Executive Council has approved the award of the Anguilla Badge of Honour to the following persons and has recommended to Her Excellency that the King’s Certificate also be conferred.
REVOLUTION
Mr Valentine Ruan
Mr Valentine Ruan, also known as Bobby, of Pond Ground, East End was a foot soldier in the Anguilla Revolution. He participated in many demonstrations and protest marches as a close ally of revolutionary leader Mr James Ronald Webster and he helped to guard the beaches at night to prevent invasion. On 30th May 1967, prominent among the freedom fighters at the airport to expel the St Kitts Police from Anguilla, was Mr Valentine Ruan.
Subsequently, due to concern that the St Kitts Government would launch an attack on Anguilla, the revolutionary leaders decided that Anguilla should attack St Kitts first, overthrow its Government and establish in St Kitts an opposition Government favourable to Anguilla’s cause.
To this end, on Sunday 9th June 1967 several Anguillian men plus three USA mercenaries left Island Harbour aboard the Rambler and sailed for St Kitts. Among them was Mr Valentine Ruan who was the engineer of the boat. They arrived in St Kitts in the early hours of 10th June 1967 (as the boat went off course) and expected to be met by opposition forces to support them, but very few people were there to meet them. While the attack on St Kitts did not result in the overthrow of the St Kitts Government, it was a success from the point of view that the Robert Bradshaw regime was unable to defeat the Anguilla revolutionary Government.
For this brave act of putting their lives on the line for Anguilla, most of the men who sailed on the Rambler have been awarded the Anguilla Badge of Honour and Queen’s Certificate for their contribution and Mr Valentine Ruan is equally deserving for his selfless and patriotic contribution.
Mr Naman Webster
Mr Naman Webster of Island Harbour was one of the foot soldiers in the Anguilla Revolution who participated in revolutionary protests and had the arduous task of guarding the beaches at night to keep Anguilla safe by preventing invasion by hostile forces from St Kitts. Mr Webster was a staunch supporter of the revolutionary cause.
During the early morning of 19th March 1969 when British paratroopers invaded Anguilla, Mr Naman Webster rode his motorbike to The Valley and, along with Mr Nashville Webster, was detained by armed British forces and his bike was confiscated. For four hours Naman and Nashville Webster were forced to stand with their hands up against a wall, searched and questioned because of their suspected involvement in revolutionary activities and ties to revolutionary leaders. It is believed that the British paratroopers may have mistaken Naman and Nashville Webster for revolutionary leader James Ronald Webster and John Webster respectively.
Despite this, Mr NamanWebster remained resolute in his determination to fight for a better Anguilla and was among the crowd of protestors who opposed the appointment of Tony Lee as the Her Majesty’s Commissioner to Anguilla in March 1969 and surrounded Mr Lee’s vehicle preventing him from entering his office in the Government’s administrative building.
SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT
Mrs Bernice A. Lewis (posthumously)
The late Mrs Bernice Lewis nee Woods was born and raised in Rey Hill, but later migrated to South Hill with her husband and children. She was a health professional who began her career as a pupil-nurse at the Cottage Hospital under the tutelage of the renowned Nurse Miriam Gumbs. In the late 1950s she travelled to the United Kingdom to pursue studies in nursing and became a qualified nurse practitioner. Further studies in Edinburg Scotland, St Kitts, Barbados and Jamaica qualified her as a Registered Nurse, Certified Nurse Midwife, Theatre Nurse, Nurse Administrator and Public Health/ Community Nurse.
Nurse Lewis served at the Cottage Hospital with compassion and distinction as a staff nurse, theatre nurse and nurse midwife and later became a community nurse. Her exemplary performance in these roles, her level of skill and patient care, contributed to her being appointed Matron at the Cottage Hospital in 1979, the highest position for a nursing professional at that time. In that position she was able to mold and mentor younger nurses and assist in honing their skills. Nurse Lewis resigned from that position after several years, but her commitment to nursing and community did not end there. She became a nursing counselor/ public health educator at the Albena Lake Hodge Comprehensive School focusing on self-care and family life education and was able to connect easily with students and make a positive impact on their lives and life choices.
Even after retirement in 1990, Nurse Lewis continued to serve her community by providing assistance with the care and medical needs of the elderly. She would visit to assist with blood pressure checks, administering medication, bandages and injections and on occasion would travel overseas with them in pursuit of further medical attention. Just as easily as she connected with the elderly, she also connected with the youth in her community. Her porch was often filled with children taking classes. In particular members of the Bethel Methodist Boys and Girls Brigades had designated afternoons at her home where she would assist them with learning first aid, needlework and crochet. Additionally, students would also visit to learn about the qualities of local medicinal plants.
Nurse Lewis had a distinguished nursing career and an impactful life of service to her immediate community and Anguilla as a whole.
Mr Seymour Hodge
Mr Seymour Hodge of South Hill had a distinguished career abroad before returning to Anguilla. He is the charter and past President of the Anguilla Progressive Association of New York (APANY) which was instrumental in raising funds to support various causes here in Anguilla and is still the Anguilla liaison for the organisation. Since returning to Anguilla, Mr Hodge has provided unstinting service in several ways.
Most notably, Mr Hodge has been a member of the Rotary Club of Anguilla since 2006 and has served as President for three terms. He has served in various other executive positions in the club. He is currently senior advisor to the Club and is Assistant Governor of Rotary District 7020 responsible for the oversight of seven clubs in Anguilla, St Maarten and St Barths. Through his involvement in the Rotary Club, Mr Hodge has led several initiatives to improve the lives of Anguillians. He has been at the forefront of fund raising efforts to address various needs in the community. Over the years with his guidance, the Club has been a solid source of support for initiatives in health, education and social welfare through its partnerships and connections. Some notable examples include:
? being a key partner in the Anguilla Stronger initiative which sought to raise funds to support the needs of the most vulnerable in the aftermath of Hurricane Irma;
? securing funds from the Cable and Wireless Foundation to outfit two state of the art computer labs at the Albena Lake Hodge Comprehensive School after Hurricane Irma destroyed the campus;
? raising funds for the installation of an elevator at Campus B to ensure access for disabled students;
? securing funds for the repair of the Bethel Methodist pre-school after Hurricane Irma;
? raising funds for secondary students to attend the World Affairs Seminar at Carroll University in Wisconsin annually for over 6 years to provide opportunities for networking with other future leaders and exposure to other cultures; one student obtained a scholarship to attend the University
Mr Hodge is always willing to assist in any way he can and has also provided notable service as a member of the Anguilla Public Service Commission which makes recommendations to the Deputy Governor on public service matters, the Anguilla Parole Board which makes recommendations regarding the parole of prisoners and is an assessor in the juvenile court.
As a staunch Methodist, Mr Hodge is an active member of the Bethel congregation where he serves as congregational steward and as secretary to the Resources and Development Committee for the entire Anguilla circuit.
Through his actions and dedicated service in various capacities, Mr Hodge has demonstrated extraordinary commitment to Anguilla’s development.
Mr Evans Harrigan
Mr Evans Harrigan of East End is a stalwart of his community. At 97 years old, he is the last surviving member of the first Anguilla Council of 1972 to 1976 (the predecessor to what we now know as the Anguilla House of Assembly) where he worked alongside Mr James Ronald Webster to formulate plans for Anguilla’s development. For three of his four years as a member of the Council, he willingly served without remuneration and persuaded other members to do the same. As the economy improved, he was encouraged to accept a small stipend of EC$12 to EC$14 per week. During his tenure on the Anguilla Council, Mr Harrigan also served on the Constitutional Committee established to make recommendations for the formulation of the Anguilla Constitution and was able to make a meaningful contribution towards Anguilla’s constitutional advancement.
As a member of the Anguilla Council at that time, Mr Harrigan played an integral role in the development of the national land registry and from several accounts, he is credited with recording the area known as “Gibbon Point” on the map which is an important landmark for Anguilla’s fishermen. He was an advocate for the land registry system and the Anguilla Council passed the legislation establishing the system of registered land during his tenure.
Mr Harrigan was a well-known tradesman and as a builder, carpenter and plumber he used his skills in the construction of roads, schools and other government buildings. He eventually became foreman in charge of construction of government buildings and supervised a team of approximately thirty employees, who he convinced to join him in paying 2% of their wages back to Government as a means of contributing to the island and kept a written record of their contributions.
In his community, Mr Harrigan is respected as a man of faith and a repository of information. A devout Christian he worshipped at the St Augustine’s Anglican Church where he lent his baritone voice to the choir for many years. He was involved in the construction of the church and served in various capacities in church organisations. His Christian life was one that stood out as an example to others in the community. In addition to his love for Christ, he also willingly shared his knowledge and skills with young persons interested in learning a trade.
Mr Harrigan’s influence has touched every sphere of Anguilla’s development – political, infrastructural, spiritual and social.
Mrs Serene Carter-Davis
Mrs Serene Carter Davis is a veteran in the nursing profession. From an early age she identified her calling and on completion of her secondary education she travelled to St Kitts for training and became a Registered Nurse and Midwife. Later in her professional life she received training in operating theatre techniques having completed an attachment at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Barbados, attained certification in Nursing Administration and Public Administration from the University of the West Indies and attained a Master’s Degree in Hospital and Health Services Management from South Bank University, London.
From 1977 to 2013 Nurse Carter-Davis provided dedicated service as a nursing professional in the Government of Anguilla and later the Health Authority of Anguilla. She rose through the ranks in the profession through her excellent patient care, level of expertise and her commitment to lifelong learning; from Staff Nurse/ Midwife to Chief Nursing Officer/ Director of Health Services Quality Management a post she held for fourteen years until she retired. Such was the confidence in her technical and leadership abilities that she was afforded the opportunity to act as Director of Medical Services and Permanent Secretary Health in the then Ministry of Health and Social Development.
In these roles, Nurse Carter-Davis served on numerous committees. She worked with the Project Board, PAHO and DFID consultants to plan for the transition of health services from Government to the Health Authority and then chaired the Commissioning Team for the eventual handover. She served as Health Disaster Coordinator Focal Point for the Ministry of Health and was recognized by the National Disaster Management Committee for positive results in disaster risk reduction and mitigation. She led the team to conduct the assessment of health facilities to identify and address deficiencies to enable the Health Authority to gain accreditation by the Canadian Council of Health Services Accreditation. She also served as chair of the Practice Committee of the Regional Nursing Body. Additionally, she led in the development of several policies on subjects such as protection of human subjects in research, residential care for older persons, standards of nursing, mental health and the national health sector.
Nurse Carter-Davis earned a reputation for being visionary, analytical, dependable and committed to excellence. She was well respected by her peers and served as President of the Anguilla Nurses Association for ten years. She was instrumental in the establishment of the Renal Dialysis Unit and ensuring the initial nurses were trained as dialysis nurses. She was passionate about the development of the profession and successfully advocated for a Registered Nurse Assistant to manage the Miriam Gumbs’ Senior Citizen’s Home and also for nurses to be trained as certified Operating Theatre Nurses. Nurse Carter-Davis prepared the proposal for and developed in collaboration with her colleagues at the Health Authority and Ministry of Health, the Nurse Cadet Programme for first and second form students at the Albena Lake-Hodge Comprehensive School which was first implemented in 2010 and yielded positive results.
In other areas of public service, Nurse Carter Davis was called upon to lead the Implementation Team to review and implement recommendations from the Carlyle Rogers’ Report for the improvement of Her Majesty’s Prison. She was a member of the Job Evaluation Committee for the Anguilla Public Service and also served as a member of the Higher Education Licensing Board for a five year term.
Nurse Carter-Davis’ service did not end on retirement. She was appointed to the Board of Directors of the Health Authority of Anguilla and served as chair and now member of the Nursing and Patient Care Committee. She served as a member of the National Honours and Awards Committee, the Public Sector Transformation Project Working Group, the Public Service Commission and the Retired Nurses Friendly Group in which she now serves as President.
A multi-faceted individual, Nurse Carter-Davis is known for her strong Christian faith. At the Christian Fellowship Church where she worships, she is a member of the Anguilla chapter of the Aglow Fellowship, leads an intercessory prayer ministry, teaches bible study and ministers to the congregation. For many years she has been leading persons to Christ and assisting them with their spiritual development. She has recently pursued studies in intercessory prayer to equip herself to be more effective in this ministry and is known to be a powerful “prayer warrior”.
Nurse Carter-Davis has made a remarkable contribution to Anguilla’s development through her work in and out of the public service.
Mrs Judith R. Gumbs
Mrs Judith Gumbs of Statia Valley is a health professional with a remarkable nursing career. Beginning at age eighteen, she worked for the Government of Anguilla for almost ten years as a Nursing Assistant and later pursued studies in New York, St Kitts, Jamaica and Texas and climbed the ranks in her profession becoming a Certified Nursing Assistant, Registered Nurse, Registered Midwife and Clinical Teacher eventually earning her Bachelor’s Degree in Health Care Law. She gained a reputation for always going beyond the call of duty in caring for her patients and serving with empathy.
After completing a course in care of the elderly, and recognizing the scarcity of elderly care homes in Anguilla, Nurse Gumbs made the investment and built Just Tender Care in North Side, a sixteen bed facility she opened in 2010 that cares for the elderly in the community. Clients and their families have welcomed this initiative and have applauded the love and the standard of personal care received at the facility. While several persons are unable to meet the cost of patient care, Nurse Gumbs continues to render the service with a high degree of professionalism.
She also serves as flight transport nurse and offers her expertise to care for patients who have to be airlifted for critical care overseas. Additionally, during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, Nurse Gumbs assisted the Ministry of Health in managing patients who had tested positive. She managed a quarantine facility and also served as a quarantine officer for persons in home quarantine, travelling across the island to monitor their health conditions and ensure they remained in place. She worked extended hours without rest and depending on the condition of the patients would have to assist them in preparing meals and taking a bath.
While fully occupied, Nurse Gumbs still volunteers her time to provide service to the community by caring for the housebound and offering domestic violence intervention. She continues to render dedicated and selfless service.
