By Elesha George
Almost 500 Barbudans have signed a petition demanding the High Court allow Odrick Samuel to continue to operate his home-based public announcement system that he has, for four decades, used to disseminate community notices and announcements on the sister isle with permission from the Barbuda Council.
“There are some people who died, passed away, and nobody know,” he said, attempting to highlight the key role that his operations play in keeping the island’s residents informed.
Samuel, who brought the hard copy of the petition to Observer’s studio recently, said his tradition has endured for more than 40 years, since he first dubbed himself the ‘town crier’ and affixed speakers onto his Codrington home.
He told Observer it is a registered business that pays taxes and allows him to employ at least two people on rotation to read information like death announcements and court notices.
The Montgomery Radio Station (MRS), or ‘Baby Observer ‘as he affectionately calls it, has served as a primary source of communication to keep islanders abreast of current affairs over the years.
The former Barbuda senator told Observer that his broadcast starts at 7am – an alarm clock for some – and continues with irregular announcements during the day, depending on what notices are brought in.
Two years ago, one of his closest neighbours, Dr Nick Fuller, commissioned a sound expert to test the volumes emanating from his home some 20 feet away from Samuel’s operations. The test revealed that the levels were injurious to health and that the sound levels at Dr Fuller’s Barbuda accommodation “well exceed” guidelines by both the World Health Organization and local police.
Samuel and his neighbours however, after at least two attempts, could not reach an agreement on the noise levels which forced Dr Fuller to seek an injunction from the court against him. The injunction was supported by other neighbours.
The court’s ruling, according to Samuel, has restricted his broadcasting to 40 decibels – the sound of a quiet classroom or a suburban area at night.
He now plans to return to court to challenge the ruling, he told Observer.
Observer was unable to reach Dr Fuller for comment on the petition.