A plea has gone out to Barbadians not to let the Barbados Landship wither away. and die.
It has come from Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the National Cultural Foundation (NCF), Devere Browne, who was speaking at the Landship’s 145th Anniversary Awards Ceremony at Solidarity House last weekend.
The awards ceremony was the culmination of a week of activities which saw former Captain Vernon Watson elevated to the position of Lord High Admiral.
Stressing that Barbados was the only country in the world to have such a cultural group, he called on Barbadians to realise the importance of the Landship and to strive to maintain that integral part of their history.
“The Landship has an important social role, an opportunity for members to express their theatrical skills, while at the same time providing a unique form of entertainment,” Mr. Brown said. “It instilled discipline and values. It is painful to see that there is only one ship in Barbados. Why that is so, I will never know.”
He, therefore, urged cultural stakeholders, government officials and members of the Landship who were gathered at the ceremony to do all in their power to ensure another ship could be formed in Barbados.
Mr. Browne also pledged the National Cultural Foundation’s continued support in preserving such a “treasured institution”.
During the ceremony, awards were presented to members of the Landship for their years of service and to special honorees, particularly those who have given support to the cultural group over the years.