Veterans Association launch poppy appeal at fundraising gala

By Christopher Tobutt

The Cayman Islands Veterans Association put on their 11TH  annual fundraising Gala at the Marriott Hotel on Saturday 12 October.

In attendance were Her Excellency the Governor, Jane Owen, and Deputy Premier Andre Ebanks. All the Cayman Islands Veterans’ Association members were there as well, along with contingents from Caymans Uniformed Services, including the RCIPS, the Cayman Islands Regiment, the Coast Guards, and Cadet Corps.

When everyone was seated at their tables there was the Pinning of the First Poppy on Governor Jane Owen, by Veterans’ Association Member Shadden McLaughlin.  President of the Association, Andrew McLaughlin, was in charge of giving out fines to attendees, and one of the fines included having a poppy before the first poppy pinned on the Governor.

The event heralded the official beginning of the poppy appeal, one of the fundraising activities for the Veterans. Along with the poppy appeal, the gala itself is a major fundraiser, with many ‘fines’ for ‘Mess Room infractions.” There were also sales of raffle tickets and many wonderful prizes including Cayman Airways tickets.

Shadden McLaughlin told her own story of wanting to join the Military from a young age, after witnessing Operation Desert Storm, and having a Captain of the United States Marine Corps as a penpal. “Right after High School when I was 18 years old I shipped off to Paris Islands South Carolina. My Father tried to tell me I did the wrong thing,” she said.

During the evening there was the symbolic laying of an empty table, and lighting of a candle  to represent the members of the armed forces who had sadly passed away. Each item on the table had a different symbolic meaning.

The guest speaker was Honorary Colonel of the Cayman Islands Regiment Mark Lancaster, who also holds the title of Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton.

“One of my ministerial jobs in the UK was to be the Veteran’s Minister which I was for three years between 2012 and 2015 and I can say without doubt it was the greatest job,” he said. “The opportunity to serve with our men and women who had served around the world. You’ve seen tonight some of the challenges that they face, not only leaving families but the families themselves, yet they have continued to do that. I experienced it myself when the British army was campaigning around the world, and there is no greater feeling than coming home from an operation abroad and seeing your family.”

“I stand before you tonight as the Honorary Colonel of the Cayman Islands Regiment, and tonight is a very significant date – it is exactly five years to the day that the government announced the creation of the Cayman Islands regiment.”

Lancaster told the story of how the Cayman Islands Regiment got started.

“The other job I did in government after being Veteran’s minister was Minister of the Armed Forces. I was in London in C.O.B.R.A  - Cabinet Office Briefing Room A, where we manage all of our disasters. When Hurricane Irma hit the BVI in 2017. I remember being halfway around the world listening to the challenges that BVI had faced, The UK was in the region but was criticized for not doing enough. I was one of many who vowed we would not be in that position again.

“The following summer we sent out quite a few assets from the Royal Navy – Mounts Bay and Commando Engineers, and we did a bit of a tour going around the Caribbean territories to demonstrate the capability that was there to help. I remember being in Montserrat and seeing the Royal Montserrat Defence Force, I thought, ‘Why don’t all our overseas territories have the opportunity to have this humanitarian assistance and disaster relief capability, so I wrote to all the Governors, and your previous Governor Martyn Roper came back, in association with the government and we are deeply grateful to the government And that was the start of the regiment.

The Cayman Islands Veterans Association (“CIVA”) is a charitable, not-for-profit organization that seeks to ensure that every ex-serviceman or woman in the Cayman Islands has someone to whom they can turn for help when they need it.

The poppy appeal will continue until Remembrance Day, 11 Nov.