Montserrat is a British Overseas Territory in the Caribbean. It is part of the Leeward Islands, the northern portion of the Lesser Antilles chain of the West Indies. Montserrat is about 16 km (10 mi) long and 11 km (7 mi) wide, with roughly 40 km (25 mi) of coastline. It is nicknamed "The Emerald Isle of the Caribbean" both for its resemblance to coastal Ireland and for the Irish ancestry of many of its inhabitants. Montserrat is the only non-fully sovereign full member of the Caribbean Community and the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States.
Shirley Theresa Dysart CM was an American-born Canadian teacher and a politician in the province of New Brunswick.
Elections in Montserrat take place within the framework of a multi-party democracy and a parliamentary system. The Legislative Assembly is directly elected, and a Chief Minister is selected by the party or coalition with the most seats in the Assembly.
Shelley Elizabeth Hancock, an Australian politician. Hancock was the Liberal Member of the Legislative Assembly seat of South Coast from 2003 until 2023.
Michelle Hopkins Roberts is an Australian politician currently serving as Speaker of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly. She has been a Labor Party member of the Legislative Assembly since 1994. She served as a minister in the governments of Geoff Gallop and Alan Carpenter between 2001 and 2008. In November 2015, Roberts became the longest-serving female parliamentarian in Western Australia's history, breaking the record set by Liz Constable. She was a high school teacher, civil servant and local government councillor before entering politics.
Fiona Stuart Simpson is an Australian politician serving as Liberal National Party (LNP) member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly, representing Maroochydore since 1992. Simpson served as Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Queensland from 2012 to 2015 and further served as the Deputy Leader of the Queensland National Party and Deputy Leader of the Opposition from 2006 to 2008. Simpson is currently the Shadow Minister for Finance and Better Regulation and Shadow Minister for Integrity in Government.
Jan Slaughter Jones is an American politician in Georgia. A Republican, she has been a member of the Georgia House of Representatives since 2003, and was acting Speaker of the House from November 2022 to January 2023 following the death of former Speaker David Ralston. Jones serves as Speaker pro tempore of the House, a position she has held continuously since 2010 with the exception of her brief stint as acting Speaker. She is the state representative for Georgia's 47th House district, which covers some of the northern Atlanta suburbs, including parts of Milton, Roswell, Alpharetta, Mountain Park, and unincorporated Cherokee County.
"Motherland" is the national song of the British overseas territory of Montserrat. It was composed by academic J. A. George Irish and written by former acting Governor of Montserrat Sir Howard A. Fergus. "Motherland" was officially passed into law by the Legislative Assembly of Montserrat as the Territorial Song of Montserrat in 2014, after an extensive public search for a national song through open participation by Montserratians at home and abroad.
Charles Henry "Jim" Allen is a former Montserratian first-class cricketer who was a part of the World Series Cricket West Indies XI and is considered the greatest ever Montserrat sportsperson.
Bodkin is a surname. Notable people with the surname include:
Sir Howard Archibald Fergus was a Montserratian author and historian. He was born at Long Ground in Montserrat. He attended Bethel Primary School, Montserrat Secondary School, Erdiston Teachers College in Barbados, the University College of the West Indies (London), the Universities of Bristol and Manchester, and finally the University of the West Indies (UWI), earning a PhD in 1978. He retired from the University in 2004 as Professor of Eastern Caribbean Studies.
Shirley Osborne is a politician in Montserrat. She was Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Montserrat between September 2014 and October 2019. She is the daughter of the late John Osborne, a former Chief Minister of Montserrat.
Gregory Cristophe Fergus is a Canadian politician who has served as the 38th and current speaker of the House of Commons of Canada since October 3, 2023. He is the member of Parliament (MP) for Hull—Aylmer.
Patricia Griffin was a nurse and volunteer social worker from Montserrat. In addition to providing nursing services, she founded the Old People's Welfare Association, was instrumental in developing the pre-school program and established a consumer protection association on the island. An educational scholarship is granted in her name and she was honoured by a stamp depicting her likeness.
Mary Rose Tuitt was an educator and politician from the island of Montserrat, a British Overseas Territory in the Caribbean. She was the first woman to serve as a government minister in that country.
Ellen Dolly Peters, BEM was an Afro-Montserratian teacher and trade unionist. Outspoken in her activism for improved conditions for workers, she was instrumental in the rise of William Bramble's political career and earned the title "king maker". For her contributions to labor, she was awarded the British Empire Medal and was awarded the Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice for her teaching and service to the Catholic Church.
Margaret Rose Kelsick was a Montserratian politician. In 1961 she became the first woman to be elected to the Legislative Council.
Yvonne Weekes is a British-born Montserratian writer, theater director, and educator. She was Montserrat's first director of culture before being forced to move to Barbados during the eruption of the Soufrière Hills volcano in the 1990s. Her work deals with issues of displacement and isolation due to environmental and cultural forces beyond our control.
Margaret (Annie) Dyer-Howe was a Montserratian politician and businesswoman, who was the second woman to be appointed as a government minister in the Legislative Assembly of Montserrat. She held a number of ministries during her two periods as an elected representative, including as Minister for Education and Social Affairs, Minister for Trade, Agriculture, Lands, Housing and the Environment and Minister of Finance. She also co-founded the Montserrat Labour Party.
Adelina E. Tuitt is a Montserratian politician who served in the Legislative Council of Montserrat from 1996 until 2001. She was the territory's Minister of Health, Education, and Community Services, in the wake of the volcanic eruptions of the 1990s, which devastated the southern half of the island. A member of the Movement for National Reconstruction party, Tuitt represented the Eastern constituency.
