S.Atlantic : Motion for Adjournment Speech: Brigadier Aldridge CBSAI
Submitted by SARTMA.com (Juanita Brock) 19.07.2011 (Article Archived on 02.08.2011)

Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, I thank you all for your kind words of welcome. I didn’t join the Army to join a Government. And so it is a huge and serious Honour for me to have this position and this opportunity to serve this community and this country.

LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 14 JULY 2011

(Part 2: Motion for Adjournment Speeches)

Compiled by J. Brock (FINN)

Brigadier Aldridge CBSAI:

Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, I thank you all for your kind words of welcome.  I didn’t join the Army to join a Government.  And so it is a huge and serious Honour for me to have this position and this opportunity to serve this community and this country.

But I have a very serious mission, which is to deter any aggression against these Territories and to support the right of self-determination of the Falkland Islanders.  And I take that immensely seriously.

A part of my job as I see it is to get to know the Islands.  And I thank the Honourable Members for their advice and suggestions that I do get out and see this wonderful country.  I started in a small way but I very much look forward to taking you all at your word and your advice and seeing far more.

May I reassure the Honourable Members that, as I said elsewhere, that in no way do I intend to change the initiatives that have been started by my predecessors and particularly on the subject of localisation, where it is possible without detriment to our Military capability and where we might support the development of the Falkland Islands economy then we will look to localise as many posts within the current Military community as we possibly can.

I very much look forward to my time here and I am very grateful for the warm welcome that’s been extended to me thus far.

Mr Speaker, I support the Motion.