Tribute to Mr. Noel Lloyd

Premier Hon. Ralph T. O.Neal, OBE

Wednesday 13th August, 2008

~~Adz:Left~~Roadtown Tortola - Today, I join with you the people of the Virgin Islands (UK) in mourning the passing of Mr. Noel Lloyd, a man who contributed so much to the Territory as we know it today.

On behalf of my family, the Government and the people of the Territory, I offer my profound and deepest sympathy to his family.

Noel Lloyd, born December 3, 1936 was selfless in his contribution to the development of the Territory. In standing up to a bigger and more powerful force, he not only put his personal safety at risk but by this noble act of bravery he secured for us all, our legacy.

As a young man, Mr. Lloyd served in the Royal Air Force in the United Kingdom then moved to Kenya where he owned a tool making plant. Upon his return to the BVI in the mid 1960s, Mr. Lloyd became very active in community affairs.

It is for the monumental stance he took in 1968 that we will remember him most. It is the reason I presented him with the Award of Certificate and Badge of Honour less than a year ago. Without the courage and determination shown by the late Noel Lloyd, the Territory would definitely not be the way it is today, the way we have known it for the past four decades.

Mr. Lloyd managed to force a rethink of a major development project that would have placed the reclamation of Wickham’s Cay and Anegada beyond the reach of BVIslanders.

Through peaceful resistance, strong leadership and steely determination, Mr. Lloyd secured what can only be considered a major victory for the people of the Virgin Islands.

His is the story of David going up against Goliath, a small man with a big heart, putting himself at risk to right a wrong.

Mr. Lloyd’s rise to fame had its roots in the late 1960s when the Bates-Hill Company of Britain bought out the owner of Wickham’s Cay which at the time was just a small mangrove-covered cay.

The then owner, Norman Fowler sold the property after initiating a reclamation project to provide the capital with a much-needed secondary road, a project which turned out to be much too expensive to be continued.

After purchasing the land, Bates-Hill then signed two agreements with the local government, which were approved by the United Kingdom (British Government). The Administrator, the United Kingdom representative at the time was a stubborn and hardened man who ignored the advice of the Executive Council and the Legislative Council.

When the Attorney General begged to give him some time to study the agreement, he decided that it could not be done, giving the Bates-Hill Company permission to reclaim the area around the Cay, on the basis of a 199 year lease, as well as a control of approximately three-quarters of Anegada.

Of course there was tremendous opposition to these agreements and Mr. Lloyd took up the mantle of leading the charge against this preposterous development. He formed the Positive Action Movement (PAM) and through his tireless efforts, garnered the support of many who were similarly opposed.

Staunch in his belief that this wrong needed to be made right, Mr. Lloyd remained undeterred despite several arrests. Maintaining non-violent methods, he used all available means of communication to spread his message.

Fearful of budding social unrest, the British sent a ship of the Royal Navy to serve as a deterrent. However, PAM steered clear of violent tactics in its search for a resolution.

Mr. Lloyd demonstrated great perseverance and eventually the UK Government set up a Commission of Inquiry which recommended modification of the agreements which Mr. Bates and his group would not agree to. In 1971, a Privy Council decision allowed for the termination of the development agreement.

The British government paid off Bates-Hill for the cost of the purchase of the land and the works by then completed.

Today, Wickham’s Cay, fully reclaimed, is the thriving down town heart of Road Town and the Anegadians have their lands which were taken from them under the pretext of development, but development not for them.

Without the campaign led by Mr. Noel Lloyd, the BVI today would look very different and the right of the BVI people to control key features of their economic affairs would be significantly impaired.

It is clear that we owe a great debt of gratitude to Mr. Noel Lloyd, a man, small in stature but one who possessed great strength, clear vision and determination, qualities I am sure we would all like to emulate.

I am indeed happy that we were able to recognize and honour him for his contribution before he passed from this life. My Government as you know is committed to recognising, honouring and paying tribute to those who have selflessly contributed to the development of this Territory.

We firmly believe that in so doing, we encourage even more citizens to exhibit similar traits, to put Territory ahead of self. At the end of the day, this is our home, our land, we ought to love it and ensure that generations to come can enjoy the benefits of being citizens of this great land.

This is what Noel Lloyd did, this is the kind of attitude I want us all to adopt. So on this day, I pay tribute, I honour, I salute a man who served this Territory well. Mr. Noel Lloyd, you may be gone, but you are definitely not forgotten.  May you rest in peace.