The Southern Recreation Grounds
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“From Dark Yesterdays to Brighter Tomorrows”
HONOURING THE LEGACY OF SIR RANDOL FAWKES
The Honourable Prime Minister, Dr. Hubert Minnis, members of government, staff of the Office of the Prime Minister, Archdeacon Keith Cartwright, fellow participants, contractors, and distinguished guests—good morning.
On behalf of the family of the late Sir Randol Fawkes, I extend heartfelt congratulations on the unveiling of this beautiful site today. The park is truly splendid, and I am certain that the eternal spirits of those who shaped the history of the Southern Recreation Grounds—Father Milton Cooper of St. Agnes, Miss Tiny of Purity Bakery, A. Leon McKinney of The People’s Penny Savings Bank, Mrs. Lillian Weir Coakley of The Southern Public Library, Mrs. Ruth Clarke of the Capitol Theater, and Sir Randol Fawkes of The Bahamas Federation of Labour and McPherson Street—are smiling down upon us from their elevated perch.
I am deeply grateful for the invitation to join you on this occasion—the dedication and opening of Phase One of the newly refurbished park—and for the opportunity to reflect on the role the Southern Recreation Grounds has played in the historical, educational, and social development of The Bahamas.
As a child growing up on McPherson Street, known affectionately as Purity Bakery Corner or Penny Savings Bank Corner, I confess that I attached no special significance to my neighborhood at the time. All I knew was that I was content and surrounded by everything that mattered. The Southern Recreation Grounds was the epicenter of my world. It housed the library which nurtured my love for reading and inspired me to pursue literature as a career. It was also the shortcut to St. Agnes Church, where Sunday school teachers instilled discipline by having us recite the Ten Commandments and read the collect each week, and where Archdeacon Cartwright once served as an acolyte.
In those days, the park was a wide, open expanse framed by majestic silk cotton trees. After buying coconut tarts and raisin cookies from Miss Tiny, we would rush there, sit on the swings, and sail joyfully through the air. This place gave us community. It was where we laughed, argued over who would go down the slide next, and played in an atmosphere of safety and camaraderie.
Reflecting now, I marvel at the quality of life we enjoyed more than 60 years ago. Even as our parents wrestled with social and political unrest—speaking boldly against inequality, segregation, and lack of opportunity, and risking their lives to bring about change—they shielded us from those struggles. They marched to and from the Southern Recreation Grounds, where Sir Randol, in Lady Fawkes’ words, sought “to peel the scales off the eyes of the people.”
Sir Randol himself, in The Faith That Moved the Mountain, described the first unofficial Labour Day Parade on June 1, 1956, as “a symphony of motion—marching out of the dark yesterdays into brighter tomorrows.” As each contingent arrived at the Recreation Grounds, the parade’s termination point, the waiting crowds erupted in spontaneous cheering.
Today, I commend the Government of The Bahamas, the staff of the Prime Minister’s Office, the contractors, and all who contributed to the upgrading and refurbishing of this park. The journey was not without discouragement or setbacks, but you persevered and completed this first stage with excellence.
It is my prayer that this refurbishment will inspire us to cherish our history, honor the men and women who paved the way, and preserve the sites that anchored their march toward freedom. The Southern Recreation Grounds stands as a memorial to their struggle, a symbol of our freedom, and a testament to the community that produced the heroes and leaders of yesterday and today. This park reminds us that we have a story to tell—a story we must never cast aside or forget. As Joshua told the Israelites: “In the future, when your descendants ask their parents, ‘What do these stones mean?’ tell them, Israel crossed the Jordan on dry ground.”
