Official Eleuthera Harbour Island brings you information on Sir Roland Symonette Park located in North Eleuthera. Sir Roland Theodore Symonette (December 16, 1898 – March 13, 1980) was a Bahamian politician who served as the Bahamas’ first Premier after independence in 1964. He was the leader of the United Bahamian Party (UBP), which was the ruling party between 1958 to 1967 and was seen by some as representing the interests of the “Bay Street Boys.”
Roland “Pop” Symonette was born in the small island settlement of Current, Eleuthera. He was a school teacher early in his career and a lifetime supporter of education.
Symonette was the Bahama Islands’ head of government from 1955 to 1964, and when the country attained internal self-governance in 1964, he became the territory’s first Premier. Queen Elizabeth II knighted him in 1959.
Sir Roland Symonette died on March 13, 1980, at his residence in Nassau; his widow, Lady Margaret Symonette, died on October 18, 2004, 24 years later.
The portrait of Symonette is on the Bahamas $50 bill. On what would have been his 111th birthday, December 16, 2009, a community park at Current Settlement, Eleuthera, Bahamas, just close to his hometown, was named in his honor. This park features a nice beach and green area perfect for picnics with the family or for a nice walk.
