The Tribune

When Toby Smith set out to help his daughter with a school project, he had no idea it would turn into restoring iconic sculptures. While helping his daughter, Bianca, with a school project, Mr Smith decided to restore Stephen Burrows’ iconic sculptures that are recognised throughout the Bahamas.

The conch sculpture is one of several sculptures made by Mr Burrows in the 1980s and 1990s to highlight Bahamian culture. It was created into its iconic conch shell shape in 1980, and was displayed on the roundabout near the Lynden Pindling International Airport (LPIA), but was moved once construction began on the roads.

The conch started to rust due to rain seeping into the welding holes, and it had been placed behind the Ministry of Works until Mr Smith began his restoration project.

He said: “I sought to try and find a company that could sand blast the shell, as a conventional sand blaster would not be able to remove all the filler and layers of paint.”

After realising that the Grand Bahama Shipyard (GBS) was the only company in the Bahamas that had the necessary equipment to restore the sculpture and remove layers of paint, rust and fillers, he spoke to Reuben Byrd, its vice-president of operations at GBS

“Mr Byrd agreed to help with just one phone call, and never having met me, his willingness to help moved me deeply,” said Mr Smith, who owns and operates Bahamas Mosquito Fogging Company and took the project on as part of their ‘Giving Back Programme’.

Mr Byrd formed a team of four Bahamians to work on the conch restoration project. “When Smith explained that the sculpture was an icon in Bahamian history and made by a Bahamian artist, that was all I needed to hear,” said Mr Byrd.

The conch shell arrived at the yard covered in layer upon layer of paint. The team proceeded to ultra high-pressure wash the shell, and blasted it down to the bare metal.

Repairs were also made to the shell, as some deteriorated areas were found once the conch was stripped down to the bare metal. After the cleaning and repairs were made to the conch, it was shipped back to Nassau courtesy of Bahamas Ferries.

Mr Byrd added: “We appreciate the opportunity to be a part of restoring a piece of Bahamian history. The Shipyard strives every day to be a good corporate citizen here on the island of Grand Bahama and all the islands of the Bahamas.”

Other sculptures by Mr Burrows include the Flamingo, Lobster, Rooster, Rat Bat, White Crown Pigeon, Parrot and the Pompey.

He also created two other sculptures, the Triton Trumpet and Dragon, which while completed, have never reached the public’s eyes.

Mr Smith plans to restore all of the sculptures, and help raise awareness of these works of art.