Union Island – In an interview with Mr Bertrand Sailly, the operator of the Sparrow’s Beach Club in Union Island, he stated that the only reason for dismantling the public shed/gazebo was for the safety of the public and also to prevent him for facing liability for injuries.

He went on to give a background on the shed; “the gazebo is part of the property that is leased by me, it was infested by termites and has been in a deplorable state, falling apart. I wanted to do some repair works on it at the same time i was building the other structures but my budget did not allow me to. I insured the entire property but the insurance company did not insure the gazebo because of the state it was in.”

 

Beach Lime

He further stated, “there was a beach lime/party close to the area on carnival Monday and patrons used the gazebo as usual. On Tuesday morning one of my workers pointed out to me that the shed was falling apart, when i went to see it i realised that it was a safety risk to the public so i took pictures of it and i took it apart. It is also not insured so i did not want  any liability should someone get hurt. ”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bertrand went on to say that ” it may look as if it was because of the beach lime i took it down but that’s not the case, I love beach parties, I like the music, and i’m a party man, i go to alot of parties on the island. I do not have a problem with residents having parties because i get some of the business too.”

 

Reconstruction of the Shed/Gazebo

When asked about the reconstruction of the Gazebo Bertrand said, ” i went around to various hardware outlets seeking assistance for materials but haven’t received any help yet, i have some carpenters who are willing to do the work for free. The problem is, we are in the slow season now and i have 10 persons on staff to pay. This weekend i will have someone come in to do an estimate and see how it goes from there. But the shed/gazebo, when it is rebuilt will always be for the public, i have no problem with that.”

 

The Making of Sparrow’s Beach Club

Bertrand took the time to explain how the beach club came about, ” one day i was at a beach lime just like the ones that they have there and sitting at that same shed i looked at how the place was closed and i thought that this can be a nice place for persons to enjoy the beach, so the next day i made contact with Kim who is now deceased to see how we can work something out, i then leased the place and did alot of work on the property to bring it to how it is now.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cows a Major Problem

Bertrand Stated that cows are the biggest problem ” my only problem is the cows, i planted alot of  coconut palms and other flowering plants to make the place look beautiful and the cows would come and eat all, i placed some ropes to keep off the cows and i also placed a sign so that residents would know that the ropes are for the cows. The cows are roaming free and its a major problem for me right now.”