Head note: I was advised that writing my series on the Golden Shovel would put me at risk for attacks on my reputation and my businesses. I’m not a perfect soul and like many I’ve made my mistakes and I have my challenges - some real and some imagined. There is one thing I know for I’m sure - it’s my love for the land of my birth - our beloved Virgin Gorda. My viewpoints will not align with everyone and may also be misunderstood but that’s why we have democracy.
As another election cycle approaches in the British Virgin Islands, the familiar rhythms have already begun. The propaganda engines are already warmed up. The party strategists are sharpening their lingo. and our trusty electorate—often tired, often hopeful, often frustrated—is again being serenaded with the same playlist of promises, pledges, poetic half-truths and what we call ‘sweet talk.’
We know the routine. We’ve lived it.
The golden shovel appears first. Shiny, symbolic, photo-ready. Polished up for new groundbreakings, new “launches,” new initiatives that never seem to mature beyond the ribbon-cutting and the foot on the shovel photo op.
In Virgin Gorda, this ritual is not abstract—it has names, faces, construction sites, and tombstones attached to it. We see ground breaking without groundwork. The truth is simple: over the years, we’ve seen shovel after shovel but not many real and sustained solutions. Our Infrastructure remains a mess.
Healthcare remains worse than inadequate—dangerously so.
Schools still operate without the basic separation of primary and secondary.
Our cargo and passengers still mix in one congested, inefficient environment.
Sargassum mitigation remains only a talking point.
Water remains a challenge on an island where hospitality sustains the economy.
And yet, every election cycle, promises reappear—shiny, strategic, and suspiciously timed.
Our healthcare is a case study in consequences and just outright neglect. The unfinished clinics are a symptom of systemic failure and that of our District Representative unable to adequately and fully make his colleagues understand the importance of healthcare in Virgin Gorda. Especially troubling also is the fact that our Representative is also the current Minister of Health. Our health care should not be politics —this is life and death.
For years, the community has been told that healthcare improvements are coming. Ground was broken and an opening ceremony ensued... Yet the facility remains incomplete—while residents continue to rely on limited services, inadequate equipment, and emergency transfers in vessels ill prepared for the journey.
People have died. Women have experienced miscarriages and lost pregnancies under circumstances where basic diagnostic equipment and timely care could have made the difference. Families have been forced to seek care off-island at great emotional and financial cost.
The golden shovel has returned. The promised outcomes have not. People have died because the system has failed them. Case in point: Bucky - as we knew him had a short-lived retirement. Our healthcare system helped to rob him of that opportunity.
Nurses and doctors work miracles with sub par, ill maintained equipment and the public is expected to accept this as normal. The clinic staff dare not say anything as their honesty could very well cost them their jobs.
And still the messaging is "healthcare is improving”. I dare say it is improving but it is even slower than a soldier crab on land. This pace is unacceptable.
The Golden Shovel along with its promises has appeared again, just in time for elections - this time in the form of an RFP for roof repair and the promise of making the clinic in Spanish Town ready as staffers have operated for months under what I call a MASH unit tent. The move from the tent was facilitated just last week back to the main building. The North Sound Clinic is now operating three days a week. We are thankful for the little steps but we await the roof repair as well as the fit out of the second floor which should have been done since 2020. We await the retrofit of the building bought to house medical staff. We await a fully operational diagnostic lab - promises unfulfilled.
The Golden Shovel - Neglected and Unfulfilled Promises
Stay tuned for Part 2 which will focus on water security and critical infrastructure.
Note to Readers
All references to statements, commitments, and initiatives attributed to elected officials in this article are drawn from publicly available sources, including official government releases, campaign speeches, media interviews, and published news reports. This commentary reflects analysis and opinion based on those public records and the lived experiences of residents of Virgin Gorda. It is offered in the public interest and is intended to encourage informed civic engagement and accountability.
Penned by Sharon Flax Brutus, Virgin Gorda Resident