cayman compass Your most trusted news source Established 1965 $1 | Funding local journalism | Weekly, 14-20 January 2022 compass $1 | Funding local journalism | Weekly, 14-20 January 2022 The Compass on the pandemic frontline Page 5 Isolation rules relaxed amid public outcry Page 15 The Compass on the pandemic frontline ON THE COVID WARD Photo: Taneos Ramsay © 2022 Burger King Corporation. Yumbo ham & cheeseMatinees (matinee price before 6pm) • Seniors $8.00 (Mon-Fri before 6pm) Additional charges apply per 3D/VIP tickets 640-FILM (640-3456) Cayman Cinema@cbcinema6cbcinema6 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. SCREAM (2022) (R) (FRI, MON & WED-THURS) 3:45 | 6:50 | 7:00 VIP | 9:55 | 10:00 VIP (SAT) 12:30 | 12:30 VIP | 3:45 | 7:00 VIP | 7:05 | 9:55 | 10:00 VIP (TUE) 3:45 | 6:50 | 9:55 | 10:00 VIP SING 2 (PG) (FRI, MON-WED) 3:45 VIP | 4:10 (SAT) 1:05 VIP | 2:00 | 3:45 VIP | 4:45 (SUN) 3:30 | 3:45 VIP | 3:50 | 4:10 VIP | 6:10 | 6:30 (THURS) 4:10 SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME (PG-13) (FRI, MON-THURS) 3:15 | 3:20 VIP | 6:35 | 6:40 VIP | 9:40 (SAT) 12:40 | 12:40 VIP | 3:15 | 3:20 VIP | 6:35 | 6:40 VIP | 9:45 (SUN) 3:15 | 3:20 VIP | 4:00 | 6:30 VIP | 6:35 | 6:40 VIP | 7:20 | 7:30 VIP | 8:50 | 9:15 | 9:50 VIP | 9:55 | 10:00 VIP THE KING’S MAN (R) (FRI, MON-THURS) 4:00 VIP | 4:00 | 6:30 VIP | 7:00 | 9:45 VIP | 10:00 (SAT) 12:45 | 4:00 | 4:00 VIP | 6:30 VIP | 6:45 | 9:45 VIP | 10:00 THE MATRIX RESURRECTIONS (R) (FRI, MON-THURS) 6:35 | 9:30 VIP | 9:50 (SAT) 9:30 VIP WHAT’S PLAYING THIS WEEK KIDS CLUB SLEEPING BEAUTY SATURDAY 10AM VIP AVAILABLE (1959) (G) KIDS CLUB FROZEN SATURDAY 10AM VIP AVAILABLE (PG) CLASSICS OFFICE SPACE TUESDAY 7PM VIP (R) CULTURE NT LIVE: ROMEO AND JULIET SATURDAY 8PM (R18) Cayman marks two more COVID-related deaths Two more people have died of COVID-19-related causes, bringing the total number of deaths to 14, Public Health offi cials reported on 11 Jan. No further details relating to the deaths, such as ages, vaccination status or whether the patients were suffering from other medical conditions, were included in the latest coronavirus update from the department. In the latest update on 12 Jan. interim Chief Medical Offi cer Dr. Autilia Newton reported 357 new cases of COVID-19, including 346 from the community and 11 among travellers. There were nine patients with COVID in hospital, including three new admissions. According to the update, of 1,097 PCR tests conducted since Monday, 187 were positive, while 170 positive cases were found among lateral fl ow tests. There have been 132 confi rmed cases of the Omicron variant in the Cayman Islands to date, meanwhile, the number of probable Omicron cases has reached 1,830. The number of reported active cases stood at 3,585 with 3,334 of those being linked to community transmission. The percentage of the Cayman Islands population who are reported COVID positive currently stands at 5.04%. The total number of cases recorded in the Cayman Islands since the start of the pandemic stood at 12,023 at the same time. Cayman approves use of video-observed LFTs for arriving travellers Government gave the green light to the use of certifi ed, video- monitored lateral fl ow tests for entry into the Cayman Islands, assisting travellers and returning residents to meet the jurisdiction’s COVID-19 testing requirements, which require a negative test the day before departure. The Department of Tourism, in a statement on its visitcaymanislands.com website, announced the approval of AZOVA Inc. (www.AZOVA.com) as the accepted provider for the video- observed lateral fl ow testing service, which is used in the US. “In this ever-changing travel environment, we remain committed to providing our global guests with the best experience possible – from pre-arrival to departure, we aim to offer exceptional hospitality and convenience. By utilizing this cutting-edge technology from AZOVA, we can ensure that our travellers encounter minimal disruption to their travel experience and can enjoy a warm holiday in the Cayman Islands once again,” Rosa Harris, Director of Tourism said in the statement. The new policy, DOT said, will provide up-to-date test results, while also ensuring “more accessible testing options for visitors”. ‘Matriarch of Chisholm’s Grocery’ Rhoda Erena Ebanks passes away Rhoda Erena Ebanks (née Chisholm), a familiar face at Chisholm’s Grocery for years, has passed away, leaving the North Side community in mourning. Ebanks, described as one of the matriarchs at the grocery, died last Thursday, 6 Jan., at age 91, an announcement on the store's offi cial Facebook page stated. “Chisholm’s was near and dear to her heart and we will do our best to continue the legacy left by her and her parents. She will be greatly missed. May her beautiful soul Rest In Peace,” the post stated. Ebanks’s funeral is planned for Friday 14 Jan., at 10am at William Pouchie Memorial Church in North Side. Tributes poured in for the 91-year-old as news spread, a testament to the mark she left on the North Side community, having worked alongside her parents in the grocery when it was opened on 13 August 1954. Police seize ‘large’ quantity of ganja, suspects escape Police are searching for suspects, some of whom they believe may be injured, after discovering a ‘large’ quantity of ganja in Beach Bay on 8 Jan. The exact amount of the seized narcotics has not been released. However, police said on 11 Jan. in a statement, that it was found during the early morning hours of Saturday 8 Jan. Police said the Air Operations Unit, while conducting a coastline patrol in the Beach Bay area in Bodden Town, spotted suspicious activity and offi cers responded. While searching the area, two vehicles were recovered containing the ganja. Police said a number of persons, who are believed to have been involved in the importation of the recovered drugs, fl ed the location on foot. An extensive search of the area was conducted; however, these persons were not located. “Based on the hostile terrain and ironshore, it is possible that some of these persons might have been injured,” a police statement said. Detectives are encouraging anyone with information regarding this incident to call the George Town Police Station at 949-4222. New Year’s Day surprise as mom welcomes fi rst baby for 2022 First-time parents Nikisha Chin-Loney and Ricardo Loney hoped their baby daughter Zianna Kaylee would share their birthday month of December with them, but she had plans of her own, instead arriving on 1 Jan. Born at 10:49am, Zianna Kaylee was the fi rst baby at the Health Services Authority for 2022 and mom Chin-Loney said she would not have changed a thing about her daughter’s arrival. “My birthday is Christmas Eve and his [Ricardo’s] is 21 December… but she had to make her own grand entrance. She wanted her own month,” Chin-Loney said jokingly in a telephone interview on 12 Jan. with the Cayman Compass. “She is here and we are so happy about that,” the new mom said. On 10 Jan., HSA, in a post on its offi cial Facebook page, announced the birth of the 7 pound 10 ounce baby girl born to the Newlands couple. Chin-Loney admitted that giving birth was particularly concerning, given the COVID-19 situation; she picked the name Zianna for the baby, which means ‘Protected by God’. Dad Ricardo also shared his excitement at the birth, saying, “I am humbled, overjoyed and thankful that our bundle of joy is fi nally here and that my wife is doing well after the experience.” First-time parents Nikisha Chin-Loney and Ricardo Loney and their baby daughter Zianna Kaylee, the Health Service Authority’s first baby for 2022. - Photo: HSA FIND US ONLINE Caymancompass.com Facebook.com/Caycompass cayman_compass@cayCompassCayman Compass PRINTED AND PUBLISHED BY: Cayman Compass Ltd. Compass Centre, Shedden Road, George Town, Cayman Islands SEND US YOUR VIEWS OR NEWS: P.O. Box 1365 Grand Cayman, KY1-1108 Cayman Islands Telephone: (345) 815-0095 Email: newsdesk@compassmedia.ky ADVERTISE WITH US: T: (345) 949-5111 E: sales@compassmedia.ky W: caymancompass.com NEWS EDITOR CAROLINE JAMES BUSINESS EDITOR MICHAEL KLEIN ISSUES EDITOR JAMES WHITTAKER LIVING EDITOR VICKI WHEATON HEAD OF SALES CHERYL BIRCHGILLIES weather Friday Forecast FORECAST Partly cloudy skies with a 20% chance of evening showers. SEA STATE Slight with a wave height of 1 to 3 feet. WINDS Northwest at 5 to 10 knots. 77°F HIGH 72°F LOW cayman compass 2 N news FRIDAY, 14 JANUARY 2022cayman compass 3 FRIDAY, 14 JANUARY 20221234567 89 101112 13 1415 16 171819 20 212223 2425 1234567 89 101112 13 1415 16 171819 20 212223 2425 ACROSS 1 Body of citizen soldiers (7) 5 Essential (5) 8 Abrasive material for scouring (5,4) 9 Calm centre of cyclone (3) 10 Near (4) 12 Rigorous control (4,4) 14 Shapeless lump of food (6) 15 Submit (6) 17 Things given free of charge (8) 18 Derive as reward (4) 21 An age (3) 22 As an extreme limit (2,3,4) 24 Timber (5) 25 An imposed disadvantage (7) DOWN 1 Worker in stone (5) 2 Sheltered side (3) 3 To lean (4) 4 On a ship (6) 5 Objectively assessed (8) 6 Run away (9) 7 An English cheese (7) 11 Period of greatest prosperity (6,3) 13 Senior management (3,5) 14 Turn aside (7) 16 Repressed (4-2) 19 Tersely incisive (5) 20 Ignoble (4) 23 Lubricate (3) The Compass Crossword Puzzle The Compass universal kakuro Puzzle 16901 The numbers in the black cells are clues. Numbers above the slash are across clues. Number below the slash are down clues. The goal is to enter digits 1 - 9 in the white cells to add up to the number clues. You cannot enter any digit more than once when adding up to clue. TODAY'S SOLUTIONS Puzzle 16901 ACROSS: 1 Militia, 5 Basic, 8 Steel wool, 9 Eye, 10 Nigh, 12 Iron hand, 14 Dollop, 15 Render, 17 Freebies, 18 Reap, 21 Era, 22 At the most, 24 Trees, 25 Penalty. DOWN: 1 Mason, 2 Lee, 3 Tilt, 4 Aboard, 5 Balanced, 6 Skedaddle, 7 Cheddar, 11 Golden age, 13 Top brass, 14 Deflect, 16 Pent-up, 19 Pithy, 20 Mean, 23 Oil. What they’re saying Online Running scared: Women fear for safety as jogger attacked, drinks reportedly spiked While we as women are in charge of our own personal safety, we shouldn’t have to be in charge of those who would cause us harm. Our smile, nod, or “good morning, afternoon, evening,” is not an invitation. The same goes for what we are wearing, among many other things... Pepper spray should be legal. In lieu of that, I carry a can of travel-size hairspray. Every person who has ever used hairspray knows that the stuff stings like hell... I’m at a loss. This is a worldwide problem. I am tired of being tired of it. – Andie Sandoval Wheaton I think everyone should be allowed to carry pepper spray. – Jason Hislop Zero tolerance on crime is the only way, but the will to carry it out is never there. – NA Smith It seems the Cayman Islands are starting to look like Jamaica with the uptick in crime... so sad since this is my favourite island for the past 20+ years. – Joy Watson I hate that! We’ve been going to the Caymans since the '80’s and I always felt safe. – Marianne Hudson DeMoss Unfortunately, I don’t think much will be done by the government. Take it from a South African, women need to know how to defend themselves. It’s an awful concept that we need to, but the people doing the attacking won’t stop. An unarmed attacker who gets his arm broken by who he deemed an innocent women will be a massive wake-up call. – Claire Jansen Van Rensburg South Sound attack victim: ‘I just had to fight for my life’ This is horrendous! So glad she is OK. What a horrible ordeal. I really hope the police take action and increase patrols. – Sophie Prior Once more, a woman must shrink the list of activities she can do, lose peace and quiet and time to herself, and lose the ability to enjoy a simple activity like running – because of yet another violent bloke. – Isobel Boyes What if we teach our sons/ grandsons/students that this sort of behaviour is NOT OK? Start from the beginning. It is not OK to hit, attack or be violent to one another. – Nikki Thomas Thank you, Oddy, for being so brave and sharing your story, especially the advice you gave to other ladies. Thank you also for reporting it to the police. I imagine that is not easy at all... I hope that you will be able to recover, both physically and mentally. – Jacqueline Whiteside Farrington Shocking. We all need to look out for each other. – Chris Smith Sometimes I sit and wonder if men also have to plan ahead when going outside. I wonder if they constantly fear a random sexual attack. If they also hesitate doing early morning/ late evening runs because of fear of stalkers. If their skin crawls when they go to the supermarket past 7pm and there are men loitering in the parking lot. Because this is an everyday thing for women. We have to always be on guard. For the simple fact that some human- animals don’t know how to act in civilized society. – Tiffany Chisholm Thank God she is OK. Thank God she reported it. The law needs to come down heavy on these attacks but also on the cat calling and kerb crawling and sexual harassment that happens several times a day to women on this island. It seems to have escalated recently too. It is crazy to me that in this day and age I have to be wary going for a run in broad daylight in the middle of the day. – Audrey Bowman God bless her to heal up soon, and hope the perpetrator is punished severely. New law will “allow” women to carry pepper spray? Lol. Quite a different culture regarding one’s right to self-defence. I guess everyone should start lifting weights more to get fit to fight. – Kenneth Love Terrifying! Hope she heals physically as well as mentally from this. – Melanie Thomas So awful this happened. During lockdown when we had the 7pm curfew and there were less people about, I started running up and down the highway, knowing there were always cars there and people walking too. I just no longer felt safe on my normal route with cat calls and lingering cyclists. – Jen Beaumont Just passing… Cruise ship spotted off West Bay If Cayman lifted the cover off its eyes, it would discover that there’s no longer a pandemic, it’s endemic, and most of the world has long moved on and has been living completely normally for a while now. – Mark Cotton Keep on cruising by……. – Darcie Wiggins-Weidmark We saw it out in Colliers too! – Courtney Walker Keep on going… Big boat of floating viruses. – Jeannie Juliano-Alexander Miss the days they came here… – Sora Kazue I was on a cruise on October and again last week, and it was amazing. They are beyond clean, with the crew constantly sanitising and the crew are all so happy to be back. We felt like royalty. – Sue Billeter-Wood In other islands you see them every day... – Samuel Gipsysoul Reader Robert Darley captured this photo of MSC Divina as the ship passed the northern side of Grand Cayman on 12 Jan. cayman compass 4 news N news FRIDAY, 14 JANUARY 2022cayman compass 5 news N news FRIDAY, 14 JANUARY 2022 At the start of every shift, nurse Nadine Douglas pulls on her red scrubs – the colour code that signals maximum exposure to Cayman’s most vulnerable patients. Then she dons a full suit of personal protective equipment – thin blue surgical gown and hair net, chemical-resistant gloves and an N95 face mask covered again with a perspex visor. She looks like she is ready to go to war and in a way, she is. As a senior clinician on Cayman’s COVID wards, Douglas is at ground-zero of the fight against the pandemic. Staff at the Cayman Islands Hospital have been poised and ready for an outbreak since last spring. But the tide of cases that deluged hospitals across the world only really started to sweep through the island towards the end of last year. It was the first real taste for Cayman’s frontline medical staff of the severe challenges faced by their counterparts all over the globe. And, for a while, it looked like they, too, might be overwhelmed. In mid-October, cases were rocketing and hospital beds were filling up. At the same time, an increasing number of staff were out sick or in isolation after contracting COVID themselves. “There was a period when we were bracing ourselves and preparing to bring in additional support,” said Dr. Schade Stanton, one of the primary physicians caring for COVID patients in Cayman. At the time, Chief Medical Officer Dr. John Lee warned that Cayman was at two-thirds of its capacity for dealing with COVID cases, and plans were made to reopen the emergency field hospital at the Family Life Centre. Patient numbers recede But the worst seems to have passed and, while COVID cases surged again over Christmas, the hospital has not seen the same level of impact from the new Omicron variant. There were nine patients in hospital on 12 Jan., out of 3,585 reported active cases. In November, there were five times as many patients from a similar number of cases. “As time goes by, the numbers have become more manageable,” said Douglas. The experience on Cayman’s wards seems to support the hypothesis that Omicron is less deadly than earlier variations of the virus. But Dr. Stanton warns it can still be a severe disease, particularly for unvaccinated people and those with other conditions. There has been at least one serious case, confirmed to be Omicron, at the hospital in the past few weeks. And while the influx of patients does not currently threaten healthcare capacity, any avoidable illness or death is a concern. As the virus becomes a part of everyday life, complacency could be the biggest enemy. “One of the unfortunate consequences of how prolonged this pandemic has been is there is a little bit of fatigue on the part of the public,” said Stanton. Cayman has lost 14 people to COVID since September. Some had other complicating conditions, but several did not. Both Stanton and Douglas have seen, up close, the impact that the virus can have and they warn it should not be taken lightly. “As people on the frontline, who have seen how horrible this illness can be, we want to encourage people not to give up - to get vaccinated, to hand wash, to wear masks and social distance,” said Stanton. “We won’t get rid of COVID but we need to keep it manageable.” She is cautious, too, about reading too much into the proportionately lower number of hospital cases from Omicron. While healthcare workers everywhere are hopeful it could signal the beginning of the end of the acute phase of the pandemic, they are taking nothing for granted. “I have personally found that, with COVID, it’s not so easy to predict the next step in the road,” she said. “Because of how well vaccinated our population is in general, I am sure we will continue to do not so badly in terms of severe and critical cases, but we cannot be complacent.” ‘Ready for anything’ Fighting the virus takes its toll on healthcare workers, too. Concerns for their patients mingle with questions about their own safety and security. There is more certainty now about what COVID is and how it spreads, but the relative newness of the virus and the capacity for it to mutate, has frontline workers watchful. “We are prepared to handle this kind of situation, but that does not eliminate the stress entirely,” said Douglas. “Those concerns never really leave your mind.” Patients want information and reassurance too, and that hasn’t always been easy to deliver. Cayman has sufficient resources, oxygen supplies and treatment options to provide the best care possible. But COVID remains a life-threatening virus and, with visitors heavily restricted, those that come through the acute wards of the hospital are often suffering alone. “They are in this strange environment with this strange condition that could potentially be very serious and they are on their own,” said Stanton. The hospital staff do their best to provide reassurance, where possible, and help facilitate Zoom and iPad chats with family - something they say can be pivotal in helping patients pull through. Continued uncertainty is one of the only certainties as the pandemic progresses, and Douglas and Stanton urge the public to do their part to slow the spread and keep severe illness and death as low as possible. They are confident that the hospital is well prepared and that Cayman has everything it needs to meet the challenge “We are not sure what the future holds, but we are ready for it,” said Douglas. Reporting by James Whittaker Inside Cayman’s COVID wards: Complacency the enemy as severe COVID cases decline amid Omicron wave In November, Cayman saw five times as many severe cases of COVID needing hospital treatment, compared with current totals, despite a similar number of active cases. In full personal protective equipment, nurse Nadine Douglas says she is ready for anything. - Photo: Taneos Ramsay 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 0 500 1000 1500 2000 2500 3000 3500 4000 4500 Active cases and hospitalisations Active casesHospitalisations “There was a period when we were bracing ourselves and preparing to bring in additional support.” - Dr. Schade Stantoncayman compass 6 news N news FRIDAY, 14 JANUARY 2022 Budget projects significant revenue from property sales JAMES WHITTAKER jwhittaker@compassmedia.ky Government expects to rake in significant income from property taxes over the next two years, with Cayman’s development boom showing little sign of slowing down. A record figure of almost $100 million came from stamp duty on land transfers in 2021 – double what was originally forecast. And the PACT government’s first budget anticipates almost $140 million in income from that source over the next two years. The revenue is linked to both an increase in property values and volume of sales, associated with a string of new developments. Premier Wayne Panton told the Cayman Compass that the budget projection is not out of step with his government’s plans for a more sustainable approach. He said increased stamp duty revenue does not necessarily reflect an expected surge in construction, although he acknowledged that continued growth is anticipated in the sector over the next four years. Panton said a new Development Plan and a national sustainability strategy are priorities for his government. But he said these could take several years to implement. He added that a sustainable approach to Cayman’s future does not necessarily mean substantially less physical development. “Significantly slowing or stopping development would not automatically make the Cayman Islands a more sustainable country,” he said in an emailed response to questions from the Compass. “Indeed, some level of physical development will be required to ensure we can address other issues facing our community, such as ensuring we can affordably house our people in dignified conditions, safely treat our solid waste and wastewater, and meet our national renewable energy targets.” While much of the commentary on sustainability in Cayman has focussed on the tension between development and the environment, Panton said the concept, as defined by the United Nations, is much broader than that. He said sustainable solutions tap into the the links between the economy, society and environment and maximise benefits across this “triple bottom line”. Review of Development Plan The review of the Development Plan – which regulates land use across the Cayman Islands and has not been updated since 1997 – will be a collaborative effort between Panton’s new Ministry of Sustainability and Climate Resilience and the Ministry of Planning. Panton said a broad aim of the plan would be to prioritise development that contributes to “safe, inclusive and resilient” communities. He said initial discussions had taken place and momentum would increase on the project soon. But he acknowledged this was a “medium term objective” that could take up to three years and may need to be carried out in stages. Development continues Meanwhile, development continues apace. The Cayman Islands government pulled in more than double its original stamp duty forecast in 2021. The number reflects the levy on all property sales – not just new development. A high sales volume and some record-value home and condo sales in the post-COVID property boom contributed to the unusually high total. RE/MAX broker Kim Lund said the sales volume, price and related government revenue were also linked to development cycles. He said Cayman had been through a boom in construction and property sales that would continue to provide revenue for government as those purchases are completed, and stamp duty becomes payable, over the next 12 months. The longer-term future is less clear, he said, as developers and contractors had been “maxed out” over the past few years completing a slew of new projects, and he anticipates some contraction. “We have to see what happens but ebb and flow is part of the normal market dynamics,” the broker said. He added that property development typically responds to market demand, and he believes it will be difficult to reduce construction without creating other issues. Sustainability ‘more than just development’ While revenue from stamp duty is a significant income stream for government, netting around 7% of its projected annual income, Panton points out that it is dwarfed by financial services (approximately 39%) and import duties (23%). He said these sectors of the economy also have impacts on the community and natural environment. Panton said his ministry had been established to help set in motion a “paradigm shift” that would embed sustainable practices across multiple industries and sectors – not just development and planning. “A transformational shift toward sustainability will require us to develop and agree on a national strategy as an organising framework for current and future sustainability initiatives,” he added. Premier Wayne Panton Panton: Slowing development won’t automatically make Cayman sustainable The sale of new developments contributed to record stamp duty revenues for government in 2021. - Photo: Taneos RamsayNORMA CONNOLLY nconnolly@compassmedia.ky Chief Justice Anthony Smellie on 12 Jan. presided over the annual Grand Court opening for the last time before his retirement later this year. Smellie, who will retire in the last quarter of the year, has served on the judicial bench in Cayman since 1993 and as chief justice since June 1998. He replaced former Chief Justice George Elliot Harre, who passed away in France in October last year, at the age of 93. Harre’s passing was acknowledged at the court opening, with both Smellie and Attorney General Samuel Bulgin paying tribute to him. In his comments, prior to moving the motion for the opening of the court for 2022, Bulgin said Smellie’s retirement would “mark the end of a historic tenure of some 24 years as chief justice”. He told Smellie that, during his nearly quarter of century as chief justice, “these halls of justice, the jurisdiction, the region and, indeed, further afield, have all been enriched by your scholarly and illuminating judgments… Your tenure as chief justice marks a period during which you have brought glory and honour to the jurisdiction, and done so without any orchestrated fanfare, but rather in your characteristic unflappable and phlegmatic manner, and with visionary and transformational stewardship.” COVID impacts pomp and ceremony of opening This year’s court opening was a less lavish affair than usual, in light of COVID-19. It was broadcast live on CIGTV and Facebook, and the number of people allowed to attend was limited. Following a brief inspection of the guard in front of the courthouse, Chief Justice Smellie and other senior judges filed inside the court building for the speech- making part of the morning. The proceedings were delayed after a police officer taking part in the inspection of the guard passed out from heat exhaustion. The chief justice, in his comments inside the courthouse later, assured attendees that an ambulance had arrived and the officer was doing well. In what Smellie described as a “hybrid format”, officials made brief statements in person in the courtroom, followed by pre-recorded speeches which were shown to attendees and also broadcast. During the presentations, each department head gave an update of the work that had been done over the past year and what could be expected over the coming year. In his comments, the chief judge noted the growing number of cases being dealt with by the courts. He said that in 1982, there were 257 civil cases and 13 criminal cases before the Grand Court. By 2019, that had grown to more than 1,000 civil cases and 116 criminal cases. As well as an increase in quantity, the courts had also seen an increase in the size and complexity of cases, “as a result of the financial services’ global reach”, he said. Smellie said this was perhaps best illustrated by the AHAB v SICL and others case, which involved seven years of interlocutory hearings, followed by a hearing that lasted a full year, and resulted in a 1,300-page judgment. The growing work of the court over the decades has meant that many more judges and magistrates are required to deal with it. Smellie pointed out that back in 1989, there were three judicial personnel in the court – a chief justice, a magistrate and a clerk of the court – and there are 39 today, including a panel of 18 acting judges and magistrates. “This increase in judicial personnel, while consistent with the rapidly increasing numbers and complexity of cases, is also the consequence of a deliberate arrangement to ensure that the judiciary can fulfil its responsibility to administer justice in a timely and efficient manner, and consistent also with the Bill of Rights, which mandates the fulfilment of that responsibility in relation to the individual rights of persons,” he said. The chief justice also addressed the importance of mediation in cases. He said that more than 200 cases, mostly matrimonial disputes, had been successfully mediated since 2016, after several members of the judiciary, senior legal officers and administrative staff, were trained and certified as mediators by the London School of Mediation. Smellie said that this year, those mediation measures would be extended to the civil division of the Grand Court and Summary Court, “where, from experience, a similar high rate of success as with family cases is to be expected”. Announcing upcoming judicial events for the coming year, Smellie said, “if all goes well”, Cayman will receive the Privy Council, the final appellant court, for a special sitting here. For several years, a recurring theme during the court opening has been hopes that more courtrooms could be made available to help deal with case backlogs. At the 12 Jan. proceedings, Court Administrator Suzanne Bothwell said this was “now becoming a reality” and two new courtrooms were expected to be completed in the first quarter of this year. She added that work on a new permanent home for the Court of Appeal would begin in April this year. Various judicial departments, at the event, outlined how they had continued to operate safely during the pandemic, with the use of internet technology and electronic payments, that meant that face-to- face contact was not necessary. Retiring Chief Justice Smellie oversees his final Grand Court opening Chief Justice Anthony Smellie, back row, flanked by, from left, Justice Ian Kawaley, Justice Cheryll Richards, Justice Margaret Ramsay-Hale and Justice David Charles Doyle, at the Grand Court Opening on Wednesday, 12 Jan. Anthony Smellie is Cayman's longest serving Chief Justice. Chief Justice Anthony Smellie will retire later this year. Chief Justice Anthony Smellie inspects the guard outside the courthouse at the official opening of the Grand Court on 12 Jan. - Photo: Taneos Ramsay Royal Cayman Islands Police officers stand to attention outside the courthouse in preparation for the Inspection of the Guard. – Photo: Taneos Ramsay cayman compass news N news FRIDAY, 14 JANUARY 2022 7NORMA CONNOLLY nconnolly@compassmedia.ky For many, getting a new car licence plate is a bit of a chore, involving paperwork, a visit to the vehicle licensing offi ce and a likely boring wait in a room fi lled with others going through similar drudgery. But for John Ferguson and Ronald Forbes, getting hold of a new plate is fi lled with a frisson of excitement and thrill. Well, technically, the plates are usually old and vintage; just new to them. Both men are licence plate collectors. Olympic athlete Forbes started collecting over the past fi ve years or so, while Ferguson, a mechanic, keen cyclist, and occasional Santa, has been building his impressive collection since 2005. On a recent sunny January day, the two met up to make an exchange – a Florida plate with a quirky phonetic link to Cayman for a hand-painted dealer’s plate that’s at least fi ve decades old. The plate Ferguson presented to Forbes – CI 8670 – started life as a private vehicle plate, with silver lettering on a black background (at the time of issue, government licence plates had black lettering on a silver background). Ferguson explained that unissued private vehicle plates were hand-painted red and issued as fi rst-dealer, or trade, plates. Ferguson had planned to mail the rare red dealer plate – one of three he owns – to Forbes in Florida, but since the former hurdler was on island over the festive season, the pair were able to meet and make their exchange in person. In return for the red plate, Forbes presented Ferguson with a Sunshine State plate – T3F 45V – he had taken off his own vehicle just a few months ago. Phonetically, when read out in a Cayman accent, Forbes says, it sounds like 345 – Cayman’s area code. “It’s been on my car for 10 years,” said Forbes, who has represented the Cayman Islands in three summer Olympics, and now lives in Florida. “I just took it off six months ago.” “It’s been home for a couple of months, and it’s a plate that I wanted you to have,” he told Ferguson, as a means to thank him for all he has taught him about local licence plates. Ferguson, a font of knowledge on all things licence plate, explained that between 1958 and 1975, Jamaica minted all of Cayman’s licence plates, as well as those for Turks and Caicos. After that, the plate sizes changed to be in line with the size of US plates. Among his extensive collection, Ferguson has a rare two-digit plate – CI 95 – from 1960, the 95th plate issued in the Cayman Islands. “I happen to know where CI 2 resides. It’s hanging on a nail in a carport in the state of Delaware,” he said, adding that the man who owns it isn’t willing to sell it. “Number 1 has never been seen or found or heard of.” Ferguson’s wide-ranging knowledge of Cayman plates was acknowledged and celebrated back in 2010 when he was featured on the cover of Automobile License Plate Collectors Association’s magazine ‘Plates’, relaxing on a History on a plate The number of licence plates in John Ferguson’s collection 6,000 The display of Ferguson's licence plates at the Cayman Islands Motor Museum in 2010. - Photo: Norma Connolly Ferguson's rare two-digit plate – the 95th issued on the island. Ronald Forbes opens the package containing his 'new' old number plate. - Photos: Alvaro Serey Vehicle licence plates give an insight into the past for two collectors licence plate is a bit of a chore, involving paperwork, a visit to the vehicle licensing offi ce and fi lled with others going through Ronald Forbes, getting hold of a exchange – a Florida plate with a quirky phonetic link to Cayman government licence plates had black lettering on a silver background). Ferguson explained that unissued private vehicle plates were hand-painted red and issued as fi rst-dealer, or trade, plates. Ferguson's rare two-digit plate – the 95th issued on the island. into the past for two collectors cayman compass 8 news N news FRIDAY, 14 JANUARY 2022hammock, surrounding by an array of local number plates. Forbes said he considers himself more of a hobbyist than a collector at this stage, after getting interested in licence plates about fi ve years ago, when his father gave him an old plate that he’d found attached to an old car bumper that had been thrown in the bushes. His dad also showed him an old photo of his car that used to be Mostyn’s gas station, which whetted Forbes’ appetite and curiosity for vintage plates. “How many of these licence plates exist out there?” he wondered. “I started looking online and I saw one or two that were up for auction. I bought them. And then I started doing a little bit more digging, I started seeing these links.” Checking out two-digit Cayman plates, he spotted Ferguson’s CI 95 plate on a Google search, and after a bit more searching, discovered that the owner of the plate also lived in Grand Cayman. He contacted him over Facebook Messenger and later met him in person at Ferguson’s West Bay home. A glance into the past Both Ferguson and Forbes say licence plates are a vital part of Caymanian history and are well worth preserving for future generations. “There aren’t a tremendous amount of these left. But I think… that this is a very important part of our history,” Forbes said, and he thanked Ferguson for continuing to collect and highlight these little metal pieces of local history. “Automotive-wise and as part of our history, it’s important to keep these plates here. Obviously, some have been on cars here locally and have travelled overseas somehow, whether in a package or in someone’s suitcase, and it’s important to preserve them for as long as possible,” Forbes added. For several years, a display of some of Ferguson’s plates had been on show at the Cayman Islands Motor Museum, which is now closed. Ferguson, holding up the plate he gave to Forbes, explained, “You can see the plate used to be black and Melrose Whitelock hand painted it. She went down to Parker’s and bought red paint and painted all the extra plates and made these dealer plates by hand. She still works at Licensing today.” ‘Be careful with this hobby’ Currently, Forbes says, he has nine plates – including the one given to him by Ferguson. “I have four-digit plates, I have some three- digit plates, but John is the only one that has the two digits – the only one I’ve seen.” However, Forbes does have a single-digit Jamaican plate – LF 6. On his wish list for his burgeoning collection are a single-digit or two- digit plate from Cayman. But Ferguson warned Forbes, “Be careful with this hobby,” explaining that when he moved into his home in West Bay in 2005, he was fi nally able to mount and display his collection, at the time, of 37 plates, along the rafters of his car port. Now, 17 years later, he has “just shy of 6,000 plates”. And the collection continues to grow. Ferguson visited the US this month to attend a licence plate convention, and to pick up 50 more plates which he has already bought. “Automotive- wise and as part of our history, it’s important to keep these plates here.” Ronald Forbes of our history,” Forbes said, and he thanked Ferguson for continuing to collect and highlight these little metal pieces “Automotive-wise history, it’s important to keep these plates somehow, whether John Ferguson on the cover of the Automobile License Plate Collectors Association’s magazine ‘Plates’ in December 2010. cayman compass 9 news N news FRIDAY, 14 JANUARY 2022Next >