years. Chairing the Meeting, Mr. Michael Morton paid tribute to Sir Probyn, acknowledging his years of dedicated service to the organization which included the establishment of History and Heritage Month of Activities. To honour his contribution, the History and Heritage Month Primary Schools Quiz Trophy has been named the Sir Probyn Innis Trophy and the Lecture that’s held as part of the activities has been dubbed the Sir Probyn Innis Memorial Lecture.

Mrs. Gloria Wilkin, another long-serving member of Council, was also recognized during the meeting following the announcement that she would be stepping down from standing for election. Mrs. Wilkin, who gave 35 years of continuous voluntary service to the organization, was presented with a plaque by the Governor General, Sir S.W. Tapley Seaton G.C.M.G., C.V.O., Q.C., J.P., former Vice-President of the Society.

Prior to the election of the new Management Council, Mr. Morton – who has been at the helm of the Council since Sir Probyn’s passing, presented the President’s Report; the Treasurer’s and Auditors Reports were also presented. Members discussed the challenges and opportunities facing the organization and President Morton has indicated that he and his team would be moving quickly on new initiatives. The executive management is comprised of Mr. Percival Hanley as General Manager, Ms. Tessa Isaac as Operations Manager and Mr. Joseph Woodley as Park Manager.

The Brimstone Hill Fortress National Park Society is a membership organization incorporated under the Companies Act and was founded in 1965 for the main purpose of restoring, preserving and managing the historic Brimstone Hill Fortress.

The Fortress, a UNESCO World Heritage site, is a 17th and 18th-century military complex designed by the British and built by African slave labour. The centuries-old fortress is testimony to European colonial expansion, the African slave trade and the emergence of new societies in the Caribbean.