Found at: http://www.anguillaguide.com/article/articleprint/3963/-1/135/
|
Governor's Wife Ready To Serve
|
Mrs. Watanalak George, wife of His Excellency The Governor, Andrew George, is settling down at Government House, their official residence at Old Ta, having arrived in Anguilla in the middle of last month to join her husband who came early in July.
|
|
Mrs. Watanalak George
|
Born in Bangkok, Thailand, Mrs. Watanalak, who says people can call her ‘Watana’ for short, speaks the English Language very fluently. Speaking in an interview with The Anguillian, she described Anguilla as a comfortable place for her in that, like Thailand, it is a tropical country with clear skies, clean air, magnificent beaches and lots of friendly people. She likes Government House where the employees are a good team to work with. “They seem to be happy with me and I am happy with them,” she smiled. “They are humming all the time when they are working. I just let them get on with their work unless I have something different then I will tell them why and show them how to do it. We work together very well.”
It is a different life in Anguilla for Mrs. George from in the United Kingdom where, up to the last five years, she has been a teacher – an occupation she enjoys very much. “My last job has been a teacher at the Language Centre for the Foreign Office where I have been teaching officers who were to be posted at the British Embassy in Bangkok and I have also been teaching the Thai language at London University,” she said. Now that she has left the UK, other teachers are carrying on her work but she can always return to her teaching career there should Governor George be posted again in London in the future.
Right now, Mrs. George is getting to know all the Government authorities, other officials and as many persons as possible in the general community in Anguilla, thus preparing for her role at Government House during receptions and other public functions. “I just feel like a simple person and housewife and I am doing my duties in support of him,” she said when asked how she felt to be the Governor’s wife. She is hoping that her interacting and socialising with the public at Government House and in the community will also bring her into close contact with other ladies as well as young people with whom she can develop a good working and cooperative relationship.
“I am very open-minded about many things here,” she stated. “I think family life and family values are very important. If you start in a small unit first, in your own family, then you can really help other people in a positive way.”
|
|
Governor and Mrs. George
|
Mrs. George is giving much thought as to how she cannot only simply fit into the Anguillian society, but to be of much assistance as possible. Her first desire is to get around organising her responsibilities at Government House as indicated earlier and then to turn her attention to other activities.
She has already received and accepted an invitation from Lady Josephine Gumbs to become the Patron of the Soroptimist Club International of Anguilla. She has also heard about a number of other groups in which she is interested. These include the Girl Guides who will soon approach her to be President and Patron; the Optimist Club, youth organisations and other community groups including persons involved in arts and crafts in which she has a keen interest. She loves water colouring and oil painting, landscape and portrait painting and not only wants to become associated with local artists but to develop her own skills by attending some lessons if possible.
Mrs. George believes in the saying “once a teacher, always a teacher”. And so she is thinking about the possibility of using her expertise to teach the Thai language to interested persons. If no one comes forward, she may want to visit schools on the island to make any useful contribution. While she is settling down at Government House, she is carving out various ways in her mind as to how she can be of service to the Anguillian community. She is in fact ready to serve in any capacity. In Anguilla, where there is much to do, any offer she makes is likely to be taken up quickly.
Speaking about her hobbies, the Governor’s wife said that in addition to arts and crafts, painting, music and photography, she has an overwhelming interest in people. “People are the most interesting subject of all because they are all different, individual and complicated,” she said. “Every time you deal with people, you have to be careful and sentimental about it. I love to see different countries and different cultures; to see how the people live and how they differ from my own society and I try to understand how we can really exchange ideas. So I open myself to everything and everybody, but I just like a simple life being just a housewife and a good mother.”
She and Governor George have two children: a daughter, Arada, 27, a Business Executive in London and a son, Michael, 24, a Geologist by profession but currently a trained English Language Teacher in Japan.