Where is the Island that once we knew – and the Caymanian people, the backbone of this place? They lived life happily, peacefully. Theirs was a hard life, but always, they had time to smile, reach out to each other, go to their ‘grounds’, harvesting their crops, sharing, and worshipping their God with love and thanksgiving. Times were hard, but life went on, quietly. The sea provided a livelihood, and the beaches, in their beauty were there for all. Sea grapes and coco plums, guinep, and mangoes, breadfruit and ‘bread kind’ from the earth. The coastline protected by mangroves, fish and lobster, conch and wilkes were readily available.

Where is the Cayman that we knew? West Bay Road traffic jams, high rise monstrosities, North Sound, the Wet Lands destroyed – construction everywhere – cars and concrete are all we see, and black topping everywhere. Cruise ships daily spewing out thousands of sparsely clad bodies who don’t even know where they are. Where have we all gone and where are we going? The pace of life destroys the fun of Sunday drives into the country. Cars, bumper to bumper – development everywhere, trees and mangroves gone. Cost of living sky high, population explosion – millions of dollars spent – but what have the Cayman people achieved, what is the point of this unplanned, too rapid development – what is the good of this so called progress, when we have lost the Island we knew as home?

By: Brenda Quin.