Dame Hilda to get payment

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Parent Category: Aug 2011

Category: Week ending Aug 06th, 2011

Published on Monday, 08 August 2011 22:40

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The Caribbean’s first woman Governor in the British Commonwealth and the first native Governor of Grenada, Dame Hilda Bynoe, for the first time will receive a gratuity payment from government. This assurance was given to Parliament by Leader of Government Business in the Senate, George Prime during a sitting last week Friday.

He gave the commitment after President of the Senate, Joan Purcell announced that after giving years of service to Grenada, Dame Hilda had never received a pension from the State and hoped that one day it will be corrected. “An opportunity to honour Dame Hilda Bynoe who is now 89 and who travelled from Trinidad to be with us at our celebration, the first female Governor in the Commonwealth, Grenada boasts such a person. I have to regretfully add that she’s never received a pension or gratuity for her years of service. I hope that one day Grenada would make good on this”, said President Purcell.

Dame Hilda’s appointment as Governor of the Associated States of Grenada, Carriacou and Petite Martinique in 1968 was followed by her appointment as Dame Commander of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II in 1969. She retired from office in February, 1974 after alleged disagreements with then head of the government, Sir Eric Matthew Gairy.

She is the daughter of the late Thomas Joseph Gibbs, a former major landholder in the St. David’s area. Last month, Dame Hilda attended the annual Women’s Parliamentary Conference at the Grenada Grand Beach Resort as the special guest of honour. In speaking of her decision to leave office as Governor of Grenada,  she pointed out that she never had any doubt that it was the right one to take.

However, she said what was painful is the fact that she served her country for decades but was never given a pension. “All Governors of the Associated States were provided with a pension except for the Governor of Grenada. The people have never known this. I have not received a pension to this day. Despite this, I still love my Grenada”, she said.

The failure of various governments to settle debts for acquisition of lands owned by me remains a case of sorrow. I am most disappointed”, she added. Dame Hilda spoke proudly of the fact that she has always held onto her Grenadian travelling documents.

She said: “My Grenadian passport is the only one I have. I have no other. Trinidadian citizenship through my husband, my dearly loved husband, was never an option for me.  I love Trinidad too, but Grenada citizenship is a treasured possession. I will always be Grenadian.” In reacting to the situation facing Dame Hilda, Sen. Prime assured the Senate that government has started to address the situation.

“I want to tell you and to tell the other colleagues here that the Cabinet has already met on this issue of ensuring that some gratuitous payments are made. “We’ve all agreed. What we have not agreed to is the extent to which it would be, so I want to let you know that we have already speedily addressed the issue of ensuring that Dame Hilda Bynoe, a lady worthy of merit and whom we are well proud of, is going to be ably supported by the wish that was expressed and we have accepted to do that.”

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