Day Tripping to Nelson Island
Anjani Ganase visits the immigration island through which many entered Trinidad, and reflects on the importance of knowing what was there I see the Five Islands on the way to work every day, even cruise past them by boat or kayak on occasion. I’ve always viewed these islands as abandoned or uninhabited. I had the opportunity to change my mind when the National Trust invited me to tour Nelson Island and learn about its place in our history. Nelson Island is a National Heritage Site, one of the group known as the Five Islands, all under the jurisdiction of the National Trust. The Trust carried out refurbishments of the buildings and outfitted the island to hold educational tours, or as a site for exhibitions and workshops. We gathered at the Port of Spain water taxi terminal and were escorted onboard, about 100 passengers. The island is tiny - roughly 150 m in length – yet spacious enough for exploration in comfort. The island is also elusive as neither...