Historic Jamaican Research Centre Revisited

We buy our bananas in supermarkets, but few people think about how they get there. The Bodles Banana Breeding Station and Research Centre in Jamaica was once at the forefront of development to protect crops against the pathogens that destroyed banana production in many parts of the world.

Back roads to Bodles Banana Breeding Station and Research Centre, Saint Catherine, Jamaica.

We take the old roads from Kingston to Saint Catherine, avoiding the Super Highway. It is a journey of ninety minutes by car. Our destination today is the Bodles Banana Breeding Station and Research Centre, where I grew up as a boy.

The Old Harbour Fish Market is now a shadow of its former self, likewise, the disused railway station. The spot where the church stood that my Aunt Annie and I walked the three miles to every Sunday morning is now a fast food joint, while the church itself has moved to a more prestigious location. With religion still big business on this tiny Caribbean island, it probably can afford the newly elevated real estate prices.

Cars can no longer turn down the Old Bodles Road that was once the direct route to and from our house. Rain has washed away the bridge, and the road is now permanently closed. We must drive a further…