Rotary Races to bring an end to Polio

HUNDREDS of Rotarians and supporters turned out for the End Polio Bed Race at the Marathon Mall, Nassau, Bahamas on Saturday.

Organised by Joanne Smith and Paul Cartwright of the East Nassau Rotary Club, the event raised about $10,000 for Rotary International's global campaign to eradicate polio, which still strikes thousands of children in four African and Asian countries.

Over a period of three hours, competitors from four Rotary Clubs in Nassau pushed and pulled 12 custom-made beds (with at least one occupant in each) over a hundred-yard course in the mall parking lot.

The bed team sponsored by Deloitte & Touche won the day. The winning team included Carl Rolle, Theodore Williams, Keith Beneby, Jamal Ijeoma, Lowell Coleby and Benson Beneby.

Volunteers also provided street food for spectators.

Rotary became involved with polio eradication in 1979 when the organisation committed to immunise six million children in the Philippines.

At the time, more than 350,000 children worldwide were afflicted annually by this crippling and sometimes fatal disease.

Since then, the number of those infected has been reduced by more than 99 per cent, and to date Rotarians have helped immunise more than two billion children in 122 countries.

The Rotary Clubs of the Bahamas have contributed more than $100,000 to this worldwide effort over the years.

Nassau's Harbourfront Finally getting it's due!

Just when you think the good news for real estate in The Bahamas is starting to fizzle, we get the news that the government of The Bahamas has finally signed the deal to move the main shipping terminals from the ultra-valuable Nassau Harbour front to a more effective and environmentally friendly area to the west of the main harbour.

In a news release today, The Tribune reported, "Wider distribution of the profits from the freight shipping industry, reduced cost of living for Bahamians and the facilitation of the redevelopment and revitalization of downtown Nassau were highlighted as the major benefits of a signing between the government and private investors to develop Arawak Cay into New Providence's freight hub yesterday."

For the real estate industry in The Bahamas this means that downtown Nassau can be transformed into the charming harbour front city it used to be! New opportunities for commercial and residential development are imminent and I can tell you that most citizens and residents are extremely excited for the probable economic benefits.