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National Trust Acquires
Natural Treasure
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As Mrs. Ross was always a keen supporter of the National Trust, she decided that a percentage of the funds from her Trust be given to the National Trust to help fund the project to protect the Central Mangrove Wetland. |
Caledonian Bank & Trust Limited and The National Trust for the Cayman Islands announce with pleasure a gift of US$118,195 and US$1485.33 to the National Trust from the Estate of the late Mr. & Mrs. Lee Ross through Mrs. Ross’ Trust and her own Will respectively. Lee and Helen Ross moved to Cayman in the early 70’s on Mr. Ross’ retirement from running a stock brokerage business in the Bahamas. Mr. Ross (an engineer) had a distinguished career as an officer in the submarine service of the US Navy during World War II and had contributed a number of technological inventions to submarines. Through a mutual friend in Toronto Mr. & Mrs. Ross were introduced to Mr. & Mrs. William S Walker and Mr. Walker was their attorney during the couple’s years in the Cayman Islands. Mr. Ross died in 1983 and Mrs. Ross continued to live in Cayman with summer visits to Canada until she passed away earlier this year. Neither Mr. or Mrs. Ross had any children or close relatives and it was Mr. Ross’ wish that the bulk of his estate go to his old alma mater, Yale University to establish one or more professorships in the physical sciences and research and when Mrs. Ross established her trust she honored her husband’s wishes and left more than half of the trust funds to Yale for these purposes. As Mrs. Ross was always a keen supporter of the National Trust, she decided that a percentage of the funds from her Trust be given to the National Trust to help fund the project to protect the Central Mangrove Wetland. Mr. Walker stated that “it is a great pleasure for me as an old friend of the Ross family and a strong supporter of the National Trust to make this presentation on behalf of the Ross Trust to the National Trust for such a worthy cause.” The Trust’s Chairman, Mr. Henry Propper, accepting the cheque on behalf of the Trust thanked Mr. Walker and the staff at Caledonian, “being a neighbor of Mr. & Mrs. Ross for many years and having the honor to have known them very well, it is with double pleasure that I accept this cheque from Mr. Walker and acknowledge this gracious donation by Mrs. Ross.” Theresa Broderick, the Trust’s Executive
Director, sharing her Chairman’s appreciation, added that “the
successes of the Trust are simply the collective contributions and
efforts of many, however,
each accomplishment is born and nurtured by the passion and personal
commitment of individuals. So, I’d like to take this opportunity
to publicly thank Mr. and Mrs. Walker for their family’s long-standing
support of the Trust and for bringing its programmes and initiatives
to the attention of their caring friends and associates.” The Trust first launched its Land Reserves Fund with a campaign in 1993 for the Mastic Reserve and again in 1996 for the Central Mangroves Wetland. Mrs. Broderick explained that, “the Trust has always promoted an integrated strategy for protection of the Wetland based on the reality that its protection will only be possible with a combination of contributions from private individuals and corporations and financial and policy commitments from Government. We intend to keep these collaborative efforts going and hope to earn continued support from Government and the private sector.” When advised of the Ross donation, the Hon. McKeeva Bush, Leader of Government and the Minister for Environment, commented, "It is most encouraging and even more heart-felt, particularly during these times of heated discussions on residency and status, to hear of such generous donations from private individuals who choose to make Cayman their home. Mrs. Ross must have really been touched by how special our Islands are for her to contribute so significantly and so personally to protecting Cayman's natural heritage. As the Minister responsible for Environment and the National Trust as a Statutory Authority, I feel I must express not only my gratitude but also my commitment to continue supporting the National Trust and the foundation it has built to be able to pull together the resources and support from the private sector and such credible international non-government organizations. The Cayman Islands Government will do its part to protect the natural resources that are vital to ensuring our continued prosperity and quality of life in Cayman. We will continue working with the National Trust, the Department of Environment and all caring and concerned individuals to find equitable and financially attainable means of doing so." Dr. Mat Cottam, the Trust’s Environmental Programmes Manager, explained that “the Ross donation will contribute towards the purchase of a parcel of mangrove forest currently for sale by an overseas owner, which will return this environmentally significant land to the custodianship of the Caymanian people.” |
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