Fondly called a “true San Juan boy,” today the San Juan/Laventille Regional Corporation paid tribute to former Councillor, Alderman, Chairman of the San Juan/Laventille Regional Corporation, Member of Parliament and Government Minister, Anthony Roberts, by renaming the San Juan Promenade in his honour.
At the unveiling ceremony, Chairman of the San Juan/Laventille Regional Corporation, Alderman Richard Walcott, reflected on the significant contributions Mr. Roberts made to this country.
He noted that the former Chairman was the driving force behind the construction of the promenade.
“So this is the dream of Anthony Roberts, but while we were building this promenade, Anthony Roberts was doing other things because he dreamed big, and he was putting things in place, doing the legal work, doing the different searches to build a market, and he started the new San Juan market.”
Having served for five terms as Chairman of the San Juan/Laventille Regional Corporation, Mr. Roberts said that very early in his career he promised to make necessary changes to ensure that the area became self-sufficient. This included the removal of shacks that were once located on the real estate that is now the Promenade renamed in his honour.
This move, he admitted, placed his family’s safety on the line.
“My family and myself our lives were threatened. My children, I was told, they know where they were going to school, and they would kidnap them.”
He also remembered his work with sporting groups within the community, as he welcomed the latest development by the Corporation to construct a beach football and volleyball facility on Maracas Bay.
Despite now being a retiree, the former Member of Parliament is still actively advocating for facilities that will advance the area.
“I would want to ask the Council to put one of my dreams back on their listings, and that is the library for the people of San Juan/Laventille, where it was supposed to be built, and we approached NALIS on one occasion, but NALIS couldn’t find the funding, and that is one of the properties of San Juan/Laventille, the old Barataria market.”