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The 'Hell' in Hellshire Beach
Barbara Gloudon
Friday, October 30, 2009
SOME WEEKS AGO, I went to visit the beach at Hellshire. On approaching the outskirts of the beach, I was appalled, frightened even, at the mass of unsightly shacks and other makeshift buildings which have been erected in the area, blocking sight and sound of the magnificent seascape which has become a favourite relaxation spot.
Besides the ugliness, there was also the sense of unease engendered by the presence of touts - young men who converged on our vehicle, offering to show the way to eating places on the beach. Their insistence on steering us to a parking place of their choice and their determination that we would patronise the restaurant they claimed to represent was a complete turn-off.
There was no escape, however. The group, which had chosen us to be the objects of their unwelcome assistance, ran in front of and beside the car, guiding us to "park yah so" and stood militantly by to direct us to their restaurant. When we didn't fall in line with what they were offering, their reception (if you could call it that) changed into a sullenness which we certainly would not have wanted to encounter in dark hours.
The news via the police that "drugs for guns" trading is taking place at Hellshire does not come as a surprise. What is surprising and disturbing is how the relevant authorities, the famous "powers-that-be", could have allowed the disfiguring of the Hellshire landscape to have become so entrenched. The shacks did not spring up overnight. They are the evidence of a consistent and steady decline in an area which could end up being referred to in past, instead of present tense, as one of the most beautiful natural spots on this side of the island.
The clarity of the water, the brilliance of the white sand, the pleasure of the breezes blowing across from the open sea - all have made this a popular spot. Above all, it has been accessible to the people, one of the few remaining treasures of its kind. Let's hope it will not be HELL instead of the full HELLSHIRE that we remember one day.
Its reputation as a prime centre to kick back and enjoy nature at its fullest is being steadily eroded, as far as I could see. One aspect, which irritated me the most, was the takeover of the beach by the restaurants and cookshops through which you have to pass to get to the sea. How the authorities (UDC et al), could sit by and let this happen is part of the disgraceful neglect which has become all too common and is rapidly turning our country into a "dungle heap".
The "reception committee", which extended their dubious welcome, offered me the privilege of walking through the establishment they were touting to get to the beach. I did so reluctantly, feeling distinctly uncomfortable, knowing that I had no intention of dining there. I went out and stood on the beach for a quick look-around, dreading having to go back the way I came, fully expecting to be tackled for not buying anything. It was a welcome surprise when I was ignored by the proprietor, but that didn't make it any easier to face "the greeters" who watched sullenly as I tried to edge away from them.
I CAN SEE THE VALUE of infrastructure to add to the amenities at the beach, but couldn't it be developed in a more orderly and attractive way, providing access to the sea which does not require passage through people's property? There is nothing wrong with building up an environment in which traders can benefit. It is the brutal ugliness of the makeshift structures which offends me. It is symptomatic of the callous disregard for order in our environment, which is changing our landscape all across the island into the kingdom of "chaka-chaka".
The Mayor of Portmore's tirade against the JPSCo providing squatters access to being customers is too little, too late. After all the ranting, let's see what really happens, especially as the JPSCo response is that they are obliged to provide electricity to citizens who can pay for it. Outbursts condemning squatting and its attendant degradation of the environment is nothing new. We are even more unimpressed when the role of politicians in facilitating unplanned settlements is well known.
<span style="font-weight: bold">No less frustrating is the matter of the inaccessibility of our beaches to the ordinary citizen (as different from the tourist).</span> There are a few places left where, if we're lucky, we can go freely for a dip. Tourists get far more benefit out of our sea water than we do. <span style="font-weight: bold">Even if we accept the economic reasons, it is still disturbing.</span> That is why, whenever we can find a piece of beach to which we have free access, it is such a treasure.
THE DOUBLE TRAGEDY of today's topic is that not even the persons who once found a livelihood at Hellshire can be complacent. Current economic strictures are playing havoc with business at the beach as elsewhere. On my visit, I got into conversation with two women who operate a cookshop. They didn't have any parking touts working on their behalf, so they were waiting for trade to come to them. Up to early afternoon when we met, they had not sold one fish, one piece of bammy, not a single festival since they opened shop that morning. This has been a fairly regular occurrence in recent times, they said, which could explain the hard-sell of the parking touts.
We talked about how to run the business; they borrowed money in the weekly "pardner scheme" of a well-known financial institution and how difficult it had become to keep up the payments. The fact that their establishment was not located directly on the beach accounted for much of their problem, but they believed it was also because "money nah run like first time". They were thinking of curtailing their business to weekends and holidays, because it was no longer profitable to be there all week. For now, though, they were prepared to wait and see, a little longer. but not too long.
PS: To the Portmore Mayor - now that you've discovered the shacks and the lights, what is to be done about it?
HOW COME? Government is to spend millions converting the airstrip at Boscobel, St Mary, into (we are told) a modern airport for private jets to enhance tourism, of course. But what about Tinson Pen and air traffic between Montego Bay and Kingston? Experience was that it provided a much-needed link between the two major cities of the island. The new highways have helped to reduce the driving time between Kingston and the Bay, but there's still room for a quicker turnaround for those who wish to get through business in the course of one day. <span style="font-weight: bold">We keep talking about attracting investors</span>. Are we that serious?
<span style="font-weight: bold">PS: Investors are local too. in case anybody has forgotten.</span>
[email protected]
Barbara Gloudon
Friday, October 30, 2009
SOME WEEKS AGO, I went to visit the beach at Hellshire. On approaching the outskirts of the beach, I was appalled, frightened even, at the mass of unsightly shacks and other makeshift buildings which have been erected in the area, blocking sight and sound of the magnificent seascape which has become a favourite relaxation spot.
Besides the ugliness, there was also the sense of unease engendered by the presence of touts - young men who converged on our vehicle, offering to show the way to eating places on the beach. Their insistence on steering us to a parking place of their choice and their determination that we would patronise the restaurant they claimed to represent was a complete turn-off.
There was no escape, however. The group, which had chosen us to be the objects of their unwelcome assistance, ran in front of and beside the car, guiding us to "park yah so" and stood militantly by to direct us to their restaurant. When we didn't fall in line with what they were offering, their reception (if you could call it that) changed into a sullenness which we certainly would not have wanted to encounter in dark hours.
The news via the police that "drugs for guns" trading is taking place at Hellshire does not come as a surprise. What is surprising and disturbing is how the relevant authorities, the famous "powers-that-be", could have allowed the disfiguring of the Hellshire landscape to have become so entrenched. The shacks did not spring up overnight. They are the evidence of a consistent and steady decline in an area which could end up being referred to in past, instead of present tense, as one of the most beautiful natural spots on this side of the island.
The clarity of the water, the brilliance of the white sand, the pleasure of the breezes blowing across from the open sea - all have made this a popular spot. Above all, it has been accessible to the people, one of the few remaining treasures of its kind. Let's hope it will not be HELL instead of the full HELLSHIRE that we remember one day.
Its reputation as a prime centre to kick back and enjoy nature at its fullest is being steadily eroded, as far as I could see. One aspect, which irritated me the most, was the takeover of the beach by the restaurants and cookshops through which you have to pass to get to the sea. How the authorities (UDC et al), could sit by and let this happen is part of the disgraceful neglect which has become all too common and is rapidly turning our country into a "dungle heap".
The "reception committee", which extended their dubious welcome, offered me the privilege of walking through the establishment they were touting to get to the beach. I did so reluctantly, feeling distinctly uncomfortable, knowing that I had no intention of dining there. I went out and stood on the beach for a quick look-around, dreading having to go back the way I came, fully expecting to be tackled for not buying anything. It was a welcome surprise when I was ignored by the proprietor, but that didn't make it any easier to face "the greeters" who watched sullenly as I tried to edge away from them.
I CAN SEE THE VALUE of infrastructure to add to the amenities at the beach, but couldn't it be developed in a more orderly and attractive way, providing access to the sea which does not require passage through people's property? There is nothing wrong with building up an environment in which traders can benefit. It is the brutal ugliness of the makeshift structures which offends me. It is symptomatic of the callous disregard for order in our environment, which is changing our landscape all across the island into the kingdom of "chaka-chaka".
The Mayor of Portmore's tirade against the JPSCo providing squatters access to being customers is too little, too late. After all the ranting, let's see what really happens, especially as the JPSCo response is that they are obliged to provide electricity to citizens who can pay for it. Outbursts condemning squatting and its attendant degradation of the environment is nothing new. We are even more unimpressed when the role of politicians in facilitating unplanned settlements is well known.
<span style="font-weight: bold">No less frustrating is the matter of the inaccessibility of our beaches to the ordinary citizen (as different from the tourist).</span> There are a few places left where, if we're lucky, we can go freely for a dip. Tourists get far more benefit out of our sea water than we do. <span style="font-weight: bold">Even if we accept the economic reasons, it is still disturbing.</span> That is why, whenever we can find a piece of beach to which we have free access, it is such a treasure.
THE DOUBLE TRAGEDY of today's topic is that not even the persons who once found a livelihood at Hellshire can be complacent. Current economic strictures are playing havoc with business at the beach as elsewhere. On my visit, I got into conversation with two women who operate a cookshop. They didn't have any parking touts working on their behalf, so they were waiting for trade to come to them. Up to early afternoon when we met, they had not sold one fish, one piece of bammy, not a single festival since they opened shop that morning. This has been a fairly regular occurrence in recent times, they said, which could explain the hard-sell of the parking touts.
We talked about how to run the business; they borrowed money in the weekly "pardner scheme" of a well-known financial institution and how difficult it had become to keep up the payments. The fact that their establishment was not located directly on the beach accounted for much of their problem, but they believed it was also because "money nah run like first time". They were thinking of curtailing their business to weekends and holidays, because it was no longer profitable to be there all week. For now, though, they were prepared to wait and see, a little longer. but not too long.
PS: To the Portmore Mayor - now that you've discovered the shacks and the lights, what is to be done about it?
HOW COME? Government is to spend millions converting the airstrip at Boscobel, St Mary, into (we are told) a modern airport for private jets to enhance tourism, of course. But what about Tinson Pen and air traffic between Montego Bay and Kingston? Experience was that it provided a much-needed link between the two major cities of the island. The new highways have helped to reduce the driving time between Kingston and the Bay, but there's still room for a quicker turnaround for those who wish to get through business in the course of one day. <span style="font-weight: bold">We keep talking about attracting investors</span>. Are we that serious?
<span style="font-weight: bold">PS: Investors are local too. in case anybody has forgotten.</span>
[email protected]
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