Governor Jane Owen and Premier Wayne Panton were pinned with the first poppies on Saturday night, signalling the start of the Cayman Islands Veterans Association’s annual poppy appeal.
“It was very special,” Veterans Association president Andrew McLaughlin told the Cayman Compass, noting this year’s pinning, which took place at the veterans’ annual fundraising gala at the Marriott Beach Resort, marked the 10th anniversary of the event.
The gala, one of the association’s two main fundraising events – the other being the poppy appeal – paid tribute to local members of uniformed services and memorialised veterans who did not survive on the battlefield.
“The night is very important because we want to honour not only the veterans but also the people who wear those uniforms day in and day out in our society. A uniform stands for something special. It’s a person that wants to serve,” McLaughlin said.
Now that the first poppies have been pinned, the association and local veterans are heading full speed into the poppy appeal, he added, which will culminate with the Remembrance Day parade next month, which also honours veterans.
“It’s very important that people wear the poppies. Remember the poppies are always free. If you see the veterans out there please help yourself to a poppy. Donations are always welcome but the poppies are free,” he said.
The gala was attended by members of the local uniformed forces, including the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service, the Cayman Islands Fire Service, the Cayman Islands Coast Guard and the Cayman Islands Regiment.
McLaughlin said there were also service members from armed forces outside of Cayman who attended in their uniforms.
The Marriott ballroom was converted into a mess hall for the evening under the charge of Coast Guard Commander Robert Scotland.
Scotland was called on to levy fines on guests for mess hall infringements, which ranged from pinning poppies before the first ones were pinned to breaking etiquette rules.
The ‘punishment’ was either to pay a fine or do the electric slide.
Only a few brave men, like the Regiment team and some Fire Service members, chose the dance penalty.
The evening, though lighthearted and fun, also carried a serious note, that of selfless service which members of the uniformed services give throughout their lives.
Regiment Commander Colonel Roger Carter spoke of service in his brief remarks as the honoured guest at the event.
“Everyone of us serve from a very personal experience,” he said, whether that is because of duty to country, a matter of honour or following on from the loss of someone in battle.
An empty table was placed near the head table in honour of missing and fallen soldiers. Every meal was first served there.
McLaughlin and his wife Shadden, who is also a veteran, lit a candle at the missing soldiers’ table and offered a moment of silence in their honour before the start of the gala.
The Veterans Association president said veterans will be out in the community at supermarkets and poppies will also be distributed in the schools.
“We want to see Cayman flooded with the red poppies, showing everyone’s appreciation for all those veterans and soldiers who went on and made the supreme sacrifice and are no longer with us, though we still walk on the very freedom that they provided for us day in and day out,” he said.
A national dress down will be held on Friday, 10 Nov. where participants will be asked to wear red as part of the donation drive, with the proceeds benefiting the Cayman Islands Veterans Association.
Donations can be made online at CIBC FirstCaribbean International Bank, CI$ chequing account 1354743, under the name Cayman Islands Veterans Association.
All funds will go towards supporting veterans and their families in need.
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Our veterans truly deserve to be honored but I suppose their numbers must be rapidly diminishing. There are very few British veterans now left to make the annual pilgrimage to the Normandy beaches.