Chopper ride for governor
(CNS Local Life): Governor Martyn Roper and Overseas Territories Minister Lord Tariq Ahmad shared a helicopter ride Friday, 28 June, after watching the annual beach landing in front of Government House by crew and equipment of the RFA Mounts Bay. The exercise was run by the ship’s Humanitarian and Disaster Relief troop. The two officials then took a quick trip to Cayman Brac.
Commenting on the Brac trip on his Facebook page, the governor said it was “historic” as it was the first UK Ministerial visit that anyone could recall, adding, “We went on RFA Mounts Bay’s Wild Cat helicopter and returned on our state-of-the-art RCIPS helicopter.” Among the sights Lord Ahmad visited were Faith Hospital and Heritage House.
The night before, Premier Alden McLaughlin was on the ship for the official signing to join the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA). The declaration of intent, formally introduced by Lord Ahmad, was witnessed by Roper, along with Deputy Governor Franz Manderson and Minister for Financial Services and Home Affairs Tara Rivers.
Signed in front of a gathering including heads of OTs, UK Parliamentarians and Cayman dignitaries, Lord Ahmad said in a press release that Cayman’s CDEMA membership further strengthens the British Overseas Territories’ resolve to work collaboratively in pooling resources, training and support capabilities in the kind of mass emergency and disaster situations, seen in the 2017 and subsequent hurricane seasons.
He also acknowledged Cayman’s vital role in assisting other BOTs during those challenging months and highlighted the effectiveness of RFA Mounts Bay’s rapid response deployment during those times.
Visitors then watched the traditional sunset flag-lowering ceremony, following which McLaughlin was formally presented with the flag.
Category: Local News
