Canadian navy volunteers spruce up Hilda Skeene Primary

In the space of three hours, volunteers from the Canadian Armed Forces gave the Hilda Skeene Primary School a facelift as part of a community engagement project for Exercise Tradewinds.

Warship sailors repainted the Ruby, St Philip school’s gate, guard hut and park benches. They also made improvements to the nursery and infant classrooms, including repainting walls, improving ceilings and adding casters to large chalkboards and whiteboards.

Principal Wayne Bryan expressed gratitude for the works.

“I am totally thankful and happy for this collaboration…their presence here today really brought some life to the student community,” he said, urging more businesses and organisations to partner with schools across the island.

“Education is an expensive endeavour and if other businesses and organisations would step out and do this, they would realise that they are making an investment in their future workers. It is critical that we have these kinds of collaborations across all of our primary schools.”

Canadian High Commissioner to Barbados Lilian Chatterjee said 126 Canadian troops were on the island for the exercise. Forty volunteers from HMCS Margaret Brooke, a warship usually deployed in the Arctic, took part in the refurbishment project.

“Volunteerism is a big part of the ethic of the Canadian Armed Forces and they looked to see what kind of community engagement activities they could participate in,” said Chatterjee. “I can confidently say that our HMCS volunteers got as much from this as the Hilda Skeene students and principal.”

After the project, Commander Nicole Robichaud presented Principal Bryan with a token of appreciation.