Whenever I walked up the stairs onto a Cayman Airways jet, I would immediately start scanning the door of the plane to see if the stylish, beautiful Rose Gadsby would be there to greet me.
Any of you who have flown on our national airline will know the lady of whom I speak. Tall, self-assured, with a big, welcoming smile, Rose was basically the face of Cayman Airways… part of the fabric. I was therefore shocked when I heard the news that she was retiring; and I wasn’t the only one. Rose has legions of fans living here and abroad, who collectively can’t believe she won’t be there to welcome them onboard any longer.
Clearly the airline felt the same way. Rose got a royal farewell on Wednesday, 10 Aug. when KX601 from Kingston landed at the Owen Roberts International Airport. Fire trucks on either side of the plane saluted its arrival with high arcs of water, and as the lady of the moment emerged, there were cheers, applause, and a line of well-wishers at the bottom of the stairs waiting to hug her. Rose’s very first flight when she joined Cayman Airways as a junior attendant 35 years ago was from Grand Cayman to Kingston, so this seemed like a fitting end to a stellar career.
The day before, government ministers and officials had added their thanks and congratulations for a job exceptionally well done. Deputy Premier Chris Saunders, Minister Kenneth Bryan, Minister Andre Ebanks, and Deputy Speaker of the House Katherine Wilks were among those to recognise Rose’s contribution not just to the national airline, but also to promoting the Cayman Islands to visitors aboard her flights.
Friendly face
For us residents, she was one of our links to home after a wearying trip abroad. We’d have gone through the flurry of check-in, and the lines of security, dragging carry-on behind us, maybe operating on less sleep than normal, then there would be Rose as we got on the plane. She’d be calming, soothing, and welcoming us on our journey back to Beloved Isle Cayman. Always a lovely feeling.
She was also very happy to bring lots of personality to the job, something she encouraged in her trainees. I remember when I was sitting in business class on a flight from Miami to Grand Cayman, and who should walk in but the legendary Iggy Pop. I’ll admit I was a bit in awe; how could I find a way to introduce myself? In the meantime, the Godfather of Punk’s face broke into a huge grin at the sight of Rose, and he went in for a hug. She happily obliged, enveloping him in her arms while saying, “Hi Iggy. Nice to see you,” like they’d been friends for years.
He actually sat down in the seat in front of me, so I spent the rest of the flight trying to think of a note to write him. One napkin after the next was written upon and crumpled up as I went through draft after draft.
“Dear Iggy… ”, “Dear Mr. Pop… ”, “Hey, Iggy… ”. None of them worked for me, and before I knew it, the plane had landed, we were walking off, and he was hugging Rose again. He clearly thought she was awesome. I was well jealous.
On another trip, Rose came up to me and said there was a passenger with a birthday on board, and would I consider singing ‘Happy Birthday’ to them? She had meant for me to do it over the flight attendant mic, but I didn’t realise, and before she could hand it to me, I was physically standing next to the person in their seat, baying the familiar song at them. Luckily, they were very happy, and Rose couldn’t stop laughing at the fact that I had marched up the aisle to perform, rather than sing it through the speakers. She was fabulous like that – all about the personal touches.
In her words
When asked about the fun or memorable times in her tenure with Cayman Airways, Rose said that most of them were “unplanned”, which made them particularly fun. “It was a joy to make everyone feel special, including my coworkers,” she said.
“I was given the privilege to represent the national flag carrier of the Cayman Islands, which meant I got to meet and serve people from all walks of life.”
Although she has always presented herself as a stoic professional at all times, Rose admitted that her final flight – or, rather, ‘flights’ – definitely had her wearing her heart on her sleeve.
“I actually had two last flights,” she laughed. “On Tuesday, the 9th of August, Ms. Marva Reid – a past flight attendant – with a group of other past flight attendants, to my surprise, arranged to meet the plane. They also invited some dignitaries… it was quite emotional when I opened the plane door and saw them all standing there to bid me farewell.
“But, it also happened that I had to fly on Wednesday the 10th and, on my return, I found that management of Cayman Airways had arranged another elaborate ‘thank you’ farewell. Was I emotional? Absolutely, yes, and I was humbled and grateful for the recognition of 35 plus years of serving the airline.”
Management accolades
One of the first people lining up to wish Rose well was president and CEO of Cayman Airways, Fabian Whorms, who heaped praise on the senior attendant.
“You have kept that old guard and that old style of service alive, [and] have been an example to the entire company,” he told her. “You are the face of Cayman Airways, that is true. People ask before their flight if Rose is on [it] because they want to be on a flight that Miss Rose is on.”
He added that it was a sad day for the company but a happy occasion as well, as it was a celebration of her extraordinary contribution over the years.
During her tenure, Rose served in many in-flight department roles at Cayman Airways. She was assistant director of Inflight Services alongside Minnie Giddings, and later promoted to director. She also assisted extensively with the initial and recurrent training of cabin crew members over the years. At the time of her retirement, she was one of the airline’s most Senior Cabin Crew Members.
Of course, in the face of all the compliments, Rose was as composed and modest as ever.
“I want to thank Cayman Airways most of all for giving me the opportunity,” she said.
And thank you from passengers like me, Rose. I’ll buy you a rum punch to celebrate.
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