New gazebo opens at airport

A new gazebo has opened at Owen Roberts International
Airport, providing shade for bands to play to welcome tourists.

A partnership between the public sector and private
companies Tortuga and Flowers built the gazebo, the opening of which was marked
by Premier McKeeva Bush, who said people asked him why a ceremony was necessary
to open it.

“Every so often something special used to come up and
they’d have a group of musicians come out to play, but when Norman Bodden was
minister for tourism, musicians started playing here and at the dock on a
regular basis.

“I think that as we tend to become more and more
commercialised, we lose what little island flavour we have, but coming in here
and hearing some good West Indian music makes you feel at home. I am very, very
thankful that the group got together of the Hamaty and the Flowers families to
build this. Both those families give tremendously to the community, and I don’t
think there’s anybody who would go to Frankie (Flowers) or Robbie (Hamaty) to
ask for help for their function or cause who has been turned away.”

Private assistance
Mr. Bush added that people do not necessarily always realise the extent of the
assistance that the private sector offers.

“If government had to pay for everything, perhaps we
wouldn’t be able to and we wouldn’t have as much as we do. We have to thank the
private sector companies who give, perhaps to their own detriment at times,”
said the premier.

Robert Hamaty said he remembered Tortuga sponsoring a
roundabout after which many other companies followed suit.

“We hope that this gazebo will inspire other private
sector companies to get involved. Beautification is very important for
tourism.”

Dara Flowers echoed Mr. Hamaty’s words in calling for
more involvement by the private sector in similar schemes, whether big or
small.

“I was raised with the ethos that government can’t do
everything and that they should not be expected to do anything. These are hard
economic times, especially in the private sector, but I think we should all
step up to the plate with the goal of making Cayman a better place. Even though
this is a small contribution, I hope this helps us realise that goal in a small
way,” she said.