By. OSWALD T. BROWN
WASHINGTON, D.C., April 8, 2024 – I absolutely had to share this extraordinary keepsake photo that was published by The Tribune today with readers of my Washington, D.C. – based online publication, BAHAMAS CHRONICLE, which has a huge following among the Bahamian diaspora across the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom as well as in The Bahamas and the wider Caribbean.
Under the headline, WHO WOULD HAVE THOUGHT, The Tribune provided the following caption for the photo: “From left, seated, Dame Marguerite Pindling and Rt Hon Eileen Dupuch-Carron, standing, Leslie Pindling, Adam Darville and Robert Dupuch-Carron.” The photo was accompanied by the following narrative:
MEETING over tea for the first time in 70 years, two of the nation’s most recognisable matriarchs on both sides of the political spectrum have come together to address some of the more pressing issues facing our nation.
Never has the threat of climate change being more present than it is today. This coming together of these two political dynasties is living proof of the reality we are. Climate change affects us all regardless of affiliation, colour, economic standing, race or persuasion.
BAHAMAS CHRONICLE EDITOR’S NOTE: This is indeed an extraordinary photo. The Tribune, which is one of the leading newspapers In The Bahamas, is where I received my early training in journalism. I started at The Tribune in May of 1960 as a sports reporter, but gradually began covering general assignments – including occasionally covering the House of Assembly, which at the time was Nicki Kelly’s primary beat as The Tribune’s senior reporter and top political writer.
The Tribune’s News Editor at the time was Arthur A. Foulkes. He and Sir Etienne Dupuch, the then Publisher and Editor of The Tribune, took a special interest in my development as a journalist and established a solid foundation for whatever journalistic skills I possess today.
While he was News Editor of The Tribune, Mr. Foulkes was also actively involved in politics as a member of National Committee for Positive Action (NCPA), a group of young political activists in the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP), who vigorously supported the leadership of Lynden O. Pindling
Indeed, The NCPA was formally recognized by the PLP in 1959 when the late Warren Levarity and Mr. Foulkes were elected as the group’s first official representatives on the PLP’s National General Council (NGC).
When Sir Etienne’s daughter, Mrs. Eileen Dupuch-Carron, returned from law school in England in the 1962, Mr. Foulkes was still News Editor of The Tribune, but he resigned after he unsuccessfully ran as PLP candidate for one of the two Fox Hill constituency seats in the November 1962 general election.
Along with other members of the NCPA, Mr. Foulkes established The Bahamian Times, a weekly newspaper that was very effective in supporting the PLP during the struggle for Majority Rule in the 1960s. I eventually left The Tribune in 1965 and joined Mr. Foulkes at Bahamian Times.
During the struggle for Majority Rule, which culminated with the PLP’s historic general election victory on January 10,1967, The Tribune’s opposition to PLP, led by Lynden O. Pindling, was unrelenting and continued throughout his decades as Prime Minister. So, the photograph of Dame Marguerite Pindling, wife of the late Sir Lynden Pindling, and Mrs. Eileen Dupuch-Carron, who took over from her father in 1972 and is still the Editor and Publisher of the Tribune, is indeed an extraordinary keepsake photo.
