Mr. Leroy Rogers, Speaker of the Anguilla House of Assembly, now recovering from an illness, has informed the Members of Parliament that he is progressing well and he has offered his gratitude to them and all other persons on the island for their concern and good wishes.
He conveyed his sentiments in a letter read in the House on Wednesday, June 28, by the Deputy Speaker and First Nominated Member, Mr. Terry Harrigan.
The full text of the letter is as follows:
“To the Honourable Members of the House of Assembly: I would like to thank God Almighty for the many blessings He has bestowed on this our island home for the last fifty years of the Revolution.
“He has in many ways prospered our path so that today Anguilla is home to peoples of many nations and continents. I would also like to pay homage to the leaders of the Anguilla Revolution who stood as the standard bearers for the cause and the people of Anguilla who provided them with unwavering support.
“Today, I also continue to thank God for His blessings given to me over the last two months of my illness. There is no doubt that His Hands have buoyed me up and protected me as I continue to recuperate and grow from strength to strength.
“In this regard, I would like to thank my family, the medical nursing teams at the Royal Melbourne Hospital in Australia and the Princess Alexandra Hospital in Anguilla as well as the MASA transport team for their excellent care. Additionally, I extend my sincere appreciation to the Government of Anguilla, the Governor’s Office, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association for all the interventions made on my behalf during this time.
“The level of support given me by the Members of this Honourable House and the wider public at large has been nothing short of phenomenal. I would like to thank all who have visited with me, sent best wishes, sent flowers or provided support in any capacity. Your kind regards and well wishes have served as a balm during this period.
“I know that God will always guide the deliberations of the House of Assembly, the conduct of Government and the lives of the people of Anguilla. We all know that there is no greater leader. The support that Members have given to the Deputy Speaker in my absence is greatly appreciated. It is my hope that this continues as a matter of course during my respite and recuperation.
“May God bless you and may God bless Anguilla.”
Mr. Harrigan, the Deputy Speaker, spoke about his long relationship with Mr. Rogers and wished him all the best.
Leader of the Opposition, Ms. Palmavon Webster, extended her best wishes to the Speaker for a full recovery. “We are heartened by the news that he is progressing well and healing well. We are thankful for that and will continue to keep him in our prayers and our thoughts,” she added.
Chief Minister, Mr. Victor Banks, reported to the House that he had visited Mr. Rogers at his Shoal Bay residence on Tuesday. “I would just like to report to the House that he is an excellent recovery mode and he is very grateful for the support that the wider community and Members of this Honourable House would have given to him in so many different ways,” he stated. “I am very hopeful that he is on a very swift path to recovery.
“I had the opportunity to spend some time with him and he is in very good spirits and his doing fine. I would like to convey those sentiments to the House and the wider Anguillian community to be assured that Mr. Rogers is doing well and that he is looking forward to a speedy recovery.”
Mr. Rogers fell ill when he travelled to Australia to attend a meeting of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association. He remained there for some time at the Royal Melbourne Hospital. On his return home he was admitted to the Princess Alexandra Hospital and was later released to continue his recovery at his private residence.
Meanwhile, during Wednesday’s House of Assembly meeting, the Leader of the Opposition tabled a motion which she did not pursue and a censor motion which required a seconder. The other business on the agenda included the third reading of the Cremation (Amendment) Bill, 2017; and the first readings of the Coroner (Amendment) Bill, 2017 and the Trade, Business, Occupations and Professions Licensing (Amendment) Bill, 2017.
