Found at: http://www.anguillaguide.com/article/articleprint/5316/-1/131/
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Obituary: JAMES L. WOODLEY A Debt Of Gratitude
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The sad, but quiet, passing of Mr. James L. Woodley at his residence in Blowing Point, Anguilla, at the age of 78, on Sunday, October 14, has closed a chapter in his life and in the history of Anguilla.
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The late Mr. Woodley receiving award from CM in 2004
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The soft-spoken and humble gentleman was an important contributor to the administrative advancement of Anguilla when the island, following its 1967 revolution, was groping with the problem of creating a proper and formal Public Service structure.
Fresh with his wealth of experience as Establishment Secretary in St. Kitts, where he had served with distinction in a difficult political situation, he was the right person to have been employed by Anguilla to lend a helping hand to the machinery of an emerging, new and inexperienced public service. He was from a respectable and educated family in Greenlands, Basseterre, and a staunch Methodist, steeped in the best traditions of leadership, service and dedication.
It was not an easy task for him to serve in an island like Anguilla which, at the time, was grossly lacking in public service systems and procedures as well as in finances to attract and pay capable and qualified persons. He had however been conversant with some of the basic services and the names of a few personnel, having dealt with some matters concerning Anguilla while serving in St. Kitts from where Anguilla had been earlier administered.
There were no real Public Service Regulations, defined duties, salary scales and training programmes in place, all of which posed much challenge to him. He was obliged to be creative in most cases and to draw on his own ability and experience to arrive at workable ideas and solutions tailored to the needs of Anguilla.
He had taken over in Anguilla from the late John Webster, who was one of the Anguillians involved in ad hoc administrative day to day duties, but with no set systems to follow.
Evalie Bradley, one of the first Anguillian public servants who worked with Mr. Woodley, from early in 1973, recalled: “I remember he came in as a very experienced administrator with very sound practical, administrative and management principles. He had dealt with the whole gamut of public service personnel issues even at the time when Anguilla was with St. Kitts. Most of the files of the old public servants had his signatures so when he came here he had a relatively good idea who the Anguillian public servants were.”
Asked how she thought the Anguilla Public Service benefited from his work, Mrs. Bradley stated: “It was only when he came that a proper structured service had emerged because in those early days it was only an ad hoc arrangement after the revolution. It did not have anyone here with the public service experience to really have a structured and organised system.”
Mrs .Bradley, who took over from Mr. Woodley as Establishments Secretary, in 1985, added: “I believe he was one of the first persons who really saw my potential and capabilities. He was really a good mentor and a good coach and I was able to learn significantly from him.”
In 2004 Mr. Woodley, long retired from the Public Service here, was honoured by the Government of Anguilla for his contribution to the social development of the island during the post-revolutionary years. He was awarded the Badge of Honour and a Queen’s Certificate during the Anguilla Day celebrations at the Ronald Webster Park. The honour was bestowed on him by Chief Minister, the Honourable Osbourne Fleming.
Up to the time of his passing, Mr. Woodley was a member of the Anguilla Belonger Commission, working closely with the Chief Minister’s Office. Anguilla certainly owes him a debt of gratitude especially for his work in the early structuring of the Public Service which has moved on from an embryonic stage to a now well-developed organisation.
At the time of his coming to Anguilla he was a relatively young man with a young family who joined him in settling on the island and eventually making outstanding contributions to the community. His wife, Mrs. Icilma Woodley, served for years as an Executive Secretary at the law firm of the late Dr. W. V. Herbert and as an Offshore Company official. One of his three sons, Trevor, is the Senior Manager at the Caribbean Commercial Bank; Karl Woodley teaches Hotel Management and Trades at the Albena Lake-Hodge Comprehensive School and is also a cultural leader on the island; Greg is the Systems Administrator at the Inland Revenue Department and Maureen, the only daughter, is an Accountant at the Anguilla Electricity Company.
To them and their relatives in St. Kitts and elsewhere, The Anguillian offers its condolences and best wishes in this difficult period.