Tuesday, January 24, 2012

New National Hero - Cayman Islands


On Heroes Day, 23 January, 2012, the late William Warren Conolly was inducted as the latest National Hero of the Cayman Islands.
He is being recognised for his exceptional contributions to the development of the Cayman Islands during many years in public service, where he helped to lay much of the groundwork for the growth of the Cayman Islands.
Islay Conolly, who was married to Mr Warren for 50 years, said that it was a great honour for her late husband to be recognised in this way.
"I am pleased that his significant contribution has now been recognised and that he has been honoured in such a way. Warren, while alive, turned down many opportunities to have something named after him merely saying that when he was gone if he had made a difference then something could be considered. He was a deeply humble man, a special man who cared passionately for his country"
His son, architect Burns Conolly, said that for many years he did not have a full appreciation of the impact his father had on the development of the Cayman Islands.
"I really did not recognise the true level of his contribution to Caymanian politics and to the country’s overall development until I began assisting him with his book. Between the late 1950s and the mid 1970s, he was directly involved in the passage of many laws that are today the foundation upon which these Islands have prospered. These include our land adjudication legislation and the Registered Land Law, which created the basis for the property boom experienced over the past several decades. I am deeply moved by him becoming a National Hero."
Mr Warren’s son David Ritch followed in his footsteps by entering the legal profession, opening the law firm Ritch & Conolly with Mr. Warren in 1983.
"I am moved that this honour has been conferred on him. He was truly a special person and is constantly missed. His historical knowledge on the country and in particular the Constitution and the core laws was unparalleled. This is well earned and deserved".
Jackie Conolly-Smellie, who also followed her father’s footsteps in law said that although her father had preferred to stay quietly in East End, he remained keenly interested in the country’s development right up to his passing.
"He was always willing to answer a question for someone or research something from his library that would shed light on the background of a Law for some legislator or academic," she recalled.
"I am sure Dad would have been deeply humbled by this honour. Our family was pleasantly surprised at this award but deeply appreciative to those who nominated him and the Cabinet for ultimately choosing him."
Born on 5 December, 1920, in East End to Austin and Adrienne Conolly, Mr. Warren excelled from an early age, attending the Government All Age School where he passed the Third Year Pupil Teachers Examination with distinction, qualifying for entrance to college. He remained at the school as a student teacher in the hope of receiving a scholarship to study overseas, but this never materialised and hopes of furthering his education in Jamaica were dashed when the family business burned down.
Rather than dwell on lost opportunities, Mr. Warren decided to follow his father into public service and in 1944 was elected as vestryman for East End, along with his father. He served for one year before following in the footsteps of so many Caymanian men before him and going off to sea.
He joined the National Maritime Union and sailed with the American Merchant Marines for three years before returning to Cayman in 1948.
After his return he re-established the family business as a general store and in 1958 founded the short-lived Cayman Vanguard Party. In 1959, Jamaican Governor Sir Kenneth Blackburne appointed Mr. Warren as one of the nominated members of Cayman’s Legislative Assembly, a position in which he served for three years.
In 1962, Mr. Warren became a founding member and vice president of the National Democratic Party and was elected as a member for East End. He served continuously for 14 years until he retired from government service in 1976. For eight of those years he served as member in Executive Council, now known as Cabinet, where he had responsibility for various portfolios including Lands and Survey, Planning, Tourism, Environment and Natural Resources, Agriculture and Mosquito Control.
He was also a founding member of the Law Society in 1967, serving on its council for two terms. In the same year he became a director of Caribbean Utility Company where he served for 32 years, after which he was named Director Emeritus.
Mr. Warren was awarded the Order of the British Empire by Her Majesty the Queen in 1974 in recognition of his contribution to the development of the Cayman Islands.
After retirement from Government service in 1976, Warren re-established his legal practice as a sole practitioner until 1983 when he joined his stepson, David Ritch as a founding partner of the law firm, Ritch & Conolly from which he retired in 1997.
Mr.Warren passed away on 22 October 2008.

Article courtesy of The Journal on Sunday

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