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Principal of??the Government Industrial School, Erwin Leacock. (A. Gaskin/BGIS)

Children sent to the Government Industrial School may not be perfect, but "they are ours".

These were the strong words of Principal of the Dodds, St. Philip institution, Erwin Leacock, who has also pledged that he and his staff will continue to "raise and work with them" into the future.

He made these comments last Friday during the unveiling of a plaque in a commemorative ceremony to mark the institution’s 130th anniversary.

Noting that the theme for the celebrations was: Engaging Troubled Youth – Our Nation’s Responsibility, Mr. Leacock said it was ironic that the plaque was embedded in limestone, a feature peculiar to Barbados.

"It is not perfect. It is full of holes, but it is ours. It is Barbadian; it has character. In a lot of ways it exemplifies the same children that we work with; they are not perfect, but they are ours. Just like the Barbadian boulder and Barbadian limestone even with its challenges, it has been the foundation of almost every significant building in Barbados, all of the houses in Barbados. We have learnt to work with it. It is ours.

"We are making it very clear these children, though not perfect, are ours. We will work with them, we will raise them, we will love them, and we will make them part of us," the Principal stressed.

The celebrations will continue with an Ecumenical Church Service at the St. Philip Parish Church on Sunday, June 2, beginning at 3:00 p.m., and a public lecture on the topic: The History of GIS on Tuesday, June 11 at the Grand Salle, Tom Adams Financial Centre, Church Village, The City, beginning at 7:00 p.m.

julia.rawlins-bentham@barbados.gov.bb

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