Manhin gets CBTT environment award

Prominent environmentalist Bertram Manhin was honoured by the non-governmental organisation Citizens for a Better Trinidad and Tobago (CBTT) with an International Year of Forests Award for his contribution towards preserving and enhancing the biodiversity of plants in T&T. The presentation function took place at his La Vega Estate home in Gran Couva, south Trinidad. Manhin, who represented T&T at the 1968 Olympics Games in Mexico, once owned the popular Manhin’s Bookstore on High Street, San Fernando.

Prof Gary Garcia, a senior lecturer in animal production at the University of the West Indies, St Augustine Campus, as well as a dedicated agricultural researcher, told the gathering that many university students, secondary and primary school pupils have visited the La Vega Estate. “Before I came to La Vega I knew a lot about it because my wildlife students did case studies on the estate as an agro eco-tourism resort,” said Dr Garcia. “Clearly Manhin has put his money where his mouth is and his efforts where his desires are by actually creating a prototype botanic garden.” Prof Garcia said La Vega Estate was one of the best places of its kind in the Caribbean. He said the estate was well supplied and supported with both undergraduate and postgraduate scientific support.

“La Vega Estate is a biological gold mine. “Any intelligent academic in plant science, crop production, ornamental horticulture and food production control should try to get to use La Vega as a living laboratory,” Prof Garcia said. “Despite the indiscriminate exploitation of nature by some people, there are a handful of those like Bert Manhin who are relentlessly working to reverse the damaging effects of human activities on the environment,” said CBTT’s chairman Harrack Balramsingh, who presented Manhin with the award.

Aston Brown, director and project manager of CBTT, gave an overview of the environmental work done by the group which he said would place even greater emphasis on the future of tree-planting exercises. Manhin’s granddaughter, Cashell Watsun, paid glowing tribute to him. “He is a kind, loving and compassionate man. He may be a little bias, but he is also smart, creative and funny.” She added that he always stressed the importance of family life.

After buying La Vega in 1983, Manhin’s quest for tropical fruits and ornamental plants continued in earnest. He collected dongs from Taiwan and planted 200 carambola trees. By the process of elimination and aided by Robert Barnum and two other fruit experts from the Rare Fruit Council of America, he selected three trees from which worthwhile grafts were made. In 1985 Manhin secured two seeds of the dwarf pommecythere from a nursery in Thailand. The dwarf pommecythere trees in T&T, Grenada, and indeed the Caribbean have been traced back to these two seeds. Among the many fruit trees he imported were peewah, camu camu, sweet passion fruit and amazon grape.

Manhin also introduced the dwarf white frangipani to T&T in 1990. The yellow leaf duranta was introduced in 1993 which proved to be exceedingly popular. In the early nineties he also introduced almost twenty different varieties of bougainvilleas including the Thai white, lavender splash and Thai gold. There are many more fruit trees in his collection and several of them hold the promise to produce excellent fruits. On an almost daily basis Manhin researches new tropical trees, ornamental plants and exotic fruits worldwide.

In his 56-year sporting career Manhin established himself as a legend on the local and international shooting ranges. He won his first T&T pistol championship title in 1963. He achieved one of his greatest international honours at the 1966 Central American and Caribbean Games (CAC) in San Juan, Puerto Rico, where he won the gold medal in the national match pistol competition, and a bronze medal in the free pistol. He went on to win the free pistol bronze medal at the Commonwealth Games in 1978. Manhin said he was grateful to be honoured by CBTT with the International Year of Forests Award 2011. “I will treasure this award forever and will always be thankful to those who nominated me,” he said.