Road Town, Tortola -  The Archives and Records Management Unit of the Deputy Governor’s Office opened its second Old Pictures Exhibition yesterday at the Old Sugar Works Estate Museum.

The Governor added, “It is not that we have lost all those values but we have to be sure that some of the strengths of the BVI in the recent past are not lost in the rush for prosperity and success.”

His Excellency the Governor, David Pearey speaking at the opening ceremony congratulated the organisers. In his remarks he said, “This exhibition is important because it reminds us of how rapidly the BVI as a society is changing and what it used to be like as a society. I think through these pictures one can truly recognise and appreciate some of the values, some of the cement, which bound the society together.”

Deputy Governor, Mrs. V. Inez Archibald who officially opened the exhibition, expressed her gratitude to Chief Records Management Officer, Mrs. Verna Penn Moll on behalf of the Deputy Governor’s Office and the entire public service for the passionate, excellent work she does with her small team at the Archives and Records Management Unit.

President of the Friends of the Archives, Mr. Douglas Wheatley told the gathering, “This programme to me is one of mixed feelings of joy and sadness. As we look at the photographs and suffer from the nostalgia of times that were so wonderful, so romantic it makes you feel a little sad that we have lost so much of that. I guess what we can say is that as we move forward in life, we should be able to reclaim from the past those wonderful things that we had in those days.”

Acting Permanent Secretary in the Deputy Governor’s Office, Ms. Arlene Smith chaired the ceremony and gave welcoming remarks. She spoke of the importance of the exhibition and the stories the pictures are telling.

Main contributors of pictures to the exhibition are: Inez Turnbull, Eileene Parsons, Victoreen Romney-Varlack, Alfred Christopher, Penny Haycraft, Astrid Wenske, John Everitt, Cynthia Ryan, Kather Smith, the Rev. Perry Gore’s collection and the Archives Unit’s collection.

The exhibition will run daily from 9:00am – 3:00pm until April 30th.