The Anguilla House of Assembly met in full session on Tuesday this week, March 10, and gave a big send off for the first time to a departing Governor, in the person of His Excellency Mr. Andrew George, thus signifying the high esteem in which he was held since his appointment to the island almost three years ago. The outgoing representative of Queen Elizabeth (and the British Government) inspected a Guard of Honour formed by the Royal Anguilla Police Force, as well as the Police Community Band, before entering the crowded House of Assembly for the farewell ceremony.

Speaker (centre) and Members of the Anguilla House of Assembly

Speaker of the House, David Carty, told Mr. George that he had served Anguilla as Governor in interesting times. “Anguilla is a village society in transition bearing all the burdens and benefits of its momentous decision made in 1967 to be a full member of the global community.” he stated. “We have been on a tense roller-coaster ride which has brought us much material prosperity and wrenching social concerns. Now we face, with the global community, yet another global challenge. You have seen and handled these difficult issues directly as Governor in a calm and infallible manner. Although as Speaker I have not worked directly with you, I must also believe that you have possessed a well-developed sense of humour since any Chairman of Anguilla’s Executive Council must have one, if he is to face the weekly interaction with our elected officials. If you ever decide to write your memoirs, I am sure that Anguilla’s political historians would love to have a copy.”

Mr. Carty wished the Governor and Mrs. George all the very best for the future on behalf of the members of the House of Assembly.

Mr & Mrs Andrew George

Just before Chief Minister Osbourne Fleming delivered his address, he called on three staff members of the Caribbean Commercial Bank, of which he is Chairman, to sing for the Governor who enjoyed the singing by the Bank’s mass choir at several social events. The ladies sang two tunes to the applause of all.

The Chief Minister was grateful to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) “for giving us His Excellency Governor George to serve in Anguilla.” He told the House that over the past few years he and his colleagues had enjoyed “a period of togetherness, understanding and respect in the Executive Council and in social life” with Mr. George. The Leader of Government Business stated that “the wonderful relationship” had resulted from the Governor’s manner of listening and learning and his support for them. “He recognised that he was not the boss and that decisions regarding Anguilla were to be made by us.” Mr. Fleming went on. “This ceremony is a reflection of how we feel as members of the Executive Council for a man who has done well for Anguilla. I am very proud to see the [large] number of people who are here in the House of Assembly.”

Outgoing Governor inspecting Guard of Honour

Chief Minister Fleming was also grateful to the Governor’s wife, Mrs. Watanalak George, for her cooperation and support and for the catering and social functions she organised as part of her responsibilities at Government House. He thanked both Mr. and Mrs. George on behalf of the people of Anguilla and offered his best wishes to them in the future.
Opposition Member, Hubert Hughes, started his farewell address by tracing the history of British rule in its colonies and how it diminished over the centuries to the present day. He was pleased that Elected Representatives had assumed full responsibility for internal affairs, a matter which had put the Governor in a rather unique position in Anguilla, for example.

Section of the Gallery in the House of Assembly

Mr. Hughes said that as Her Majesty’s representative, Governor George had presided over the Executive Council, was head of the Civil Service and the Police and was responsible for good governance. He was of the view that history might not tell whether the Governor had served well in all his capacities (including his masters in the FCO), but added: “As a human being he has been a nice guy and I wish him and Mrs. George a happy retirement. May God be with you, Sir, as you enjoy the rest of your life.”

Another section of the Gallery

Minister of Finance, Victor Banks, who spoke on behalf of the Executive Council, believed that the British Government, through the oversight of the FCO, “want to have Governors serve with us who, not only represent the interest of the British Government but certainly complement the work that they do in supporting the efforts of the elected Government, citizens of Anguilla and those who serve in the Public Service.”

Chief Minister Fleming with CCB’s Staff Members Vanessa Connor, Shyrone Hughes and Katisha Vanterpool in song

Mr. Banks said Governor George had done just that. “He is certainly the kind of individual who deals objectively with issues. He is quiet but he is firm with his decisions and we always had a sense that he is supervising the Executive Council rather than ruling it,” the Minister stated. “I must say that your leaving, Governor, comes at a time when we might have been very happy that you stayed around,” he continued. “This is a very challenging period and, as you say in Anguilla, ‘you know what you have, you don’t know what you are going to get.’ I hope that the Governor who is coming to serve with us will have many of those qualities which you have exhibited, and we look forward to working with him as we have worked with you in the past.”

Replying, Governor George said he was conscious of the great honour and pleasure that had been accorded to him by having been invited to the farewell ceremony in the House of Assembly. He described the event as a high note on which to end his career of 34 years in the Diplomatic Service and said that his nearly three years as Governor of Anguilla “had certainly been one of the most interesting and enjoyable parts of that service.”

Hon. Donna Banks presenting flowers to Mrs. George

He said it was a great pleasure and privilege to have been Governor of Anguilla and to have served the people of Anguilla as best as he could. “It is quite a complicated task being Governor of a British Overseas Territory,” he reflected. “You wear a number of different hats as Representative of Her Majesty, Representative of the British Government and Head of State in Anguilla…How you deal with these different responsibilities [is a matter] that each individual Governor has to find his way through. At the end of the day, you might, in the words of the song say, “I did it my way.”

Governor George said he had always been conscious that elected representatives had a degree of legitimacy by reason of their democratic mandate that he as Governor did not have, and that he had always respected that. He praised the people of Anguilla for their resilience and said that it was up to them, especially the youth, to dream of what the future of Anguilla should be. He regretted that he would not be in Anguilla for the elections next year which he thought would be a fascinating experience. He thanked everyone who worked with him and offered his best wishes to all the people of Anguilla.

Governor and Mrs. George left Anguilla quietly on Wednesday by ferry at Blowing Point.

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