11 The former Castle's Building in Plymouth, the capital town of Montserrat. It was a three -story building, now gone to ruin and almost completely buried by volcanic debris. • Continued from previous page recordings. The Soca music pioneer “Arrow” with hits such as Long Time and the universal Soca anthem Hot, Hot, Hot made Montserrat a globally recognised location. Montserrat was also famous for its nine-hole golf course in the Belham valley. It had played host to many sub-regional tournaments. In addition, the island was also home to cricketer Jim Allen whom many regard as the best batsman never to be selected for the official West Indies cricket team. It was difficult to identify a single reason for Montserrat’s relative prosperity. The local recurrent budget was being balanced, but it was completely dependent upon aid primarily from the United Kingdom for its Public Investment Programme. Remittances from Montserratians abroad had become an important source of income for residents. Socially, the island was and still is fascinating. Despite an overriding sense of national identity there was no overwhelming desire for independence. There was marked absence of rigid class divisions or racial tension. Crime, especially violent crime, was infrequent before the volcanic events. Most of the factors of production were owned by the Government or local residents. Government was the largest employer but several public corporations, statutory bodies and private sector entities also employed large numbers. Unemployment was low, and formal educational achievements at secondary and tertiary levels were high.
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