St Helena : St Helena Governor Gurr’s four years on St Helena
Submitted by Saint Helena Herald (Public Relations Information Office) 30.09.2011 (Article Archived on 14.10.2011)
Governor Andrew Gurr left the island on Friday 23rd September on completion of his term of office. During the four years he has been on the Island, having arrived on 11th November 2007, the Island has faced many changes which were predicted by the Governor when he said in his inaugural speech:
Governor Gurr’s four years on St Helena
Governor Andrew Gurr left the island on Friday 23rd September on completion of his term of office. During the four years he has been on the Island, having arrived on 11th November 2007, the Island has faced many changes which were predicted by the Governor when he said in his inaugural speech:
“We are living at a critical time. …… the present holds the key to the future in an unusually tangible way. What happens over the next few years will set a pattern for many generations, and ensuring that the right thing happens will not be easy.”
In her farewell address to Governor and Mrs Gurr at a recent reception, Gillian Francis reflected on their time on St Helena saying ‘there have indeed been a number of changes and developments that will be associated with the Governor’s term of office’.
She started by mentioning that Governor Gurr was adamant that openness and transparency should be demonstrated by SHG with the Governor placing this at the top of his list. This was shown through his frequent ExCo reports that he read on radio soon after every meeting, which Gillian described as ‘an excellent way of keeping the public informed’.
Next on the list were his views on consultation which he described as ‘a process of listening, adapting and adopting but not necessarily resulting in a compromise’. Thirdly he believed that ‘change must have a solid rationale behind it and should not be embraced merely for itself’, while acknowledging that, a ‘lack of readiness to change can be a barrier to genuine improvement.’
Governor Gurr’s attitude to change made him lose no time in listening to the people’s views for constitutional reform, and with hard work and support from Councillors a new Constitution for St Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha was enforced in September 2009, this being the result of many years of work.
Another development taking place during Governor Gurr’s term in office was the introduction of the new Council Committee System that he believed would ‘encourage joined-up thinking”. This new system allowed Councillors to become more involved in decision making across SHG with Committee involvement in almost every Directorate.
One of the Governor’s special responsibilities is the Public Service and Governor Gurr gave much support to the on-going public sector modernization programme that is funded by DfID. He also gave much attention to his other special responsibilities i.e. internal security, external affairs, administration of justice, finance and shipping.
The airport was very high on the Governor’s agenda and over the last four years he worked with officers on Island and in the UK in support of air access for St Helena.
Governor Gurr also revived the Certificate and Badge of Honour and introduced the Governor’s Certificate for Acts of Bravery which publically recognised outstanding acts of bravery.
In addition Gillian highlighted that Governor Gurr has given ‘unfailing support and direction to enable us to meet our commitments under the MOU’. She said ‘A strong supporter of the private sector, he has continuously painted a private sector led economy that will come with air access.’
Other key successes that have taken place on the Island during Governor Gurr’s term of office have included: The introduction of the directorate structure which is closely aligned to Council Committees; moving from cash to accrual accounting in SHG which provides Council with useful and important financial information; the introduction of the Basic Island Pension and revised income related benefits; the Jamestown Wharf Improvement Programme and the Rockfall Protection Project; the introduction of the Divestment Strategy, moving towards a smaller public service to make way for a larger private sector; the opening of the HRH Princess Royal Community Care Complex and the passing of a New Elections Law and other legislation.
Gillian also made special mention of the work done by Mrs Gurr. This included being President of the Girl Guides Association, contributing to charitable causes and giving tours at Plantation House.
Overall Gillian described the Governor’s time on St Helena as an ‘interesting chapter wherein a lot has been accomplished’.
Public Relations/Information Office
The Secretariat
26 September 2011
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