Mrs. Dinwiddy

Saying farewell to the Caymanian people has been very hard for the Governor’s wife, Mrs. Emma Dinwiddy.

Making her leave today along with husband Mr. Bruce Dinwiddy, after more than three years on the islands, she says she will fondly remember the people she has come to admire and with whom she has formed a special bond.

‘Thanks to everyone who has shown us so much kindness, support and warmth,’ she said. ‘I will never forget that.’

Mrs. Dinwiddy said she fell in love with the island and the people right from the beginning.

‘It was a really unforgettable day. I will never forget the feeling when we exited the plane and all those people were waiting on the tarmac.

‘Everyone we greeted was so welcoming, kind and friendly. I was a little nervous at first because of never being in a situation like that before, but soon overcame my jitters because of friendly faces.’

From that moment she said she had a very good feeling of how it was going to be over their period of time in the Cayman Islands. ‘It started off as a very good beginning,” said Mrs. Dinwiddy.

After being whisked off to Government House to meet other officials and have lunch, she made a quick change then was off to the Legislative Assembly for the swearing in ceremony, then back to Government House for another quick change to attend a reception. ‘It was a very overwhelming day, but a very exciting one,’ she said.

The next day Mrs. Dinwiddy had a quiet time unpacking and the Governor went off to work.

During the next week they toured the islands and met with locals in each district, which gave her a good feeling, especially meeting the older people.

A teacher most of her life, Mrs. Dinwiddy said the time spent with the school children and meeting the teachers gave her a tremendous amount of pleasure.

‘It opened up a whole new world for me and I hope in a small way that I did make a contribution. Saying goodbye is very hard for me,’ said Mrs. Dinwiddy.

Also missed will be her favourite Caymanian dish, turtle stew and cassava, which she said she enjoyed tremendously.

Although she did not learn any Caymanian craftwork, Mrs. Dinwiddy said she enjoyed watching local crafts being made, especially during the Pirates Week heritage days. ‘I really admire the work they do,’ she said. ‘I have been given some beautiful baskets, sunhats and crochet works that will remind me of the people and the islands.’

Of the many special things she had received here, Mrs. Dinwiddy said among her most treasured items were the things the children made.

Not only did she bond with the children, but Mrs. Dinwiddy’s caring extended to the many charitable organizations on the island. She said working with the volunteers was a wonderful experience. It also gave her an opportunity to meet lots of people.

Mrs Dinwiddy was patron of the Cayman Islands Cystic Fibrosis Trust, Girls Brigade, Girl Guides, Women’s Resource Centre, Pink Ladies, Garden Club, Drama Society and Business and Professional Women’s Club. She also shared duties with Mr. Dinwiddy as patron of the Special Olympics, Red Cross and Cancer Society.

When asked what she liked most about the Quincentennial celebrations, Mrs. Dinwiddy said all were excellent, but the one that really stood out in her mind was the beginning, with a huge fireworks display and all the churches coming together for a praise concert.

‘I will miss the older people and the children and the beautiful island. I love to swim, and the walks on the beach I will miss. There is something very special about familiar faces and I will definitely miss those,’ she said.

Speaking about her plans when she moves back to England, Mrs. Dinwiddy said she was unsure, but she did know they would be visiting friends and family and continue to be very active.

Bracing for Hurricane Ivan

Although Hurricane Ivan’s ordeal and aftermath was a trying time for Mrs. Dinwiddy, she said she got to know a lot of people on a much deeper level than she might have otherwise had done and it has given her a bond with the Cayman Islands and its people, which is making it harder to say goodbye.

Leaving the fire station after four days, she said there was so much devastation. ‘It was how I would have imagined it if a big bomb had hit. All the trees were brown from the salt water with debris everywhere. People were just walking around with knapsacks on their backs looking bewildered. The police were everywhere. It was like being in another country and I felt very dazed.

‘I remember very clearly leaving the Government House and going to the fire station. At midnight with no electricity, it was unbearably hot and the downstairs section of the fire station started to flood and all the people had to be brought upstairs.

‘That gave us a chance to talk to a lot of people, even those who had been rescued from the storm by the fire brigade.

‘I was a little bit frightened at that point because I then started wondering about the state of the building.

‘My most anxious moment came when the ceiling upstairs started to leak. That sort of alarmed me a bit more.

‘I will always remember the chief fire officer walking around and calming everyone down. I even remember saying to him please just come and have a look at the ceiling. His words were very comforting because he said, ‘Don’t panic. I promise you this is just a leak, and everything will be okay.”

On the whole, she said, people were calm and sitting still, even the few young children.

‘Once the fear of the hurricane had gone away it was just an unbearable heat all around,’ she said.

In the fire station from the Saturday evening until the following Wednesday morning, Mrs. Dinwiddy said they did not know where they were going to go because they had heard parts of the roof at the Government house had been damaged.

‘We were told we would be taken to the Westin. I could not believe what I saw outside travelling from the fire station through George Town up the road to the Westin Hotel on Seven Mile Beach.

‘When we got there, the building was all shuttered up. I remember saying, ‘Please, would you take us in?” Although the building was closed to the public, they said we were welcome to join them. After being there for about five weeks, we got to know the staff at the Westin extremely well.

‘The first two and a half weeks without water and power were a challenge. We were collecting water from the swimming pool, a bucket for washing and a bucket for the lavatory. Eventually they got a generator and life became more comfortable. Then we moved back to the Government House the end of October.’