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LOCAL Friday 28 June 2024

Rotary Club of Aruba Beautifies YMCA Dakota with “Hands-On” Project

Recently, the Rotary Club from the Rotary Club of Aru- with all the members of 2023-2024. With this sup-
of Aruba joined hands in ba cut the grass, installed the Rotary Club of Aruba, port, the Rotary Club of
a “Hands-On” project at ground cover, and placed wishes to thank the busi- Aruba has provided finan-
YMCA Dakota to beautify gravel. In the back yard, nesses, commerce, and cial assistance to various in-
the entrance and clean they cut the grass and did the community in general stitutions, enabling them to
the yard. This way, the chil- a thorough cleaning. for once again contribut- help the most vulnerable in
dren who attend this YMCA ing during this Rotary year our community.q
center can enjoy a cleaner Together with Rotary mem-
and more attractive estab- bers and friends of the Club,
lishment. At the entrance the work was completed
of the building, volunteers in record time, thus beau-

tifying the entrance of the
YMCA. With this “Hands-
On” project, the Rotary
Club of Aruba concludes
another successful Rotary
year under the leadership
of President Luis Oduber.
Additionally, outgoing Pres-
ident Luis Oduber, along

The Bushiribana Gold Mill Ruins and its history

(Oranjestad)—The Bushiribana Gold Mill Ruins Built in 1872 by English company Aruba Island gold was found. At first, everyone could look for
is one of the most visited places by tourists on Gold Mining Company Ltd, the gold mill at gold, as long as they sold it to the government.
the island, as it lies along the northern coast line Bushiribana was constructed in the area where However, after some time, the government de-
near the mini pool and on the way to the Natu- most gold was found by locals. The story of gold cided to implement stricter rules and banned
ral Bridge. Despite its seemingly plain appear- on Aruba actually dates back to 1725, when a local search parties.
ance, this ruin represents one of the most im- first exploration for gold on the island was com-
portant histories of the island: The Aruban Gold missioned by the Dutch West India Company. Over the years, concession-holding had seen
Rush. Under the leadership of Mr. Paulus Printz, a different companies from around the world,
three-year search was conducted on Aruba, to all of which used primitive methods to dig and
no avail. Though they found some gold, it was carve out gold from the rocks. Aruba Island
enough to motivate a further search, and the Gold Mining Company Ltd. was no different, but
assignment was discontinued by Printz himself. used a unique method that involved grinding
the rocks and letting the dust be blown away
It wasn’t until 100 years later, in 1824, when a by the strong northeast wind, leaving clumps
young boy found a lump of gold while out herd- of gold behind. The next step was melting the
ing his father’s sheep. His father took it to a lo- gold and letting it attach to quicksilver in order
cal merchant who then sold the lump for $70. to obtain pure gold. All these processes were
Unbeknownst to the boy and his father, they done at the Bushiribana Gold Mill.
quite literally struck gold, and as word got out, a
gold fever spread among the locals who start- The gold mill itself had a short life-span: only 10
ed searching for more gold. About 25 pounds years in service, but its structure remained rel-
worth was found. atively solid till this day, and is now a historical
remnant.q
At the same time, the Aruban government took
immediate actions, and informed Curacao that Sources: Etnia Nativa & goldmineranch.com.