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Is anything happening at Recreation Trust for past three years?-Hon O’Neal

-Chairman of the Recreation Trust Roy E. Barry claims facilities were derelict & persons were being paid but nothing was being done!
Leader of the Opposition and former Virgin Islands Party Chairman Honourable Ralph T. O’Neal OBE (R9) told lawmakers last year that he has been up for the past two to three years to Virgin Gorda and doesn’t hear anything about the Recreation Trust. The veteran legislator was at the time hearing testimony from Mr Roy E. Barry the Chairman of the BVI Recreation Trust before the House of Assembly Standing Finance Committee last year to examine the draft estimates for the year 2015. Photo: VINO/File
The Recreation Trust is a statutory body under the Ministry of Education and Culture and is responsible for all the territory’s public sporting and recreational facilities. Photo: BVI2014.com
The Recreation Trust is a statutory body under the Ministry of Education and Culture and is responsible for all the territory’s public sporting and recreational facilities. Photo: BVI2014.com
ROAD TOWN, Tortola, VI- Leader of the Opposition and former Virgin Islands Party Chairman Honourable Ralph T. O’Neal OBE (R9) told lawmakers last year that he has been up for the past two to three years to Virgin Gorda and doesn’t hear anything about the Recreation Trust.

The veteran legislator was at the time hearing testimony from Mr Roy E. Barry- the Chairman of the BVI Recreation Trust before the House of Assembly's Standing Finance Committee last year to examine the draft estimates for the year 2015.

In response to Hon. O’Neal’s statement, Mr Barry said he has split the Executive body into two and that one half was responsible for the eastern end whereas the other half was responsible for the western end as well as the outer islands.

Mr Barry said that they met with the employees of the Trust and gave them their directive to make sure that all of the facilities were brought up to date.

Pay and no work!

The Chairman of the Board of the Recreation Trust, Mr Barry, also told the Standing Finance Committee (SFC) that the facilities were quite derelict and that “even though persons were being paid, nothing was being done.”

Mr Barry told lawmakers that he has put policies in place so that the employees were held responsible for maintaining the facilities.

He also told the SFC they are now trying to build a public campaign to reach out to the general public and let them know what the Recreation Trust is responsible for, their vision, their mission and the fees involved with the usage of the facilities.

Bounced cheques?

The Recreation Trust came to the public's attention when controversy erupted in 2013 after Minister for Education and Culture Hon Myron V. Walwyn agreed to approve the appointment of an expat, Stephen Payne, to the post of Executive Director of the Trust over other qualified locals.

Very recently many Trust staff and vendors came forward to our newsroom to complain that their Recreation Trust issued cheque had been returned for insufficient funds (bounced cheques) and at times staff are most often paid late.

The Recreation Trust is a statutory body under the Ministry of Education and Culture and is responsible for all the territory’s public sporting and recreational facilities. 

20 Responses to “Is anything happening at Recreation Trust for past three years?-Hon O’Neal”

  • ccc (16/01/2015, 12:15) Like (3) Dislike (0) Reply
    Wow uncle woke up
  • rattie (16/01/2015, 12:21) Like (4) Dislike (0) Reply
    yea the trust is a joke and me heard the two dupties does work when they want
    • Workless (16/01/2015, 12:43) Like (4) Dislike (0) Reply
      If you get paid for not working ,whey would you ! Is that not the BVI way?
  • Joc (16/01/2015, 12:46) Like (16) Dislike (0) Reply
    As far as I am concerned mr. barry is just full of air
  • I say so (16/01/2015, 12:46) Like (2) Dislike (0) Reply
    Who is on this committee?
  • DOA (16/01/2015, 14:05) Like (13) Dislike (1) Reply
    When I heard Barry was in charge I now that was a dead horse!
  • ha (16/01/2015, 14:33) Like (13) Dislike (1) Reply
    BVI people continue to rape the country but we blame VIP and NDP. We have no shame and no conscience in this place. Many people believe that nothing is wrong with the Government paying for a service and not getting any value for it, as long as the person being paid is from the BVI and support the sitting party/Government. This is why so many people are currently upset and want to change Government, simply because they can no longer get what they were accustomed to. It is really shameful!
  • now do the maths (16/01/2015, 14:40) Like (13) Dislike (0) Reply
    The speaker is who used to run the department before roy took over.
  • wize up (16/01/2015, 15:24) Like (2) Dislike (4) Reply
    Suddenly and just before an election pure finger pointing and the blame game begins( if it was that serious and took him all of 3 years to begin asking questions)...ting to talk!!!!
  • JACK BE STILL (16/01/2015, 15:35) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
    Do the math u got me lost!!!!
  • ting to talk (16/01/2015, 16:15) Like (5) Dislike (0) Reply
    Mr. Roy Barry said that he will be on Bone Crusher's show in February. He better make sure that he has his info straight over wise he'll be up a tree. People are supposed to work and then they get paid, how is it possible that people was paid and no work was done?
  • Tigress (16/01/2015, 20:40) Like (4) Dislike (0) Reply

    Its amazing the type of people we put in charge of these areas. Why we continue to put these people in charge beats me. I know i wont put he in charge of my dog house. IF HE CANT HANDLE THE REC. TRUST HE GONNA BE IN CHARGE OF THE NATIONAL HEALTH INSURANCE? THINK PEOPLE!!!! the money going go ...

    • soso (16/01/2015, 22:54) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
      The problem with the people of the Virgin Islands is that are haters of each other. They do not like to see their fellow brothers or sisters progress. This will never be any other Caribbean Islands, they stick together through thick and thin. In the virgin Islands we are so jealous that we even can't see right from wrong. Who to blame for this? All our politicians from both parties. As the song said Greed, Envy and Jealousy is what keeping us down.
      It is time to stop all of this nonsense and work together to make the Virgin Islands people live like God wants us to be. Tigress needs to get herself educated about the National Health Insurance.
  • teacher john (16/01/2015, 23:00) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
    Please don't demolish this old sporting facilities, because the BVI don’t have enough historical sporting buildings left. We should be thinking more about the history of the Islands and preserving the Islands natural resources.
  • tt (17/01/2015, 12:53) Like (1) Dislike (0) Reply
    Long run, short ketch'
  • voter (17/01/2015, 17:14) Like (1) Dislike (0) Reply

    Bossman collecting his stipend. Thats whats happening at the Recreation Trust



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