Carnival beauty wants to help Bequia hospital

Exclusive by Jonathan Ashby

If Bequia’s carnival queen Christine James had a magic wand, there is only one thing she would do to improve the island – give it a new hospital.

Christine, 18, who won the coverted crown back in June this year, is a passionate Bequian like all the other islanders, proud and grateful to be living on such a beautiful, natural unspoilt stretch of land, surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea. {{more}}

But she believes the island’s hospital left much to be desired, and would like, during her reign, to do anything she can to change that.

Her ambition to become a model might be the key. She would be more than happy to take part in a fund-raising fashion show.

The former Bequia Anglican School pupil, who was unable to continue her studies at high school because her mother did not have the funding, is confident her natural beauty will help her secure the career she has dreamed about since she was young.

“It’s always been my goal. My sister Diana is a model in Toronto, Canada and I hope to join her one day soon,” says Christine, from Union Estates, who has four other siblings, Nicholas, Westley, Laura and Donnicka. She is a passionate netball player and loves to spend her spare time reading.

Her favourite location on Bequia is the turtle farm on the windward side of the island. “It’s where I get to meet a lot of tourists,” she explains. “I love spending time on the beaches as well. They are such an important and beautiful part of Bequia life. I can swim, meet my friends, meet tourists, play games, go to barbecues or just relax and enjoy the natural beauty of Bequia.”

Her goal to become a model aside, Christine’s biggest hope is to find the man of her dreams, get married and raise a family. “No, I do not have a boy friend at the present time,” she admits,” however I would love to get married and have two children – a boy and a girl. I would like to get married by the time I am 25 years old.

“I would like to travel to Canada before then. I have seven aunties in Canada and one in England and I would love to visit them all at some point soon.

“My best friend is Shamecka. We have been friends for 10 years now, since I was eight and she was nine. We have been friends for so long because we have always been loyal to each other and stood up and supported each other at difficult times. I can always rely on her, she is very dependable and we also have a lot of fun together.”

Back to what Christina would do about Bequia’s small but functional hospital. “I would like to see improvements made to the hospital – more up-to-date equipment and improvements in terms of new hospital beds, chairs and wheel chairs, to make it more comfortable for people who have to visit the hospital, especially the really sick ones. They deserve as much comfort as possible,” she says..

“The new equipment could make a huge difference in the number of patients who are forced to travel by boat to Kingstown, St Vincent, to be treated.

“The doctor and nurses who work at Bequia Hospital are wonderful and do a real good job but there needs to be more training opportunities for other young men and girls on the island to help out at the hospital,” she concludes.