Bahamas News
Meet Sir Sidney Poitier
Hollywood’s Oldest Legend & Caribbean Icon takes his final bow
#TheBahamas, January 15, 2022 – Sidney Poitier was a famous Bahamian-American actor, ambassador, film director, film producer and author. He was born on February 21, 1927 in Miami, Florida and died on January 6, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. He went from a premature two-months early baby to being a successful actor; the first Hollywood Black movie star and the first Black man to win the best actor Oscar.
He was the oldest living as well as the earliest surviving winner of an Academy Award for Best Actor.
He was the youngest of seven children of Reginald James Poitier and Evelyn Poitier, nee Outten (who was from the Turks and Caicos Islands). His parents originally worked the land and owned a farm on Cat Island, Bahamas.
Poitier’s father also worked as a cab driver in Nassau in the Bahamas. While Poitier’s parents visited Miami to sell tomatoes, he was unexpectedly born. Hence, he was entitled to American citizenship as well. Poitier lived on Cat Island until he was ten. Then the family moved to Nassau. He saw his first automobile in Nassau and experienced electricity, plumbing, and motion pictures for the first time. He stayed in the Bahamas until age 15 until he moved to Miami. Then he moved to New York at the tender age of 16.
Poitier came from an impoverished background, he was without education, and was faced with several rejections. He was rejected by filmmakers because he could not sing and had a strong Bahamian accent. However, he softened his accent, improved his reading abilities and landed a number of star roles in movies that empowered the Black community and allowed audiences to confront racial tensions in America.
“I was not what I was required to be in Florida. I was not that. I couldn’t be that. I was taught that I had basic rights as a human being. I was taught that I was someone. I knew we had no money, still, I was taught that I was someone. We had no electricity and no running water, still, I was taught that I was someone. I had very little education — a year and a half, in fact, was all the schooling I was exposed to –still I knew that I was someone,” said Poitier in a 2000 interview with Oprah Winfrey. He added that being a Hollywood star did not shield him from certain struggles faced by a black man in America.
When Poitier moved to New York, he first held various jobs as a dishwasher. He then lied about his age during the Second World War and enlisted in the army. He was discharged from the army in 1944. After, he again worked as a dishwasher and later landed a spot with the American Negro Theatre.
Though he had joined the American Negro Theatre, audiences rejected him. Eventually, Poitier earned a leading role in the Broadway production called Lis Estrada. He soon became a famous stage actor and started receiving offers for acting in films. In 1950, Poitier appeared in a successful film titled No Way Out. A year later, he travelled to South Africa with the actor Canada Lee to play the lead role in the film of The Beloved Country.
Poitier’s breakout role was in Blackboard Jungle, which was released in 1955.
In 1958, he starred in The Defiant Ones with Tony Curtis. Then appeared in the first production of A Raisin in the sun on Broadway in 1959.
In 1961, Poitier starred in the film version of A Raisin in the Sun. In 1965, he performed in The Bedford Incident and in that same year, he appeared in the hit film, A Patch of Blue. In 1967, he appeared in three popular films, including In The Heat of the Night, to Sir With Love and Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner.
Poitier also directed various films and the most successful film is Stir Crazy, the Richard Pryor Gene Wilder comedy. He made his feature film directorial debut with the Western Buck and the Preacher. He also starred in this film. He also recorded an album called Poitier meets Plato.
He appeared in a few thrillers and TV roles during the late 80s and early 90s. In 2014, he appeared alongside Angelina Jolie at the 86 Academy Awards. This famous actor presented the best director award at this event. Poitier received a standing ovation and Angelina thanked him for his contributions to Hollywood.
Poitier was the first actor to place footprints and autographs in the cement at the Chinese Theatre of Grommet.
In 2005, Premiere Magazine ranked him number 20 on the list of the greatest movie stars of all time. The American Film Institute then ranked him number 22 on the list of the 50 greatest Screen Legends.
In 1974, Poitier was made an Honorary Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire. He served as the Bahamian Ambassador to Japan from 1997 to 2007. Sir Sidney was the Ambassador of the Bahamas to UNESCO from 2002 to 2007. In 2009, he received the Presidential Medal of Freedom – the highest civilian honour of the United States which was presented by President Barack Obama.
Sidney Poitier, who stood at 6.2 inches, is also the winner of two Grammy Awards; in 2001 and 2009 for Best Spoken Word album.
Though he only learnt at the age of 16 how to read, he spoke Russian fluently.
Poitier married Juanita Hardy and remained married until 1965.
In 1959, he started a romance with the famous actress Diane Carroll, whom he dated for nine years.
In 1976, he married Joanna Shimkus of Canada, whom he is on record as calling “the one”.
Sir Sidney leaves behind six daughters, four with Juanita: Gina, Sherry, Pamela and Beverly and two with Joanna: Sydney Tamiia and Anika.
Sidney Poitier has eight grandchildren as well as three great grandchildren.
Poitier’s networth is listed as $20 million.
Source: Lifestyle & Networth
Rashaed Esson
Staff Writer
#TheBahamas, September 19, 2023 – Royal Caribbean is working on a major project, announcing plans to open a new adults-only “escape” Hideaway Beach at its CocoCay private-island destination in The Bahamas, come January 2024.
The “beachfront paradise,” set to be situated at the western side of Perfect Day at CocoCay, behind Thrill Waterpark,
will have a private beach and multiple pools with DJ music, 20 private cabanas and several spots for “drinks and bites,” the company says.
Not only that, it will include a “hidden VIP experience.”
Michael Bayley, Royal Caribbean International President and CEO is of the impression that this will bring a compelling, sought after new way to enjoy a day at its private island.
He said, “Hideaway Beach is a completely new vibe and experience that vacationers are looking for on Perfect Day at CocoCay.”
It is going to be a getaway spot for adults, only 18 or older allowed to enter.
“Everything from its hidden-like location to the exclusive beach and pools to the private cabanas is designed for adults who want a day just for them,” the CEO said.
The space, according to Claudia Diaz-Gonzalez, Royal Caribbean Associate Vice President of Private Destination Development, will be able to host between 1,500 and 2,000 guests.
No specific day was provided for the opening.
Bahamas News
Eleuthera Medical Center Marks 5 Years, Private community clinic ‘grows with the demand’, adds Dental and Dermatology to slate of services
#Eleuthera, The Bahamas, September 19, 2023 – A Family Island clinic that started with a vision to serve the community with the best in private medical care and wellness regardless of a patient’s financial standing celebrated its fifth anniversary this month, announcing new services it said were those most strongly requested by patients.
Eleuthera Medical Center (EMC), the flagship of Bahamas Wellness Health Systems, marked its anniversary adding dental and dermatology to its growing list of medical specialties that includes primary wellness, vision, gynecology and pediatrics. Some services are offered on an ongoing daily basis provided by physicians at one of Bahamas Wellness Health Systems (BWHS) four clinics, others are offered on a rotating basis by visiting medical specialists and associates on a regularly scheduled rotating basis.
“When we opened our doors to this clinic in 2018, we knew there was a need for full-time medical care and especially attention to wellness in Eleuthera,” said EMC and Bahamas Wellness Health Systems founder Dr. Arlington Lightbourne. “But we underestimated how appreciative the community would be that there were always physicians on call, that in the case of an emergency we could respond, that we provided an ambulance and emergency care saving patients from having to be airlifted to Nassau or beyond.”
Lightbourne said the years have not been without challenges.
“For nearly 18 months, we endured COVID, conducting testing outdoors, trying to keep our spirits strong and staff well so they could care for others and yet in a small community like Eleuthera where you know someone in everyone’s family it’s hard not to feel the pain and suffering others feel,” said Dr. Lightbourne. “But we doubled down and said we are here for the long haul and whatever the path is to provide the best in care, to make that care affordable and to improve the wellness of the community overall, that is the journey we are on, and it has been an incredibly rewarding one.”
To support that emphasis on wellness, the clinic located in the settlement of Palmetto Point adjacent to Governors
Harbour in the heart of central Eleuthera, offers regularly scheduled lectures and town meetings with a nutritionist and wellness expert who is part of the team. Lightbourne’s interest in well-being stems from his work in Emergency Care at both PMH and Doctors Hospital where the vast number of cases he treated were the result of non-communicable diseases and conditions including heart attacks, high blood pressure and cancer related to lifestyle – poor diet high in fats and low in nutrition and lack of proper physical exercise.
Today, he said he is seeing more interest in preventative care, a sign that Bahamians learned from Covid and its aftermath that wellness matters.
“We have a brighter future ahead of us and I am proud of what we are doing in Eleuthera and our other clinics to make a difference in The Bahamas with careful diagnoses and individual attention to how people conduct their daily lives when it comes to their overall wellness,” said Lightbourne, now the deputy director of the Bahamas Medical Association and an authorized NHI provider.
BHWS also operates clinics in Nassau, Spanish Wells and Lower Bogue.
Photo Caption: The Hon. Clay Sweeting, MP, Central and South Eleuthera, welcomes the Bahamas Wellness Medical Center’s ambulance. He is pictured with Dr. Jessica Moss, Emergency Medicine Specialist and Vice President & Medical Director at Eleuthera Medical Center, and Dr. Arlington Lightbourne, founder of the expanding clinic, which is celebrating its fifth anniversary serving the community by adding dental and dermatology to its growing list of specializations.
Coral Harbour Base, 18 September. ‘23 (RBDF): The Royal Bahamas Defence Force was honoured to attend a
Day of Celebration at the Mall at Marathon on the occasion of Brazil’s 201st Day of Independence (7th September, 2023). The occasion also marked a celebration of friendship and unity.
In a remarkable display of cultural exchange and diplomatic ties, Young Officers led by Lieutenant Blair Bethel, joined in the celebration. Against the backdrop of cultural exchange, Brazilian Singer Ellen Oléria held a special musical performance bringing a taste of Brazil’s vibrant culture to The Bahamas. Her performance showcased the infectious rhythms of Portuguese music commemorating their rich history and vibrant culture.
The RBDF, under the leadership of Commander Defence Force, Commodore Raymond E. King, is dedicated to the meaningful involvement and development of service members as we share the responsibility for accomplishing the Defence Force’s Mandate. The Royal Bahamas Defence Force extends its congratulations to the people of Brazil during this momentous occasion as we look forward to fostering mutual understanding and building a brighter future between The Bahamas and Brazil.
For additional information, kindly reach out to the RBDF Public Relations Department or visit our
official website at www.rbdf.gov.bs. Connected with us on Facebook and Twitter for the latest updates, and explore our engaging content on our YouTube channel.
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