President of the Barnes Hill Community Development Organization (BHCDO) Timothy Payne and group Treasurer Leonard Philip, were hosts to a select group of students and teachers from the New Winthorpes Primary school today.
The students were given a tour of Barnes Hill village as well as the community reservoir, which the organization is working on restoring.
During the “field trip” which lasted more than an hour, the students learnt how the village got its name from settler William Barnes, of the construction of the school building and its controversial naming as well as about the nearby clinic, St. Francis chapel and rectory along with the two building on the school compound which were residences for the district nurse and the principal of the school.
Mouths dropped open and eyes popped when they were told the New Winthorpes school once catered for students from Cedar Grove, Pigotts, Barnes Hill, New Winthorpes/Blizzard,Clare Hall and Potters
They also learnt of the names and uses of several plants which grow in the area – soap bush, loblolly, wild tamarind, coralita, and castor leaf.
They also saw the work currently being done at the reservoir and were in awe when told that the small holding area provided much of the water to satisfy the needs of the villagers…or maybe it might have been because of the frogs, tadpole and many little fish splashing around merrily in the reservoir.
All were in agreement that it was an afternoon truly well spent and that they should return in a few weeks to see the cloud of red when the flamboyant trees are in full bloom.
