H.L. Stoutt's success was owed to good people around him - Premier Smith [Photos added]
Dr Smith expressed that when Mr Stoutt was asked what he thought was the secret of his success in politics, Stoutt reportedly replied “it was doing the people’s business and delivering the goods.” The Premier further noted that Mr Stoutt had a drive for education and the college that bears his name today was also his brainchild.
According to Premier Smith, Stoutt owed much of his success to the fact that he surrounded himself with good people who wanted to work with him and were willing to go the extra mile. He also relied heavily on a second set of advisors to make up his mind on key decisions. The fact that he did some preaching may also have added somewhat to his political successes, Dr Smith suggested. Dr Smith stated that because of his numerous efforts towards achieving a masterful job, Stoutt would always be recognised as the political father of the Virgin Islands.
Former Chief Education Officer Mr Elroy Turnbull revealed that the British Government tried both “overtly and covertly to block Mr Stoutt’s dreams”.
He recalled a story of an emissary being sent to deliver a letter from the UK Government indicating that there would be no funding for the local Community College now named in Stoutt’s honour. Stoutt reportedly “slammed the desk like Mohammed Ali” upon hearing the news before the emissary was ushered out of the former Chief Minister’s office.
H. Lavity Stoutt was appointed the first Chief Minister of the Virgin Islands in 1967 and served in three non-consecutive terms .
The occasion today was the 12th Annual Celebration in honour of H. Lavity Stoutt held on the lawns of the H. Lavity Stoutt Community College (HLSCC).
At one point after a consultant had advised that two schools be closed down, Turnbull recalled that Stoutt had told him, “Turnie old boy… that was the British Government, they have a plan to make sure I don’t get re-elected but I caught them.”
Meanwhile, Former Minister for Education and Culture and First District Representative Andrew A. Fahie said that Stoutt fulfilled the purpose God created him to fulfil while describing him as a modern day Moses who led his generation to the brink of the promised land. For the People of the First District, Hon. Fahie said, Stoutt was “larger than life”.
Hon. Fahie explained that true success was when we would have fulfilled our God given purpose for existing and concluded that Hon. Stoutt lived a successful life. Hon. Fahie advised that today, in the Joshua and Caleb generation, persons should discover their purpose much like Hon. Stoutt did and try to fulfil this.
The Celebrations also saw cultural presentations from the Elmore Stoutt High School Drama Society, dances by the BVI Heritage Dancers and the Enis Adams Primary School as well as a performances by the HLSCC Choir among others.
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18 Responses to “H.L. Stoutt's success was owed to good people around him - Premier Smith [Photos added]”
Look at that Eile....., ask her if she remember what she did to Lavitty Stoutt. In 1995 after the elections the VIP sat in Lavitty house in Long Bay calling and looking and waiting for that same Eil.... to join them to form a government from after the last ballot was counted the night of the election till 6 am the following morning. She dissed them and Lavitty.
Instead she went to McNamara in Gordon house to form a government, which they failed at doing. That same morning O'Neal her friend went to convince her to join the VIP to help Lavitty form a government, and he said she told him only if he was going to be Chief Minister. She would not work under Lavity. Then as soon as he died, she found herself over in the VIP government. Hmmmm, what do you think?