asked him to think about running for Parliament. But on this occasion he didnât require a week to consider his replyâeven if he couldnât quite bring himself to admit that although heâd heard of St. Georgeâs, he certainly couldnât have located it on a map. Once heâd caught his breath, he simply said, âThank you, Prime Minister. Iâd be honored.â
During the weeks that followed Sir Ted paid several visits to the Foreign and Colonial Offices to receive briefings on
various aspects of his appointment. Thereafter he assiduously read every book, pamphlet, and government paper the mandarins supplied.
After a few weeks of boning up on his new subject, the governor-in-waiting had discovered that St. Georgeâs was a tiny group of islands in the middle of the North Atlantic. It had been colonized by the British in 1643, and thereafter had a long history of imperial rule, the islanders having scorned every offer of independence. They were one of Her Majestyâs sovereign colonies, and that was how they wished to remain.
Even before he set out on his adventure, Ted had become used to being addressed as âYour Excellency.â But after being fitted up by Alan Bennett of Savile Row with two different full-dress uniforms, Ted feared that he lookedâwhat was that modern expression?ââover the top.â In winter he was expected to wear an outfit of dark blue doeskin with scarlet collar and cuffs embroidered with silver oakleaves, while in the summer he was to be adorned in white cotton drill with a gold-embroidered collar and gold shoulder cords. The sight of him in either uniform caused Hazel to laugh out loud.
Ted didnât laugh when the tailors sent him the bill, especially after he learned that he would be unlikely to wear either uniform more than twice a year. âStill, think what a hit youâll be at fancy dress parties once youâve retired,â was Hazelâs only comment.
The newly appointed governor and commander in chief of St. Georgeâs and his lady flew out to take up their post on January 12, 1971. They were greeted by the prime minister, as the colonyâs first citizen, and the chief justice, as the legal representative of the queen. After the new governor had taken the salute from six off-duty policemen standing vaguely to attention, the town band gave a rendering of the national anthem. The Union Jack was raised on the roof of the airport terminal, and a light smattering of applause broke out among the assembled gathering of twenty or thirty local dignitaries.
Sir Ted and Lady Barker were then driven to the official residence in a spacious but aging Rover that had already served the two previous governors. When they reached Government House, the driver brought the car to a halt and leaped out to open the gates. As they continued up the drive, Ted and Hazel saw their new home for the first time.
The colonial mansion was magnificent by any standards. Obviously built at the height of the British Empire, it was vastly out of proportion to either the importance of the island or Britainâs current position in the real world. But size, as the governor and his wife were quickly to discover, didnât necessarily equate with efficiency or comfort.
The air-conditioning didnât work, the plumbing was unreliable, Mrs. Rogers, the daily maid, was regularly out sick, and the only thing Tedâs predecessor had left behind was an elderly black Labrador. Worse, the Foreign Office had no funds available to deal with any of these problems, and whenever Ted mentioned them in dispatches, he was met only with suggestions for cutbacks.
After a few weeks, Ted and Hazel began to think of St. Georgeâs as being rather like a great big parliamentary constituency, split into several islands, the two largest being Suffolk and Edward Islands. This heartened Ted, who even wondered if that was what had given the prime minister the idea
During the weeks that followed Sir Ted paid several visits to the Foreign and Colonial Offices to receive briefings on
various aspects of his appointment. Thereafter he assiduously read every book, pamphlet, and government paper the mandarins supplied.
After a few weeks of boning up on his new subject, the governor-in-waiting had discovered that St. Georgeâs was a tiny group of islands in the middle of the North Atlantic. It had been colonized by the British in 1643, and thereafter had a long history of imperial rule, the islanders having scorned every offer of independence. They were one of Her Majestyâs sovereign colonies, and that was how they wished to remain.
Even before he set out on his adventure, Ted had become used to being addressed as âYour Excellency.â But after being fitted up by Alan Bennett of Savile Row with two different full-dress uniforms, Ted feared that he lookedâwhat was that modern expression?ââover the top.â In winter he was expected to wear an outfit of dark blue doeskin with scarlet collar and cuffs embroidered with silver oakleaves, while in the summer he was to be adorned in white cotton drill with a gold-embroidered collar and gold shoulder cords. The sight of him in either uniform caused Hazel to laugh out loud.
Ted didnât laugh when the tailors sent him the bill, especially after he learned that he would be unlikely to wear either uniform more than twice a year. âStill, think what a hit youâll be at fancy dress parties once youâve retired,â was Hazelâs only comment.
The newly appointed governor and commander in chief of St. Georgeâs and his lady flew out to take up their post on January 12, 1971. They were greeted by the prime minister, as the colonyâs first citizen, and the chief justice, as the legal representative of the queen. After the new governor had taken the salute from six off-duty policemen standing vaguely to attention, the town band gave a rendering of the national anthem. The Union Jack was raised on the roof of the airport terminal, and a light smattering of applause broke out among the assembled gathering of twenty or thirty local dignitaries.
Sir Ted and Lady Barker were then driven to the official residence in a spacious but aging Rover that had already served the two previous governors. When they reached Government House, the driver brought the car to a halt and leaped out to open the gates. As they continued up the drive, Ted and Hazel saw their new home for the first time.
The colonial mansion was magnificent by any standards. Obviously built at the height of the British Empire, it was vastly out of proportion to either the importance of the island or Britainâs current position in the real world. But size, as the governor and his wife were quickly to discover, didnât necessarily equate with efficiency or comfort.
The air-conditioning didnât work, the plumbing was unreliable, Mrs. Rogers, the daily maid, was regularly out sick, and the only thing Tedâs predecessor had left behind was an elderly black Labrador. Worse, the Foreign Office had no funds available to deal with any of these problems, and whenever Ted mentioned them in dispatches, he was met only with suggestions for cutbacks.
After a few weeks, Ted and Hazel began to think of St. Georgeâs as being rather like a great big parliamentary constituency, split into several islands, the two largest being Suffolk and Edward Islands. This heartened Ted, who even wondered if that was what had given the prime minister the idea
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