The Tribune

THE iconic past of the country’s first public high school, the first black mayor in Britain who hailed from Inagua, and how the new guardian of the Bahamian economy feels about the country’s economic prospects are some of the stories in the 2017 Bahamas Handbook, which is in bookstores now.

Published by Etienne Dupuch Jr Publications for more than 50 years, the latest edition of the Handbook offers “an exciting lineup of feature articles, beautiful photography and a reliable compendium of facts and figures on everything you ever wanted to know about The Bahamas”, according to the publishers.

Among the articles for 2017, readers will meet Dr Alan Glaisyer Minns, a Bahamian who became the first black mayor in Britain in 1904; Sir Charles Carter, whose accomplishments in broadcasting and media earned him a knighthood; and John Rolle, the new governor of the Central Bank of The Bahamas. They will learn about the rich history of Government High School, established in the 1920s to make higher education a reality for the black majority, and produced some of the country’s most prominent government and civic leaders; how American businessman and humanitarian Austin Levy revolutionised agriculture in the Bahamas in the 1930s; and how a slave by the name of Pompey led a heroic rebellion that started an anti-slavery movement in the Bahamas.

Business people will be interested in how the Securities Commission is overhauling investment fund legislation in the country and how the financial services industry is adapting to new compliance standards brought in by FATCA.

Also featured in this year’s Handbook are the fascinating history of Cay Sal, a cluster of small little-known Bahamian islands between Cuba and the Florida Keys that was the site of espionage and intrigue and a playground for the rich and famous; how Milanne Rehor, project director of the Wild Horses of Abaco Preservation Society, is working to bring Abaco’s rare wild horses back from extinction through the science of cloning; how the Lyford Cay Foundation is helping Bahamian students fulfil their educational dreams and give back to the country; a look back at the late legendary boxer Muhammad Ali and his connection to the Bahamas; the 60-year history of the Lynden Pindling International Airport, the site of industrial unrest in the late 1950s and now the modern gateway to paradise; and how the famous swimming pigs of Exuma have taken social media by storm and become one of the country’s top attractions.

The Handbook’s signature blue Bahamas Information pages section is a treasure trove of useful detail, assembled in an easy-to-use alphabetical format, and covers everything you ever wanted to know about The Bahamas, from agriculture, boating and climate, to voting, wildlife and zoos. The most important events of 2016 are listed in the popular Year in Review.

The Government Section is a rundown on how the country’s parliamentary democracy works, including the role of the Governor General, the Prime Minister and his Cabinet, and the Leader of the Opposition. Members of Parliament, senators, top civil servants and diplomats are all listed.

The Handbook has been published continuously since 1960 and is described as “a must read for anyone who lives, works, visits, studies or invests in The Bahamas”. Etienne Dupuch Jr Publications also publishes the semi-annual Bahamas Investor and three twice-a-year booklets: What To Do (Nassau and Freeport) and the Dining and Entertainment Guide. Among its nine publications are maps for New Providence and Grand Bahama, and two editions of the Welcome Book, a glossy coffee-table hardback.