National Heroes Day Celebration in Fox Hill

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Shonel Ferguson, MP for Fox Hill (centre), leads discussion on plans for this year’s October 9th ‘National Heroes Day.’ (BIS Photo/Patrick Hanna)

NASSAU, The Bahamas – Announcing plans for National Heroes Day, members of the Old Fox Hill Scholars Association at the Fox Hill Community Center, Wednesday afternoon, relayed that the Seventh Annual National Heroes Day Celebration will commence on Monday, October 9, 2017 at 11:00 a.m. at St. Paul’s Baptist Church.

There will be a church service to commemorate selected “quiet heroes” from Fox Hill who contributed greatly to different aspects of society.

Living heroes who will be honored at the service are Rev. Dr. Julia Bain, Mrs. Eugenia Thurston, Mr. Derrel Moss, Mr. Garth and Mary Ferguson, Mrs. Sylvia Rolle, Mrs. Agnes Cash- Greene, Ms. Florinda Francis, and Mr. Harry Knowles. The guest speaker at the service will be Father Hugh Bartlett.

This service will be followed by a trek to St. Anne’s Anglican Church Cemetery to lay a wreath to honor fallen heroes, Mrs. Ena Morrison-Bailey, former teacher at Sandilands Primary School, and her husband Nathaniel Bailey.

There will be refreshments after the “march” as the general public is invited to attend and celebrate.

Present at the press conference were, Treasurer of the Old Fox Hill Scholars Association, Barbara Higgs; Member of Parliament for Fox Hill and member of the Old Fox Hill Scholars Association, Shonel Ferguson; President of the Old Fox Hill Scholars Association and Retired Nurse at the Princess Margaret Hospital, Sandra Ferguson-Rolle; and Member of the Old Fox Hill Scholars Association and one of the only living students of the former Sandilands All Age School, Elizabeth Butler.

Shonel Ferguson highlighted the many special aspects of Fox Hill’s rich heritage and massive contribution both nationally and internationally. She remarked, “Communities are able to survive through so many hard-working and decent people. These are the community builders and we (Fox Hillians) know how to say, thank you.” She added that Fox Hill has been central in national recognition holidays like Emancipation Day, Fox Hill Day and, now, National Heroes Day; and that, like communities such as Gambier and Adelaide, many residents of Fox Hill can directly trace their ancestry back to slavery.

The President of the Old Fox Hill Scholars Association also stressed, “Fox Hill is still together. We are still one,” despite the negative media attention that Fox Hill has been receiving.