NIA CHARLESTOWN NEVIS (January 11, 2023) — December 19, 2022, marked the first anniversary of the official opening of the Malcolm Guishard Recreational Park at Pinney’s Beach. However, the Ministry of Tourism in the Nevis Island Administration (NIA) is inviting members of the public to join in celebrating the occasion which coincides with the birthdate of the patron, the late Hon. Malcolm “Guish” Guishard.

Mr. John Hanley, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Tourism, on January 10, 2022, gave the Department of Information some insight into the upcoming planned activities which spans a three-day period.

“The Malcolm Guishard Park has been serving the general public for the past year and we thought it fitting to have this celebration to mark this milestone… the patron of the park Hon. Malcolm Guishard, his birthday will actually fall on the 16^th of January, so we decided to have celebrations which would focus on that date.

“The celebrations will begin on Sunday the 15^th of January probably around 2 o’clock where we invite everyone to bring out the children. We are going to have a kid’s zone and we have asked the vendors to offer special prizes…So just come on out. Bring the whole family especially the kids and have a great time with the children.

On Monday the 16th which is the birthdate of the late Hon. Malcolm Guishard, we are going to be having an official ceremony during which we will unveil a portrait here at the park of the patron and we will have an official ceremony to do that unveiling,” he said.

Mr. Hanley indicated that immediately following the unveiling an exhibition featuring products from Nevis and Taiwan will commence.

“We will have a two-day exhibition, a Nevis-Taiwan exhibition during which we will have over 20 exhibitors showcasing their products made in Nevis and the Republic of China (Taiwan) through the ICDF the Taiwanese Technical Mission. They have made this project possible so we have invited them to be a part of this exhibition.

“They will be demonstrating the ways in which the Republic of China (Taiwan) has cooperated with the Federation. As I said, the exhibition runs for two days so we invite the general public, school children, adults, working people everyone to come on out and view the exhibition. There will also be things that you can purchase, so we invite everyone to come on out and join in this celebration. The official ceremony begins at 9:30 a.m. on Monday the 16^th and it would run until around 4 o’clock that afternoon, and the following day which is Tuesday the 17^th the exhibition will start at 9 o’clock and run till 4 or 5 p.m.,” Mr. Hanley explained.

Mr. Damian I-Ching Lui, Third Secretary at the Embassy of the Republic of China (Taiwan) in St. Kitts with Nevis who was also present, registered his satisfaction with the invitation from the Ministry of Tourism to participate in the expo.

“The Taiwanese Technical Mission is happy and proud to participate again in the Nevis-Taiwan Expo celebrating the first anniversary of Malcolm Guishard Park, and two projects from the technical mission will be displayed in the expo, one of which is the Public Health Project promoting the prevention and control of metabolic diseases, and they will be doing health screening for the public during the two days of the expo on Monday and Tuesday.

“The other project is the Solid Waste Management and Recycling Project. We just launched a new recycling facility on Nevis. They will be promoting the importance by sensitizing about the importance of recycling that will help make the island of Nevis cleaner and more healthy. Taiwan has always been and will always be a trustworthy and loyal partner of Nevis and we very much look forward to our collaboration going forward, and I welcome all of you to come with all your family on Sunday afternoon and on Monday and Tuesday to visit the expo and its exhibitors,” he said.

Mr. Guishard, who had served as Deputy Premier and Minister of Tourism in the NIA, was selected as the patron for the facility for his vision for a park at Pinney’s.

According to Premier of Nevis Hon. Mark Brantley in his address at the park’s official opening, when Pinney’s Estate was being sold it was Mr. Guishard who sought to keep that plot of land for all Nevisians to enjoy.

“It was he who envisioned and stipulated that this site should be used as part of our tourism product. When he was urged by some to keep just a small portion of the land, history will record that he adamantly resisted and insisted that all of it should be in the hands of Nevisians.  Such was brother Malcolm; such was the measure of the man.

“I say to you today that without the vision and foresight of Malcolm Guishard, this magnificent park would never have been possible. His unmatched vision has brought us all here today for this historic occasion,” he said.

Mr. Brantley added, that when his Cabinet decided to memorialise Mr. Guishard’s efforts in giving life to the idea of a park for the people of Nevis; when they considered that his DNA is found in every facet of the development of Nevis; when they reflected on what could be done to honour him and keep his name and legacy secure in the hearts of all of our people, they agreed to name the park in Mr. Guishard’s honour, as a lasting reminder of the one who made it all possible.