Salisbury Reunion 2011 well on its way

As the opening ceremony approaches, the Salisbury Reunion Committee (SRC) reports that they are already ahead of the two-week series of events that they expect to bring over 300 former residents of Salisbury and their families back home.

Salisbury Reunion 2011, which has been in the works since 2010, is set to kick-off tomorrow afternoon with an opening ceremony, under the patronage of Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerritt and Opposition Leader and Member of Parliament for the Salisbury Constituency, Hector John.

President of the SRC, Curth Charles mentioned the main objectives of Salisbury Reunion 2011, which touched on a number of areas of concern to the community.

“What we are really trying to do is explore our Diaspora, build a bridge of communication and maintain that connection. We want to keep them involved in community development. Also, we need a community centre in Salisbury so we want to sensitize them to that. We want to teach the kids about the history and the way of life and the history of the community, where we’ve been and where we’re going.  And we want people to join us in the economic growth of Salisbury and Dominica, by extension,” Charles said.

There has been a major effort to capture the attention of every demography with activities ranging from a summer day-programme for children during the first week of the Reunion, to the gospel concerts and special church services during the week, as well as the cultural exposition and historical events, all accented by entertainment options that will seek to cater to all music lovers.

In addition to the social aspects and entertainment, the Reunion will feature a number of meetings and symposium with the visiting residents, facilitated through a partnership with the West Coast Cooperative Credit Union, aimed at creating plans and ideas for the economic development of the community, with an emphasis on inviting them to come back home, or to invest in Salisbury and Dominica.

Charles urged Dominicans to join Salisbury and their returning residents as they celebrate the spirit of community and togetherness.

He stated, “I really want to ask the populace to support what we are doing. We want to involve everyone in the development of Salisbury and Dominica, by extension. It is time that we recapture that community spirit to really push the village of Salisbury.”

“We also want to thank our sponsors for coming aboard to assist us in our efforts,” Charles concluded.