TCI News
TCI: Governor’s Inaugural Speech
Grand Turk, July 16, 2019 – Turks and Caicos –
Governor Nigel Dakin’s Speech 15 July 2019.
His Honour the Speaker, Your Ladyship the Chief Justice, the Honourable Premier, the Honourable Leader of the Opposition, Her Excellency the Deputy Governor, the Honourable Attorney General, Honourable Ministers, Honourable Members of this Honourable House, the Commissioner of Police, Ladies and Gentlemen, Family. And, through your various representational roles, my greetings to the people of these islands, a community I hope I will soon be able to call ‘friends’.
Mr Speaker, thank you for the opportunity of addressing this House a thank you I extend to the Honourable Premier, and to the Honourable Leader of the Opposition, for their welcome, not only to myself but also my family.
As experienced leaders you will have chosen your words with care and I look forward to weighing those words accordingly.
To reply today to the important points you make would suggest I have arrived with an agenda prepared in London; you will all be relieved to hear that I don’t. My views can wait until I am better informed, through detailed conversations with you.
In truth, I come with only one idea: ‘To preserve and to improve’. I’ll explain this in a moment.
Let me first though properly introduce you to my family, supporting me here today.
Mandy my extraordinary wife, who you will find ready to contribute a great deal to these islands. Charlie – our daughter – an ‘International Relations’ graduate now deeply engaged on environmental issues and Fraser – our son – an Undergraduate studying Engineering.
You, I know, understand the importance of family in the way I’ve just described a family. You also use the imagery of family – rather beautifully I think – to describe the wider islands that I’m now Governor of: “the family islands”. I look forward to getting to know this new family.
A word about first impressions.
This is not our first time in these islands; our family have previously arrived in a particularly important capacity. We arrived as tourists; the economic engine of this country and on which so much of these islands future depends.
We expected the beauty – we’d of course seen the pictures. We anticipated the weather – we’d consulted the forecast. What we didn’t expect was the genuine warmth of the people we met. If it’s the beaches that bought us here it’s the people that would bring us back.
Every person: the immigration officer; the representative of the car hire firm in Provo; the taxi driver in Grand Turk; the waitress; the bartender; the police officer that helped us at the fish fry; the owner of the accommodation we stayed at; the power boat skipper who took us down the islands; all were outstanding Ambassadors for this country. All four of us are delighted to be back.
To substance. The greatest courtesy I can now pay you is to be both brief (I will take little more than 5 minutes) – and to be clear – (I will make just 6 points). Four words that you may choose to hold me to account to, one thought about the Constitution and I’ll end talking about my priorities.
The first word is ‘Care’. I may be a True Brit, but I’m a Brit who cares deeply about the UK’s relationship with the Caribbean, and the Caribbean’s relationship with the UK. With a Bajan wife, whose family has lived on that island for centuries, and children who enjoy joint Bajan / British nationality how could I be anything, but.
I’ve been in the Caribbean every year for the last 35 years and visited many of the islands in this region. Nearly 33 years ago I married Mandy in St Georges Church, Barbados.
One of our children was christened in St Ambrose Church, St Michael, Barbados. I therefore promise to ‘care’ about the people and the future of these islands, an easy promise to make, and an easy promise to keep, because both myself and my family have cared about the future of this region for a very long time.
You will find I will take my responsibility to represent the interests of the Turks and Caicos Islands seriously and diligently.
The second word is ‘Listen’. Long standing connections to this region ensure that I at least know how much I don’t know. I have some insight to island life. I know how hard I will have to work to understand a rich and complex society that few – who have not lived in the Caribbean – can properly understand.
As a result you will find me inquisitive, I aspire to be one of the most informed people on these islands. Whoever you are, you will find that I will ask a lot of questions. You all, I think, have a right to be heard – and I have a duty to listen.
So I promise to seek to understand the collective wisdom of these islands by listening to as many people as I can – from as many different walks of life as I can; I promise to ‘listen’. The third word is ‘Service’. I was introduced to public service in 1982 when I joined the British Army. Six months later, at the age of 19, I was leading thirty soldiers on operations. That was 37 years ago and this word ‘service’ has been tested every day since then.
The cap badge at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst – where I started my first career aged 18 – does not read “Lead to Serve”. You do not ‘serve’ through your ‘leadership’ – quite the opposite. The cap badge at Sandhurst reads: “Serve to Lead”.
The truth is that the quality of a person’s leadership is based only on the quality of their service, and the quality of their service boils down to putting others first. So I promise, as your Governor, that I will not only be Her Majesty’s servant in these islands, but I will also be your servant.
Being clear and straight: This final word, and we need not dwell on this because you will – in the end – judge me as you see it – is that you will find me ‘clear’ and by being clear you fill find me ‘straight’.
To ‘care’, to ‘listen’ to ‘serve’ and to be ‘straight’ seem to me four good words, four good anchors, to be held accountable to.
I promised a word about the constitution. I am the 15th Governor of these Islands. Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth, has appointed all 15. She had been crowned twenty years before the first Governor – Alexander Mitchell – was appointed by her. All fifteen Governors received their commission from her, to be her representative as Head of State.
I am genuinely touched by the spotlight you place on me today, but in truth whoever the individual Governor is, is not the issue. It is instead what the office of Governor represents: continuity, the link to the Crown and to Britain, and the Governor’s application of the constitution that is important.
It is important because it ensures everyone in these islands, and anyone wishing to travel to her, or invest in her, understands that through the Constitution it is the rule of law that prevails here and all are equal here before the law.
An investment here is safe, because the law keeps it safe. A persons human rights are in the end guaranteed here because the law demands those rights be protected.
Conversations about the constitution become immediately complex but let me – for the moment – keep things simple. The key test is that a Constitution has to be good enough to weather the bad times as well as the good. To take in its stride not just the sort of outstanding leaders who spoke before me today, the Premier and the Leader of the Opposition, but those whose intentions, perhaps long in the future, may be less selfless than the standard that all of us in this room aspire to now.
It’s why the oath I swore at the start of these proceedings is taken by all of you so seriously and why it is – to me – the islands sword and shield; something I must steward diligently.
I am acutely aware that as Head of State I am appointed rather than elected. I have the greatest respect for those politicians amongst you, who face an electorate. As a result you – as well as Her Majesty who appointed me as her representative – have every right to demand, in your Head of State, Statesman like qualities. Today is my first step on a journey to earn the right to be judged in that way.
In the 18th Century the political philosopher Burke offered advice. His definition of a statesman was: “A disposition to preserve and an ability to improve”. That seems to me to remain a good aiming mark in the 21st Century Turks and Caicos Islands. To preserve and improve. You will find that I’m interested in making a practical, positive, difference.
So I’m interested in supporting all those helping educate, protect, develop and care for all that call these islands home, including the most vulnerable. I’m equally interested in supporting those who are focussed on business, tourism and diversifying the economy. We all rely on wealth creators.
We can all learn from the next generation – I have – and there will be a particular place, in my heart, for those who understand that the stewardship of our environment offers not just benefits here, but also the opportunity for the Turks and Caicos Islands to have a genuine global voice.
That’s a global voice in what will be one of the predictable themes of this century, something critical we must steward for those that come behind us. Fortunately it’s a fast developing UK priority. On the environment we – the Turks and Caicos Islands, Britain and all the Overseas Territories – are more influential and stronger together than we can ever be apart.
In starting a new role though it’s critical to have early focus – my early focus will be on properly understanding issues relating to crime, illegal immigration and hurricane preparedness. My programme has been prepared with that in mind.
That’s enough talk. I start my agenda – such as it is – to work with you all to ‘preserve and to improve’. In the end this is going to be a Governorship based on values. Whether I ‘care’, ‘listen’, ‘serve’ and whether I’m ‘straight’ will best be judged by my actions rather than my words. I’m now keen to get to work.
And may God bless the Turks and Caicos Islands.
PROVIDENCIALES, Turks & Caicos Islands: — Beaches Turks & Caicos continues to lead the way in sustainability by cultivating a
culture of environmental stewardship across the Turks and Caicos Islands. Through the introduction of biodegradable alternatives, agricultural education and community partnerships, the resort is setting a new standard for eco-conscious hospitality. As part of its ongoing sustainability mission, the resort has replaced single-use plastics and certain chemicals with compostable, biodegradable products derived from natural sources, to reduce pollution and minimize the resort’s carbon footprint.
“At Beaches Turks & Caicos, sustainability is woven into every part of the guest experience,” said Managing Director, James McAnally. “From the products we use to the relationships we nurture, our goal is to make responsible environmental choices that benefit our guests, team members and the wider Turks and Caicos community.”
The resort also practices on-site composting, recycling fruit and vegetable waste from its kitchens to enrich soil and sustain its lush
landscaping. This closed-loop system reduces waste and promotes biodiversity across the property.
Beyond the resort, Beaches collaborates with local partners including schools, government agencies and NGOs to extend green education into the wider community. Through the Sandals Foundation, the resort supports projects such as the installation of water filtration systems, tree-planting activities and biodegradable workshops. Schools like Enid Capron Primary have expanded their farming projects and integrated agricultural science into their curriculum thanks to this partnership. Beaches also leads regular coastal cleanups and reforestation drives which inspires residents and students to play an active role in protecting their environment. “The Earth Guardian volunteers take pride in giving back to our schools and the communities we serve,” noted Public Relations Manager, Orville Morgan. “These initiatives create a sense of shared responsibility that strengthens both our communities and our natural resources.”
With its commitment to biodegradable innovation, sustainable education and environmental action, Beaches Turks & Caicos continues to set the benchmark for biodiversity and sustainability in the Turks and Caicos Islands.
Photo Captions
1st insert: Beaches Turks and Caicos and the Sandals Foundation celebrate with students at the Enid Capron Primary School in a Reading Road Trip experience where guests and students get to experience a cultural melting pot of activity.
2nd insert: Beaches Turks and Caicos resort Simone Woodfine from the Bar Department prepares to plant a tree at one of our schools to celebrate the mission of providing a healthier environment for the Turks and Caicos Islands
TCI News
Turks and Caicos Corporate Community Join Beaches Resort to Raise Funds for Jamaica’s Hurricane Melissa Relief
Turks and Caicos Islands, December 17, 2025 – Corporate partners in and around Providenciales recently joined Beaches Turks and
Caicos Resort raising over US $54,000 to support Jamaica’s Hurricane Melissa Relief effort. The fundraising dinner, aptly titled, ‘One Caribbean, One Family, One Love’ saw over eighteen companies gather on Friday, December 12 to support the recovery of families and the rebuilding of communities affected by the category 5 storm.
“When our Caribbean family calls, we will respond with love,” said Deryk Meany, General Manager of the Beaches Turks and Caicos resort. “Today it is Jamaica that is affected, but tomorrow, it could be the Turks and Caicos or another neighbouring island. We are committed to serving our brothers and sisters and are deeply grateful to everyone who have donated to the cause.”
Since the passage of Hurricane Melissa in Jamaica on October 28, the Sandals Foundation has been working around the clock with local
agencies and international partners to provide shelter essentials, food, and clean water, restore schools, and provide medical support to hospitals. Funds raised at the recent benefit dinner will help bolster the next phase of the philanthropic organisation’s support to rebuild schools and livelihoods in affected communities.
“As we continue to provide essential first-relief support, we have already begun our long-term recovery response,” says Patrice Gilpin, Public Relations Manager at Sandals Foundation. “Many schools, which are the cornerstone of stability, learning, and emotional support for our young ones, require urgent attention. This donation will go a far way in restoring a sense of normalcy in the lives of our youngest and most vulnerable.”
The One Caribbean, One Family, One Love fundraising dinner featured, amongst other things a silent auction of Sandals and Beaches
Resort stays, airline tickets, spa services, catamaran cruise, and private chef dinner. The night’s four course meal was also spearheaded by the TCI’s 2025 Taste of the Caribbean silver medalist culinary team- all of whom volunteered for the event.
Managing Director of the Northern Caribbean and Curaçao, James McAnally expressed delight at the outcome noting, “The success of this event is indicative of the power of partnerships to effect real change. We are grateful to the TCI business community, resort guests and our resort team for coming together and making this moment count.”
Photo Captions
1st insert: Sandals Foundation Public Relations Manager Patrice Gilpin (centre) accepts the cheque from Beaches Turks and Caicos resort General Manager Deryk Meany (left) and Managing Director of the Northern Caribbean and Curacao James McAnally
2nd insert: Members of the Beaches Turks and Caicos resort’s entertainment team were on hand to provide scintillating performances at the event
3rd insert: Beaches Turks and Caicos resort General Manager Deryk Meany (5th left) poses for the cameras with representatives of the Graceway Communities as he personally thanked those who were in attendance
