PINDER AND DIEDRICK PAY COURTESY CALL ON AMBASSADOR NEWRY
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Mrs. Astrid Pinder, co-owner of Fine Ocean Jewellery in Nassau, and Ms. Amanda Diedrick, a Bahamian in the diaspora with deep roots in Green Turtle Cay, Abaco, paid a courtesy call on His Excellency Dr. Eugene Newry, Bahamas Ambassador to the United States, on Thursday, October 6, 2016 at the Embassy of The Bahamas, 2220 Massachusetts Avenue, N.W.
Mrs. Pinder owns her jewellery-making business along with her husband Ellison Pinder, who hand carves conch and whelk shells for her to make rings, bracelets, pendants and earrings, using a copywritten style of wire wrapping. She also makes some pieces using sea glass found on the beaches of her husband’s native Long Island.
Mrs. Pinder, who is from Arlington, Virginia, and is currently visiting her mother, also is involved with two major groups of artisans in Nassau: Authentically Bahamian, run by the Ministry of Tourism, and Creative Nassau, run by Pam Burnside and affiliated with UNESCO. Both groups display the work of some of the best artists and artisans in The Bahamas on some weekdays and weekends in Pompey Square in downtown Nassau, featuring crafts ranging from straw work to shell craft, acrylic paintings and even Androsia outfits for dogs!
Mrs. Pinder is a close friend of Mrs. Elisabeth Ann Brown, a professional photographer who was one of the artisans whose work was displayed in Pompey Square before she relocated to Washington, D.C., following her wedding to Mr. Oswald T. Brown, Press, Cultural Affairs and Information Manager at The Bahamas Embassy
Mrs. Brown is also a friend of Ms. Diedrick and she accompanied them on their visit to the Embassy.
A writer by profession, Ms. Diedrick was born and raised in Nassau, before moving to Vancouver, British Columbia., where she worked in public relations and corporate communications for more than 20 years. In 2006, she moved with her husband, Tom Walters, to California, where he serves as Los Angeles Bureau Chief for Canada’s CTV Television Network.
In 2012, Amanda and Tom purchased the tiny cottage on Green Turtle Cay that her great-grandparents, Herman and May Curry, built after the 1932 hurricane destroyed their grand home. In researching the history of the house, Amanda says became fascinated by the little-known aspects of Green Turtle Cay’s history. She began documenting the restoration of her ancestral home and her research about Green Turtle Cay’s history on a weblog, Little House by the Ferry, and most recently, in a coffee-table book, entitled “Those Who Stayed: The Tale of the Hardy Few Who Built Green Turtle Cay,” which will be released later this month.
CAPTION
Pictured from left to right: Mrs. Elisabeth Ann Brown, Mrs. Astrid Pinder, Ambassador Dr. Eugene Newry, Ms. Amanda Diedrick, and Mr. Chet Neymour, Deputy Chief of Mission, Embassy of The Bahamas.