Governor new Chairman of Recovery Fund
His Excellency the Governor, Mr. Stuart Jack has agreed to take on the role of the new Chairman of the Cayman Islands National Recovery Fund.
The Governor takes up where former Governor Mr. Bruce Dinwiddy left off. Mr. Dinwiddy chaired the Fund from its inception on 23rd September 2004 until he demitted office at the end of October.
The Governor was presented to the Fund's Board of Trustees at its last meeting for the year on 12th December, at which members apprised him on the work of the Fund over the past 15 months.
Welcoming the Governor as Chairman, Vice Chairman, Conor O'Dea noted that the Fund had benefited from the leadership and dedication of persons from the public and private sectors from its early days and had grown into an organization fully focused on the short and long term recovery and continuing development of the Cayman Islands.
"The Trustees and I look forward to working with you throughout your tenure here and are confident that your leadership and experience will serve us well as the Fund grows and changes to meet the needs of the community," Mr. O'Dea told the Governor.
"It is an honour to be called upon to work with this Fund and its Trustees in the very important task of rebuilding the Cayman Islands. A great deal of effort has gone into the recovery process and yet from what I have seen much more needs to be done" the Governor stated. "I look forward to serving with the Board of Trustees and all those who will benefit from the work of the Fund."
The Fund's Executive Director, Dr. Mark Laskin also welcomed the Governor as Chairman. "It is a tribute to the serving trustees, our donors and most importantly those that have been served and will continue to have their needs met by the fund to have the new Governor recognise the importance of the fund to Cayman and its people and to agree to become its active Chairman," he said.
A few days earlier, the Governor, along with Dr. Laskin, Mr. O'Dea and Trustee Huw Moses toured CINRF projects and a few of the homes slated to be rebuilt in West Bay and George Town.
In West Bay, the group visited the home of Ms. Clancy Godoy, one of some 150 homes slated for complete rebuilding by the Fund. They made a site visit to the property of Victor and Mary Ebanks on Hospital Road, which is also slated for major repairs. The tour included inspection of a nearly completed home on Bodden Road and another on Eastern Avenue, where Turnkey Construction's donation of material and labour to the value of some $50,000 provided a new home for Ora McField and family.
Since it began the Fund, along with IAMCO, CIDB and other groups working on recovery in the community, have repaired and restored furnishings to over 1,200 homes. The Fund is now focused on rebuilding some 150 homes that were too severely damaged to be repaired.