​Whitehall was built in the early 1900s by Joseph Leon Agostini, a cocoa planter, as the largest private residence along the Maraval Road strip at Queen’s Park West.
Some accounts say it was built in 1904. Others say construction began in 1904 and took three years.
The mansion was originally called Rosenweg (path of roses), and was designed to reflect Agostini’s Corsican heritage (Moorish Mediterranean style) as he was born in Corsica in 1839.
After Agostini’s death in 1906, his family remained in residence until 1910 when, unable to meet mortgage payments, the mortgagee, William Gordon Grant, foreclosed.
The property was then sold to Robert Henderson, an American businessman from Venezuela.
The Henderson family renamed the mansion Whitehall after the coral stone from which it was built.
During the Second World War, with the arrival of the United States Forces to Trinidad, Whitehall was commandeered from the Seigert family, heirs of Robert Henderson, as headquarters of the Air Raid Precaution.
In 1944, the British Council rented the building as a cultural centre.
Later, the Trinidad Central Library, Regional library, National Archives, Government Broadcasting Unit, Trinidad Art Society, and the Cellar Club all rented or occupied space in the building.
From 1949, the building remained empty until 1954, when it was purchased by the Government of Trinidad and Tobago.
In 1957, Whitehall was occupied by the Pre-Federal Interim Government prior to the establishment of the West Indies Federation in 1958.
In 1963, after the Federation had collapsed, it became the Office of the Prime Minister occupied by Dr. Eric Williams, T&T’s first Prime Minister after Independence.
Restored in 2000, Whitehall continued to be occupied by the Office of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago until 2009.
After some deterioration and $32 million in restoration work, White­hall has been resumed as the home of the Cab­i­net in August 2019. (from Donimic Kalipersad, May 10, 2022)
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Sources: National Trust of Trinidad and Tobago; Josh Lu

Siparia and La Divina Pastora are synonymous and the very identity of the little country town is associated with the presence of its patron saint. There are many myths and legends surrounding the origins of the statue which has such deep spiritual and temporal significance for so many. Since time immemorial, the plateau of Siparia had been home to a large community of Warao native peoples from the Orinoco Delta region of Venezuela. Their primary landing place was Quinam beach from whence a narrow footpath led to the settlement and other parts of the island.
In 1758, a party of Capuchin monks from Spain, founded a Mission here, complete with a small ajoupa to serve as a chapel. One of the major monumental events of this period is that in 1795, Pope Pius VI decreed La Divina Pastora ( The Divine Shepherdess) to be that patron saint of all Capuchin missions. There is no mention of the statue of La Divina Pastora from this period of the Mission. One unsupported claim is that it was brought to the chapel circa 1800 by a dying priest from the Cumana Mission in Venezuela who claimed it saved his life. A popular story concerning the statue was recounted in 1887 as follows:
“Tradition says that this statue was picked up by Spaniards in the depths of the forest ; it remained here for some time, and was then removed to Oropouche Church. It made no stay there, however, for on the morning after its arrival it was found to have mysteriously disappeared during the night, and, on search being instituted, it was discovered in the precise spot of the forest where it had first appeared.”
Fr. Poirier, the Padre in the 1840s, does not write of the statue’s existence, but by 1878, the feast of La Divina Pastora was already being celebrated two Sundays after Easter. The image of the Divine Shepherdess resided in the little tapia church , resting on a mound of earth where homage was paid. Waraos from the Orinoco, local Catholics and a new element, Hindus, made the feast day boisterous and lively. Pilgrims would encamp and stream into the chapel to make offerings to La Divina . In 1878, Fr. Armand Masse, a French priest , wrote this observation:
“Some Waraoons dressed in nothing are at the door of the church. A band of coolies arrives. They sing all night long. At dawn they go to bathe and then come to the chapel .They have brought two cocks which they will offer to the virgin ( they call her Siparee Mai) . To make this offering they go to the foot of the altar with the cock and saying their prayers in a loud voice with arms extended , they go to the back of the church , untie the cock and set it free in the church . “
La Divina Pastora after an extensive restoration undertaken in 2010-2011 by conservation specialist, Judi Sheppard. (Source:  Virtual Museum of TT, March 2022)

Dr. Rudranath Capildeo was a Trinidadian scholar who made contributions in the fields of applied mathematics and physics. He studied the nature of space and time and this sparked his interest in understanding Einstein’s Theory of Special Relativity. His work resulted in new theories, such as the “Theory of Rotation and Gravity” or “Capildeo’s Theory” for short. This theory had applications in early outer space expeditions in the 1960s and 1970s.
Capildeo was a gifted educator who spent most of his teaching life at the University College, London. He also taught at other institutions including the University of Khartoum, Sudan and he was the first principal of Trinidad Polytechnic School. He wrote a mathematics textbook entitled “Vector Algebra and Mechanics: Theory, Problems, and Solutions”.
Rudranath Capildeo was born in Chaguanas, Trinidad on February 2nd 1920 at “The Lion House”. He attended Queen’s Royal College (QRC) and won an Open National Scholarship in 1939. He began studies in medicine at Oxford University, but due to illness, he switched to mathematics at University College London.
He completed an intermediate bachelor of science degree and followed with a BSc Special Degree in Mathematics. He copped several prizes and graduated in 1943. Capildeo returned to Trinidad and taught Mathematics at QRC for a brief period. He furthered his studies at University College London and gained a Master of Science degree in 1945 and a Doctorate in Mathematical Physics in 1948.
His ability to manipulate mathematical techniques enabled him to solve any problem. His logical mind, skill in debating, and clear understanding of his subject assisted him in explaining complicated mathematical theories to his students and laypeople. He proceeded to clarify and fortify Einstein’s Theory of Special Relativity because he “knew it inside out, upside down, and sideways”.
Apart from his achievements in science, Dr. Capildeo studied law in London and was admitted to practise as a Barrister-at-Law in Trinidad. He founded and led the Democratic Labour Party and became Leader of the Opposition in the Trinidad and Tobago Parliament when the country became independent.
He was considered an outstanding scholar, yet, the full potential of his work is not fully understood.
For his great achievements in science, he was awarded one of the inaugural National Awards- the Trinity Cross- from the Government of Trinidad and Tobago in 1969.
He died on May 12, 1970. (Source:  Caribbean Hindustani, Marrch 2022)

​This was the man who created the first Police Steelband - Supt. Anthony Prospect. (His real name was actually Guillermo Antonio Prospect, but he was popularly known by the English version of his middle name.)
Born in Port-of-Spain on February 10, 1928, Prospect joined the T&T Police Force in 1944. In 1963, he became the first local musician to graduate from the Royal Military School of Music, where he won the trophy for Best Conductor and majored as an ethnomusicologist, with emphasis on the steelband and folk music.
Prospect came to public attention in 1964 when he was appointed Bandmaster of the Police Band, the first local musician in the post. He made an immediate impact.
He formed the first police steelband in 1964 and, at that year’s Independence Day Parade, he broke the tradition of playing exclusively European military marches, having the Band play his adaptation of Lord Kitchener's winning Road March calypso "Mama Dis Is Mas" to the military march.
Prospect went on to develop a long relationship with Trinidad’s steelbands. He composed the test pieces for Steelband Music Festivals: Intermezzo in E Flat (1966) and Maracas Bay (1972).
In 1978, he produced an album for Renegades steelband after touring South America with them. In 1981, he was the musical director and conductor of Desperadoes for its tour of England.
Further, he arranged Casablanca’s music scores for the 1980 and 1982 Music Festivals with "Zampa Overture" (2nd Place) and "1812 Overture" (1st Place), respectively.
Prospect was immortalised in calypso by The Mighty Sparrow, in a celebrated piece titled "The Governor’s Ball", which became more widely known for its chorus tag-line: "Shake Your Baton Like Mr Prospect".
Prospect retired as the Police bandmaster in 1982. During the ‘90s, however, he served as steelband consultant to the Inter-Cultural Music Institute (CIMI), a project mounted jointly by The University of the West Indies and the United National Development Programme. He was also selected as chief adjudicator at Panorama competitions for various Carnivals held in North America.
Prospect died May 3, 2000, at a hospital in Miami, Florida.
He was the recipient of a national award: Public Service Medal of Merit, Gold, for Music (1973).
(Source: Dominic Kalipersad, May 16, 2022)