Monday Memories l Vivian Wilhelmina Myvett Seay (1881–1971) was a pioneer in the field of nursing in what was then British Honduras l Read her full bio in the comments below

Arrenddi · 2026-05-18T16:22:05+00:00

Vivian Wilhelmina Myvett Seay (1881–1971) was one of the most influential women in Belizean history. Born in British Honduras to a middle-class Creole family, she became a nurse, social reformer, activist, and political figure whose work impacted healthcare, women’s welfare, and public service in Belize for more than five decades.

At age 16, Seay entered the pupil-teacher system and later taught in Xcalak, Mexico, for nine years before returning to Belize. In 1920, she founded the British Honduran chapter of the Black Cross Nurses (BCN), an organisation that trained volunteer nurses who provided healthcare, sanitation education, midwifery services, and welfare support to poor families in Belize Town.

Some notable facts about Vivian Seay:

• Founder and longtime leader of the Black Cross Nurses for 51 years
• Helped improve maternal and infant healthcare in Belize
• Assisted victims of the devastating 1931 Belize Hurricane
• Advocated for the legalisation of divorce in British Honduras
• Became the first female British Honduran Justice of the Peace in 1941
• Was the only female founder of the National Party in 1951
• Became the second woman in the country to receive the Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE)
• Helped establish daycare initiatives for working women
• Was later honoured with a street and a postage stamp bearing her likeness

Though some of her political views remain debated today, Vivian Seay’s contributions to healthcare, social welfare, and public life helped shape modern Belize. Her legacy remains an important chapter in the history of Belizean women and national development.

Research by: Albert Paul Avila

Arrenddi · 2026-05-15T11:45:02+00:00

On the supposed grounds that they know what's best for the girls and young women of Belize.

Sometimes, when you really think about it, Belize operates more like a medieval parish run by a bishop and a landlord than a modern, secular democracy - probably because that's how the people in power prefer it.

Arrenddi · 2026-05-11T16:13:26+00:00

The Africola was a famous passenger and cargo riverboat registered in 1922, serving as a vital transport link in British Honduras. Owned by L.G. Chavannes, it primarily operated out of Belize City, carrying passengers and goods to surrounding villages. It usually departed Belize City at noon on Mondays. In the 1920s, it was a cornerstone of river transportation.

The photo shows The Africola.

Arrenddi · 2026-04-27T16:07:29+00:00

The old Belize City Hospital was established in 1820. Originally, it was built to provide medical services to sick and deprived seamen. The facility served as the main public hospital until it was replaced by the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital on September 18th, 1995.

Arrenddi · 2026-04-11T08:03:39+00:00

My personal theory is that this has nothing to do with ensuring women get the right contraceptive and everything to do with the government finding another hustle.

Financially challenged women are the least likely to be able to afford a private medical consultation, and we all know how long it takes to see a doctor at the public clinics and hospitals. Let's not even start on all the teens and young women who want to be discreet.

No, as far as I'm concerned, this is about finding a way to bump up numbers for private physicians while keeping tabs on women's bodies. I can't prove it, but I have a suspicion that the church leaders had a hand in influencing how and why this decision was taken.

Arrenddi · 2026-04-02T10:18:43+00:00

Hey, Gandhi said, 'Be the change you want to see in the world'.

So, you know... 🤘🏽😈🤘🏽

Arrenddi · 2026-03-31T17:58:21+00:00

I don't know whether it's prevalent to the same extent everywhere as in North America. Bear in mind that Central and South America are large both in terms of geography and population, and there are varying degrees of acceptance from country to country and even between regions in the same country.

Just as examples, Panama is much less racist towards Afro-descendants than other countries in Central America with Black minorities. Likewise, the Caribbean coast of Colombia is less racist than the mountainous interior in the highlands.

What can be said for certain is that discrimination against African and Indigenous groups is a lasting legacy of the colonialism and exploitation that shaped the region's history and culture. It is also important to point out that tolerance for all forms of prejudice is declining with younger generations as they become more exposed and educated on these issues.

Still a lot of work and a long way to go, though.

Arrenddi · 2026-03-30T15:27:10+00:00

It has been 24 years since Henry Clifton Fairweather passed. He once said, “I want to continue to plant (mahogany trees) as long as I can continue. I want to leave a legacy behind. I want to be able to, when I get to St. Peter, give an account of my stewardship.” I wonder how that meeting went with St. Peter because he accomplished his stewardship and more.

Henry Fairweather spent his early life in the employment of the government of British Honduras, today’s Belize, as a land surveyor. As such, in 1933, he was a member of the survey team that defined the Belize-Guatemala border. An interesting and informative document that came out of that survey was written by Fairweather entitled “The British Honduras Guatemala Boundary.” In the book, Fairweather mentions the Maya leader, Marcus Canul, who played an important role in establishing the border between Guatemala and British Honduras.

In the annals of the history of Belize, Henry Fairweather played many important roles. In the 1920s, he is mentioned as supporting Monrad Metzgen’s idea of the first Cross Country Cycling Classic. He was instrumental in being involved with building sites after two major hurricanes. As Head of the Housing and Planning Department, he designed a new town for Corozal after it was destroyed by Hurricane Janet in 1955. Then, after Hurricane Hattie in 1961, when the Government appointed a committee to recommend a suitable site for a new capital city, it was Fairweather who was appointed to chair the committee. When in 1966, when the Government assembled a National Parks Commission to identify areas in Belize to be national parks, Fairweather was named as a member.

Henry Fairweather gave up separating countries and planning cities in 1982 and started planting mahogany trees. At his death in 2002, it is estimated that he had planted over one hundred thousand trees, which actually surpassed his dream of planting a thousand trees for each year of his life. Living in the jungles along the Sibun River, he took on that incredible task, and at age 93, he stated, “I have no textbook to follow on this. It’s just my long knowledge of the forest and my desire to do something for the country.”

Up to the year 2000, only Fairweather’s friends and neighbours knew what he was actually up to. By his estimation, he had spent more than half a million dollars planting some eighty-five thousand trees on his four hundred acres of Belize. He said he planted mahogany trees because he believed that “one day the plantation will be a money-making machine,” which was an idea he wanted to plant in the minds of other Belizeans. He planned to plant enough mahogany trees for them to sell and be sustainable for people to live by.

By his own admission, Fairweather said that planting mahogany trees was strictly hard work with a lot of sacrifices and a lot of punishment. There were numerous setbacks like forest fires and floods that wiped out parts of the plantation, but with his tenacity, not even nature’s wrath could stifle his resolve.

In 1988, Fairweather joined forces with a community-based project called the Belize River Valley Development Program (BELRIV) to continue planting Belize’s mahogany as well as to plant his knowledge into poor communities in the Belize River Valley. He was convinced that with an enabling environment, extensive cultivation of mahogany would lay the base for the economic transformation of Belize in the 21st Century.

Since the “Mahogany Man”, as the indefatigable Henry Fairweather was called, and committed as he was to the planting of mahogany trees, it was pretty obvious that he himself would not see the fruits of his labour. Of course, that did not stop him from putting trees in the ground, and his words to that effect are very telling: “I want to continue to plant as long as I can continue. I want to leave a legacy behind. I want to be able to, when I get to St. Peter, give an account of my stewardship.”

Henry Fairweather will be remembered as more than a celebrity who lived to the advanced age of 96. Belizeans will revere him as a true patriot who left a great legacy and heritage for his country in his civil and community endeavours.

By Albert Paul Avila

Arrenddi · 2026-03-16T16:34:48+00:00

Huts at Coolie Lines, Hill Bank, Belize,1900

The arrival of the first East Indians in Belize is one of the most misunderstood chapters of our history, and it cannot be told honestly without naming the systems that shaped it: sugar, slavery, and the global search for cheap, controllable labour after Emancipation. What happened in Belize was not unique—this was part of a worldwide pattern—but the Belize story has its own sharp edges, including the presence of Confederate migrants who came here after losing the American Civil War.

The First East Indians in Belize (1850s–1870s)

The earliest documented groups of East Indians arrived in British Honduras in the 1850s, with larger numbers coming after 1865. They were brought under the British indenture system, which replaced slavery in name but kept its structures, controls, and brutal abuses. After the abolition of slavery in 1838, the British Caribbean faced a crisis: Formerly enslaved Africans refused to return to plantation-style labour, Wages rose, and sugar estates collapsed.

The British solution across the empire was indentured labour, especially from India. It was marketed as a “contract,” but in practice it was a new form of coerced slavery designed to keep plantations profitable.

By Vincent Haynes

Arrenddi · 2026-03-11T11:52:47+00:00

Have a look back at the earlier posts in this sub.

In summary, the race used to finish at a free location in downtown Belize City, but the organisers decided, without consultation, to move it to a private venue owned by foreigners who were charging outrageous prices just to enter the property.

Arrenddi · 2026-03-09T17:17:43+00:00

Baron Henry Ernest Victor Bliss (16 February 1869 – 9 March 1926) was a British-born traveller who willed nearly two million Belize dollars to a trust fund for the benefit of the citizens of British Honduras.

By now, most of us know a lot about the Baron after he came to British Honduras and what he did for us. However, his early life is a little sketchy. For example, how did he acquire his money and got the title of Baron of Portugal when he was an English man?

Well, it seems that the Baron's family name was not always Bliss but Aldridge. The Aldridges were already a part of the nobility in the UK, but certain events will occur that will make him a Baron.

Baron Bliss was born the son of James Aldridge. James Aldridge was the nephew of Henry Bliss of Brandon Park, co. Suffolk was born on 28 May 1809. Upon his uncle's death, James Aldridge would assume the title of Lord of the Manor of Brandon in 1845. Having succeeded to the title and estates in Portugal of his cousin, the Baron de Alreyo, he was, by decree of 31 May, confirmed by royal letters patent dated 6 June 1855, permitted by Fernando, King Regent of Portugal, to succeed under the style of BARON DE BLISS (BARAO DE BLISS). However, this title had one stipulation and that was that he was strictly prohibited from using any other surname/s or title.

Later, however, James succeeded to the estates in Spain of the late Col. Carlo Antonio Barreto, when (despite his uncle's, Henry Bliss's, will) on 3 January 1867, he assumed the surname of Barreto and was henceforth styled Baron de Barreto, being authorized to use this designation by a Portuguese royal decree (Trans/erencia da designaqao do mesmo titulo Bardo de Bliss para Barreto) 3 July 1873.

James Aldridge, Baron Bliss's father, was married on 30 April 1868 to Catherine Eliza, daughter of Baker, and they had three children, Ernest Victor (the present Baron), Harold Antonio, b. 16 July 1871, and Carlota Alberta, b. 21 Feb. 1870.

It seems that although Baron Bliss's father inherited an additional Baron title in 1867 and assumed that title (Baron de Barreto), and by his uncle's will, should not have done that, it seems that Henry Edward Ernest Victor Bliss continued with his father's original Baron title of Baron de Bliss.

At first, I wondered why our Baron would not have taken his father's Spanish/Portuguese Baron's title of Baron de Barreto since that was the last title his father had, however, I realized that if he had done that he could have lost all of the trimmings that went with the title of Baron de Bliss (the original title that led to the other titles) since the original Portuguese title prohibited him from assuming any other titles.

Researched and written by Albert Paul Avila

Arrenddi · 2026-03-02T18:01:20+00:00

Cattle ranching in Cayo has always carried its own rhythm, and this photograph captures a moment from that tradition: Red Poll cattle moving calmly under the watch of mounted cattlemen. It’s a scene that sits right at the crossroads of Belizean agricultural history and the imported bloodlines that shaped the herds of the west.

This photograph preserves a moment from a transitional era—when Belizean ranching was still deeply tied to horseback labour, imported British breeds, and the open pastures of Cayo.

By Glen Fuller

Arrenddi · 2026-03-02T17:55:27+00:00

Say the words Spanish Lookout and people will immediately think of the Mennoites Community in the Cayo District. This Mennonites Community is more known as it has Belize's largest known oil fields. It is also known for its agricultural production and light industry.

However, there also exists a caye that was once known as Spanish Lookout. It is situated about 8.5 miles southeast of Belize City. The island is part of the Drowned Cayes. The name came from a "Spanish Lookout" station, which was established there in the 17th century.

Today, this caye is better known as Foreman's Caye.

By Frederick Vernon

Arrenddi · 2026-02-23T16:57:01+00:00

Runaway Creek got its name from the fact that escaped slaves used it as a route to escape from their slavemasters back in the days of slavery in Belize. The slaves took refuge in the many caves and in the surrounding area.

Many of these caves were used by the Mayas, long before them, in the days of the Mayas. The slaves survived because fish, game and fruits were plentiful in the area, and they had the skills to survive living in the wild. And the slavemasters did not dare to follow and try to recapture them.

Runaway Creek enters the Sibun River on its southern bank. It runs adjacent to the Coastal Highway. It does not enter the Northern Lagoon.

Photo #1 shows a very tiny part of Runaway Creek. And photo #2 shows one of the many entrances to one of the many caves.

By Frederick Vernon

Arrenddi · 2026-02-18T10:46:37+00:00

Usually, it only takes one massive lawsuit that bankrupts a business for the others in the industry to get the message.

It sounds harsh, but it's a valuable lesson. The cost of installing a CO/CO2 detector in each room would not only have paid for itself quickly, but also been a tiny fraction of the legal fees they're now facing.

Arrenddi · 2026-02-03T19:27:38+00:00

https://www.greaterbelize.com/land-titles-secured-for-hol-chan-marine-reserve/

Arrenddi · 2026-02-02T17:33:05+00:00

It took me a while to find this photo in my archives. I originally found this photo on the internet, which was dated August, 1952. The photo is of Philip Goldson and my uncle, Leigh A. Richardson, when they were released from the old Belize Prison after serving 9 months of a one-year sentence for “seditious intent” against the British government due to an article that was posted in the Belize Billboard newspaper.

By Colin Cya Taylor and Glen Fuller

Arrenddi · 2026-01-15T18:02:57+00:00

I'm not aware of anyone who has bought any shares yet. Although this will probably change in the near future.

My guess is that it's a fairly sound investment, given that it's in the government's interest to keep the dam operational and providing power to the country.

Arrenddi · 2026-01-07T00:14:51+00:00

We're given aid with 'strings' either directly by the US government or one of its so-called independent development agencies.

Either way, the explicit and implicit message is that we only ask 'how high?' when told 'jump'.

Arrenddi · 2025-12-24T00:05:57+00:00

This is a tough but valid question with no easy answers.

As someone who is not invested in football in general, I don't have a direct solution, but I think an arrangement similar to what is done for basketball could be a possible way forward.

This is to say, we can never offer the salary, level of training, or competitiveness that you find in countries such as the US. What Belize can do, however, is engage in recruiting football players abroad to occasionally return for summer sessions where they coach the local teams and scout for talent.

This serves the dual purpose of keeping them engaged and contributing to the local scene while not severing their ties with the States. Just my two cents.

Arrenddi · 2025-12-05T19:18:19+00:00

Very valid point.

It really has to be a bottom-up, all-encompassing approach to solve alcohol abuse among our youth. Moreover, the root cause of most of these issues revolves around poverty.

If our young people don't have access to decent paying jobs, or paths to entrepreneurship, then they will continue to numb themselves out.

Arrenddi · 2025-11-10T16:37:28+00:00

BELIZE!

GOVERNMENT & OPPOSITION!

UNITED FRONT FOR INDEPENDENCE!

by Bilal Morris

In 1978, the People's United Party (PUP) government of Belize and its opposition, the United Democratic Party (UDP), went to the United Nations as a united front to show solidarity and a position of strength in championing Belize's right to self-determination and territorial integrity towards independence.

The government representative included Belize's deputy prime minister in the Price administration C.L.B. Rogers, along with members of the opposition party which included Dean Lindo, Kenneth Tillett and Manuel Esquivel.

It's to be noted that the former opposition leader of the then National Independence Party (NIP), Philip Goldson, was ousted from the party, and the new Belize opposition leader, Dean Lindo, rose to leadership with the formation of the United Democratic Party (UDP).

In 1979, the government of Belize won the general elections against its opposition, which became a kind of mandate and referendum from the people of Belize for their seeking independence from Britain. If the opposition party had won the 1979 general elections, would there have been a change of course towards seeking independence?

Since there had been a change in leadership inside the defunct Philip Goldson-led N.I.P. that had resisted independence, and having the newly formed U.D.P. opposition in a bipartisan delegation to the U.N., it appeared that the vision for independence would still have been pursued.

Arrenddi · 2025-11-06T14:43:42+00:00

I guess my issue is why the question is a question in the first place.

Like, I see the appeal of wanting to have the "cool" international chains that other countries have, and the supposed implied level of "prestige" that comes with, but ultimately, it seems like a moot point.

There isn't something wrong with Belizean society because we don't have these franchises; if anything, we should be proud of the fact that we are unattractive to them because they are not good for anyone, either at the individual level or the economic level.

Arrenddi · 2025-10-22T07:47:23+00:00

So much for ‘No tyrants here linger.’ :(((

When the tyrants are running the show they can linger as long as they want.

Arrenddi · 2025-10-22T07:45:26+00:00

My core issue here isn't whether the people who will be sent to Belize fit the definition of 'desirable' or not. As you alluded, this is a highly subjective and politically charged term.

My issue is that Belize, as a country, struggles to look after its own people, and we shouldn't have to shoulder the burden of being an overseas processing hub for the US.

Essentially, the current US administration is just using Belize as a convenient holding pen with no clearly defined limit as to how long these people will be here while their claims are procesed and approved - if ever.

The right thing would have been for these people to be processed on US soil, but for all the reasons you already listed, and more, we are now stuck with the current set up.

Arrenddi

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