4 new members join National Trust council

THE National Trust hosted its general meeting for members on November 25, at which the council presented the annual review of finance and operations and four new members were selected to serve on the council.

The council is made up of people appointed by the government and others nominated by National Trust members.

From among the members, the four nominated and installed on the council were: Marie Abdulah, a returning council member, noted antiques dealer and former teacher; Mark Franco, registered architect, past president of the TT Institute of Architects, past chairman of the board of Architecture of TT; founder of the Council of Presidents of the Environment Cezanne Chang, a senior health, safety and environment professional with over 14 years’ experience with responsibility for monitoring compliance in the upstream and downstream oil and gas industry; and Dr Ryan Mohammed, who has a PhD in environmental biology, aquatic ecology, MPhil in environmental biology and fish pathology, secretary for Environmental Research Institute, is president of the Aquaculture Association of TT and is part of the team responsible for the recent listing of Tobago's Main Ridge as a heritage site as well as UNESCO’s Man and the Biosphere designation for North East Tobago.

The four new members joined McDowall and the existing appointed council members: Neisha Ghany, deputy chairman and company director; Candice Ramsaran, secretary, attorney-at-law; Dominic Romain, treasurer and financial executive; Jacqueline Weekes Penco of the Ministry of Planning and Development; and Louis Villian, THA representative and Tobago Trust.

The meeting was streamed from the soon-to-be new offices of the National Trust, Mille Fleurs, to a combination of a virtual audience via Zoom, with a smaller number of member observers at the location, with all covid protocols observed, said a media release.

Mille Fleurs,one of the Magnificent Seven on Queen’s Park Savannah, Port of Spain, has been identified by the Prime Minister as the new location for the developing National Trust and is being completed for the organisation to move in fully in early 2021.

Chairman of the trust Margaret McDowall thanked the members of the trust and council for their continued support even in the face of challenges with covid19 restrictions.

On the year in review McDowall said the trust benefited from collaboration with several local and international agencies, including the International National Trust Organisation based in the UK (UK INTO); US International Council on Monuments and Sites (US ICOMOS); Improving Forest And Protected Area Management (IFPAM); Leiden University of the Netherlands; UWI; and the University of Vienna.

The National Trust signed a memorandum of academic co-operation with Leiden University, which will assist with expanding knowledge of local archaeological assets.

The trust also offered a growing number of tours and lectures to the wider population and has adjusted these services to meet the requirements of covid19 restrictions, offering smaller customised tours and virtual services, moving forward into 2021.

The chairman invited members of the public and business associations to join the trust and to volunteer their services in heritage protection and conservation. McDowall commented, “We welcome the support of our national community and international diaspora. Heritage protection and the advancement of education on same to our youth and wider citizenry is a collective responsibility we share as nationals of our beautiful and diverse country.

"New members and supporters are welcome, as we continue to grow as an organisation and position ourselves to deliver the mandate.”