In his last Christmas message as governor of the Cayman Islands, Martyn Roper reminisced on his four-and-a-half years here, from the serious work of dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic to the more fun side of life – sword fighting with pirates and learning to play the steel pan.
Scheduled to leave at the end of March, the governor said he and his wife Lissie were looking forward to spending one more Christmas in Cayman.
“It has been the privilege of my life to serve as your governor,” he said in a video recording, filmed as he sat on an armchair between a twinkling Christmas tree and a nativity scene.
In listing some of the achievements, challenges and highlights of his tenure as the representative of the Crown in Cayman, Roper said perhaps the most impactful example of his office’s support over the years had been during the COVID-19 pandemic.
He noted that his office had helped secure test kits and vaccinations, which he said had saved hundreds of lives, and was instrumental in arranging British Airways emergency repatriation flights. During the pandemic, he took part, with government officials, in more than 70 daily press conferences to keep the public informed.
He said his office had also been involved in providing UK support in setting up the Cayman Islands Regiment for disaster response during the pandemic.
Other achievements during his time here, he said, included his involvement in the 2019 constitutional change negotiations which modernised Cayman’s relationship with the UK, and the setting up of the Police Service Commission to enhance transparency and good governance.
An action for which he was both celebrated and vilified, depending on where one stood on the issue, was his use of his reserved power to approve the Civil Partnership Act, which granted same-sex couples the same rights as heterosexual couples.
He also recalled the momentous occasion of attending, along with Premier Wayne Panton, the late Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral in Westminster in September, where he said they and other representatives of the British Overseas Territories were “treated very well and rightly given a prominent place, in line with Her Majesty’s wishes”.
To emphasise the esteem in which the Overseas Territories were held, he pointed out that US President Joe Biden “was even seated behind us”. He added, “President Macron of France was even further behind – I enjoyed that, as a British diplomat aware of the traditional rivalry with the French.”
The governor, who in this year’s Pirates Festival took up a sword to help see off ‘invading’ Spanish pirates, said he believed he was the first governor to “defeat the pirates rather than be captured”. He had earlier undergone training with the Los Tortugas Pirates group to prepare him for the battle on the harbourfront during the Pirates Landing event on 12 Nov.
During his years here, he has become known for playing the steel pan, but he was modest in his Christmas address about his musical abilities on the instrument.
He said he had enjoying “learning the steel pan and proudly being able to play about three-and-a-half tunes, vaguely resembling steel pan music, all thanks to the wonderful Earl La Pierre”.
The governor, with a smile, also recalled some of the criticism laid on him by members of the public.
“I enjoyed listening to the caller to one radio station after the passing of the civil partnership legislation, who said ‘Send that governor home – with a cup of tea.’ That was a nice Caymankind touch.
“Or the anonymous person on [Cayman News Service] who said ‘Governor Roper changes his position more times than a Foster’s shopping trolley. I never did work out what that referred to.”
He gave special thanks to his wife, Lissie, whom he said had given him “wonderful support, not just in Cayman but throughout my career”.
He added, “She won’t want me to say this, but she has done much, quietly, behind the scenes, including volunteering at Jasmine, reading to children at John Gray, and playing oboe in the National Choir. She’s also a member of Caymanian Women’s Quilting Group, which meets every Wednesday morning.”
The governor said the couple had made many friends during their time in Cayman, where he said, they had felt “very welcomed and at home”.
“We have come to love and admire the islands, its people, and its rich history, culture and heritage. You will always have a special place in our hearts,” he said.
Related Videos
