Brac doll goes home with Earl
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This is a digitised version of an article from The Cayman Compass's print archive. Occasionally, the digitisation process introduces transcription errors, or other problems.
See the article in its original context from November 2004.
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During his brief visit to Cayman Brac Thursday, HRH the Earl of Wessex dined on Escovitched Kingfish and Island-Style Baked Beef with all the trimmings, including Rice and Peas, prepared and served by catering students at the school.
"The Prince ate heartily," said CBHS Head of Arts and Vocational Studies, Ms Yvonne Williams. He ate everything served to him, from the fish tea to the bread pudding, she said. At the Earl's request, several students sat opposite him for lunch. "He seemed very down to earth," thought 14-year-old Janelle Tibbetts, who has recently returned to John Gray High School after a period enrolled at CBHS following the storm.
They chatted about her interest in dance and the dance classes she is teaching to kids on the Sister Islands. She would not have known he was a prince if she had met him in other circumstances, she said.
Prince Edward's visit to the Brac concluded his two-day tour of the Cayman Islands. District Commissioner Kenny Ryan and Sister Islands MLA Lyndon Martin greeted him on his arrival shortly after noon from Little Cayman. He was accompanied by the Governor and Mrs. Bruce Dinwiddy and District Administration Minister, Julianna O'Connor Connolly.
The Earl spent much of his whirlwind tour of the island listening to the children talk about their experience during Hurricane Ivan. Primary school students lined his entrance. inside the Gerard Smith Airport and high school students waited for him at their school grounds.
In very informal walkabouts, he asked many questions and showed a real concern for the children affected by the storm.
"He was nice, much friendlier than I expected," said Year 9 student, Alison Martin.
"He was polite. I'd go with him to meet the Queen if he asked me to," said classmate Kenya Symmons. The two girls presented the Prince with a doll wearing an outfit hand-crocheted by Alison. Prince Edward told them he was collecting dolls from around the world for his daughter, said Kenya.
Up on the Bluff, the Earl visited the Christopher Columbus Gardens, created as part of the Quincentennial Celebrations on Cayman Brac, where he met members of the Quincentennial Committee and took a quick stroll around the site.
A short walk brought him to the Seamen and Veterans' Centre of Cayman Brac and Little Cayman, which he officially opened on his previous visit to the Brac in May 2003. The Centre, built with money raised by members of the Seamen and Veteran's Society, is resistant to winds up to 200mph and offered shelter for 200 people during the recent hurricane.
Inside he met members of the S&VS and their wives and also government officials, including health service staff and government shelter management teams, who played a key role in maintaining order and safety during the hurricane.
The Earl returned to the airport, leaving the Brac, and the Cayman islands, shortly after 2.30pm, heading for Barbados.
