My wife, Joan, has got into the soup bowl regarding the Kel Thompson development on the waterfront in George Town. I have written about this as well.

However she was outraged by a letter written to the Cayman Compass by Mary Thompson, mother of Kel Thompson, who has erected a ticket office to great annoyance to the adjoining property owner, Chris Johnson.

Mr Johnson, along with his son, Robert, have been heading up a project to beautify the George Town waterfront and the ticket office is in their opinion, and mine, ruining their efforts that should be applauded.

Mrs. Thompson has implied true Caymanians can do whatever they like and everyone else, even the paper Caymanian variety, can just shut up and be thankful they are here.

I have republished Joan’s reply that has been sent to the Cayman Compass along with the offending Mrs Thompson’s letter.

To Cayman Compass

From Joan (Watler) Wilson

June 23 2016

Re Mary Thompson Letter to Compass “Answering complaints about waterfront development”

I am responding to the letter Mary Thompson wrote in your newspaper on June 21st. I must say first of all I was both shocked and very disappointed after reading it.

I have known Mary most of my life and of course her late husband Norberg. I also know one of her sons, Kel, The family is very close to my surviving sister.

I will start off in the same vein that Mary wrote (not that it had anything to do with the dispute regarding the waterfront property).

My father was the late Major Joseph Rodriguez (Roddy) Watler, Chief Inspector of Police and Captain of the Home Guard (amongst other positions he held). My mother was Blanche Bodden. I am related to the very first Caymanians. I am, therefore, 100% true born Caymanian with no “paper” to my title.

I will not bother to write all my father’s achievements as it would take too long except to say he is the Cayman Islands most decorated Caymanian.

Mary states Norberg was one of the founders of WestStarTV “which brought television to Cayman”. It was CITN – Cayman International Television (Caribbean) Network that brought television to the Cayman Islands. CITN was in competition with Desmond Seales’ CITV long before CITN engaged WestStar to manage the business for them. And a year after Norberg being a shareholder in WestStar he departed. It was my husband, Colin, and myself that were the pioneers of television along with Desmond. And it was my money that started CITN. It was Colin that found WestStar after we had both sat down with Norberg and Kel to see if they were interested but they were emphatic with us they were not.

I duly recognise Norberg’s achievements and you have a right Mary to be proud of him.

However, none of this has anything to do with the eyesore that your son, Kel, has erected on the waterfront. It is an abomination and I have told Kel so to his face.

The Central Planning Authority (“comprised of Caymanians”) for reasons I can only conjecture at, defied the strong objections to your son’s development from the Department of Environment on sound grounds and comprised of Caymanians.

It is disturbing to me that ex-pats/Paper Caymanians (your words) should want to beautify the waterfront whilst your Caymanian son wants to put a blot on the landscape!

Your disgraceful rhetoric at Chris Johnson, who has been here just as long as your son has, and the slur you have placed regarding his status and suggesting Caymanians can do whatever they like because we are Caymanians is totally out of order. If it wasn’t for the expats and paper Caymanians your family would not be the successful and rich one it is. They are the ones who provided you with most of your wealth by using your businesses.

As a child I spent many, many, hours swimming in the area your son is now desecrating. The building is now obstructing the beautiful view the tourists have had over the years and us Caymanians have enjoyed for centuries!

“Please bear in mind that we Caymanians are the reason why you are here among us enjoying our lifestyle and the friendliness of our people and we would kindly ask that you respect us, too.” – Mary that goes both ways – not one. And, again, what has that got to do with your son’s building that does not as you say “will be another benefit to tourism”. It is the opposite and the only reason I can see why your son wants it there is to make money for himself and his family.

Chris Johnson and his son are trying to beautify the waterfront and not to make money from it. Your son is doing the opposite and I will not be silent on this.

I am very, very disappointed in your letter as it gives us Caymanians a bad name.

I can assure everyone out there the majority of Caymanians do not share Mary’s views that we can do anything we like because we are Caymanians!

Joan Wilson

Answering complaints about waterfront development
By Letters – FROM MARY THOMPSON
June 21, 2016

Norberg Kelvin Thompson Sr. was born in George Town, Grand Cayman, to Capt. and Mrs. Eugene Thompson on March 28, 1925, and grew up in this same district. He was united in marriage to Mary Virginia Merren, who was born in George Town on Nov. 16, 1931, to George and Rose (Arch) Merren whose families were also developers of the Cayman Islands.

Norberg was a seaman for many years but decided he wanted to spend the rest of his life in the country where he was born and raised. In 1954, he built Wholesome Bakery which is now where the commercial Waterfront Centre building is located. This property was given to him by his father, so, it has been in the hands of the same family for almost a century.

As soon as Norberg became successful as a businessman with Wholesome Bakery, he went into other projects such as building many apartments to house both tourists and expats who would need accommodations. In addition to being one of the founders of Cayman National Bank and WestStar TV, which brought television to Cayman, he also developed two shopping centers, several office buildings, redeveloped the Clarion Grand Pavilion hotel (which later became Grand Pavilion Commercial Centre) and developed the Wyndham Reef Resort. Norberg and I were joint owners of all our properties and once my husband passed away, I became the sole proprietor.

While we welcome expatriates from all countries to Cayman (some of which have become what we call “paper Caymanians”) and have lived very peacefully together, there are some who have come to conclude they have priority over born Caymanians.

Mr. Chris Johnson is making a disturbance because of a building that we are legally erecting on our long held property, which when completed, will be another benefit to tourism.

While my husband and I are born Caymanians and are some of the largest Caymanian developers, it appears that Mr. Johnson is not satisfied by the decision granted by a board comprised of Caymanians (the Cayman Islands Central Planning Authority), and now seeks to have priority and impose his will over born Caymanians, who have done much to develop our country which has afforded many expats like him the opportunity to gain work and the right to live here in Cayman today.

We welcome everyone with open arms, but we expect due respect when Caymanians choose to legally develop their own land in their country. Thanking all expats who have contributed to this country, but please bear in mind that we Caymanians are the reason why you are here among us enjoying our lifestyle and the friendliness of our people and we would kindly ask that you respect us, too.

Mary Thompson