ESTABLISHED 1965 www.caymancompass.com – 50 CENTS – TUESDAY APRIL 19, 2016 SPORT | PAGE 17 JUNIOR GOLFERS SHOW OFF SKILLS High of 84 Low of 76 Seas: Moderate to rough with wave heights of 4 to 6 feet today, moderate with wave heights of 2 to 4 feet tonight. Small craft should exercise caution over open water today. EDITORIAL | PAGE 4 DEMOCRACY WORKING AS INTENDED 180682-A_PRINT-Ad-Strip-ScholarsPage 1 2/24/16 9:53:40 AM New auditor general appointed BRENT FULLER bfuller@pinnaclemedialtd.com An accountant with long ex- perience in U.K. local council government has been selected as Cayman’s new auditor gen- eral, the Cayman Islands govern- ment announced on its Twitter feed Monday. Sue Winspear, also known as Sue Higgins, joined the U.K.’s National Audit Office in Jan- uary 2014 as executive leader. According to publicly available biographical information, Ms. Winspear had responsibility for the office’s work on local govern- ment, education and health. She is expected to begin her contract in July. Acting Auditor General Garnet Harrison will continue to serve in the post until then. Ms. Winspear’s appointment is for a three-year term. Deputy Governor Franz Man- derson confirmed that Ms. Win- spear had been selected to the post, vacant since former au- ditor Alastair Swarbrick departed the islands last October. The gov- ernor’s office also confirmed the selection. In a statement, the governor’s office noted: “With 30 years of fi- nancial and auditing experience, in her most recent role, Ms. Win- spear had responsibility for ap- proximately 200 directors and audit staff leading the financial audit, value for money studies, in- vestigations and other assurance work in the government depart- ments of health, education and local government. She also had responsibility for external rela- tions and communications.” Ms. Winspear has served as chairperson of the audit com- mittee at the Greenshaw Learning Trust, which is the board that oversees Greenshaw High School academy. The appointment, in Oc- tober 2013 listed her skills/experi- ence as “finance and audit, human resources, recruitment, risk man- agement, financial monitoring and organizational development.” Ms. Winspear formerly served RCIPS loses other senior commanders BRENT FULLER bfuller@pinnaclemedialtd.com At least two other senior Royal Cayman Islands Police Service officers are due to de- part in the next few months, in addition to Commissioner David Baines and Deputy Commis- sioner Stephen Brougham, the Cayman Compass has learned. Superintendent Robert Scot- land, the head of uniform and district operations, has al- ready announced his intention to depart for other employment outside of the police service. Mr. Scotland is due to leave RCIPS at the end of May. The chief of detectives, Su- perintendent Mike Crans- wick, is also expected to leave when his work contract expires in early June. “The contributions of both Mr. Cranswick and Mr. Scotland to the RCIPS have been substan- tial and they will be missed,” a police statement on the issue read. “The commissioner thanks them for their service.” PLANS SUBMITTED FOR IRONWOOD GOLF COURSE Shovels in ground by July, developer hopes JAMES WHITTAKER jwhittaker@pinnaclemedialtd.com Plans were submitted Friday for an 18- hole Arnold Palmer-designed golf course in the eastern districts of Grand Cayman. Work on the golf course, the first phase of the Ironwood development, is expected to begin in July, pending approval of the Central Planning Authority. Designs for the course show 18 holes, in- terspersed with six lakes and inter-connected waterways running through a 500-acre site east of Frank Sound Road. The plans also show a driving range, golf academy and clubhouse. Project manager James McVey said the course would also include a 40-room boutique style hotel, which he described as the signa- ture flourish of Arnold Palmer resorts around the world. No specific plans for the hotel are included with the current application, which focusses purely on the golf course. Significant work will be required to ex- cavate the lakes and sculpt the fairways at the site. Mr. McVey said the developer planned to leave much of the natural vegetation in place. “We want to try to leave the area as natural as possible because that is part of the char- acter of the golf course.” Cancer survivors express themselves through art Ronald O’Neil works on a painting during a new art class for cancer survivors held at the Cayman Islands Cancer Society. Artist and cancer survivor Lisa Ebanks, who is teaching the six-week long class, hopes that others who have faced a cancer diagnosis can benefit from the therapeutic and meditative effects of creative and artistic expression. For full story, see page 5. - PHOTO: KELSEY JUKAM Sue Winspear PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 9 » PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 9 » PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 9 »2 LOCAL&REGIONAL TUESDAY APRIL 19, 2016 • CAYMAN COMPASS SATURDAY NIGHT: For your viewing pleasure, minors under the age of 18 will not be admitted to any film starting after 6pm, unless accompanied by their parent. © y x *Additional charges will apply per 3D ticket requested. - TUESDAY - THE JUNGLE BOOK 3D (PG) 1:00 I 1:30 2D I 3:30 I 4:00 2D I 6:30 7:00 2D I 9:00 I 9:30 2D THE BOSS (R) 1:00 I 3:40 I 7:00 I 9:30 BATMAN V SUPERMAN DAWN OF JUSTICE 3D (PG13) 12:30 I 8:00 CRIMINAL (R) 1:10 I 4:10 I 7:10 I 9:50 ZOOTOPIA (PG13) 12:45 I 3:30 LONDON HAS FALLEN (R) 7:20 I 9:40 Daily Matinees Every Day $8.00 Seniors, Mon-Fri Before 6pm Cayman Cinema@cbcinema6cbcinema6 640-FILM (640-3456) Bouchard tells court letter to Handford was ‘not a contact’ CAROL WINKER cwinker@pinnaclemedialtd.com A letter she wrote to James Bruce Handford on May 28, 2010 was “not a contract,” Michelle Bouchard told the court on Monday. She was being cross-examined by lead prosecutor Simon Russell- Flint about bank transactions the Crown alleges were the means by which Bouchard stole more than $2 million from Mr. Handford between May, 2010 and October 2012. Bouchard, an interior designer, was living at the time in Mr. Hand- ford’s condo, where she had her own bedroom. Mr. Handford was leaving Cayman after May 30, 2010, to spend the summer in his native Australia. The letter Bouchard wrote tells him that while he is gone she will pay for the following items, in- cluding but not limited to, out- standing invoices, utility bills, maintenance fees, strata fees, construction costs and advertising costs, furnishings for a house he was having built at the Yacht Club. She said she would also col- lect his mail from his Bodden Town mail box and she would collect the rent from his tenants. The letter then thanks him for offering to purchase some jewelry that had been recently reduced in price by over 50 percent. She noted that not all retailers accepted checks, so she would make some purchases on her personal credit card and get those funds along with her project coordination fees from the joint bank account he had opened on May 25, 2010. Bouchard told the court the pur- pose of the letter was to confirm she could buy some jewelry for her birthday in advance. Asked why she went into such detail, she said she had been an independent businesswoman for many years; it was force of habit. Mr. Russell-Flint suggested the letter showed that she knew that the joint account “was not an unre- stricted account for you to buy any- thing you wanted.” Bouchard replied, “Well, I’m just going to say that changed very shortly after the letter was written.” Her project coordination fees were $100 per hour. She did not send invoices to Mr. Handford be- cause, earlier on when she worked at OBM, she had kept every- thing in a binder to show him. “He asked me to stop because he wasn’t interested in details.” She pointed out that he received monthly statements from the bank for the joint account. Mr. Russell-Flint asked why she had transferred $900,000 from her personal account at Butter- field Bank to banks in Canada or Scotiabank in Cayman be- tween Sept. 28 and Oct. 10, 2012. Bouchard explained that she had received her student visa on Sept. 14. She could not own more than two properties in Cayman without a trade and business license, so she had transferred the money in order to buy income property in Canada, where she is from. The jury has already heard that Bouchard was arrested on Oct. 10, 2012. She said she was shocked and thought the complainant was Mr. Handford’s daughter, Susan van Dijk, who had come to Cayman in late September that year. Mr. Russell-Flint pointed out on Friday that, after her arrest, Bouchard was asked about her re- lationship to Mr. Handford and she had replied, “No comment.” She told the court that she had given a “no comment” interview on the advice of her then-attorney, who could not be present. She gave pre- pared statements in May and June 2013 in which she said she and Mr. Handford had become engaged in late March/early April 2012. At that time, her then-attorney expressed that he thought the matter was civil, not criminal, she said. An inquiry was made as to whether Mr. Handford had a lawyer whom her lawyer could speak to. “It never occurred to me I would get charged,” she said. Asked why she did not “waive any entitlement” because the sit- uation was “a terrible misunder- standing,” she said she was con- cerned she would be perceived as being guilty if money and jewelry were returned. Mr. Russell-Flint concluded his questioning Monday, after which defense counsel Peter Carter was scheduled to re-examine any issues. Bouchard told the court the purpose of the letter was to confirm she could buy some jewelry for her birthday in advance. MIAMI (AP) – Faced with protests, political pressure and a lawsuit, Carnival Corp. announced Monday it will allow Cuban-born passen- gers to book cruises to the is- land but will delay the trips if Cuba does not change its policy barring nationals from returning by sea. Carnival CEO Arnold Donald said in a written statement that the cruise line is continuing negotiations with Cuba aimed at resolving the issue prior to a scheduled May 1 cruise by its Fathom brand from Miami to Cuba – the first such sail in more than 50 years that is part of the ongoing thaw in U.S.- Cuba relations. The 704-passenger Adonia plans to sail every other week to three Cuban ports: Havana, Cienfuegos and Santiago de Cuba. “We want everyone to be able to go to Cuba with us,” Donald said. “We remain excited about this historic op- portunity to give our guests an extraordinary vacation ex- perience in Cuba.” The decision follows pro- tests last week by Cuban- Americans outside Carni- val’s headquarters in the suburb of Doral. Miami- Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez – who was born in Cuba – also suggested in a letter that Carnival might be violating the county’s human rights ordinance by discrim- inating against a specific class of people. In addition, two Cuban-Americans who were prevented from buying tickets on the May 1 cruise because they were born in Cuba filed a potential class-action civil rights lawsuit in Miami fed- eral court last week. And Secretary of State John Kerry said during a visit to Miami on Friday that Cuba should change its policy and that Carnival nevertheless should allow anyone to travel on its ships. U.S. cruise ships stopped sailing to Cuba shortly after its 1959 revolution. Re- starting them was an impor- tant element of the Obama administration’s attempt to increase tourism to Cuba after the Dec. 17, 2014, de- cision to restore diplomatic relations and move toward normalization. Cruises were seen by Cuban authorities as an easy way of bringing American visitors to spend badly needed dollars in Cuba without further straining the island’s overbooked often decrepit hotels. However, the idea of mas- sive, gleaming cruise ships discharging thousands of Americans into the streets of Havana has provoked neg- ative reactions from some Cuban officials who fear that the U.S. is trying to re-exert control of the island through a new strategy of building closer economic ties. The idea of Cubans moving back and forth be- tween the two countries by sea also is particularly charged, given Cuban exiles’ history of returning to attack the government, and Cubans crossing the Florida Straits in the other direction on rafts to emigrate to the U.S. Cuba does permit Cuban- born people to arrive by air to the island. Donald said Carnival was continuing dis- cussions so that travel on its ships would “be on a level playing field” with airlines and air charters. “Again, we remain con- fident that we will reach a positive outcome and we continue to work full speed ahead in preparing for our every-other-week sail- ings from PortMiami to Cuba,” he said. Carnival, the world’s largest cruise line, operates 10 cruise brands around the world with 100 ships that visit some 700 ports, according to the company statement. Carnival may delay Cuba cruises over discrimination concerns Protesters hold a rally against Carnival Corporation in Doral, Florida on Tuesday, April 12. Carnival has announced it will allow Cuban-born passengers to book cruises to the island. – PHOTO: CARL JUSTE/THE MIAMI HERALD VIA AP CUC WARNS PUBLIC TO EXPECT SHORT OUTAGES Caribbean Utilities Com- pany customers can expect power outages Tuesday af- ternoon as the company tests its new generators. In a statement issued Monday morning, CUC ad- vised that its customers “may experience short out- ages to their electrical ser- vice of 15 minutes or less” between the hours of 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. Tuesday. “CUC apologises for this inconvenience, which is necessary to facilitate the addition of new gen- erating capacity and the maintaining of reliability of the Company’s electrical system,” the company said in a statement.3 LOCAL NEWS CAYMAN COMPASS • TUESDAY APRIL 19, 2016 NOTICE TO THE MEMBERS OF CAYMAN NATIONAL PENSION FUND LTD. ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING Notice is hereby given of the Annual General Meeting of Members of the Cayman National Pension Fund Ltd. to be held Thursday 5th May, 2016, in the Cayman National Building, 4th Floor Board Room, Elgin Avenue, George Town, Grand Cayman at 4pm. The Agenda is set out below: AGENDA 1. Review the Minutes of the last Members Meeting held on the 3rd March, 2016 and any matters arising. 2. Receive Audited Financial Statements for the period ended 30th September 2015. 3. Report from Investment Committee. 4. Trustee Elections: Herb Strickland retires by rotation and is eligible for re-election. 5. Any other competent business. US court refuses bid for Webb plea deal BRENT FULLER bfuller@pinnaclemedialtd.com A U.S. federal court judge refused a news organization’s bid on Friday for documents disclosing details of a plea agreement with Cayman’s Jef- frey Webb and two other high- profile defendants in the on- going FIFA corruption probe. Eastern District Court Judge Raymond Dearie granted Bloomberg News Ser- vice’s request for plea hearing transcripts for Webb, Bra- zilian businessman Jose Mar- gulies and Argentinian sports marketer Alejandro Burzaco. Those transcripts will be partially redacted. However, Judge Dearie did not agree to release details of the plea agreements for each of the three defendants. “For the time being, and subject to continuing review and consideration, the request is denied,” a statement from the U.S. court issued Friday noted. “The court readily con- cludes that non-disclosure is justified at this time.” The court declined to give its reasons for not disclosing the plea agreements, but re- served the right to change its decision later on if new infor- mation becomes available or if the case progresses to such a stage that the plea agreements can be disclosed. Bloomberg attorneys ar- gued that the first amendment of the U.S. Constitution’s Bill of Rights presumes access to such court records including plea hearings and documents filed in connection with those hearings. In this case, “there is no compelling reason for closure [of the records],” lawyers stated. Webb, Margulies and Burzaco have collectively for- feited US$37.5 million following their respective guilty pleas to racketeering, money laundering and wire fraud in an interna- tional scheme that U.S. pros- ecutors allege paid more than US$200 million in bribes to high-ranking FIFA officials. Those bribes were paid in exchange for the award of rights by FIFA officials to commercial contracts to cer- tain football tournaments, including World Cup quali- fying matches, prosecutors have alleged. “Of all the defendants who have pleaded guilty so far in the FIFA prosecutions, only Jose Hawilla [the former principal of the Traffic Sports marketing company], who consented to forfeit US$25 million, has agreed to for- feit more money than these three individuals,” Bloom- berg newsroom counsel Kath- erine Kriegman Graham wrote in the March 24 letter to Judge Dearie. “Public disclo- sure of the resolution of the case against these high-profile defendants is critical.” It was shortly after the pleas struck with Webb [on Nov. 23], Margulies [on Nov. 25] and Burzaco [on Nov. 16] that a superseding indictment was issued by prosecutors in the Eastern District of New York State, naming 16 previ- ously unknown defendants in the sweeping bribery and cor- ruption probe, many of them from Central America. It has been the sub- ject of wide media specula- tion that the information ob- tained during the course of plea negotiations with these three men, and several other FIFA defendants who pleaded guilty before the new indict- ment was issued on Dec. 3, was used to facilitate the ad- ditional criminal charges. A total of 42 defendants have been charged in connec- tion with the FIFA probe. More than a dozen have pleaded guilty, including Webb, and an- other 10 have since appeared before the federal district court in Brooklyn, New York, in- cluding former Cayman resi- dent Costas Takkas. KELSEY JUKAM kjukam@pinnaclemedialtd.com Training for hurricane shelter volunteers begins next month and commu- nity members are invited to sign up. The Shelter Operations Sub Committee of Hazard Management Cayman Is- lands trained 106 vol- unteers last year, and is hoping to train a similar number this year. “We have 16 shelters to man 24/7 in the event of a disaster, therefore we need an adequate pool of shelter volunteers,” said Cassandra Fearon, of the Department of Children and Family Ser- vices. “No special skills are needed as volunteers will be trained covering all the requirements of the role.” Training sessions for shelter managers and dis- trict representative vol- unteers will be held over two days, on Wednesday, May 25, and Thursday, May 26, at the Prospect Primary School Hall from 5:30-9 p.m. All volunteers must complete both days of training. Shelter managers are tasked with managing all aspects of the operation of a shelter and overseeing the needs of the popula- tion temporarily housed in the shelter. One of the shelter man- ager’s responsibilities is to conduct pre- and post- checks of the shelters to assure all supplies are in place and that the facility is operational. They also ensure that each person seeking refuge in the shelter is registered, signs in and out, and that the shelter diary, which is the record of activities within the shelter, is regularly written up. District representatives are individuals appointed in a district to assess that communities’ need for food, clothing and other vital supplies post-disaster, mo- bilize community members post-disaster to help in the bagging and distribution of food and clothing to those in need, and to receive the food supplies transported to the shelters pre-di- saster and ensure they are properly secured for use post-disaster. The 2016 Hurricane season officially begins June 1. ‘Average activity’ expected this hurricane season Forecasters have pre- dicted this year’s hur- ricane season will have “average activity.” According to a forecast prepared by the Tropical Me- teorology Project at Colorado State University, a total of 12 named storms, five hur- ricanes and two major hur- ricanes are expected this season, which is close to the yearly average of 12 named storms, six hurricanes and three major hurricanes. “We anticipate a near-av- erage probability for major hurricanes making land- fall along the United States coastline and in the Carib- bean,” Colorado State Univer- sity forecasters said in their hurricane forecast report. “As is the case with all hurricane seasons, coastal residents are reminded that it only takes one hurricane making landfall to make it an active season for them. They should prepare the same for every season, regardless of how much activity is predicted.” To sign up to volunteer, contact Ernesto Carter at ernesto.carter@gov.ky or call 925-5346. Volunteers needed for hurricane shelters Jeffrey Webb Suspect pulled gun on police Police say Jonathan Welcome is ‘armed and dangerous’ JAMES WHITTAKER jwhittaker@pinnaclemedialtd.com Police are hunting a 22-year-old man who pointed his gun at police in a stand-off in George Town in the early hours on Sunday. Armed officers on pa- trol near McField Square had attempted to ques- tion the man, who police named as Jonathan Wel- come, from Bodden Town. During the confronta- tion, the man pulled a gun and pointed the weapon at the officers. A police officer pulled his firearm in response and commanded Welcome to drop his weapon, but the gunman refused to comply, police said. A police statement said the officer had exercised “extraordinary restraint and concern for public safety” as a large crowd had gathered nearby. “The man, while pointing the gun at the officers, fled into the densely populated area of Rock Hole where he was able to elude capture,” the statement said. Police on Monday is- sued a photograph of Wel- come, along with an ap- peal for public assistance to locate him. They said he was considered “armed and dangerous” and should not be approached. Police are urging anyone with information about Mr. Welcome’s whereabouts to call them on 949-4222 or to call Crime Stoppers at 800-8477(TIPS). Anonymous tips can be also be placed online at www.tipsubmit.com/ WebTips.aspx?AgencyID=681. Jonathan WelcomeThe islands’ most-trusted news source 4 – EDITORIAL – Opinion&Letters The Cayman Compass welcomes comments, opinions and viewpoints from readers. Letters to the editor can be emailed to editor@pinnaclemedialtd.com, submitted via www.caymancompass.com, sent by post or hand-delivered to the Compass office. TUESDAY APRIL 19, 2016 • CAYMAN COMPASS After the members of the ruling Cayman Islands government refused to attend an emergency meeting of the Legislative Assembly convened at the behest of independent and opposition lawmakers, North Side MLA Ezzard Miller declared that democracy in the Cayman Islands was “under threat.” On the contrary: The majority defusing the efforts of the minority does not threaten democracy — it is an example of democracy working as intended. As Mr. Miller and fellow independent East End MLA Arden McLean well know, Cayman’s government is a parliamentary democracy. That means our country holds a general election, and the winners from each district choose sides, with the majority party (or coali- tion) forming the ruling government until the next election. During that time, in Cayman, just as in West- minster, the ruling government rules, and the Opposi- tion opposes — it certainly does not dictate. From a procedural standpoint, it appears that the government’s actions were entirely appropriate — even overly accommodating. Here’s what happened: The eight minority members banded together to call a meeting of the Legislative Assembly, on the management and conduct of police. Accordingly, Speaker Juliana O’Connor-Connolly attempted to convene the meeting on the morning of Wednesday, April 13. The problem was, the eight minority members did not constitute a quorum — the number needed to actually conduct any business — which in this case would be 10 of the 18 members of the Legislative Assembly. A member of the ruling government raised an objection, and the meeting could not be held. In other words, the minority was unable to piece together a majority, and so the meeting never happened. End of story. Think of the consequences that could arise in the alternative; if a minority group of lawmakers could call a meeting of the Legislative Assembly and then conduct business — pass laws, motions, regulations, etc. — whenever a handful of majority lawmakers happen to be off-island for vacation or official reasons. (For example, last Wednesday, Minister Wayne Panton and George Town MLA Joey Hew happened to be away from Cayman … which would have left the oppositions and independents with a transitory eight- to-seven “majority” for the day.) That aside, the particular motions that the minority coalition wanted to discuss are anything but substan- tial. One calls for a declaration of a “lack of confi- dence” in police management, and for a Caymanian to be appointed to lead the police. The second calls for an independent review of the police response to the situa- tion of the five missing boaters. Both motions have already been addressed in one form or another. Police Commissioner David Baines is leaving Cayman at the end of May, and a new chief is being recruited. (We hope and trust that the new com- missioner will be the best person for the job — period.) In regard to the missing boaters, Governor Helen Kilpatrick has already agreed to commission an outside inquiry. Nevertheless, Premier Alden McLaughlin has promised to hear both of those motions during the next regularly scheduled sitting of the House begin- ning next Monday, April 25. What, pray tell, is the “emergency” compelling the emergency meeting? The Speaker and the Premier are obliged to follow the rules of the Legislative Assembly. They are under no obligation to facilitate political grandstanding by minority MLAs eager to wrap themselves in the mantle of “parliamentary privilege.” What we find troubling is the presumption of power by Messrs. Miller and McLean, who, remember, rep- resent the two least-populated districts on Grand Cayman and garnered the fewest number of votes out of anyone sitting in the House. Can you imagine if Mr. Miller (326 votes) or Mr. McLean (317 votes) were allowed to dictate the actions of a parliamentary body representing a jurisdiction of some 60,000 people? Indeed, the most serious transgression against democracy by Premier McLaughlin (who, by the way, received 2,145 votes in 2013) might be his support for a “one man, one vote” scheme that enshrines East End and North Side as two distinct districts, despite each containing about half the number of voters as any other district on Grand Cayman. Come to think of it: If the members from North Side and East End are an indication of how Cayman may be governed after the implementation of one man, one vote in the upcoming election … then perhaps our democracy isn’t entirely free from threats, after all. Democracy working as intended PRINTED AND PUBLISHED BY: Caymanian Compass Limited (a subsidiary of Pinnacle Media Ltd) Compass Centre Shedden Road, George Town SEND US YOUR VIEWS OR NEWS: P.O. Box 1365 Grand Cayman KY1-1108, Cayman Islands Telephone: (345) 815-0095 Email: newsdesk@pinnaclemedialtd.com ADVERTISE WITH US: Telephone: (345) 949-5111 Email: sales@pinnaclemedialtd.com Website: www.caymancompass.com PUBLISHERS DAVID R. LEGGE AND VICKI L. LEGGE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF DAVID R. LEGGE A MEMBER OF THE INTER-AMERICAN PRESS ASSOCIATION “Give light and the people will find their own way” Obama is right: UK should stay in EU MARC CHAMPION This week, U.S. Presi- dent Barack Obama will dive into a nest of vipers as ven- omous as anything Republi- cans can offer: Britain’s de- bate over whether to leave the European Union. As far as campaigners for “Brexit” are concerned, he is a most unwelcome guest. Yet Obama is right to speak up. The U.S. has an interest in Britain remaining in the EU, and that gives him an obliga- tion to articulate what that in- terest is. U.K. voters need to hear what he has to say, be- cause proponents of leaving the EU have already involved the U.S. in their campaign. When he visits this week, Obama plans to say that the U.S. would prefer to see Britain stay in the EU. That’s awkward for the “Out- ers.” They argue that Britain should swap Europe for a tighter alliance with its true friends in the Anglosphere, above all the U.S. But if the friends who are supposed to welcome Britain think that’s a daft idea, perhaps it also isn’t a very good one. Britons need to be dis- abused, too, of the Brexit camp’s assurances that on leaving the EU they would easily get a U.S. trade deal as beneficial as the one it enjoys as an EU member. In truth, the U.S. would nego- tiate the most advantageous deal it could get, and given that Britain (with 64 million people), is in a weaker bar- gaining position than the EU (with 508 million), it’s un- likely to get a better deal. Boris Johnson, the London Mayor who hopes a vote to leave would propel him into the shoes of Prime Minister David Cameron, has launched a preemptive strike to dent Obama’s impact, labeling the U.S. position hypocrisy. Liam Fox, an anti-EU Conserva- tive MP, followed up with a speech last week, in which he said: “When the U.S. has an open border with Mexico and a court that can overrule the Supreme Court and when Congress no longer has the final say in federal law, then perhaps we will listen.” Others have attacked the assumption that the U.S. should even want Britain to stay in the EU. Former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton, a George W. Bush-era advo- cate of U.S. unilateralism, ar- gued in the Daily Telegraph that Britain would be a more useful ally outside. Bloom- berg View columnist Ramesh Ponnuru also challenged the idea that a U.K. inside the EU would be better for the U.S. But Washington has been intimately involved in pro- moting the European project since the late 1940s. At that time, the U.S. lined up with France against Britain to argue for binding, inter- national institutions in the new post-war Europe, rather than the loose inter- governmental arrangement that Britain wanted. As one academic study put it: “In opposing continental European ideas about inte- gration in general. ... Britain placed considerable em- phasis on its “special rela- tionship” with the United States. The irony is that its stance annoyed the United States, and damaged the spe- cial relationship that Britain held so dear.” Plus ça change. The U.S. reasonably believes that a Brexit could help trigger a wider breakdown of the EU as a whole, which would be very much against U.S. in- terests. The EU is the work of 70 years; atomizing it might be helpful to Russia’s ambitions in Europe, but not to American ones. On free trade, free markets, dealing with Russia or the proper use of military force, Britain is a useful U.S. ally at the EU table, co-deciding policy for 500 million of the world’s richest people. Alone, Britain would matter less. It could not influence negotia- tion of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, for example. Nor could it in- fluence decisions on whether to retain EU sanctions on Russia, or on EU competition and banking rules, which af- fect U.S. companies deeply. The counter-argument is that by staying in the EU, Britain might become a less reliable ally. It’s a hypothesis for which there is no sup- porting evidence. There is, equally, no evi- dence that Britain became a less loyal ally once it joined the EU. Of the two major U.S. military interventions for which it wanted the U.K. to contribute troops, despite there being no discernible U.K. interest in doing so, a pre-EU British government said “no” to Vietnam, and an EU-era British government said “yes” to the second Iraq war. There is no pattern to find here. The charge of hypocrisy laid against Obama for urging Britain to stay in a club the U.S. would never join is surely accurate (and has been for 70 years). It’s also meaningless. Brexit is a question of geopol- itics, not gentility. If Britain was situated 3,600 miles from continental Europe instead of 25 miles, it would never have considered joining the EU, either. Similarly, if Brit- ain’s gross domestic product was 85 percent of the EU total (the U.S. share of North Amer- ican Free Trade Agreement GDP), the idea of the EU as a sovereignty-pooling organiza- tion would never have arisen. Indeed, the EU would be just like Nafta. Tradeoffs that make sense for Britain, France and Germany simply don’t for the U.S. The U.S. needs to make its position clear in a way that doesn’t presume to tell British voters what to do. But Obama should not be deterred by bluster from the Brexit camp. This is about transparency as much as meddling. Euroskep- tics are furious, primarily be- cause they have misrepre- sented Britain’s possibilities outside the EU. Marc Champion writes editorials on international affairs for Bloomberg View. © 2016, Bloomberg View. The U.S. reasonably believes that a Brexit could help trigger a wider breakdown of the EU as a whole, which would be very much against U.S. interests.5 LOCAL NEWS CAYMAN COMPASS • TUESDAY APRIL 19, 2016 Cancer survivors learn to express themselves through art KELSEY JUKAM kjukam@pinnaclemedialtd.com Lisa Ebanks is a new emerging artist for the Cayman Islands Visual Arts Society, who can usually be found painting at the Open Canvas Art Night at KARoo in Camana Bay. Since 2011, her paintings and unique mixed- media artworks have been ex- hibited at various venues all over Grand Cayman. But if she had not been diagnosed with endometrial cancer in 2011, she said, she might never have become the artist she is today. “Having cancer made me become a better artist, and it made me follow my dreams,” Ms. Ebanks said. Now, she is hoping to share her passion for art with other cancer survivors and cancer patients, and is leading a six-week long art class through the Cayman Is- lands Cancer Society as part of its wellness and commu- nity outreach programming. “I wanted to give back, es- pecially to cancer survivors,” Ms. Ebanks said. “I know that you have to find yourself after cancer – you’re a new person after cancer.” She hopes that other cancer survivors and cancer patients will benefit from the therapeutic and meditative ef- fects of painting, and find re- lief and peace by focusing on something creative. The free weekly art class, called “Art Through Cancer, Cancer Through Art,” began April 7 and runs through May 12, and each week attendees create works around a dif- ferent theme. Ms. Ebanks said that all of the students are novice artists. “This is the first time in my life I’ve used a paint- brush,” said student Ronald O’Neil. “I thought the class was intriguing, and that I might as well try.” Mr. O’Neil and the other students are learning how to use basic art utensils, mix paints and find in- spiration from nature and their experiences. Loralee Wood’s first painting is a bright, colorful depiction of what she thinks of as a second home: the Cancer Society building. “This house is like part of my family,” Ms. Wood said. She said the art class is “a way to relax your mind, and makes you think positive.” That positive thinking, Ms. Wood and other art class attendees agree, is es- sential to coping with a cancer diagnosis. “Everyone needs to keep a positive attitude in life, what- ever you’ve gone through, no matter how great or small,” art class attendee Phyllis White Leachman said. Ms. Leachman, a breast cancer survivor, said the art class is a way for her to keep herself occupied, and “a way of giving thanks to God for all that he’s brought you through.” Ms. Ebanks said she hopes that some of the art- work the class creates will be on display and sold at the annual cancer survivors’ dinner in June. Lisa Ebanks is hoping to share her passion for art with other cancer survivors and cancer patients. Cancer survivor Loralee Wood painted the Cancer Society building in her colorful piece of art.Teacher Lisa Ebanks shows an example of her art to give her students inspiration. – PHOTOS: KELSEY JUKAM Cayman Islands Prison Service marks 35 years Her Majesty’s Cayman Islands Prison Service is marking its 35th anniver- sary this month with the first formal Cayman Islands Corrections Week, to be held April 24-30. Before the prison was opened on June 5, 1981, con- victed offenders were kept in the “lock-up” in George Town and those who com- mitted serious offenses served their sentences in Kingston, Jamaica. HMP Northward was orig- inally built to house 50 or so prisoners, including women. It expanded over the years, adding a number of wings, the Children’s Unit, a farm, gym, chapel and voca- tional workshops. The prison service in- cludes the women’s facility at HMP Fairbanks, which opened in 1999, and the ser- vice also oversees the Immi- gration Detention Centre. “Often the forgotten part- ners in law enforcement and community safety, the em- ployees of the prison ser- vice work tirelessly to en- sure that those remanded and sentenced to prison are held safely and securely, maintaining good order and discipline,” Director of Prisons Neil Lavis said in a press release. According to the release, the prison service has also strived to focus on the re- habilitation of prisoners by investing in resources that “provide prisoners with the tools they need to change their lives and prevent re-of- fending when they return to the community.” “Corrections Week is an avenue through which we want to spotlight the work being done by the pris- oners and staff, and ad- dress public misconcep- tions,” Mr. Lavis said. “A positive regard and partici- pation from the community is vital to the success of any rehabilitation programme.” The week will include a number of events, beginning with a thanksgiving service at the Church of God Chapel on Walkers Road on Sunday, April 24, and ending with a staff community project on Saturday, April 30. “Corrections Week is an avenue through which we want to spotlight the work being done by the prisoners and staff, and address public misconceptions.” NEIL LAVIS, director of prisons Northward Prison is run by the Prison Service, which celebrates its 35th anniversary this month.TUESDAY APRIL 19, 2016 • CAYMAN COMPASS DISTRICT DAYS 6 District Days West Bay Sunrise clients impress at art workshop Young adults from Sunrise Adult Training Centre draw inspiration from National Gallery of the Cayman Islands Channeling their inner art- ists, young adults from West Bay’s Sunrise Adult Training Centre re- cently took part in a painting workshop at the National Gallery of the Cayman Islands. Following the workshop, the group explored the gallery’s latest exhibition “Native Sons – Twenty Years On.” The event, on Thursday, April 7, was led by gallery instructor David Bridgeman. The workshop allowed participants to challenge their creative limits and pro- duce works of art using a “spots of light” technique inspired by the Native Sons artist Gordon Solomon. The students drew inspiration from Mr. Solomon’s work “Red Sky at Night,” and the results of their efforts left gallery staff impressed and full of praise for their pupils, who have a range of disabilities. “I went into the workshop ex- pecting one of the students, who’s visually impaired, to have some difficulties and require additional support,” said the gallery’s ed- ucation and community officer Kerwin Ebanks. “She surprised us all when she devised a system of her own. By feeling the edges of her paper though touch and by estimating and memorizing the spacing of her dots, she was able to partici- pate and create a beautiful work of art. It’s instances like these which are very inspiring for ev- eryone; instructors and students.” Sunrise client Finita Ebanks said she really enjoyed the activity. “When I do braille, it is dots, so it was not too difficult,” she said. The National Gallery of- fers a wide variety of outreach programs and arts education programs, making the visual arts accessible for everyone in the Cayman Islands. “Despite being short staffed, we make it a priority to attend classes at the gallery and look for- ward to it each month,” said the Sunrise Adult Training Centre’s director Kimberly Voaden. “We all enjoy our time at the gallery and look forward to vis- iting each session,” added Sunrise staff assistant Twyla Rogers. “It gives the clients a chance to engage with the community, to socialize outside of the [Sunrise Centre] and meet new people.” Ms. Voaden noted that as a non-verbal medium, art is useful for self-expression and managing emotions. “And being so sensory-rich, these experiences stay with our students,” she said. “Additionally, instructors enjoy accompanying students to the gallery because of the excellent support and co-teaching they re- ceive from gallery staff.” For more information about National Gallery education and outreach programs, visit www.nationalgallery.org.ky or email education@nationalgallery.org.ky. The National Gallery offers a wide variety of outreach programs and arts education programs, making the visual arts accessible for everyone in the Cayman Islands. Sunrise clients with their creations in front of ‘Red Sky at Night,’ the painting by Gordon Solomon that inspired their work. In the April 20, 1966 edition of the Caymanian Weekly, a precursor of the Cayman Compass, West Bay correspon- dent Leila Yates wrote: “Miss Willene Byers, artist and gospel singer left on the 31st for her home in Cullman, Alabama. She spent 7 weeks here, most of her time was spent in Mt. Pleasant in the home of Mrs. Roy Ebanks. “She came to attend the Con- vention of the Church of God (Full Gospel) held in February. She visited Cayman Brac and had her first experi- ence of travel by boat. Some of her time was spent on visiting and cheering the sick with her lovely songs. She had a very enjoyable visit. “Mrs. Daphne Orrett and two chil- dren Nena and Vaughan left for Brooklyn, N.Y., on the 7th. She will meet her husband there and will remain for an indefinite time. “Mr. Alfred Ebanks of Bosun Bay arrived on the 7th from Miami. He has permanent residence in the U.S. and works in Miami. Mr. Cecil Bush re- turned on the 7th from National Bulk Carriers. He worked on the S.S. Phoenix. “Mrs. Osley Ebanks and two children left for Miami on the 9th. She will meet her husband there and will re- main a few months. “Messrs. Frank Barnett, Osbourne Barnett, and Eugene Ebanks left for the U.S. on the 9th. They all have perma- nent residence and work ashore there. Travelling on the same plane were Mrs. Garfield Ebanks and two children after a short visit. “A quiet wedding was solemnized at the Pilgrim Holiness Parsonage on the 8th by the Rev. John Croft when Mr. Hervey Ebanks took as his bride Miss Edith Hydes, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Lambert Hydes. Mrs. Rosalind Ebanks was the only attendant, and Mr. Edward Bush was best man. A bridal shower was given by her friends and many lovely gifts were received. “Their fourth child and third daughter was born on the 8th to Mr. and Mrs. Osley Ebanks, weighing 7 1/2 pounds. The father is a native of Cayman Brac. “Mrs. Creswell Powery and baby left on the 9th for Jamaica. She will meet her husband there who is taking po- lice training. She will remain there until he completes his course and he returns home. “Mr. Vernon Ebanks of Northwest Point left on the 10th to join the S.S. ‘Ore Conway’ after one week at home. “The first bulldozer to be owned in West Bay arrived by M.V. ‘Temac’ on the 15th. It is owned by Mr. Robbie Glidden of Northwest Point and will be operated by Mr. Sammy Ebanks. “It will be used for agricultural pur- poses. If anyone desires the service of this machine, they can contact Mr. Ebanks or Mr. Glidden.” 50 years ago: Heavy machinery a district first Aimee Egglishaw, 18, who hails from West Bay, did some creative marketing for Cayman by having the national flag hoisted and flying with pride at the Big White ski resort in British Columbia, Canada on March 21. The Cayman International School student, who is enrolled in the International Baccalaureate program, has a passion for the tourism field, and plans to head to Plymouth University in Plymouth, England, next year to study tourism and hospitality management. Cayman’s colors fly in British ColumbiaCAYMAN COMPASS • TUESDAY APRIL 19, 2016 7 DISTRICT DAYS District Days West Bay West Bay rope making lives on BASIA MCGUIRE bmcguire@pinnaclemedialtd.com Rope making is one of Cayman’s past industries that is kept alive by organizations like Cayman Tra- ditional Arts, relying on volunteers like West Bayer Billy Banker to pass along his first-hand knowledge. Mr. Banker can be found most Wednesday afternoons at the Ca- mana Bay market, happy to share his tips on rope-making and spin a few yarns of his own. Now 81, and with a twinkle in his eye, Mr. Banker, who retired 10 years ago from Cayman Water, recalls his childhood vividly. “When we were kids, the main chore in those days in Bosun Bay and Northwest Point was making rope,” he said. “The boys and girls did it after school, and on the weekends, before we were allowed to go play.” There was a lot of play in those days, and sports was what he en- joyed, with cricket being the most popular for the kids at that time. “I only learned to play soccer when I was 16,” he said. “There was one ball, which we got from the school, and sometimes we would have to stop the match when it would deflate while we were playing,” he laughed. He did keep up with cricket, playing on the national side at age 60, which he believes made him one of the oldest players on the masters team. Mr. Banker is keen to explain the rope-making process, going through all the steps. First, families had to collect the “tops” of silver thatch palms, the trees’ unopened leaves. “There were a few silver thatch palms in West Bay, [but] all that land now is subdivisions, mostly,” he said. “But you really needed a lot of those tops to make rope, which were collected on the full moon, or a few days after. You would need a lot of land to have enough trees, so many families would take their catboats down to South Sound, or Newlands and other places and cut the tops there, where there were a lot of silver thatch palms growing.” The tops were also carried back home on foot or with the help of a donkey. The reason for cutting on the full moon has to do with the sap content, which would be lower and allow the leaves to last longer and attract fewer insects. According to information on silver thatch from the National Trust website, thatch was used in home construction as roofing and walling since the days of Cay- man’s earliest settlers in the 1700s. It was also used for baskets, hats, and other items. “It was thatch rope, however, which was the dominant land- based industry in Cayman for many years. Since the Silver Thatch Palm was very resistant to salt water, rope made from it was much favored by fishermen and turtlers. The largest demand came from Cuba and Jamaica,” the Trust notes. Laid out to dry for several days, the leaves were separated from the stems, and made into strips. “Mostly, it was the women who would twist those leaves into strands at night at home, and the boys would line up the strands,” said Mr. Banker. The Trust notes strands 30 fathoms long were needed to make a standard 25-fathom long rope, measuring about 150 feet. A “rope cart” was used to make the rope from three strands, which was the work of the boys (and some girls). Mr. Banker has a rope cart he uses to demonstrate the process, though set up to produce a much shorter length of rope. On a recent afternoon, he had the help of two eager youngsters, Imogen and Brooke Smailes and their dad, David, who made a spe- cial trip to Mr. Banker’s kiosk at Camana Bay to make some rope to take home. The way the cart works is that three strands are attached to one end of the cart, connected to three spindles on a triple winch con- nected together with what Mr. Banker called a barboard. At the other end, the strands are brought together on a single spindle. A wooden device called a cob is used to keep the three strands to- gether and taut, which is walked down the length of the rope as it is twisted. With all four finding their rhythm, the system worked beau- tifully and the Smailes family ended up with an attractive length of rope. “Back in the day when we worked, we had to make that rope perfect,” said Mr. Banker. “It had to be smooth, with no bits sticking out, and we couldn’t cheat on the length, they always checked it very carefully!” He continued, “We would take the rope to the store, where we would exchange it for household supplies. We never sold it for money. The stores would sell the rope on.” The Trust notes that the store owners often owned the ships that exported the rope, in which the sailors were shareholders. Once the rope was sold, the sailors were paid in a mixture of goods and money. Jamaica needed a lot of rope in 1945 after its fishing fleet was devastated by a hurricane in 1944, making for a huge year for Cayman rope exports which totalled 1.5 million fathoms. Silver thatch rope, said Mr. Banker, was very good for salt- water due to its resistance to rot, but not well suited for freshwater. The ropes were used for fishing boats and sailing boats, mostly for anchors, sails and tying up. “There was a special rope we would make that was thinner, used for edging sails, but that was harder to make,” he said. Eventually, synthetic rope took the place of rope made of natural materials, bringing an end to Cay- man’s little domestic industry. Mr. Banker says he cannot re- member any rope being made by the time he left Cayman at 19, in 1954, to go to sea as a messman. “It may have been still going on in other districts but in West Bay, by that time there was no rope making,” he said. “But it kept food on the table for many families for a long time, and I am always happy to show anyone who’s inter- ested how we used to do it.” Thatch leaves and examples of thatch rope. The traditional rope-making industry is being kept alive by organizations such as Cayman Traditional Arts. - PHOTOS: BASIA MCGUIRE Imogen and Brooke Smailes work the triple spindle. Rope maker Billy BankerThe islands’ most-trusted news source 8 Community CALENDAR ■ COMMUNITY CALENDAR is published TUESDAYS and THURSDAYS. It is available to charitable or nonprofit organizations. Items should be submitted at least three working days before publication. Information must include name of sender, signature and contact number. ■ Items may be faxed to 949-2662, brought to the Cayman Compass office on Shedden Rd. or emailed to cwinker@pinnaclemedialtd.com at least three days in advance of publication. TUESDAY APRIL 19, 2016 • CAYMAN COMPASS TUESDAY, APRIL 19 CELEBRATE ST. GEORGE: St. George’s Anglican Church hosts activities this week in honor of St. George, whose feast day is April 23. Tonight, 7 p.m., line dancing followed by tea, cake and bingo. $5. SEAFARERS ASSOCIATION: The Cayman Islands Seafarers Association advises all members that there will be a general meeting at 7:30 p.m. in the Seafarers Hall, 11 Victory Avenue, Prospect. WEDNESDAY, APRIL 20 LEAVING THE NEST: A family skills session for parents and teenagers who are going off to college. 6-8 p.m. Light dinner provided. No charge. Hosted by the Family Resource Centre. Register at www.leavingthenest.rsvpify. com. For more information, contact 949-0006 or frc@gov.ky. CELEBRATE ST. GEORGE: St. George’s Anglican Church. Evening Mass, 7 p.m. in the church hall. This replaces Wednesday morning Mass. STUDENTS’ FILM MAKING: The Cayman National Cultural Foundation has extended its registration deadline until today for students wishing to enter their short films in the Young Image Makers competition. Anyone interested can submit films to the CNCF offices behind the Harquail Theatre by 5 p.m. Registration forms can be downloaded at www.artscayman.org/ young-image-makers. For more details, email info@artscayman.org. FLOETRY: 6:30-7:30 p.m. Books & Books. All are invited to join Cayman’s poets and performers as they share their work during an open mic night of poetry and readings. Free admission. THURSDAY, APRIL 21 CELEBRATE ST. GEORGE: St. George’s Anglican Church. Family movie night, 7 p.m. Mama Mia! Come sing along. Popcorn and hot dog stand. $5. BRAC COURT: Summary Court is held in the Aston Rutty Civic Centre from 10 a.m. today and tomorrow. PUB QUIZ: Humane Society’s fundraiser at Fidel Murphy’s. 7 p.m. $10 per person, maximum of six people per team. Call 949-5189 to reserve a table or contact sarah.dyer.81@gmail.com. CHAMBER COURSE: Immigration, Work Permits (BVPs, TWPs and RERCs), by Nick Joseph. 9-11 a.m. at the Chamber of Commerce office in Governors Square. Members $175, future members $225. Register online at www.caymanchamber.ky. FRIDAY, APRIL 22 GETTING PAST THE PAST: Christian interactive workshop. Agape Family Worship Centre. 7 p.m. Light refreshments available. Continuing on Saturday with breakfast and lunch provided. Minimal fee to cover food, text book and materials. Contact Agape Centre 949-2539 for further information. CELEBRATE ST. GEORGE: St. George’s Anglican Church. Family feast and fun night, 7 p.m. Games, entertainment, food, dancing. Meet St. George and his dragon. $15 adults. $5 children and AYF members. SATURDAY, APRIL 23 CELEBRATE ST. GEORGE: St. George’s Anglican Church. Service of Thanksgiving, 6 p.m. By the fire in the Garden. YARD SALE: Valuable items at reasonable prices. 6 Devon Road, the Moravian Church premises in Prospect. From 6 a.m. A fundraiser for the church. FAMILY FUN DAY: National Gallery hosts free family fun art activities based on the exhibition “Native Sons – Twenty Years On.” 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Special workshop with Native Sons artist Chris Christian starts at 10 a.m. OUTREACH DINNER: Cayman Outreach Association Dinner Meeting takes place 7:15 p.m. at Triple C School Auditorium. Guest Speaker is Dr. Moland Pusey of Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Admission $15. For details, call Raphael Bodden on 925-7798. SUNDAY, APRIL 24 EARTH DAY AT BOTANIC PARK: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Families are invited to spend an afternoon outdoors. The National Trust, Botanic Park and others will offer a variety of family fun events and educational programs designed to reflect on the importance of our natural surroundings. For more information, email jlawrus@candw.ky. REVIVAL SERVICES: Red Bay Church of God (Holiness) holds Revival Services April 24-29. Sunday, 6 p.m. Weeknights 7:30 p.m. Guest speaker is Rev. Leon George of St. Croix, USVI. All are welcome. 5K CHALLENGE: The Deputy Governor’s 5K Challenge takes place in Grand Cayman. The event aims to raise $50,000 to help Cayman Heart Fund buy a new ambulance. It is suitable for all ages and fitness levels. Registration takes place on April 14 and 15 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., and April 21 and 22 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Government Administration Building. Visit www.odg.gov.ky/DG5K for registration form and further details. TUESDAY, APRIL 26 CHAMBER COURSE: Time Management and Productivity, by Catherine Tyson. 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Chamber of Commerce office in Governors Square. Members $150, future members $225. Register online at www.caymanchamber.ky. WEDNESDAY, APRIL 27 ART DISCUSSION: Panel Discussion at National Gallery. Doors open 5 p.m. Discussion begins at 6 p.m. Join artists, curators and members of the public for a thought-provoking discussion about the work of the Native Sons and Caymanian art. Admission is free. THURSDAY, APRIL 28 FREE SME WORKSHOP: Unlock your Retail Potential – Tips & Tricks for Success, by Savage Consulting. 5:30-7:30 p.m. at the Chamber of Commerce office in Governors Square. Register online at www.caymanchamber.ky. CHAMBER COURSE: Intellectual Property Basics – Copyright, Trademarks and Patents, by Sophie Davies. 9-11 a.m. at the Chamber of Commerce office in Governors Square. Members $175, future members $225. Register online at www.caymanchamber.ky. FRIDAY, APRIL 29 BAKE SALE: Boatswain Bay Presbyterian Church Women in the Church (WIC) hold a Cake/Bake Sale 10 a.m. till 2 p.m. at Bank of Nova Scotia, George Town. Funds raised will assist with the Ladies Conference to be held May 13-15. CONSUMER PROTECTION: Today is the deadline for comments on the discussion paper, “Consumer Protection – Entrenching Consumer Supremacy in Cayman Islands Legislation.” The paper can be viewed on www.lrc.gov.ky. Submissions should be emailed to cilrc@gov.ky or sent by post or hand to the Director of the Law Reform Commission, 4th Floor, Government Administration Building, Portfolio of Legal Affairs, 133 Elgin Ave., George Town, Grand Cayman, P.O. Box 136, Grand Cayman, KY1-9000. PRESCHOOL FUNDING: Today is the last day to apply to the Ministry of Education for the Early Childhood Assistance Program, which provides early childhood center funding for Caymanian children between 3 years old and Reception age as of Sept. 1 and who meet financial criteria. Application forms can be collected from the Government Administration Building, Department of Education Services or early childhood centers, or download from education.gov.ky/portal/ page/portal/mehhome/ education/earlyeducation. SATURDAY, APRIL 30 BRAC CUPCAKE WAR: Young pastry chefs in Cayman Brac are invited to take part in the Child Month Cupcake Wars competition at the Layman Scott High School. Bakers ages 10 to 25 are invited to create a cupcake using fruit in the recipe and a diabetic friendly cupcake. No charge. For more information, email james.myles@gov.ky. DEALS ON WHEELS: The Red Cross mobile thrift shop will be in North Side at the junction of Hutland and North Side Roads from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. LOCAL SCHOLARSHIPS: The Ministry of Education, Employment and Gender Affairs reminds everyone that applications for the local scholarship program must be received electronically by midnight, April 30. Those wishing to apply should visit the website at www.education. gov.ky/scholarships. The Secretariat can be contacted at scholarships@ gov.ky or phone 244-2482. GENERAL INTEREST HURRICANE VOLUNTEERS: The Department of Children and Family Services invites individuals to sign up as shelter volunteers for this year’s Hurricane Season. Training for Shelter Managers & District Representatives Volunteers will be held May 25 and 26 at the Prospect Primary School Hall from 5:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. Registration begins promptly at 5:30 p.m. All volunteers must complete both days of training. For more information, contact Ernesto Carter at the DCFS on 949-0290 or email ernesto.carter@gov.ky. JUNIOR ACHIEVEMENT: is recruiting volunteers for several programs. Contact JA Cayman at jacaymanislands@ gmail.com or 949-4306. NATIVE SONS: Local artists display 20 years of their work. Free admission. National Gallery on the Esterley Tibbetts Highway. PINK LADIES: Coffee Shop at Cayman Islands Hospital is open Monday-Friday 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. for breakfast, lunch, drinks, snacks. Call 244-2661. Funds are donated back to community. Contact pinkladiescayman@gmail.com. NARRATIVE ART: Classes with a qualified art instructor at Watler House Studio, Pedro St. James, 7–9 p.m. Tuesdays through April. Artists of all levels will explore the theory of narrative art discovering ways to tell stories. Drop-in fee is $25 or $35 for non-members. Contact visualartcayman@yahoo.com or 546-9422. FREE HIV TESTING: Public Health Department advises the public of hours for free HIV screenings offered at the Cayman Islands Red Cross on Huldah Ave, George Town. The testing is available 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. every Tuesday. CERAMIC OPEN STUDIO: Visual Arts Society offers Ceramic Open Studio to adults who want to work independently in an inspiring atmosphere: Wednesdays through April 27, 9 a.m. to noon at the Watler House Studio, Pedro St. James. Drop-in fee is $15 members, $25 non-members. Clay, materials, glazes and firing facilities available. For more information, visualartcayman@yahoo.com. For more Community Calendar events, visit www.caymancompass.com/events. The Cayman Islands Seafarers Association will hold a general meeting at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 19, at the Seafarers Hall, 11 Victory Avenue, Prospect. – PHOTO: TANEOS RAMSAYThe islands’ most-trusted news source 9 CAYMAN COMPASS • TUESDAY APRIL 19, 2016 as director of resources with the London Bor- ough of Sutton, where she also served as the acting chief executive. She also served as di- rector of resources at Rich- mond Upon Thames College and as governor at Glen- thorne High School among other posts. She is a member of the chartered institute of public finance and accoun- tancy, according to her cur- riculum vitae. “Ms. Winspear has worked in a political environment and has regularly attended the U.K. Public Accounts Committee,” the governor’s statement indicated. “I look forward to leading the Auditor Gener- al’s Office for the next pe- riod and taking it from strength to strength as we play our part in helping to improve public services and financial manage- ment,” Ms. Winspear said in the statement. There was an open re- cruitment for the position. Advertisements were pub- lished in Cayman, the U.K., Australia, Canada and the Caribbean. A total of four candidates progressed to the final interview stage. The interview panel in- cluded Governor Helen Kil- patrick, Ernst & Young Re- gional Managing Partner Dan Scott, Maples Chief Op- erating Officer Karie Berg- strom and Martin Sinclair, the retired assistant au- ditor general of the U.K. Na- tional Audit Office. Political environment Governor Kilpatrick has recently backed the prompt release of independent gov- ernment audits once those are completed, following re- cent public comments that the process surrounding the release and evaluation of re- ports from the auditor gen- eral’s office may be changed. “It is an important prin- ciple of the audit process that there is not a long delay between production of a re- port and its general publi- cation,” Governor Kilpatrick said in a recent statement. The Cayman Compass has reported that private discussions among mem- bers of the government’s Public Accounts Committee and the auditor’s office have been held on the subject of audit reports and that PAC committee chairman Ezzard Miller publicly expressed some displeasure about the current process. Mr. Miller’s recent public comments in the committee did not specif- ically address the public re- lease of the auditor general’s reports, but rather centered on what the civil service does with those reports after it re- ceives them. The issue of how, when and to whom government au- dits are released has been a thorny one among elected of- ficials, who are currently in- volved in a wholesale review of parliamentary standing orders. Those orders, among many other things, set out how the Auditor General’s Office’s reports are to be made public. The departures, in ad- dition to Mr. Baines – who will leave on May 31 – and Mr. Brougham, whose con- tract ends in September, will leave the police service top brass with just a few mem- bers remaining. RCIPS Superintendent Angelique Howell also left to pursue an articled clerk- ship at a local law firm, but remains on an 18-month secondment and could re- turn to the police service. Detective Superintendent Stephen Ratcliffe, who left the RCIPS Financial Crime Unit in August, has not yet been replaced. Deputy Commissioner Anthony Ennis remains and will be taking over Mr. Ba- ines’s role on an acting basis. Chief Superintendent Kurt Walton will be the second highest-ranking member of the force following the top brass departures. One other full-time police superinten- dent, Adrian Seales, remains at the RCIPS. Advertisements seeking replacements for Mr. Ba- ines and Mr. Brougham went out on Friday. Premier Alden McLaughlin, who has finan- cial oversight responsibility for the police service as gov- ernment minister of home affairs, said the departures would leave some signifi- cant holes in the police com- mand structure and noted he was particularly con- cerned about Mr. Scotland’s career change. “I know Robert very well, he is a young Caymanian who could have been com- missioner of police, given the right training and expe- rience,” Mr. McLaughlin said. Although Mr. Baines’s de- parture was tipped by the filing of a legislative “lack of confidence” motion against the current police admin- istration and its U.K. and Cayman-based management, Mr. McLaughlin said he had no evidence that the other senior officers’ decisions to leave had anything to do with that motion. However, the premier said the motion has generally played a role in creating the current low morale situation within the police service. “I don’t know that I’ve ever seen a more reckless and irresponsible motion brought to this House,” he said. “If the target was David Baines … they should just have the courage to say so. “This motion … that there is a ‘lack of confidence’ in the RCIPS and its gover- nance … it’s bound to in- flict huge damage to the mo- rale of the RCIPS, which, at the moment, is not ex- actly teeming with morale. I fear this is all going to end rather badly.” The mover of the “lack of confidence” motion, East End MLA Arden McLean, specifically said that the motion stayed away from naming Mr. Baines because he didn’t wish to target any one member of the police service, but rather sought to engage the whole po- lice management apparatus, from the governor, to the U.K. Foreign and Common- wealth Office, to the Home Affairs Ministry to the police commanders themselves. Mr. McLean said there had been a litany of com- plaints from a number of MLAs, including himself, Bodden Town representative Alva Suckoo and West Bay MLA Bernie Bush in recent months that warranted a full review of police operations. The motion seeks the in- stallment of a Caymanian police commissioner at the RCIPS. The selection of a police commissioner falls under the purview of the Cayman Islands governor, following consultation with the premier. In addition to Mr. McLean’s motion, Opposition Leader McKeeva Bush has re- quested in a separate private members’ motion that an in- dependent review team be formed to review the RCIPS response to a March 6 inci- dent in which five boaters – including two children – went missing in the sea west of Grand Cayman. Mr. McLaughlin has said the debate over the two mo- tions, due to happen next Monday in the Legislative Assembly, will likely make it harder for the local po- lice service to find replace- ments for two of its top commanders in short order. He said the golf course was moving forward inde- pendently of negotiations with government over fi- nancing a 10-mile extension to the East-West Arterial Highway, which was previ- ously viewed as pivotal to the success of the wider project. Ultimately, Ironwood wants to build retirement homes and a Camana Bay- style town center at the site. Mr. McVey acknowledged that these elements may de- pend on movement on the road project but he said the golf resort was viable as a standalone project. He said the involve- ment of renowned golfer Mr. Palmer, whose com- pany has designed some of the top courses in the world, gave the project additional credibility. He acknowledged that after years in the pre-plan- ning stages, there was some skepticism about the project. Mr. McVey, who was also project manager on the Shetty Hospital project in East End, added, “There are some people out there still skeptical about Health City but you’ve just got to drive over the hill and there it is.” He said the submission of the planning application was a “major milestone” for the developer. “My mantra has been 18 by ’18. I want to be able to play 18 holes on this course by 2018.” Ironwood spokesperson Denise Gower said the devel- opment would also include a separate 9-hole fun course, which would be adapt- able for “foot golf,” a mix of soccer and golf, which she described as a growing craze in the U.S. She added, “This course will be capable of handling PGA-level tournaments, making this development a game-changer for the Cayman golf scene, setting the stage to make Cayman a true golf destination and at- tracting the type of visitors Cayman likes best – those with dispensable income and a love for quiet, tropical vacations,” she said. The hearing date for the Central Planning Authority to consider the application is expected to be May 25. Designs for the course show 18 holes, interspersed with six lakes and inter- connected waterways running through a 500-acre site east of Frank Sound Road. CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Plans submitted for Ironwood golf course 12 Cuban migrants repatriated A dozen Cuban mi- grants were repatriated from the Cayman Islands to Havana last week. According to the De- partment of Immigra- tion, the Cubans flew home on different flights, with the last repatria- tion of the week taking place on Friday, April 15. The seven male and five female migrants had been housed at the Immigration Detention Center. As of Friday, 54 Cuban migrants remained in Grand Cayman. Earlier this year, over- crowding at the immi- gration detention fa- cility in Fairbanks had led to migrants being housed temporarily in community centers in East End, North Side and Bodden Town. The Immigration De- tention Centre can hold about 60 people. Man robbed, kicked on West Bay beach Police arrest 32-year-old man Police make a quick ar- rest after a Cayman Is- lands resident reported being robbed and kicked in the head early Sunday on West Bay Public Beach, ac- cording to police reports. Royal Cayman Islands Police Service officers said the victim in the at- tack came to West Bay Po- lice Station around 2 a.m. Sunday to report that he had been attacked. The victim told offi- cers that his mobile phone had been taken after he was punched and kicked in the head “by another man whom he knows.” The man was taken to the Cayman Islands Hos- pital for treatment. Later on Sunday, a 32-year-old West Bay man was arrested in con- nection with the attack on suspicion of robbery and assault. US CUSTOMS PREPARES FOR MORE INTERNATIONAL FLIGHTS IN KEYS MARATHON, Fla. (AP) – A new customs checkpoint is opening at Florida Keys airport in preparation for more traffic involving the island chain and Cuba and other international destinations. According to a statement from the Monroe County Board of Commissioners, the new Customs and Border Protection facility opens Wednesday, April 20, at the Florida Keys Mara- thon International Airport. The airport has not had a customs officer on duty since the 1980’s. The airport currently serves corporate jets, pri- vate planes and char- ters but does not cater for commercial flights. The county’s assis- tant director of airports, T.J. Henderson, says the Middle Keys airport could be an attractive al- ternative to busier South Florida airports. Henderson says Mara- thon’s location would be convenient for both resi- dents and tourists coming from Cuba and the Carib- bean as well as Central and South America. RCIPS loses other senior commanders New auditor general appointed Ms. Winspear’s appointment is for a three-year term. CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1Next >