Daraine Luton, Staff Reporter

Scott Balke (right) a member of the crew of the pirate schooner Wolf at Morgan's Harbour, Port Royal, shows students of Port Royal All-Age School, how to operate a pirate's pistol on Wednesday, May 31 this year. The ship sailed from Key West, Florida and will offer pirate sail and treasure hunt from June 1-4, 2007. - Andrew Smith/Photography Editor

BAREFOOTED and sporting dreadlocks, a middle-aged man 'drops-leg' at a street corner while devouring what is left of a fish, as the music of Bravestar Disco fills the air.

A plump woman fans a coal stove vigorously with a piece of cardboard while others tend to fish being fried in deep pans - this is Port Royal, one of the five theme communities and one of the two featured communities on the Social Development Commission (SDC) list for Cricket World Cup 2007 (CWC 2007).

Allman Town, with its proposed Culture Plaza, Rae Town, with its old hits music, Trench Town, known for Bob Marley and Culture Yard and Tivoli Gardens, for its street-side dance Passa Passa, are the other theme communities. However, the SDC says it will be concentrating its energy in the Greater Allman Town project and Port Royal.

The SDC's work, according to Courtney Brown, regional director for the parishes of Kingston, St. Andrew and St. Thomas, is to capture the spin-off of hosting the World Cup.

Best experience

"We want the visitors to Jamaica to have the best experience when they come," Mr. Brown said.

"This experience will no doubt feed back into Jamaica's positioning as a tourist destination, and more importantly, put Kingston back on the map as a destination that can, over time, get its fair share of tourists," he adds.

Allman Town is already looking forward to the tournament. A proposed $70 million venture has been described by Lawman Lynch as 'the gateway to Cricket World Cup.' Lynch is the general secretary of the The Greater Allman Town Community Development Benevolent Society. Its Culture Plaza, which will be situated in the Banana Board area of Kingston Gardens, is expected to net loads of cash from people using the area to get to and from Sabina Park. SDC says they are working with the community in an attempt to sensitise them about the tournament. "The last thing we want in these communities is violence," Mr. Brown says.

Meanwhile, in speaking to persons in both Allman Town and Port Royal, The Gleaner has found that many persons are not well aware of community efforts to benefit from the World Cup. The SDC notes that they have "a bit more work to do to capture the imagination and participation of the wider community. We are not satisfied with the level of understanding out there," Mr. Wilfred Talbert, field services manager says.

The afternoon The Gleaner visited Port Royal, it was neither joy nor anticipation of Cricket World Cup spoils that had residents merry. The presence of Mello, the tournaments mascot, may have children skipping, but that is the only place the CWC 2007 bug is biting in Port Royal.

It is your typical Friday evening and vendors, fisherfolks and community members are welcoming spending visitors as nightfall approaches.

Clueless on the issue

Amazingly, many of the persons with whom we spoke say they had no idea Port Royal is to play a key role in CWC 2007.

"We have heard so many things, got so many promises so we have to see things come through first," a woman tells The Gleaner.

Nadine Campbell-Brown, President of the Port Royal Development Area (PRDA), believes promises unfulfilled, year after year, have done enough to num residents.

"The people are sceptical because of the history ... because of the many undelivered promises. A lot of promises have been made and still the town remains. Many are in a wait-and-see mood," Mrs. Campbell-Brown says.

The development committee meanwhile are not prepared to leave anything to chance. They believe there is money to be made from CWC 2007 and are lining up to claim their cut. When the tournament arrives next march with its estimated 150,000 visitors, Port Royal promises to take them back in time.

"We are looking at introducing the concept of period wear ... It is a concept of a living museum where you come to Port Royal, go to a particular location and walk back into the past," Mrs. Campbell-Brown says of the historic town's plans. If such plans materialise, visitors to Port Royal during CWC 2007 and beyond will not only see persons dressed like pirates and buccaneers but residents will also be parading wears dating back to the 17th century.

A thriving historical town, Port Royal, once a city, was founded by the British after gaining control of the island from the Spanish in 1655. It gained a reputation as both the "richest and wickedest city in the world". On July 7, 1692, a massive earthquake and following tidal wave brought widespread destruction and most of the city fell into rubble or sank into the sea.

Signs of neglect

Sill basking in its historical beauty, Port Royal today exhibits signs of neglect. While the lone road leading into the town is in fair condition, the community's infrastructure is crying out for attention. Mrs. Campbell-Brown says the development committee is lobbying authorities to get the roads fixed and the drains cleaned. The development committee is also working overtime to restore the broken ports and historical monuments and having the history of Port Royal depicted on story boards around the town.