As Governor Martyn Roper prepares to leave Cayman after four-and-a-half years as the representative of the Crown in Cayman, the Compass takes a look back at some of his milestones.
Same-sex marriage law
One of the most significant acts carried out by Roper during his tenure was his assenting to the Civil Partnership Act on 4 Sept. 2020, which paved the way for legally recognised civil unions for same-sex couples in Cayman. Roper made the move after members of Parliament voted against passing the legislation, despite Cayman’s Court of Appeal giving a directive to government to legalise a form of marriage equivalency for same-sex couples.
Roper stated at the time, “Today we will end the discrimination being suffered by Caymanians and others on our islands whilst protecting the institution of marriage. This action does not alter or undermine the strong Christian heritage and values of the people of the Cayman Islands. No one is being asked to change their long-held beliefs.”
The failure of Cayman’s elected representatives to pass legislation to legalise same-sex marriage also led to the withdrawal of a proposed advancement in Cayman’s autonomy from the UK. Cayman and the UK had previously agreed to remove Section 81 of the Constitution, which gives the governor the power to enact legislation with the approval of a UK Secretary of State. Following the parliamentary vote, Roper used Section 81 to assent to the Civil Partnership Act.
COVID-19
Throughout the COVID pandemic, Roper was a steady presence at the daily press briefings, bringing updates on what his office and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office were doing to ensure assistance from the UK was available to Cayman. His constant reassurance that Britain would not forget its overseas territory even as the airports shut down and the borders closed were cited as a comfort by many watching the broadcasts.
He used his office’s connections with the FCO and British Airways to keep an air-bridge in place between Britain and the Cayman Islands to fly residents who wanted to leave Cayman off island and to bring Caymanians home. Despite the borders being closed, British Airways continued to fly in every two weeks, bringing in returning students and other residents, and supplies of protective personal equipment and other items.
His office was also involved, along with a number of local residents, in helping to arrange a shipment of 165,000 test kits from South Korea. Those kits were a game-changer for Cayman, enabling lockdowns to come to an end.
Then, once vaccines became available, BA began transporting the Pfizer-BioNTech vials to Cayman. Roper was the first person in Cayman to receive the vaccine, as he and other government officials got vaccinated in a bid to convince the public that it was safe to take.
Royal duties
Roper hosted two royal visits during his tenure – the then Prince Charles and his wife Camilla on their March 2019 trip, and Prince Edward and his wife Sophie in February 2023 – and was involved in Cayman’s celebrations of the Platinum Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II in February 2022 and in the islands’ mourning period following her death seven months later.
Though both royal visits were brief – lasting about two days each – they involved packed agendas. Charles and Camilla officially opened the revamped Owen Roberts International Airport shortly after they touched down. Charles opened a new swimming pool at the Cayman Brac sports centre and the Children’s Garden at the Queen Elizabeth II Botanic Gardens, while Camilla opened the Jasmine palliative care facility.
During Edward and Sophie’s visit, on Little Cayman the prince launched a new coral fund while visiting the Central Caribbean Marine Institute, and visited the Cayman Islands Regiment and Coast Guard, while Sophie attended talks with female financial leaders and opened and toured the Agricultural Show.
The official events to mark both the Platinum Jubilee and the passing of Queen Elizabeth II were ceremonious affairs, at which the governor’s presence was usually required. The governor also attended the Queen’s funeral, along with Premier Wayne Panton, in London.
Roper later officially proclaimed King Charles III as Cayman’s new sovereign in a ceremony outside Government House.
During his term as governor, the Cayman Islands Regiment was established to help provide humanitarian and disaster relief both in Cayman and throughout the region.
The first platoon of 51 reservists graduated in August 2020.
The then Premier Alden McLaughlin said of Roper at that passing-out ceremony, “Without him and his, not just support, but enthusiasm and drive, this just would not happen. It would be more… difficult in any event, but to do it during a global pandemic in 10 months is just incredible.”
The regiment has been growing steadily, with the reservists taking part in exercises and in real-life responses to emergencies, such as helping to rescue people and clearing roads during major storms.
New Cayman Islands Coast Guard
While the plans to establish the new Cayman Islands Coast Guard began before his tenure, the entity was set up during Roper’s time in Cayman.
The Coast Guard was formed in late 2018, and its first cohort of recruits graduated in March 2021. However, it was not officially established until October 2021 when the Coast Guard Act was enacted.
The Coast Guard replaced the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service’s Joint Marine Unit.
Congratulating the first class of recruits, Roper said, “These young people are now adding to the rich maritime heritage of these islands and in true Caymanian spirit have chosen ‘service before self’ as they commit to ensuring the maritime security of these beautiful islands.”
Awards
During his tenure, the governor pinned medals to many people or recommended that they be awarded in recognition of their contributions to Cayman.
Two people from Cayman were knighted during his time here – former premier Sir Alden McLaughlin and former chief justice Sir Anthony Smellie. They were the first to be given the title in Cayman since Sir Vassel Johnson in 1994 – Cayman’s first knighthood.
Scores of people were awarded for their efforts in response to the COVID-19 crisis in Cayman. In October 2020, 51 received Certificates and Badges of Honour from the governor, while separately, as part of the Queen’s Birthday Honours List, then Chief Medical Officer Dr. John Lee was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire, and Health Services Authority forensic DNA specialist Angela Marie Tanzillo-Swarts was made an Honorary Member of the British Empire.
Then, at the end of 2020, Roper announced that an additional 26 people would receive Certificates and Badges of Honour for their work in helping to keep Cayman safe from COVID-19.
Among others who have received awards during Roper’s term were Director of Customs Charles Clifford, community activist and former politician Lucille Seymour, and retired Deputy Clerk of Parliament Sharon Smith, who all received MBEs; Cayman Islands Monetary Authority managing director Cindy Scotland and former director of prisons Steven Barrett who received OBEs; and Truman Bodden Law School director Mitchell Davies, National Gallery director Natalie Urquhart and Red Cross director Jondo Obi who were awarded BEMs.
Steel pan
The image of the governor playing steel pan side by side with his teacher Earl La Pierre is a fond memory that many in Cayman will retain of Roper.
He learned several musical numbers on the instrument in his four-and-a-half years in Cayman, but kept a self-deprecating attitude to his new skills, even while adeptly playing ‘Yellow Bird’ or ‘Chariots of Fire’ on the pan.
In his 2022 Christmas message – his last as governor – he said he’d enjoyed learning the steel pan, on which he could play “about three and half tunes vaguely resembling steel pan music”.
This ability not to take himself too seriously and to embrace Caribbean culture endeared him to many.
Social media
Roper fully embraced social media during his time in Cayman, updating the public and the media regularly on his activities through Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
His social media accounts have nearly 30,000 followers.
He has more than 10,000 on Facebook and more than 9,600 on Twitter. On his second-last day as governor, he announced that his Instagram page had reached 10,000 followers, “a nice milestone just before I before I depart”.
“Sharing our time here through these platforms has been an important way to connect with as many people as possible,” he said, aptly enough, via a Facebook post.
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