Colonial Police Medal

Adeniyi Collins Oremule

Adeniyi Collins Oremule has a passion for justice, for making a difference in the lives of others and for protecting his community. As a Royal Cayman Islands Police Service Detective Inspector he lives by his employer’s motto: “We care, we listen, we act.”

“This is the very essence of delivering justice,” he explains. And it is this enthusiasm to do the right thing which is forever driving Mr. Oremule — a serving officer for the past 16 years – to stand up for victims and witnesses of crime.

While it is clear that he has found his calling, Mr. Oremule never set out to become a police officer, certainly not a detective in the Cayman Islands. Growing up in Nigeria’s Ogun state, Mr. Oremule was raised in a family of business people and travellers which gave him an appetite for adventure. As a young man, he journeyed to Europe, then the United States and eventually found his way to Cayman purely by chance.

Immediately charmed by the people’s friendliness and community spirit, he subsequently returned as a visitor several times. Ultimately deciding to make the Islands his permanent home, he swapped his world travels for a uniform, signing up as a police recruit in 1996.

Soft-spoken yet resolute Mr. Oremule applied his signature determination to his new career, steadily advancing through the ranks. Starting out as a uniformed constable at the George Town Police Station, he soon transferred to the Criminal Investigation Division (CID) and subsequently headed the Bodden Town CID, as well as the West Bay CID where he was promoted to sergeant. Ambitious, he used every opportunity to complete the necessary local and international certifications to finally advance to detective inspector.

In addition to being an exceptional investigator and showing a unique compassion for victims and witnesses of crime, Mr. Oremule has also been hailed as the quintessential civil servant – courteous, professional and always ready to serve.

These attributes earned him the Governor’s Five Star Award for Customer Service Excellence (FACE) in 2010. Upon receiving this accolade he said: “Being a detective is about more than just meeting the challenges, it is also about commitment, courtesy, politeness, responsiveness, problem solving and professionalism.”

Upon receiving the Colonial Police Medal for going above and beyond to protect his community, Mr. Oremule expressed humble surprise. Exhibiting another of his well-known traits, he simply stated: “I am very honoured to receive this recognition. I express heartfelt appreciation for the person who nominated me for this award as well as for the support of my colleagues and family. I will continue to offer my services to my community as long as God spares my life.”

 

Cayman Islands Certificate and Badge of Honour

Philip Michael Jackson

His Excellency the Governor, Mr. Duncan Taylor, CBE has announced that Mr. Philip Michael Jackson has been awarded the Cayman Islands Certificate and Badge of Honour (Cert. Hon.) for services to training and mentoring Caymanians in the vocational field of auto mechanics.

Automotive service technicians inspect, maintain, and repair automobiles and light trucks. Mr. Jackson, now a veteran mechanic, is one of the Cayman Islands’ pioneers in this industry, having developed his passion for cars into a rewarding career over the past 46 years.

The owner of Auto Craft Ltd., the master certified mechanic has contributed to the development of the local automotive industry while adapting to meet the changing demands of the industry.

Skilful with his hands Mr Jackson first realised he was meant to be a mechanic when, as a teen, he repaired a BMW Isetta, and a 1948 Morris Ten. The experience of working on those two cars shaped the beginning of what turned out to be an impressive career.

Mr. Jackson states, “Being a mechanic is something I always loved to do. I grew up working on cars and airplanes and found it to be thoroughly enjoyable.”

As he gained his formal certification in the United States, Mr. Jackson set a goal to operate his own garage. He soon realised that dream, after which he started mentoring and training other young mechanics in preparation for their employment with major automotive franchises.

In so doing he realised that, as a mentor, he could help fuel this passion in younger generations of mechanics. He focussed on this pursuit for many years, assisting dozens of young people.

Mr. Jackson, a member of the International Society of Automotive Engineers and the Mobile Air Conditioning Society, continues to mentor and share his experiences at his George Town shop. He was recently commended for his involvement with the Passport2Success programme – once again helping students gain experience and knowledge as foundations for careers in the industry.

His vision and passion helped build an important service industry, and many Caymanian mechanics and dealership owners name Mr. Jackson as their mentor.

Mr. Jackson currently resides in Grand Cayman and has two sons.

 

Ella Kaye Lockwood

Behind Mrs. Ella Kaye Lockwood’s beautiful, immaculate exterior lies a keen brain with a determination to improve the lives of those in her community.

Her restful demeanour conceals her passion for living life as a healthy balance among her family, work and community service, qualities which have resulted in her receiving the Cayman Islands Certificate and Badge of Honour.

Mrs. Lockwood began working at the Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) while still in her last year in high school. Forty-seven years later, she is still going strong, after rising in RBC, then CIBC and now Intertrust Bank Cayman where she’s manager of Corporate Services.

On the job, she not only took banking related courses to improve her skills but also took numerous young Caymanians under her wing, training and coaching them.

She attributes her work ethos to the solid grounding her parents, the late Charles Sheldon Hislop and Emma Claire Hislop, 94, instilled in their seven children. She believes strongly in passing on these values to her children Michael, articling in a local law firm, and Michelle, who is in a Master’s of Environmental Science and Law programme.

Her parents also underscored the importance of giving back to the community. A value cemented further by her late husband, Mike Lockwood, an avid Lions Club member like herself; she met him while taking part in a community service activity.

She makes every effort to also pass this on to her children and the young people she currently works with in her church, Elmslie Memorial, and previously worked with in Junior Achievement, the Girls Brigade, and high school reading and mentoring programmes. “It’s important for children to know they have to help their fellowmen and contribute to the community,” she says.

Mrs. Lockwood was crowned Miss Cayman Islands 1967-68, and she chaired the Miss Cayman Islands Beauty Pageant Committee for ten years.

As a member and later head of Cayman Friends Society, set up primarily to help the Cayman Islands Hospital, she was involved in raising funds to acquire vitally needed equipment, particularly the Paediatric Ward.

This Quincentennial Committee Lifetime Achievement awardee has also served on committees of the National Trust, the Cayman Wildlife Committee, Earth Day and Clean up Cayman. She’s been a Special Constable for nine years, and her activism has benefited the National Council of Voluntary Organisations, breast cancer awareness, the Pink Ladies, her church’s women’s ministry, the CI Amateur Swimming Association and the Stingray Swim Club.

Mrs. Lockwood donates all her earnings as a Notary Public to charity.

However, none of her achievements would have mattered to her if she could not have been a good mother, which to her is her prized accomplishment.

“Most certainly, Cayman’s people have to be more involved in their community but not at the expense of their children,” she emphasises. “My children are my first priority. So I had to ensure that I wasn’t overtired and had time for them during their tender years and especially when their father was taken away from them suddenly.”

Given her propensity for an active life, Mrs. Lockwood looks forward to serving her beloved community for many more years to come.

 

Peter Widmer

Peter Widmer is known as someone who will get the job done, and he has dedicated his life to establishing a world-class construction industry in the Cayman Islands.

“Setting quality standards and promoting good ethics, while encouraging others to do the same, has always been my main focus throughout my work — no matter how big or small the job is,” says Mr. Widmer.

By the age of 14, Mr. Widmer knew he would establish his career in construction. Receiving the highest aptitude test scores in spatial awareness in England was proof that he was headed in the right direction, and he pursued a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Quantity Surveying.

A particularly bad winter in his home town of Leeds propelled Mr. Widmer and his wife, Sue, to move to the Cayman Islands in 1982.

Here he joined BCQS International, spending the next 14 years with the company, half of them as partner. During those years Mr. Widmer worked on most of the major projects on Seven Mile Beach, including the “project of a lifetime”, the Hyatt Regency. During this development, he dedicated 18 months of hard work as the project manager and got the opportunity to travel all over the world. This project led him to become the person he is today and taught him the ins and outs of construction.

In 1996 he turned his focus to construction management, taking up the position of construction director at Arch and Godfrey and overseeing projects such as the Grand View, The Pinnacle, and the Water’s Edge.

Mr. Widmer also played a vital role in the Islands’ reconstruction after Hurricane Ivan, helping residents with no insurance to re-build their homes and businesses.

Serving the industry, he sat on Cayman’s Society of Architects and Engineers Board for three years and on the Cayman Contractors Association Committee for four years. To complement his achievements, Mr. Widmer is also a fully qualified member of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors.

During his spare time, he also coached for the Cayman Islands Little League for 11 years.

Tragedy struck in 2009 when his wife was diagnosed with cancer, a battle she lost in June 2011. Still struggling to recover from the loss, Mr. Widmer finds joy in the achievements of his children, golf prodigies Samantha (24) and Johnny (22) and budding stockbroker Jack (18).

Ever humble, Mr. Widmer subscribes much of his success in the construction industry to his colleagues, friends and mentors Arek Joseph, Jimmy Powell and Heber Arch.

Commenting on receiving the Certificate and Badge of Honour, Mr. Widmer said: “I feel stunned, honoured and privileged — all at the same time. I also feel that others deserve this award more than I do. Nevertheless, I am honoured that this award has given me another piece of Cayman which I am proud to call home.”

His advice to youngsters interested in pursuing a construction career is: “Although the construction industry is no game, perseverance and aptitude will get you places in life.’’ And after three decades in the business, a single dream remains: “My future plan is to construct a building of my own someday,” Mr. Widmer concluded.