The top article in the Caymanian Compass on 22 April 1976 was of three Caymanians missing at sea. A sea and air search was in progress for Huxley Goring and his son Carlton Goring, both of Prospect Park, and Willis McLaughlin of North Church Street. The three men had left from Whitehall in a 17-foot Johnson 40 horsepower boat around 6am on Wednesday morning and nothing had been heard about their whereabouts since. The search involved two coast guard planes and a Navy plane.
The main photo was of a 305-pound marlin that was caught by three novice fishermen.
Another article was on Queen Elizabeth II, who celebrated her 50th birthday on 21 April.
In the sports section, the Easter Regatta was covered and was ‘bigger and better than ever’. It was two days of hectic competition with a total of six sailing and seven powerboat races taking place.
A photo also appeared with a dramatic side story: Gerry Kirkconnell was thrown out of his boat when making a tight turn, but was unhurt, and Adrian Briggs leapt onto the speeding boat to gain control, narrowly missing the moving propeller.
The editorial on page 4 discussed Cayman and Jamaica, and the Red Cross.
It read: “Events taking place in Cayman within recent weeks seem to have more than passing interest in Jamaica, judging from press reports out of Kingston. Conversely, actions by persons coming into the Cayman Islands from Kingston are having more than ordinary impact in this country.” It went on to name a few of those stories, noting that reports on both sides have been about good things, as well as matters of “ill report”.
It continued: “The fundamental issue … is to ensure that the good relationships between both countries remain cemented and devoid of all suspicion, and to see that the existing ties remain unbroken and untarnished.”
The editorial said the Red Cross was doing a constructive job in the community and deserved the support of all Caymanian residents. Noting that the Red Cross trains people in first aid and life-saving methods, it added, “we feel that not only is the organisation deserving of financial contributions, but voluntary workers would do well to strengthen the ranks of the Red Cross as it continues its community work”.
A small article, headlined ‘Divers get surprise beer bonus’, appeared on page 7. It seems a pallet of Heineken beer that was being shipped fell into about 50 feet of water. Divers were able to collect the 99 cases that lay on the bottom. The article said that no one admitted to how much they got and the whereabouts of what was recovered was not known. “Most of it seems to have disappeared into the stomachs of those involved in getting the bottles off the bottom.”
The Cayman Compass searchable archives, going back to 1965, are now available here.
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