Two Anguillians, serving in the public service, have been presented with the insignias of awards conferred on them by Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth the Second, on her official birthday celebration in June last year.
The medals were presented to the recipients by Governor Christina Scott at Government House on Tuesday, November 4. She first called Sergeant Granville Duncan who has served as Orderly to five Governors for seventeen years, and has almost thirty years of service in the Royal Anguilla Police Force.
In presenting him with the British Empire Medal (BEM), Governor Scott described him as one of the most indispensable members of the Governor’s team and a very valuable source of advice. “There are a hundred things that Granville does everyday that fix problems before they emerge – that stop Governors from embarrassing themselves and the office as well,” she stated. He was praised for his bodyguard and protocol roles in terms of visits by royal and other officials and his “utter impressive discretion” on the job.
“It is my absolute pleasure to award the British Empire Medal to Sergeant Granville Duncan,” the Governor concluded.
In presenting the Medal of Officer of the British Empire (OBE) to Mr Stanley Reid, Governor Scott spoke about his distinguished career in the Anguilla public service – as Permanent Secretary in the Department of Public Administration and previously as Senior Crown Counsel in the Attorney General’s Chambers. “In those posts he has distinguished himself in terms of his commitment and dedication to the Anguilla public service,” she stated.
She acknowledged that both she and Mr Reid have “disagreements from time to time”, and continued: “But what I always enjoy about working with Stanley is his absolute integrity and his absolute honesty; and he will say things absolutely straight to you, and we have had some very important conversations that have helped me to do my job better. I am extremely grateful for that.” She also spoke about his commitment to the public service and the delivery of public services, as well as his knowledge of the law which she said was astonishing in the Executive Council. The Governor said that the commitment of Mr Reid, a trained Lawyer, “to supporting his team and to serving the people of Anguilla is a real privilege and pleasure.”
She added that somehow, although he had one of “the busiest jobs in government, he manages to find time to coach young kids in table tennis and he is also an adept hand at gardening. He won the best show at the last Anguilla Horticultural [Exhibition] so he is a man of many talents.”
