Although a founding life member with my wife of the Trust, joining at the launch function at Government House in 1987 my involvement had been somewhat limited until being invited as chairman of the Cayman National Cultural Foundation to join the Historic Advisory Committee in 1996.
Elected to chair that committee in 1997 I was invited to serve on the board in 1997 and was elected vice chairman serving under chairman Alson Ebanks in 1998.
Therefore by osmosis I became chairman in 2000 and served for two years in that position, and it was a delightful challenge. Melding the diverse talents of the staff and volunteers, coupled with being, in a way, the conscience of the people, over not the most popular advocacy issues contributed to the challenge.
The mission and role of the Trust to preserve the natural environment and places of historic significance for present and future generations of the Cayman Islands should not be affected by economic circumstances, fashion or political expediency, but simply by what is (as Alson Ebanks forcibly stated) what is the right thing to do.
Memories fade as to the challenges we faced but the Trust at all times was the conscience of the people in championing sustainable development and to harnessing the resources of the many dedicated volunteers and staff.
In October 1999 we endorsed and solicited support of Environmental Overlay Zones proposed by the Central Planning Authority as an amendment to the Development Plan as a way of protecting the Central Mangrove Wetland and its importance to our ecology and environment and hence how it contributes to what will make development sustainable in the Cayman Islands.
In June 2000 the Historic Preservation Awards reached a new standard in recognizing and rewarding the efforts and hard work of those persons who share that part of the Trust’s mission to preserve and identify buildings which represent Caymanian culture and heritage. This was at a time when much was being said about the Trust’s advocacy role in preserving the natural environment.
In December 2000 we announced the development of a five-year evergreen business plan to clearly set down where the Trust had come from, established where we were going, how to get there, and permitted the Trust to measure the distanced travelled. The plan provided critical direction amongst the Council, staff and membership.
2001 saw the publication of the Fish Tea Story Book and CD, the discovery of a new bat species thought to be extinct, a highly successful Wetlands cruise, a record hatch for the blue iguana breeding programme, our national symbols flora and fauna study guide distributed to all teachers and improvement of the mastic trail signage. There was also excellent cooperative effort with the National Gallery housing the Native Done programme at the Savannah School House.
My comments below in the 2002 report highlight some of the Trust’s achievements during that year:
During the course of 2001 the Trust had significant input into the year long deliberations of the Wetlands Committee which tabled its report and recommendations to the Central Planning Authority in December 2001.
These recommendations, tabled in the Legislative Assembly in July of this year, have now been incorporated into the draft amendments to the Development Plan now undergoing their Public Review. (Sadly the recommendations were not subsequently adopted)
I also reiterated last year our belief that in order to utilize most effectively the limited resources that the National Trust and like minded organizations have available it is essential that we work cooperatively and in a well coordinated manner with these organizations. As promised at last years AGM such cooperation has been the thrust of our activities this year and I’m pleased to report on the success of joint events with the National Museum, Department of the Environment, the National Archive, Department of Tourism and National Gallery.
With the Environmental Programmes, the Blue Iguana Programme has attracted much international attention and the seriousness of the diminishing wild population has attracted funding for their protection from several different sources during the course of the year.
In Cayman Brac the opening of the Brac Trust house signifies a major step forward in the provision of both a meeting place and in the case of the Brac Parrot census provided shelter for the census takers!!!
Other successful projects include the Mahogany Forest Fund, the Bat Conservation project which grows from strength to strength, and the Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre.
Our Educational programmes provided enlightenment for both our children and our adults with the Wetlands cruises providing dramatic and visual first hand experience of the mangroves that are an essential part of our ecological system. We have employed the power of technological advances to spread the word of our mission with new power point presentations, website improvements, and a DVD educational pack.
Our Historic Programmes continued to educate with the increasingly successful Historic Preservation Awards, the commencement of Miss Izzy’s schoolhouse renovation, the completion of the Dr. Roy’s Ironshore project and appointment of a project manager to undertake the Mission House project.
As subsequent events can attest certain of these achievements took some time to come to fruition and some have not yet materialized, however the point remains that the Trust is crucial in our society to represent the public interest and to carry out the mission.
Martyn Bould
Chairman 2000 to 2002
Related Videos
