News of The Abacos
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Bonefishing, EcoTourism and Different of Abaco ... The Nettica Symonette Story
Charlene AM FernanderI remember seeing Ms. Symonette many years ago as a child in Nassau. She was present at an Independence celebration on Clifford Park and was about to be seated in the VIP section "under the dais" (as we used to say the area reserved for the muckamucks). I was seated further up the hill with my mother and siblings about to watch the parade unfold when this tall, elegant lady was escorted to the designated area. My own paternal grandmother had been an imposing figure nearly six feet tall, dark, selfpossessed and definitely not to be ignored. Netica is such a person, one you will never forget once you meet her.
During the years, I saw her photographed many times in magazines and newspapers as the fame and popularity of her restaurant, "Casuarinas of Cable Beach" grew. But I did not get the opportunity to meet her again in person until last summer when I came on a visit to Abaco. I had lost none of the awe that I had first felt on seeing her in person so many years before. Though I am no longer a child and can now recognize why she seemed so imposing, the impression of superhuman selfconfidence still persisted.
We visited Different of Abaco at Casuarina Point, South Abaco two weeks ago as Nettie's guests when she and Ms. Sherry Parker of the Abaco Tourist Office hosted ten international journalists to a reception at the fishing lodge.
Different is located about half an hour from the Great Abaco Highway and is the first sign of civilization" one will encounter when approaching the former logging settlement of Casuarina Point. The buildings are made of wood a statement of her commitment to put to use as many of the natural resource materials as possible, which are available in her surroundings. As you enter the establishment, you note the gravel walkways, flourishing native trees and shrubs such as sisal, croton, bamboo, silk cotton and sea grape; the wooden benches and tables and the obvious presence of varied wildlife.
The shadowy foyer of the main building is an enclosed porch. Displays of dried medicinal herb's are labeled and attached to the walls fever grass (to control high blood pressure and cholesterol levels), thyme (a sedative), bagerina (for colds and kidney ailments), love vine (need I say more?) and strongback (ditto!). Samples of the Bahamian batik fabric, Androsia, with its bright homey colours are used to cover furnishings. A large woven spanner once used on some of the Family Islands to separate the corn meal from the chaff is standing on a table next to a huge bag of yellow native grits. Enamel dishes decorate several corners of the porch and take one back to the days when Grammie would prepare pannycake with corn meal to dip into your enamel cup of tea for supper. An openair bedroom at the left of the porch invites anyone to enter and succumb to the soft mattress and plump pillows covered with Androsia or to read by the window in a comfortable rattan chair.
Further west of this site and on the shores of Casuarina Beach itself, Nettie has successfully replicated the atmosphere of a Lucayan village from the thatched huts (caneyas) to the more modern facilities of an outdoor bar for refreshments one can feel secluded and carefree in this natural setting. Different has encouraged the nesting of many tropical birds; flamingos, the Abaco parrot, wild ducks and egrets regularly make their noisy appearance as if to assure you that they are not migrating anywhere. The waters of the ponds teem with marine life telapia (the African snapper), needle fish, tarpon and grouper. Not far away is the raison d'etre for the lodge the ubiquitous bonefish, waiting for any flyfisherman worth the price of his tackle to accept its challenge to hook it.
Nettie was born in Eleuthera several years ago. Casuarinas of Cable Beach, her Nassau property, was born about twenty years ago and, though it has such world renown as to have its own web site and can be reached by email (michalak@theflyshop.com), Different of Abaco was only born just over five years ago. Nettie's dream of cultivating a resort which would not only preserve the cultural heritage of the Bahamas but would also provide a facility for sportsfishermen to ply their trade, is now a young but mature reality.
The forty acres which encompass Different allow her the freedom to expand her vision almost limitlessly Different already represents a paradise for fishermen and environmentalists where everything they could possibly want is available or can be easily obtained. Nettie is now preparing the site to host all inclusive packages for the most adventurous group of all honeymooners! A gazebo is being constructed out over the water of the small lake to the southwest of Different's main building. White iron furniture has been strategically placed for the bridal couple and minister. Different will arrange the ceremony, order the wedding cake, cater the banquet, request a photographer, music, witnesses and then, guide you triumphantly to the private bridal suite and leave you alone.
Netica Symonette's unique vision and hard work have definitely been noticed. The Bahamas has honoured her with various prestigious awards - the Cacique Award (1996) for ecotourism, the Order of Merit (1996) and this year's Silver Jubilee Award. She has been appointed VicePresident of the Out Island Promotion Board of the Ministry of Tourism. International sports magazines such as Saltwater Fly Fishing, Sportsfiske (Sweden), Florida Sportsman and Caribbean Travel & Life all have current articles featuring Different of Abaco and Nellie's Heritage Bonefishing Club. Having gained experience in the hospitality industry through the years by working with various hotels and clubs since 1954, Nettie's name is now synonymous with that of tourism.
As I listened intently to this remarkable woman and sipped from my enamel cup of fever grass tea, I watched her face with those dark, intelligent eyes as she recalled the years of difficult circumstances that only served to strengthen her resolve to realize her dreams. She told us about her recent speech given at a meeting in Nassau whose theme of "an open door" has been her watchword throughout her life. There will be closed doors in everyone's life that is an undeniable fact but, as surely as a door is closed, another one is waiting if one I only has the fortitude and determination to step forward, grasp the knob and throw it open.
With a resolve as strong as that one, there is virtually nothing you cannot achieve.
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