The Anguilla House of Assembly has paid tribute to outgoing Attorney General, Mr James Wood, who is scheduled to leave the island in mid-August at the conclusion of three years of service.
The attention of the members of the House was drawn to Mr Wood’s imminent departure by the Speaker, Mrs Barbara Webster-Bourne, who invited them to speak on that matter. That was on Friday, July 11, following the end of the agenda for the meeting, and the last time that Mr Wood will be in attendance.
He said he had developed a great love for the Caribbean, when he first arrived in St Lucia seven years ago, and Anguilla, in particular. “For the three years that I have had the pleasure of living and working here, I have seen many things,” he said. “In some ways, Anguilla is a microcosm of the world. There is good and bad. People can do some very foolish things at times, but there is also a highly educated, intelligent and creative people and indeed, as everywhere, happiness and sadness.”
Mr Wood continued: “Having said that, Madam Speaker, there are many things here which have had a profound effect on me…The first is the feeling and sense of community. Nowhere else have I seen such a coming together of people at times of trouble or distress, such as bereavement, or at times of happiness.”
He also spoke on what he referred to as “the giving of friendship.” He thought it was being done “in a way which is very genuine and sincere.” He went on: “I have had the good fortune to travel to much of the Caribbean, and I can say that there are few other places where a person will be greeted and welcomed for who they are – not for what they look like…and this is so often accompanied by gentleness or generosity.” He said “it was the act of giving without the expectation of receiving that is so special.”
He spoke as well on the spiritual connections on the island, saying that many people were attending churches on Saturday and Sunday as part of their daily lives. “I admire that the teachings are with them at all times. Also, the independence of the people, and this is not meant in a political way. It is meant in a social and economic way.”
He stated that for someone who did not grow up in Anguilla, the virtues of the people of Anguilla were perhaps easier to see. “Throughout all the difficulty and challenging events that have happened, in the few years that I have been here, those virtues have remained intact,” he said. “These are the things that cannot be taught; they cannot be created or governed by legislation. This is how people are. It contributes towards making Anguilla the wonderful place it is.”
Mr Wood expressed thanks to a number of officials with who he worked in the Governor’s Office, the Government of Anguilla, the House of Assembly and other departments and offices in the public service. He also thanked a number of friends in the private sector for making his sojourn in Anguilla an enjoyable experience.
All members on both sides of the House of Assembly joined in paying tribute to Mr Wood, thanking him for his three years of service to the Government and people of Anguilla. They offered best wishes to him and his family, and invited him to visit the island at any opportune time.
Meanwhile, Mr Wood is to be succeeded by the recently-appointed Attorney General, Mr Rupert Jones, who will formally take up his appointment on Monday, August 11. Mr Jones, like Mr Wood, is a UK Barrister. He will be joined in Anguilla by his wife, Charlotte, and their children, Florence and Oscar.
