With her cherished family photos adorning side tables at Government House, it’s clear Cayman’s new governor Jane Caroline Owen is settling in, but that does not mean she will remain locked away from the community behind the white gates on West Bay Road.
In fact, Owen, speaking with the Cayman Compass on 3 May in her first round of media interviews since her 21 April swearing in, said she intends to engage with the local community in a meaningful way and to become a part of the fabric that makes the Cayman Islands one of the “most beautiful” places to live.
“I feel that you can’t really be governor unless you are going out and talking to people and hearing what they’ve got to say,” said Owen, who turned 60 on 15 April. “I really want to get under the skin of what people are thinking about, what they’re concerned about, and also… it’s fun getting around and understanding the different aspects [of the islands].”
She added that she wants to continue “with enthusiasm” the legacy of community interaction left by former Governor Martyn Roper.
“I’ve spoken quite a bit to Martyn, who’s been really generous with his time, and I have great respect for him and I know that was a very important part of his life here,” she said.
Owen’s last posting was in Berne, Switzerland, where she worked for five years.
Three months prior to arriving in Cayman, she spent time with her 90-year-old father in London, which she said was quite special to her.
Loss and hope
Owen opened up about her personal life in the sit-down interview.
She shared that she lost her husband David Donnelly to cancer in 2017. The couple were married for 19 years.
“My husband Dave died of cancer about six years ago, which was a really hard time for the family and a really sad time for us,” she said.
This devastating loss has led to her becoming “quite interested in supporting the hospice and supporting charities that are looking at families going through that kind of thing”.
Just a week after arriving on island, Owen supported Jasmine by attending the hospice’s Big Bash in Wonderland end-of-season fundraising gala.
The couple had “two wonderful children,” Phoebe, 23, and James, 21.
Phoebe, she said, is staying with her at Government House to help unpack, and her son James, who is finishing a computer science degree in East Anglia, Norwich, will be arriving on island in about six weeks to spend some of the summer here.
“He is looking forward to it,” she added.
Benji the dog
While her kids will be leaving the nest for jobs in London, Owen is pleased to report that her four-legged baby Benji will be by her side throughout her time at Government House.
Benji, a black Labrador, marked his 13th birthday on 3 May.
She said he marked that day with a swim on Seven Mile Beach and a hearty roll in the sand.
She added that Benji seems to love it here even more than the rest of the family does.
“The next morning [after arriving], I got up very early and went for a walk on the beach with the dog and then went swimming, and the dog was able to go swimming in the sea. So he can’t believe how lucky he is,” she said, laughing.
Since then, she added, whenever he comes back to the house from the beach, he’s covered in sand because he insists on rolling on the beach after being in the water.
Owen says she has been in awe of Seven Mile Beach, and she recalled her first sunset from Government House, which was “particularly beautiful”.
Local female leadership lauded
As Cayman’s second female governor, Owen says it is “impressive” to see the number of women in senior posts here; however, she was quick to add that there should be no glass ceilings at all.
“I think Cayman seems to be in a very strong place with this, but what we need to do is to make sure that there is no glass ceiling and that young women have role models to follow, and that we’re able also to create this sort of societal and workplace infrastructure that supports women wanting to carry on with their careers,” she said.
Cayman’s first female governor was Helen Kilpatrick, who was appointed in 2013.
Owen said, after having been an ambassador twice before, she feels that women are becoming more active in many walks of life.
She welcomed Cayman’s introduction of sexual harassment legislation, which is out for public comment at this time.
“I think it’s very important to protect everyone, to be able to be safe and free in society. I think that brings you into areas like making sure we’re preventing bullying, making sure we’re looking after child safeguarding, people’s mental health, and then, of course, also making sure that there are very strict procedures in place to prevent against sexual harassment,” she said.
Community reception welcomed
Though the Cayman Islands is thousands of miles away her hometown of Bilston in the West Midlands of the UK, Governor Owen says she’s already been made to feel very at home here.
Since touching down last month, Owen has been on a whirlwind tour of the islands, which she said she has been enjoying.
“I’ve also been to various events, visited the Sister Islands, and really felt the warmth of the Caymankind reception that I’ve had… so I think these islands are beautiful, but the most beautiful thing about them is the people,” she said.
Owen, who also attended the Capella Music festival in Camana Bay, said it was great to see UB40 live, as the band is from Birmingham, not far from where she grew up in Bilston.
Aims to look at safety on local roads
Though she’s been busy socially, the new governor has also been working, and has already chaired Cabinet twice since taking her oath.
“It’s been very important to me to get to know all of the members of the government,” she said, adding that she intends to work with the PACT administration on issues of importance to the community.
Though she said she has not spent a great deal of time yet going into the details surrounding illegal gambling or road safety, she is aware that these are important issues on the political scene and will do what she can to support the government in taking them forward.
Road safety, she added, is of great concern, particularly as already this year there have been four fatalities in Cayman and “that really is very sad”.
Immediately following this interview on 3 May, Owen departed for the airport to travel to the UK to attend King Charles III’s coronation events on 6 May, alongside Premier Wayne Panton, which she said will be a special privilege for her.
“I can’t quite believe it and it will be a great pleasure to do it together with the Honourable Premier. So I’m really excited about it and really humbled to be able to go and very much looking forward to it,” she added.
She praised the ties between Cayman and the UK, as she pointed to the Cayman Islands Regiment’s inclusion in the coronation parade.
“The overseas territory relationship that we have between the United Kingdom and Cayman is a very important one. Cayman is the most populous of all of our overseas territories, and, of course, a very successful one, and also a most beautiful set of islands, which I’m hoping to be able to support as we protect and develop them,” she said.
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