Donald Alexander Lamont (born 13 January 1947 [1] ) is a retired British diplomat who was Governor of the Falkland Islands and Commissioner for South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands from 1999 to 2002. [2]
Lamont attended Aberdeen Grammar School, then graduated in Russian Studies from the University of Aberdeen. He was employed in the motor industry for four years (1970-74) He was a member of Her Majesty's Diplomatic Service from 1974 to 2006. He served in Austria, the Soviet Union, Berlin (through the Fall of the Wall), and Bosnia & Herzegovina. He was British Ambassador to Uruguay (1991–94), Governor of the Falkland Islands and Commissioner for South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (1999–2002) and British Ambassador to Venezuela (2003–06). After retirement he was Chief Executive of Wilton Park (2007–09).
He served as Chairman of the UK Antarctic Heritage Trust, [3] He was a Founding Board Member of Sistema Scotland, [4] Trustee of “Enable Me” (a disability awareness charity based in Sussex), Chairman of the British Uruguayan Society; Chairman of Friends of the Falkland Islands Museum and the Jane Cameron National Archives, and is now Chairman of the Falklands Maritime Heritage Trust (FMHT). The FMHT organised and funded the Endurance22 Expedition that in 2022 located, filmed and surveyed the wreck of Sir Ernest Shackleton's ship, Endurance.
Lamont lives in Stirling, Scotland. [1]
The Antarctic is a polar region around Earth's South Pole, opposite the Arctic region around the North Pole.
South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (SGSSI) is a British Overseas Territory in the southern Atlantic Ocean. It is a remote and inhospitable collection of islands, consisting of South Georgia and a chain of smaller islands known as the South Sandwich Islands. South Georgia is 165 kilometres (103 mi) long and 35 kilometres (22 mi) wide and is by far the largest island in the territory. The South Sandwich Islands lie about 700 kilometres (430 mi) southeast of South Georgia. The territory's total land area is 3,903 km2 (1,507 sq mi). The Falkland Islands are about 1,300 kilometres (810 mi) west from its nearest point.
David Clive Wilson, Baron Wilson of Tillyorn, is a retired British administrator, diplomat and Sinologist. He was the penultimate Commander-in-Chief and 27th Governor of Hong Kong. He served as Lord High Commissioner to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, the British Monarch's representative to the Assembly, in 2010 and 2011. He is also one of the two living former governors of Hong Kong with Chris Patten. He retired from the House of Lords on 12 February 2021 after sitting as a crossbencher for over 28 years.
Alan Edden Huckle is an English senior diplomat in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office of the British Government. He was the commissioner of the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) and the British Antarctic Territory from 23 April 2001 until 12 January 2004, when he left to become the governor of Anguilla in the Caribbean. He was the Governor of Anguilla from 29 July 2004 to July 2006, having been appointed in July 2003.
Howard John Stredder Pearce, CVO is an English diplomat who served as the Governor of the Falkland Islands and Civil Commissioner of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (SGSSI) until July 2006. He assumed both positions on 3 December 2002. Before his appointment, Pearce was High Commissioner to Malta from 1999 to 2002. He joined the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) in 1972.
The flag of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands was granted on 3 October 1985, when the Territory was created. Previously the Territory was a part of the former Falkland Islands Dependencies and used the same flag as the Falklands Islands.
The commissioner for South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands is the representative of the British monarch in the United Kingdom's overseas territory of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands. The post is held in conjunction with the governorship of the Falkland Islands.
The history of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands is relatively recent. When European explorers discovered the islands, they were uninhabited, and their hostile climate, mountainous terrain, and remoteness made subsequent settlement difficult. Due to these conditions, human activity in the islands has largely consisted of sealing, whaling, and scientific surveys and research, interrupted by World War II and the Falklands War.
The South Georgia Museum is situated in Grytviken, near the administrative centre of the UK overseas territory of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands. Polar explorers Ernest Shackleton and Frank Wild are buried in Grytviken's graveyard. The museum was established in 1991 by Nigel Bonner.
The Falkland Islands Dependencies was the constitutional arrangement from 1843 until 1985 for administering the various British territories in Sub-Antarctica and Antarctica which were governed from the Falkland Islands and its capital Port Stanley.
British sovereignty of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands is disputed by Argentina. The United Kingdom claimed South Georgia in 1775, annexed the islands in 1908, and has exercised de facto control with the exception of a brief period during the Falklands War in 1982, when the islands were partially controlled by Argentina. The dispute started in 1927 when Argentina claimed sovereignty over South Georgia, and subsequently expanded in scope with Argentina claiming the South Sandwich Islands in 1938. The islands have no indigenous population, and currently only have about 30 inhabitants.
Colin Roberts is a British diplomat and the former Governor of the Falkland Islands and former Commissioner of the South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands.
David Tatham is an English former ambassador and Governor of the Falkland Islands, 1992–1996. He was also editor of The Dictionary of Falklands Biography.
Sally Poncet is an Australian-born scientist and adventurer who has explored and studied the Antarctic region since 1977. Her specialty is birds and she made extensive studies of albatross and their habitats for the British Antarctic Survey. She has written guidebooks on preservation of the flora and fauna of South Georgia and received numerous awards and honors, including the Blue Water Medal, the Fuchs Medal and the Polar Medal for her contributions to understanding the southern polar region.
Same-sex marriage has been legal in the British Antarctic Territory since 13 October 2016. A new marriage ordinance bringing territorial legislation in line with the law in force in England and Wales was proclaimed by Commissioner Peter Hayes on 13 October, legalising marriage by same-sex couples in the British Antarctic Territory.
Alison Mary Blake, is a British diplomat who is currently serving as Governor of the Falkland Islands and Commissioner of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands. She previously served as High Commissioner to Bangladesh and Ambassador to Afghanistan.
Katherine “Frin” Ross is a British marine biologist and conservationist who has worked extensively in the Falkland Islands and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands. She previously served as Marine and Fisheries Officer for the Government of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands.
The Falklands Maritime Heritage Trust (FMHT) is a charitable organization in England and Wales, based in London. Led by a group of trustees, the FMHT's goal is to educate Falkland Islanders about maritime history.