Jim Moreshead

Jim Moreshead was born near Aberdeen, Scotland, he had, as a child, moved around with his family (his father was in the RAF) before training as a surveyor. He is a true Tortola veteran, arriving on island as a relatively young man in February 1972, when he was one of only 2-300 ‘white expats’ in the BVI.

Jim came to Tortola as a Licensed Surveyor for the Bristol (UK)-based company, Storey and Partners. He soon bought out the local office and has been independent operator ever since. Jim has watched – and has been involved in – a lot of changes since this time, including work on the Dawson Estate at West End, Hansome Bay, Princess Quarters, and Nail Bay on Virgin Gorda, as well on Anegada. Currently, he lives in Cane Garden Bay with Humphrey, his dog.

In 1972 Tortola was very different from today, with little evidence of Tourism or ‘High Finance’. There was one paved road (from East End to West End). The island was relatively poor (compared with today) and subsistence agriculture was widespread. When Jim arrived, the controversial Wickham’s Cay developments had been started, with land reclamation complete, but few buildings (other than banks) were in evidence. Even the Moorings, in the vanguard of the charter boat industry, and soon to build on Wickham’s Cay Two, was still located near “The Pub”. There were a couple of hotels in Roadtown (Treasure Isle and Fort Burt) and only a few elsewhere (such as Long Bay, Biras Creek and Little Dix). With few vehicles on the islands, traffic and places for it to park were not the issues they are today.

Today Jim notes that per capita incomes are among the highest in the Caribbean, and much more money is available to the people in the BVI. Offshore Finance and Tourism are major industries, and the social face of the island has changed dramatically as progress has taken place and different patterns of social integration are evident. As a consequence, most people, belongers, white expats and black expats now have or can have paying-jobs.

In addition to these changes, cruise ships are now prominent in the BVI, bureaucracy has blossomed to run the country and the booming new industries, and more police have been hired to control this new society. What was once a neglected British colony is now becoming a more (US) American-oriented society with North American desires and (since the 1960s) the use of the US dollar as the local currency. Thus neocolonialism is rife in the BVIi as it is elsewhere in the world.

As Jim reaches ‘traditional’ retirement age he has no current plans to stop working as still enjoys surveying, meeting people, and working with them.

Draft of Wednesday September 17th, 2007

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