Just days before leaving Anguilla, at the end of his two-year contract, Attorney General, Mr. John McKendrick QC, was called to the Anguilla Bar, signifying his intention to practice on the island as a lawyer at some point in time. The sitting of the High Court, for that purpose, on Thursday, July 12, was presided over by Madam Justice Cheryl Mathurin.
On that evening, Mr. McKendrick, accompanied by his partner, Mr. Vladimir Bernal, was hosted at a farewell reception at Government House – by Governor Tim Foy and his wife, Dr Dina Foy – and attended by a number of invited guests.
Addressing Mr. McKendrick, the Governor said in part: “I think what you brought to Anguilla is professionalism, a desire to do the right thing for the right reasons; and the energy to get important matters through. You leave behind very solid foundations for long term legal reforms for whoever comes behind.”
Governor Foy observed that the fact that Mr. McKendrick had managed to have so many persons at the farewell event – some he had faced at the opposite end of the law and had still managed to stay friends with them – was very important. He also thanked Mr. McKendrick’s partner for his stay in Anguilla.
“From me, John, good luck to you for whatever your next venture is,” the Governor added. “I am sure that whatever you do, you will bring to it a richness, a very great importance and an earnestness which we all value.”
Deputy Governor, Mr. Perin Bradley, said: “John, I want to say congratulations on moving on from Anguilla. It has been a university and I am sure you will take this experience wherever you go. I have been sitting in Executive Council recently, but going to Council from 2008 – about ten years now – quite frankly you are one of the best AGs I have worked with as far as your responsiveness, quickness and your insight in some of the issues that have come up on a regular basis. We will certainly miss you. The next guy [to succeed you] has some big shoes to fill, but we are hard at work on that search. I want to offer my sincerest best wishes to you.” He also expressed his family’s appreciation for the close relationship they had with Mr. McKendrick’s Panama-born partner and the Spanish language he shared with them.
Replying, the outgoing Attorney General said he was pleased to have worked with two fantastic Governors (Christina Scott and Tim Foy). “I have learnt a lot from them,” he went on. “They were very senior civil servants with different styles, but the style in which they worked for Anguilla was always focused on what was best for the island and its people. It has been great to work with both of them.”
He was grateful to his staff, saying he thought on a whole that his Chambers and the employees had worked well as a team. “I think we have achieved some good results for the people of Anguilla – and that was always the most important thing to do – to get things moving such as legislation passed; to fairly prosecute criminal cases and to defend the Government,” he stressed. He was also very grateful to Commissioner Paul Morrison, and the members of the Royal Anguilla Police Force, with whom he worked very closely over the past two years. He went on to thank the president and members of the Anguilla Bar Association, the Governor, Deputy Governor, and a number of other persons working for the betterment of Anguilla.
Mr. McKendrick commented on the legislative programme which his Chambers had been leading for some time now. “Whether or not some of the legislative reforms are passed, we have had the debate and the discussion,” he stated.
He added: “Lastly, and more importantly, I want to thank Vladimir, my loving partner. We will celebrate fifteen years together next year. I probably would not have managed without him. His support and love has been very important. People seem to talk a lot about legacy and whether the Attorney General has a legacy. I don’t have a legacy. I just work as hard as I could but I think Anguilla has a very nice legacy.
“Probably, I am the first openly gay Attorney General in the whole of the Caribbean. Anguilla has shown itself to be a loving, tolerant, friendly island and that’s the important thing. I don’t think it could have been as easy in other places. That says a lot about the charity, richness, grace, compassion and the friendliness of Anguillians, and I will miss that a lot.”
