Berinda Cox

Visitors

THE NAME BERINDA COX will be forever immortalised now that the Oistins Fish Market has been renamed in her honour.

Minister of Transport and Works and Member of Parliament for Christ Church South John Boyce made the announcement yesterday at the launch of the 32nd Oistins Fish Festival.

"It gives me the greatest pleasure to announce, on behalf of the Government of Barbados, from this day forth, the Oistins Fish Market will be officially known as the Berinda Cox Fish Market," he said of the celebrated Christ Church woman.

He said Cox, known to most as Baby Doots, was "a veritable entrepreneur who helped hundreds of people to sell fish at all hours of the day and night" in over 55 years as a vendor before retiring in 2004.

However, he said a separate ceremony would be held "soon" to officially affix the 92-year-old's name to the market.

The minister said this was one of a number of things in the works for the market.

"A suitable memorial has been talked about before, and I want to set up the appropriate committee to look after [a memorial for the Charter of Barbados which was signed in Oistins in 1652.

"At that time also, I want to see commissioned and erected a suitable memorial to all those fishermen and women who have helped build this town. This memorial should especially memorialise those fishermen who have been lost at sea," he said.

Boyce also announced other plans for Oistins, which would include the demolished Old District Hospital that would be made into a window to the sea, the reconstruction of the District Post Office to be completed soon, increased lighting at the Oistins Bay Garden, a layout for craft vendors that would also allow small boat operators at the eastern end of the beach to operate safely, and a general clean-up of the boatyard.

"Final arrangements with the BTII [Barbados Tourism Investment Inc.] and the Bay Garden are still to be executed, but as a matter of policy it is to be stated that Government intends to eventually hand the management of this facility over to the operating association of the Oistins Bay Garden," he added.

Meanwhile, the minister called on the private sector to work with Government to keep people working as it continued to create projects and "not to use the situation as an opportunity to cut jobs". (Story adapted from the Nation News and the Barbados Advocate)