Daughter of  Major Roddy Watler joins volunteers in refurbishing Watlers Community Park

Last Saturday (3) volunteers from The Rotary Club of Grand Cayman, Endeavour Construction and Public Works joined forces to refurbish the Watlers Community Park in George Town. Joining them, but really just to inspect the works was Joan (Watler) Wilson. Joan’s father, the late Major Roddy Watler, Cayman Islands first Caymanian Chief of Police, gave all the land along Watler’s Road to the community – the poorer and more deserving Caymanians over fifty years ago. That is the reason the Road is named after him.

Joan was very pleased with the work that was going on and realised she was not needed to pick up a paint brush and join in.

Nick Friedland, Past Rotary President, told me Minister Joey Hew approached Stephanie Wight, Co-Director of Rotary’s Community Service last year to form a team to renovate the park. She took it to Rotary’s board and they agreed “it wasn’t right for the park to fall into disrepair, not fair for the community, nor the children.”

Friedland said even the sidewalk outside the park was unsafe. He also said the beautiful murals being painted outside was being done by Art Nest. Even though the painting had been done, the sidewalk repaired and the sandpits replenished it was still an ongoing project. There would be some tree planting with nice trees to provide shade and John Doak had told them he was going to donate a mahogany tree.

“The key thing,” he added, “is the partnership. We want to move it forward to other public spaces.”

Wright endorsed what Friedland said including saying Watlers Park and “this land in particular is the central point for a lot of Cayman.” Everybody knows from West Bay to East End where this is. It is a good place to start the project, she concluded.

Friedland wanted it known that all the materials have been donated. Cayman Coating (the paint) and A.L. Thompson (paint supplies).

Another group that had helped was the Interact Club who were teenagers from 14 to 18 years of age. The group meet every two Saturdays in the month.

Crosby Solomon was on hand to coordinate his Public Works team as was Leslie Bromfield for his Endeavour workers.

It was excellent to see so many people working and even Rotary’s Chris Johnson turned up although I didn’t exactly see him doing any actual physical work. He was very good with the advice, though, and it was also his birthday. That prompted everyone to stop work and sing the “Happy Birthday Song”.

Well dome everybody and a huge thank you.

IMAGES: Georgina Wilcox ieyenews