Ron and Ann Russell

Ron and Ann Russell are “Greater Londoners” by birth. Ron Russell hails from Tottenham, a suburb of north London (UK) and part of the “new” London Borough of Haringey, which is about seven miles from the centre of the capital. His wife Ann comes from Ilford, Essex, about nine miles from central London, which is now part of the “new” London Borough of Redbridge. They met when Ron was building boats on the River Lea, a roughly north-south river in between the two suburbs, which has its outlet into the River Thames as tidal Bow Creek in east London. Ron is proud of having been involved in the building of the historic ‘Thames Skiffs’.

A Thames skiff is a traditional River Thames wooden rowing boat used for the activity of skiffing. It has its origins in the Viking boat building method of over-lapping timber planking known as clinker construction. These boats evolved from Thames wherries in the Victorian era to meet a passion for river exploration and leisure outings on the water (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thames_skiff). The Russells now live surrounded by trees in a house they built on 1.5 acres in the hills of Pasea Estate, Roadtown, in 1979, having previously resided near the entrance to the Estate, and on “Pieces of Eight” in Sea Cows Bay. They have four children.

Ron was attracted to this part of the world by his sister who lived in St. Thomas. The USVI didn’t appeal to the Russells – it was too commercial (even then) and was not ‘British’. So Ron took a job with Tortola Yacht Services in 1974, to show them how to build boats in fibreglass. He later worked on Peter Island (for 3.5 years) as a project manager and construction engineer, on Antigua for a year as a project manager, and in numerous places on Tortola, building both boats and numerous houses (including the “Ketchum” house in Havers and “Fawlty Towers” on Luck Hill). He trained many people in the arts of construction during his career.

Ron feels that he was very lucky, arriving on Tortola when he did, and that there might not be a place for a similar arrival today in the contemporary BVI. He was in the right place at the right time. Ron has always been interested in “creative stuff”, and there are numerous carved wooden signs and other pieces of evidence around the island that attest, in part, to his skills. He was a co-owner of Felix Enterprises, and of Felix Gold and Silver – making jewelry - (that used to operate out of the Old Custom’s House on Main Street). He has also taught technical drawing and various aspects of the arts. As Ron jokingly says he is a “jack of all trades and master of none”.

Now retired, Ron is still interested in local history and is always wandering off around Pasea Estate with his two dogs looking for evidence of past activities. He enjoys talking to “other old people” especially “locals” as they have a great store of knowledge about the plants and animals on the islands. He is a Mason (the first Lodge here began in 1760) but is not as actively involved as he used to be.

Soon after her arrival Ann was teaching (1974-2002) science and maths at the High School. She now teaches school part-time, and also gives classes at the prison, as well as teaching First Aid, and acting as a Deacon at St George’s Anglican Church, on Main Street in Roadtown, assisting priests in their pastoral and administrative duties. She previously was a lay reader at St. Paul’s Anglican Church in Sea Cows Bay and was involved in the leadership of the Sunday school there. Ann has served as youth director, first aid instructor, and in the voluntary aid detachment for the Red Cross, and has also been in charge of the organization's health and welfare services. She has also as volunteered at other activities such as the prostate clinic. Both Ron and Ann like to help people and help the community. Ann received an MBE in 2004 in recognition of her various volunteer activities and “services to the community”.

There have been many changes in the BVI over the past thirty-five years – as in the rest of the world. Locally, these are mostly related to the growth of tourism and offshore finance, and many of them can be seen as progress. They have brought better and more roads, more and bigger cars, and other innovations such as traffic lights. Technology has definitely improved. All of these changes are connected to an increase in the money supply in the islands – which has been both positive and negative, as it can bring better lives to many people, but is also worshipped for the wrong reasons by many others. Some of the negative results of this can be seen in the destruction of the habitat in parts of the BVI – for instance when whole hillsides are completely cleared in order to make way for new houses.

The future is not certain for the Russells who still have a lot of energy. They like what they are doing at present, and love their unique house. They have done things in the BVI that they could never have done in England. They got “their residency” in the BVI in 1991, but are not belongers. But they also own a piece of land on Cornwall, England, where Ron dreams of building an old fashioned house that “looks a hundred years old”. But Ann prefers the warmer climate of Tortola, so we shall see.
 

Draft of March 18th 2010, of interview of March 14th 2010.

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