Kitted out in brown trousers and shirt, hat, red scarf and toggle, His Excellency the Governor, Mr. Duncan Taylor, CBE, took the oath to become the Cayman Islands’ Chief Scout on Friday, 5 November.
Mr. Taylor’s installation, officiated by Scouts Chief Commissioner Mr. Orrett Connor, followed Mrs. Marie Beatrice Taylor being re-named Island Rose and pinned to become the Cayman Guides President. Both ceremonies took place on the lawn of Government House, which was crowded with guests.
Mr. Taylor joked how happy he was to be back in uniform since the Governor’s has been retired from ceremonial use.
An active Boy Scout in his younger years, Mr. Taylor deemed his new position a “real honour” and called on the nearly 200 young Scouts and Guides to apply themselves and set an example for their peers by continuing to make positive contributions to the community.
After handing out awards and making presentations to a number of Scout and Guide leaders, Mr. Taylor had a special congratulatory handshake for award-winning Guides and Scouts Leader Liz Scholefield, who has been involved with the movement for 35 years.
The function, emceed by Island Scout Executive Commissioner Winston Hayle, also included musical and poetry performances and lighting of candles in memory of those departed. For a finale, the Chief Scout received a march past.
‘Lizard’ Wins Highest Award
Long-time Guides and Scouts Leader Mrs. Liz Scholefield, better known to her fellow Guides as ‘Lizard’, has received the Laurel Award, the movement’s highest honour.
She is the first recipient of the award in the region comprising Anguilla, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Gibraltar, Falkland Islands, Montserrat, St. Helena, and Turks and Caicos Islands, Guides’ Island Commissioner Joy Frater said.
“We are all so proud of her achievement. This is a matter of great pride for the Cayman Islands,” Ms. Frater commented after announcing the award.
“This is already a very special year for us since Guides are celebrating one hundred years,” she added.
