Mark Capes sworn in as Governor

The new Governor of St Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha, Mark Capes, arrived on St Helena to take up his post on 29th October 2011 and we publish below extracts from his inaugural speech which was issued in full as Public Notice on Tristan da Cunha on 2nd November by Administrator Sean Burns

Sean added that he knew Mark and his wife Tamara are both keen to visit Tristan as soon as they can but the logistics are challenging and a number of options are being considered.

Extracts from Mark Capes' Inauguration Speech

My wife, Tamara and I are thrilled to be to here with you today. We thank you for the warm welcome and also thank all those who organised and participated in this excellent ceremony.

It is indeed a great honour to be appointed to serve as Governor of St Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha; it also carries a weighty responsibility. In the months and years ahead I look forward to drawing upon all the skills I have gained over many years as a member of Her Majesty’s Diplomatic Service working in many countries including 12 years in three other Overseas Territories. When I saw the opportunity to serve as Governor here I jumped at it because I saw it as ideally suited to my experience. It is also fair to say that I had also heard much about the beauty of St Helena, the charm of its people and of course of its intriguing history. In carrying out my duties as Governor I give you my assurance that I will seek to be accessible and as transparent and open as possible about government policies and decisions, while fully embracing a spirit of partnership and cooperation with your elected representatives and of course with you, the good people of St Helena, Ascension Island and Tristan da Cunha. To achieve that I must first get to know you and understand your concerns and your hopes; so I will look forward to engaging closely with you as we settle in to become part of your community. That said we have enjoyed already a marvellous introduction to St Helena by travelling for the last two weeks on the splendid RMS St Helena which I heard some passengers fondly describe as a little piece of St Helena. During that trip we saw the great professionalism of the ship’s crew, experienced their kindness and good humour and in talking to Saints, both passengers and crew, understood the strength of their affection for St Helena, their home. Tamara and I extend our grateful thanks to Captain Greentree and his superb crew for a truly memorable experience.

A moment ago I was sworn in as the Governor OF St Helena, Ascension Island and Tristan da Cunha. But to my mind I think I see my role more as the Governor FOR St Helena, Ascension and Tristan. It is true of course that, as with all Governors, I have several distinct roles – among them to serve as Her Majesty’s representative; to represent the interests of the UK Government; and to fairly and fully represent the interests of the people of St Helena, Ascension and Tristan to Her Majesty’s Government in the UK. You could quite reasonably argue that in fulfilling those roles from time to time there may be some conflicting interests to manage. But I am pleased to be able to say to you, and with every confidence, that the British Government we have today is one that holds a powerful and genuine sense of commitment to the Overseas Territories.

In London just a few weeks ago I had meetings with the Foreign Secretary, with the Secretary of State for International Development and with other senior Ministers. We met to discuss my priorities on taking up this appointment. I left those meetings feeling greatly encouraged, confident in the knowledge that Ministers in London are fully engaged and keenly interested to ensure that the islands for which I now have responsibility as Governor should have the opportunity to enjoy a secure and prosperous future. We have now the firm foundation for a mutually beneficial working relationship with the UK Government and we must build on that.

This modern working relationship means that the very substantial financial input from the UK tax payer requires commitment from St Helena on various fronts. In keeping with that I know that a great deal of truly impressive work has already taken place here to meet the terms of the Memorandum of Understanding. It is because of the strength of commitment from the UK Government and the equal commitment shown from here to working towards a sustainable future that I think Governor FOR St Helena, Ascension and Tristan fits better with the role that I see ahead.

Tamara and I thank you again for this impressive and warm welcome to your very special island home. Thank you.

New Governor Announced
Mark Capes to take up post in October 2011

Governor Andrew Gurr has announced that his successor will be Mark Capes. Mark will arrive to become Governor of the UK Overseas Territory of St Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha in late October following Andrew Gurr’s departure on 23rd September.

Mark is a member of Her Majesty’s Diplomatic Service and will be accompanied by his wife Tamara. He is presently Chief Executive Officer of the Turks and Caicos Islands Government and previously held the position of Deputy Governor in both Bermuda and Anguilla. His Foreign and Commonwealth Office career has also taken him to Portugal, Jordan, Yugoslavia, Nigeria, Austria and New Zealand.

Asked to comment on his appointment, Mark Capes said:

‘I am delighted to have been given this exciting opportunity to serve as Governor for the people of St Helena, Ascension Island and Tristan da Cunha at such an important juncture in the history of the islands. As work advances to develop improved access to St Helena, I have no doubt that adjusting to change will bring many new challenges. I know too, from experience in other Overseas Territories, how change may sometimes feel uncomfortable and so I will do my part to ensure that change is managed with sensitivity while enabling as many people as possible to embrace new opportunities to achieve greater prosperity. The broad objective must be to secure a brighter, more confident future for all, while respecting the importance and value of history, custom and culture. Tamara and I very much look forward to being part of your community.’

Mark enjoys spending time with his family and has two daughters, Alexandra, who works in London, and Sarah, who will shortly begin a second Master’s degree course in London. His leisure interests include sea and fresh water fishing as well as enjoying music ‘from Bob Marley to Mozart’. His wife is a keen tennis player and also enjoys reading and working as a volunteer for the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

We look forward to hearing of Governor Capes’ plans to visit Tristan da Cunha and hope he can facilitate a return to a regular RMS St Helena voyage to Tristan to achieve this following the highly successful 2006 and 2011 cruises.