As part of the Nation Publishing Company’s 50th anniversary of Independence celebrations, the WEEKEND NATION is dedicating the Street Beat column to a district in each parish that we believe is the unofficial capital.
STREET BEAT travelled to the north of the island to take a look at Checker Hall, St Lucy.
Moontown is known all over the island for its unique name, history and the fact a sitting Member of Parliament in Denis Kellman operates the St Elmo’s Bar and grocery store there. The area is one where fishermen and other, mostly male, residents like to gather to talk, watch television and reminisce.
One of them was Lyndon Ifill, who gave the team a bit of a history lesson.
“The fish market was the original Half Moon Fort School and it was and still is a good fishing area, and before the bath was built over there that was where the headmistress used to live,” he said, indicating the structure next door.
Ifill said the fish were not ‘biting’ as they once did and the area no longer featured a line of boats along the beach.
“This area was always a fishing area. the men used to bring their catches up on the beach below the school and people and hawkers used to buy them straight from the boats. You had to go home and scale your own fish,” he said.
Ifill recalled how the fishing boats of old were actually sailboats, and netting a haul of a few hundred fish was a great accomplishment.
“People used to go flying fishing in sailboats before using launches [open motorboats]. Back then 400 to 500 fish was a lot but now it is thousands. In fact, a few thousand is nothing, when the ice boats go out and they don’t bring back 40 000 then they wasting time. It’s a possibly we may have fish out the fish,” he said, as he pondered the scarcity of fish.
Ifill reflected on the changing times and how Barbadians had adapted. He said it was all a matter of perspective.
“We don’t have the number of fishing boats here we used to; once guys are using iceboats, they go to the complexes. Everything changes, – some people say for the worse but I say it’s for the better, you can’t please everyone. Now this is an area where the guys come to relax,” he said.
Carlyle Dewer was scraping rust off of chair frames. A self-described handyman, he said he was the go to guy when things needed to be done in Moontown.
“I do a lil of everything to get by. you can’t just do one thing all the time. I fish, repair boats, I do a lil landscaping and right now I’m sanding and repairing metal chair frames for a restaurant,” he said.
Dewer said the work was not easy and the rust built quickly due to the proximity to the ocean but he was no stranger to hard work. He spoke on his community work.
“Me and another guy clean the road and beaches as a community effort while Kellman provides materials. You can’t wait on Government to act or the place will be dirty. Tourism is our business plus a lot of tourists coming too,” he said.
Dewer said the area featured “benches to relax and lights to keep the place lively as it used to be dark here at night” and a welcome sign, all thanks to is efforts.
“Somebody has to do it. Barbados is a beautiful place; we just have to keep it so,” he said.
As for the fishing, he too said it was not what it once was but Checker Hall was still a wonderful place to live.
“Life in Checker Hall depends on who you associate with. Now fish ain’t like before and the men ain’t really going out now. Different to that Checker Hall real nice place, everybody mingle with one another especially in the fish market,” he said.
Another well known landmark is Jac’s Pizza Sports Bar and Restaurant. Owner Jackson Anthony has been a Checker Hall resident since the 1990s and a business owner there since 2003.
“When I first opened it was pretty good but business has slowed down a lot since with the economy but I’m still getting through. Checker Hall is a very peaceful place and where I am located I have no problems,” he said.
Anthony said the area was more developed now than 20 years ago but the people were as nice as ever.
“Back then we had a lot of football with Youth Milan and although they not saying much now, football is picking back up.
“Checker Hall is a place where you would want to be, unlike some other areas of St Lucy, so people will find their way here,” he said.
carlosatwell@nationnews.com