Flipping Grand Bahama

The quiet dreamy island of Grand Bahama was very quiet for centuries and its potential was seen by an American investor who first settled in Abaco then came here. On a vision, a whim, he pictured a second Vegas/Paris/London in the Caribbean just off the coast of Florida. The idea caught on and years later we have Freeport, Grand Bahama. It was "the new world" for those persons looking for the warm weather not far from home but boasting the beautiful trees by the long stretches of beaches. It was the place to go and many came looking for a new life filled with new beginnings. The first of everything they can say they saw along with the potential being realized by Wallace Groves who dreamed up Freeport. To Bahamians this was a far fetched idea that would not work in the long run. No other project in the island did last very long so why should this. The 99 year lease was a laugh and that laughter has turned to a frown waiting for the shoe to drop ... 60 years later. Yes,...

Following my last post there were a number a number of responses and even some more information from the past that came up. Today I leave this space to on person with views of Grand Bahama and what happened: Greg Farrington: Almost over night Freeport was created from pine baron forest and mangrove swamp. It was created because Wallace Groves had vision and drive. The plan for Freeport was simple - anyone could invest here without interference from government and taxes. Freeport was booming. Hotels, restaurants, businesses and industry were all doing well. Labor was a mix of foreign and local and everyone was making money. The Pindling government obviously saw Freeport in a different light.  Prime  Minister Pindling’s “Bend or Break” speech did just that, it “broke” the very core of success that Freeport had accomplished. Instead of working with a successful plan and working more Bahamians into it he destroyed it for everyone with harsh anti foreign all for Bahamians ...

After my last post and comments made I had to reflect with a very heavy heart. I try to listen to positive things in the morning to get that vibe going. They say thats what makes the successful person continue even with some failures. In a closed Fackbook group I got the response I searched for last year ... the affects on the people/children moving from Freeport after the famous "Bend or Break" Speech. For many of this age including myself, having read the full speech it is hard to see the correlation between what was said and the mass exodus. My last post was supposed to make people see that while some people are still sitting on fence bemoaning the affects of the 2004/2005 storms that there are ways in which they can move forward and gave ideas on entrepreneurial efforts they can try. But the past rose up and spilled great bitterness in response. No, I'm not angry at the comments. They speak a thousand times of the hurt of many people. As I stated in a previous...

Apologies to my readers for not bringing you the promised speech but I have not found the speech just yet in my collection of speeches but as soon as I do you will have it. In the mean time, there is something of great interest that came up and that was the information on why investors did leave. Following the "Bend or Break" speech, a new unwritten law was to come that would try to equalize the playing field for Bahamians of all colour, but at a great expense to investors. It was said that business would be approved if they had Bahamian partners who were 50/50 without the Bahamian putting anything into the business but being able to have 50% of the profits. This was the beginning of what was called "Bahamianization" and continued to say that all positions held by foreigners were to be held by foreigners for a limited about of time, while they trained a Bahamian to take over. While this theory was said to have been great for Bahamians, for persons bringing...

"Bend or Break speech" On July 26, 1969, Sir Lynden O. Pinding, then Premier of The Bahamas, delivered this speech during an inspection tour at the official opening ceremony for the new Bahamas Oil Refinery Company (BORCO). This speech in history has been called the "Bend or Break Speech" and has long be said by officials in Grand Bahama to be the reason the lights went out at the "Magical Fair" that was the spark called Freeport. Here is the entire speech: “I am certainly delighted to be here this morning because what I see beginning on this site is not only the erection of an oil refinery but also the real true birth of a petro-chemical industry in the Commonwealth of The Bahamas Islands. I am delighted to be here because, if the industry develops as the proprietors hope it will be and I hope it will, not only will The Bahamas be able to meet from within its shores its own presently small needs of kerosene, gasoline, diesel and oth...