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Fifty-seven years ago, Desmond Nicholson arrived on Antigua on-board the family yacht, Mollihawk, a young man with a strong sense of adventure and humour. The family settled in the abandoned Dockyard and began to make a living by chartering their yacht to Mill Reefers and other interested parties. These were the formative years for Desmond and he soon developed a strong respect and love for the Islands and its people. He took numerous photographs and from these we can see that the beauty, pristine marine environment and the complex history and the Caribbean cultural landscape captured him. He soon dedicated his life towards the research, documentation and preservation of the Antiguan and Caribbean history and environment. In the late 1950s he worked closely with Dr. Fred Olsen establishing the Antigua Archaeological Society. After numerous excavations conducted in partnership with Yale University, Desmond learned the basics of field archaeology and the issues and theories of Caribbean Archaeology. His motto was, knowledge must be shared if it’s to be of any use, and he began a life long voluntary campaign of research, documentation, publication and preservation.
Desmond served as the President of the Antigua Archaeological Society from 1971 until he stepped down in the late 1990s. He was deeply disturbed that Antigua’s treasures were residing in storerooms and boxes overseas in various universities and Antiguans never had the chance to learn about or enjoy these artefacts, and as a result, he founded the Museum of Antigua and Barbuda. This organization would spin-off many other voluntary projects, including Betty’s Hope. Desmond was also a founder of the Environmental Awareness Group, and served on the National Archives Committee and the Historic Sites Comºmission. He was a director of the Caribbean Conservation Association, a founding member of both the Museums Association of the Caribbean and the International Association of Caribbean Archaeology. Following a series of hurricanes, he worked on rebuilding the Dockyard Museum and served as its director in 1996 until his recent retirement.
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Desmond has written over 56 books and major articles of which 25 books have so far been published and contributed to every issue of the Museum newsletter. Like most scholars, he collected books and Museum of Antigua Library was created from his personal collection, which now has over 6000 books and articles on file. After getting the Museum Library up and running, he began to rebuild and improve the collections in the Dockyard Library, adding hundreds of reference books on archaeology, naval and military history. In the early 1980s, Desmond acquired his first computer and within a few days he taught himself DOS and began to compile a database of Antiguan history. His database grew to over 35,000 entries on all aspects of Antiguan history, its environment, geology and biodiversity. Thanks to him, the Museum of Antigua and the Dockyard Museum are the most computerized museums in the Caribbean. Desmond was also a founding member of Antigua Sailing Week, and long after he gave up sailing, or swallowed the anchor as he claimed, he remained closely involved and often presented results to the Antiguan public on the radio and in the newspapers…again he believed that Antiguans should be aware of the importance and joys of sailing. In his later years, he was painfully aware that the story of the enslaved black tradesmen who built and maintained the monumental architecture of Antigua has not yet been told. He dedicated the Dockyard Museum to them and hoped that one day there would be a monument dedicated to them along with new research and publications. It is difficult to say goodbye to my friend and associate, but on the other hand I thank God that he chose to be an Antiguan. I can think of none more fitting as a National Hero for I believe he has done more and contributed more to the education and socio-cultural development of this Nation than many of our chosen leaders have, and will likely ever do. He did not seek or require praise and awards. In closing, I would like to say thank you to his wife Lisa for without her love and support, Desmond would not have been able to achieve his goal and we would be a poorer nation today. © 2006 Newport Harbor Guide. All rights reserved. |
