A front-page photo in the 12 Dec. 1974 edition of The Caymanian Compass shows Caledonian Farms manager Paddy Rice carrying a sheep off a plane that landed at Owen Roberts International Airport from Nassau, Bahamas, as part of efforts aimed at a long-term solution to supplying meat here. The shipment of animals also included pigs.
Page 12 contained an obituary for Capt. Allie O. Ebanks, who died at age 83. Ebanks, who had gone to sea at age 14, was described as an ambitious man whose “constant endeavours to improve his position in life led to a varied career covering the whole spectrum of a seafaring life from sailing boats to barges to tugboats and tankers and from cook to Captain”. For the last 30 years of his working life, before retiring at age 70, he was involved in the turtling trade. Known as the “best fisherman of them all”, he was described in the 1962 book ‘The Private World of Pablo Picasso’ as “a salt saturated block of a man … who never swore, conducted church services on the afterdeck Sunday mornings and literally beat that great vessel through reefs along the Nicaraguan shore with his bare hands – at night”.
There was also a story about a portrait painted of Governor Thomas Russell by Maurice Bartel, who hoped it would set a precedent for future formal portraits for Cayman’s governors to hang in the new Government Administrative Building that was under construction. In the accompanying photo, the artist is presenting the portrait to Russell.
And, finally, an ad for an upcoming New Year’s Eve party starkly illustrates that we are not in 1974 any more. The Lighthouse Club was hosting the party, which would include food, dancing and party favours, for the all-in price of $15 per COUPLE.
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