The Tribune

CHILDREN in the Carmichael area can now benefit from upgrades to the Flamingo Gardens Park and a newly-built community and athletics centre.

Dr Danny Johnson, MP for Carmichael, officially commissioned the Carmichael Community and Athletics Centre with an all day family fun day.

The centre has been built in the name of and will honour living sporting legend, Leonard “Boston Blackie” Miller, who attended the fun day and centre opening.

Boston Blackie recalled the highlights of his sporting career, letting attendees know that he was more than a boxer; he was also a champion in swimming, track and field, and other sports.

He said as a young man, he always knew he didn’t want to lose, and most importantly, he didn’t want the Bahamas to lose.

For him, that translated into numerous wins, most predominantly in the boxing ring against opponents from Jamaica, Trinidad and several South American countries.

Children in the area will benefit from boxing and judo sessions, which will begin in seasons in the near future. Boxing giant Ray Minus was also on hand for the centre opening, along with members of the Boxing Federation.

Dr Johnson has upgraded the tennis courts so that children can now use them daily.

He also commissioned the re-paving of the basketball court, installed giant light fixtures throughout every area of Flamingo Park, and with the help of the Royal Bahamas Police Force, has installed a CCTV system to monitor activity on the park.

Members of the Bahamas National Trust were also on hand to see the work that was done to clean out the pond at the park. Thus far, 35 species of birds and fish have been identified.

Entertainment during the fun day included a marching band presentation by Urban Renewal 2.0, a lively rake n’ scrape performance by the Gerald Cash Primary School Rake n’ Scrape Band, and performances by the Royal Bahamas Police Force pop band.