TWO local entities that have lost all their valuable historical records are urging local businesses and entities, public and private, governmental and non-governmental, including community organizations, to always take steps to secure their historical records against fires.
The advice is coming from the Managing Director of St. Lucia Distillers and the Executive Director (Ag.) of the Monsignor Patrick Anthony Folk Research Center (FRC), both of which lost all their valuable historical and research records as a result of devastating fires.
The two Executives were attending last weekend’s launch of a book (‘Stories of Roseau Valley’) at the St. Lucia Distillers compound in Roseau, when both made separate references to the importance of saving historical records for occasions and events like compiling history of communities and companies.
St. Lucia Distillers Managing Director Margaret Monplaisir said in her welcome remarks: “Our involvement in this project is especially meaningful to us because we understand the importance of preserving history.”
She recalled that “On May 2, 2007, St. Lucia distilleries faced a devastating fire that resulted in the loss of all our historical records.”
Mrs Monplaisir, who’s been with the company for over 30 years, explained that “while we had computerized our financial information, we had not yet digitized our historical records.”
She recounted that “This loss was deeply-felt and it underscored for us the critical importance of documenting and preserving our past.”
The Managing Director further recounted that recently, “while conducting research for a geographical indication application for Saint Lucia Rum, we struggled to find specific information about St. Lucia Distillers.”
“This experience,” she confessed, “brought home to us, once again, the value of preserving history – and we did not hesitate when the opportunity arose to assist in documenting the history of the Roseau Valley, our home…”
FRC’s Acting Executive Director Melchoir Henry, in his remarks, noted that “we also lost 40 years of records” when the FRC’s historic building at Morne Plaisance, Calvary Road, in Castries in 2018 burned.
He said, “The fire was devastating, badly affecting the building and destroying all the historical records” stored at the spacious historic building, also of colonial architectural vintage.
Henry said, “We are working on building back better,” but apart from encouraging other communities to follow Roseau’s example by research and documentation, he also encouraged they keep their historical records safe.