Every now-and-then, it pays to walk Down Memory Lane and rewind to the past, whether recent or distant.
In the past week, I took two such strolls to revisit my times at St. Mary’s College (SMC) six decades ago.
This weekend, I’ll take a longer walk Back-in-Time, even though to visit a much-more-recent period.
Today, I revisit last month (September) — the 9th month of 2026 and the 10th of the Second Term of the current Government of Saint Lucia (GOSL), which I see as ‘A September to Remember – and Forget’.
The Start
It started with the beginning of the arrivals here of the first so-called ‘Third Country Refugees’ deported from the USA and welcomed on the basis of an understanding between the two governments.
At the same time, there was as-much wild public speculation on the fate of Housing Minister Richard Frederick after he was sent on administrative leave by Prime Minister Philip J. Pierre, following a police inquiry into unstated allegations against him.
This year’s ‘La Woz’ flower festival has just ended, the National Underwater Sculpture Park was unveiled — and an adventurous young Saint Lucian, Jordan Florenville, with eyes on being the first local to walk-up Mount Everest, had just set-the-stage by walking around Saint Lucia in a lone record-setting on-and-off-road trek that clearly demonstrated he was up to the mountainous task.
The 2026 new school year had just started with yet-another basket of welcome goodies for parents, students, teachers and everyone involved in the education system, while tourism authorities announced new avenues to benefit more locals.
76 local farmers (including six students from Sir Arthur Lewis Community College) graduated from a local capacity-building course to keep them abreast with innovative agricultural techniques; and after one week here, the ‘Third Country’ deportees indicated they’d rather be sent “home”.
The GOSL reported the island’s unemployment rate continued to climb down, standing at 10.1% in the Second Quarter of 2026 and Commissioners were appointed for the Official Inquiry into the fatal Anse Cochon maritime collision.
By mid-month, a new and improved medical facility was opened at the Bordelais Correctional Facility, the island prepared to welcome the Cas en Bas Beach Resort, local media representatives got a briefing on the major A’ila Resorts and Saint Lucia’s first multilingual news platform sascaonline.com was launched.
The Middle
Mid- month’s started with the tourism-boosting announcement that Saint Lucia was named ‘The Number-One Island’ on Expedia’s 2026 ‘Hot List’, plans were announced as being “advanced” for erection of a statue honouring Olympic legend Julien Alfred, a delegation from the National Reparations Committee (NRC) represented Saint Lucia at the 3rd Regional Reparations Conference in Barbados and nominations were invited for the Order of Saint Lucia National Awards.
The Royal Saint Lucia Police Force (RSLPF) announced there would be ‘No Surrender!’ in its fight against illegal distribution of firearms, Prime Minister Pierre and regional officials met on the side-lines of the 81st United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) with the related European Union (EU) Commissioner on the future of regional Citizenship By Investment Programs (CIPs), the Saint Lucia Jazz and Arts Festival won the prestigious ‘Music Festival of the Year’ award at the 4th Caribbean Music Awards (hosted in Trinidad & Tobago), the National Council for People with Disabilities (NCPD) launched an innovative program to support disabled persons, Saint Lucia strengthened ties with Canadian travel media houses and Royal Caribbean and Sandals & Beaches Resorts announced a landmark partnership that’ll benefit Saint Lucia and other Caribbean tourism destinations.
The End
The month ended with tourism authorities announcing Saint Lucia’s ‘Tourism Winter Season’ was bracing for ‘Bumper Figures’ and growing calls for stiffer penalties to address reckless driving, Prime Minister Pierre attended the funeral in Trinidad & Tobago of the late Archbishop Robert Rivas, the Folk Research Centre (FRC) launched the 2026 Kweyol Heritage Month in Laborie, Saint Lucia joined the Caribbean to mourn the death of ‘Calypso King of the World’ The Mighty Sparrow and remembered local calypso legend The Mighty Pelay, while also observing the 23rd anniversary of the death of popular local politician George Odlum.
Soufriere hosted a ‘Peace and Unity’ march and Prime Minister Pierre assured the local press he’d do all he could to protect Saint Lucia’s finances in the face of the EU’s insistence that GOSL should choose between closing-down the CIP and citizens losing visa-free access to Europe’s Schengen Zone.
Regional Prime Ministers and Presidents addressed the UNGA in New York, at which global leaders focused on implications of the veritable stand-off in US-led war on Iran, as US President Donald Trump started reeling under the strongest indications his Republican Party could lose November’s mid-term elections.
Israel continued its attacks on Lebanon, Gaza and the Occupied West Bank of Palestine as general elections drew nearer, Brazil braced for a very-close and predictably-tight presidential election, Canada became the first nation to negotiate becoming an EU ‘Associate’, the longstanding war between Yemen’s Ansarullah Houthis and the Saudi-backed government recognized by the UN resumed — and the world focused on the advantages (and disadvantages) of Artificial Intelligence (AI), as top global hi-tech companies warned that robots are now well-able to outsmart the humans that create them.
As The World Turns…
Indeed, it was a September for Saint Lucia, the Caribbean and the world to remember, even though it was also one that citizens still alive in Gaza and Palestine, millions displaced by wars in Yemen and Sudan and those affected by floods, heatwaves, earthquakes and other worldwide disasters caused by the worst El Nino phenomenon in history, will prefer to forget.
But, as the world turns, governments, people everywhere also continue paying the daily increasing costs of the global effects of US tariffs — and the constantly-increasing prices of everything everywhere that moves with gas and diesel, thanks to the continuing international energy crisis caused by the US-led war on Iran and the resulting closure of the Strait of Hormuz.