Ernest Craddock Ebanks was named a National Hero this year on 27 Jan.
Born in 1911 to Ernest Charles Ebanks and Editha Dinah Bodden, he came to be known as the ‘Father of the House’ for his long service as a member of the Legislative Assembly and as the representative for the district of North Side.
Prior to entering politics, Ebanks learned farming from his father and then became a merchant mariner.
In 1940, he married Louise Ebanks and they had two sons: the late Donovan Ebanks who become deputy governor, and the late Byron Ebanks who owned Byron’s Car Centre.
According to an April 1981 article in the Nor’Wester, provided to the Compass by Matthew Seales, Craddock Ebanks returned home from sea in 1951, and with the truck he brought with him, he immersed himself in what he referred to as the “Cayman way of life”, doing a bit of farming, fishing and, once per week, making an excursion to George Town.
“In those days a lot of firewood was used on the island to service the caboose – the home-made stove used then, and for houses, boat building and ships. I would pick up a bit and take it to George Town as freight and bring back an assortment of provisions, and a few passengers, for the sum of two shillings or so round trip,” he recalled.
At that time, he had never been to a political meeting. However, armed with the notion that he might be able to do something to help the country, he ran for a seat in 1952 and was successful.
“For the first 16 to 18 years as an elected Member of the House, I never received a penny’s remuneration: not a penny for my time, subsistence or travelling,” he stated. “We survived on one’s feeling of devotion and interest in the country.”
Speaking to the Legislative Assembly in 1972, he said, “We do not represent the rich and good looking … We represent all.”
During his tenure, spanning over 32 years, in the legislature, Ebanks was involved in many of the major strides that took place in the Cayman Islands, including the development of vastly improved medical facilities, air service and education, along with the establishment of the financial services and tourism industries in the Cayman Islands.
There was no electricity, no telephone service and no paved roads in North Side when he first became the representative of the district, and during his time in office, he helped bring many improvements, not just to his own district, but to the Cayman Islands as a whole.
As the North Side representative, he secured consensus in the Legislative Assembly for a North Side Police Station, the North Side Public Health Clinic and a playing field for sports. He also fought to get feeder roads developed, so farmers could gain improved access to their agricultural lands.
His nephew Kenny Ebanks said that several times in his legislative career, Craddock Ebanks was returned to the Legislative Assembly without election, because no one challenged him as the representative for the district.
In 1983, Craddock Ebanks was made an Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (OBE). The North Side Civic Centre is also named after him.
Ebanks retired from politics at the age of 73 in 1984 and he died in 2004 at the age of 92.
He is one of the longest-serving members of the Legislative Assembly, having to his credit an unbroken period of 27 years in the House.
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