Easily, there could have been around 300 people from all walks of life, among them being a number of schoolchildren, who jammed the Teachers’ Resource Centre for the launching of the new book, Bless Our Forebears, by historian, author, and columnist, Colville L. Petty, OBE.

The centre section of the mammoth crowd

The memorable occasion was on Tuesday night, January 13, when the milling crowd, the biggest there in recent times, gave warm acceptance to the work of the popular writer during a well-arranged programme setting spiced with elements of a cultural fanfare. Indeed, it had to be as the book, though a historical work, is largely a story of the interwoven rich culture and social background of the Anguillian people, carefully and painstakingly penned by the skilled author.

Mr. Petty autographing his book

The programme was ably chaired by English Literature Teacher at the Albena Lake-Hodge Comprehensive School, Michelle Queeley-Roberts, who wrote the book blurb. “I believe your presence here is very much indicative of your showing appreciation for intellectual property that is Anguillian and of your desire to know in greater detail of the hard work and courage displayed by our forefathers,” she told the mammoth crowd, as she brought on noted cultural dramatist, Evalie Bradley, in a re-enactment of the simple but enthralling pastimes of Anguillian life.

Mayoumba Folkloric Theatre in action

Mrs. Bradley, attired in the garb of on old Anguillian woman, symbolic of the imagery on the cover of Mr. Petty’s book, went on stage with a traditional bundle of firewood, a three-legged pot and a bath-pan and washboard, in a dramatic monologue which sent the audience into the air. “I believe our foremothers and forefathers have to be turning over in their graves when they see what is becoming of we because we had good old times,” she blurted out, as she took her cheering audience into the social and cultural lives of their forebears. She was in fact telling our modern-day people “never forget where we come from.” It was an excellent introduction for Mr. Petty’s book.

Cultural Dramatist Evalie Bradley

Nobody knows Petty more than his daughter, Mrs. Chanelle Petty-Barrett “Baby Chan”, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Social Development, who gave a comprehensive but “sneak peep” into the life and varied accomplishments of her father. That done, she spoke affectionately of her admiration for him and for instilling in her “a very strong sense of skill and national pride” and ensuring that she was well grounded in knowledge. Chan, a trained lawyer and former Senior Crown Counsel in the Attorney General’s Chambers, is herself a very talented and accomplished but humble professional.

A section of the huge audience. Mrs. Sylvene Petty 3rd from left

In his remarks as Author of the book, Mr. Petty told his listeners that the inspiration for his writing “was the consequence of the recognition for the role of history in national development and, in this case, the development of the Anguillian people.” He went on: “It is also a consequence of the recognition that most Anguillians do not know their history and that they need to know it. There is a maxim that a people who do not know their history, are bound to repeat the mistakes of the past.

The readers of the Book

“It is in light of that truism that this book examines three significant periods of Anguilla’s history: the 1840s, the 1890s and the 1900s. It does so firstly to provide Anguillians with a deeper sense of their past; secondly, to highlight the hardships and suffering which their forebears endured in order to ensure that their children and their offspring had a place they could call home; thirdly, the books examines those three periods to provide historical material useful in better understanding socio-economic and political phenomena in Anguilla; and fourthly, to enable present and future generations to learn from the experiences of their forebears which were critical elements in the formation of the Anguillian psyche.”

Mr. Petty added that the book’s concentration on the above-mentioned periods “provides us with a sense of self, an understanding of who we are and from whence we came.”

Bouquet of flowers for Mr. Petty

In a well-thought out critique of Bless Our Forebears, Developmental Sociologist, Dr. Phyllis Fleming-Banks, called to mind the Godly lives of the Anguillian people of yester-year and the blessings they prayed for on each other. She felt that right up front the book, by its title, had captured that religious and spiritual aspect of their lives.
As she examined the book, Dr. Banks observed in part that: “Petty’s message is to embrace our heritage: that complex network of shared function that binds our society together. It is not just a struggle to arrest the disintegration of memory and history. It is an attempt to unearth the more personal, historical truth that gives meaning to past events and what it means to be Anguillian.”

Book selling like hot bread

One of the significant elements of the programme for the launching of the book was Mr. Petty’s involvement of the island’s youth. Many of them from the Albena Lake-Hodge Comprehensive School, who are also members of the Optimist Club, were present at the event. What is more, is that four of them, Krystal Webster, Senegal Carty, Rohan Petty and Joya Hodge, read extracts from Chapters 1-4 of the book. Their reading not only provided enlightenment and the pleasure of listening for the appreciative audience, but underscored the repeated promptings of Mrs. Queeley-Roberts “to buy the book.” One student presented Mr. Petty with a bouquet of flowers on behalf of the forebears and for writing so vividly and profusely about them and for his contribution to people of all ages on the island. This was in addition to an earlier call by Mrs. Queeley-Roberts for the observance of a minute of silence in memory of the island’s forebears.

As stated above, the launching of the book was marked by a cultural fanfare. Later in the programme, and in addition to Mrs. Bradley’s performance, there were highly enjoyable presentations by popular singers Amelia Vanterpool-Kubisch and Priscilla Gumbs and by the 30-year-old famed and well-travelled Mayoumba Folkloric Theatre featuring cultural songs and historical narrations.

The delightful evening ended with expressions of appreciation by Mr. Petty, the autographing of copies of his book as many persons crowded around for on-the-spot purchases. There were also refreshments catered by Don Duncan and his wife, Desiree. Interestingly, even the food and drink were reflections of the past: Johnny cakes, salt fish, mauby and ginger beer!

Bless Our Forebears, which is selling for US$20, is available at the Anguilla Drugstore, the Anguillian Newspaper and Heritage Collection Museum.

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