Tata the Bus Driver: a roundabout in the West Indies that pays tribute to a bus driver who brokered no-nonsense on the school route.

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2 years ago Nathan

On a nondescript roundabout close to the border of Saint Martin, in Sint Maarten, the Dutch half of the island, is a statue of Jean-Frederique Brooks, a bus driver who regularly ran the school route and kept mischievous pupils firmly in line.

He is kept company on the same roundabout by statues of Alexander Lionald Richardson, “Alec the Butcher”, a butcher who supposedly had 42 children, many of whom probably were on Tata’s bus, and Florian Eulalie Duzanson, “Lalie”, who baked for free for those who could not afford tasty treats.
Although baking was her source of income Lalie also cared for students and people who came from Aruba to St. Maarten, she also provided shelter to many during disastrous moments such as hurricanes. While each of the three icons did what they do best to make a living it was clear they impacted several lives along the way and honoring them in such a way was well warranted.
Either way, any relatives attended the official unveiling in 2009.
The roundabout as well as the drainage around Belvedere cost the island government some 5.4 million guilders, with 3.4 spent only on the roundabout itself, while the land on which the roundabout was constructed on was donated to the island government by the Plantz family.

All three of those commemorated have passed away, but they remain standing tall and proud for modern-day drivers to enjoy, and island authorities said they regard them as folk heroes.
Tata’s statue is the most popular, holding only a steering wheel to represent the whole of the bus he was so noted for maneuvering around island avenues.