1927 – 2009
Mr. Michael DuBoulay was born in Soufriere on June 26, 1927. He was educated the St. Mary’s College, St. Lucia and St. Mary’s College in Trinidad. Subsequent to completing his secondary education he chose the field of Agriculture as a career. He studied at the Imperial College of Tropical Agriculture in Trinidad after which he obtained a diploma in Agriculture from Mc Donald College in Quebec, Canada. Upon his return to the Caribbean, he opted to work with Barclays Bank both in Saint Lucia and Trinidad.
In 1948 he resigned from the bank and went to work on his father’s estate. He went on to run his own estate and meat processing establishment.
In 1957 he was elected on the Soufriere Town Council. He was a member of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) and contested the Soufriere Constituency in 1961, but he was defeated by 11 votes. Following the merger of the PPP and the NLM he again contested the Soufriere as a member of the newly formed UWP in the 1964 general elections he emerged victorious despite the racial slurs which emanated from the SLP. One famous quotation was, “…there was enough negros available to represent the constituency.” At the end of the term, he did not seek re-election.
Mr. Michael DuBoulay can aptly be described as the quintessential entrepreneur who owned and managed several successful ventures in the Soufriere area. These included:(1)The Still Plantation embodies a restaurant at La Pearl Estate; (2) Ruby Estate embodies agricultural lands mainly producing cocoa, coconuts and a variety of food products and fruits. Additionally an aquaculture project comprising fishponds creates resources for the restaurant; (3) The Still Beach Bar Restaurant and Room facilities; (4) Soufriere Construction and Developers Soufriere responsible for the development and sale of building plots in the Wingsville and Fond Bernier areas; (5) Beausejour and Belle Plaine projects created for the sale of residential lots on the outskirts of Soufriere; (6) The Belle Etoile and Dabotte Estate lands in the rural areas of Canaries utilized for agricultural production.
It must also be noted that water harvesting specific to the needs of the related entities in the La Perle and Ruby area quickly attained self-sufficiency in water supplies owing to the availability of water catchment facilities.
As a humane gesture to the people of Soufriere Mr. DuBoulay sold one of his only two water catchment resources to the Authorities at a price well below the market value. We are also aware that Soufriere has invariably cushioned water shortages endemic to the rest of the Island at critical junctures. This is largely attributable to the untethered generosity of Mr. Michael DuBoulay.