Andrea Yvonne Chapman (Female fisher, community leader)
Born on 13th March, 1966, Andrea Chapman, more popularly known as Ann, was born into one of the most famous fishing families of Pile Bay. As was the tradition for most fisher families, her father fished while her mother cleaned and sold the catch. This division of labour was passed on to Andrea and her 14 siblings…simply the boys fished and the girls cleaned and sold the catches. But from a child Andrea was hooked on fishing herself and although she continued with her processing and vendor duties, she would fish whenever she had the opportunity.
She fished from the shore and from boats undertaking both night and day fishing. This continued into her adult life, but with the industrious Ann expanding further into catering. While she catered within her community, her food stall also became a regular feature at Crop-over events. With a genuine friendly and nurturing personality, always with an engaging smile and laugh, Ann’s success as a caterer was assured. Ann was an exceptional fisherlady and community leader in Pile Bay. Among her other charitable activities Ann cooked for the homeless of Bridgetown just before and during the Covid pandemic. For this charitable work in May 2024 she was given a community-service award by Senator Ryan Walters.
Ann’s passion for fishing led her to actively encourage youth into fishing. To this end, she would often take even the very young on the boats with her to let them get a taste of the boating and fishing experience. She would then teach those interested her boating and fishing skills. Ann was fearless and well known for her passion and advocacy for encouraging women to pursue fishing.
Ann died on April 6th, 2024. However, her sentiments and vision have been shared in the mini documentary 'The Barbadian Matriarchy of Fishing' which will be a guiding light for how we engage youth and women in the fisheries sector in Barbados. Ann’s legacy will live on in the Pile Bay community and Barbados’s fishing industry.
Photo credit: UpperCASE Visuals (Jawade Elibox)