02/06/2026
As Anguilla celebrates 59 years of resilience, progress, and self-determination, we are pleased to share Governor Julia Crouch’s address delivered at the Official Anguilla Day Ceremony and Parade on 1 June 2026.
Reflecting on this year's theme, “Anguilla Day 59: Empowered by Yesterday’s Legacy, Inspired by Tomorrow’s Promise,” the Governor highlighted the island’s remarkable achievements, opportunities for the future, and the collective responsibility we share in building a stronger Anguilla.
Read the full speech below.
Happy Anguilla Day.
This is my third Anguilla Day as Governor and with each year my admiration, love and respect for this island grows deeper.
Many of you will have seen the message for Anguilla Day from His Royal Highness, King Charles III in which he speaks of his special affection for this island and admiration for the qualities of strength of community, pride in heritage and commitment to progress. I wholeheartedly agree.
As I look around and see Anguilla dressed in orange, turquoise, and white, I see people coming together in pride. I see belonging. And above all, I see hope—hope rooted in the past and reaching confidently toward the future.
This year’s theme, “Empowered by yesterday’s legacy, inspired by tomorrow’s promise,” reminds us that Anguilla is able to determine her future – she did so 59 years go because others stood firm - through hardship, sacrifice, and courage. Their legacy is not only our inheritance; it is a solid foundation on which Anguilla can continue to take steps to determine her future.
There is so much to celebrate in the 59 years of Anguilla’s journey. After years of struggle, the economy is now soaring, and with it comes the possibility of better opportunities and higher living standards for all Anguillians. Our new airport terminal welcomes rising numbers of visitors. Our beautiful cays and bays continue to draw the world to our shores. And Anguilla is increasingly being recognised as a place of ambition, enterprise, and global potential.
We are seeing that potential come to life in exciting ways. Anguilla’s House of Assembly now uses an AI-powered automatic transcription system. It was developed by a local Anguillian business. At a recent conference, Anguilla was cited as an example for other Parliaments to follow. That is no small thing. It is a sign that this small island can lead, can innovate, and can inspire.
Similarly, our dot AI domain name is more than a just a source of revenue—invaluable though that is. It is a calling card with the potential to attract investment, open new doors, and inspire the next generation of Anguillians to build careers at the cutting edge of technology right here at home.
But a bright future does not build itself. If Anguilla is to fulfil tomorrow’s promise we will not only need the same resilience, faith, and hard work on which this nation was built...
…in a fast-changing and uncertain world, we will also need innovation, creativity, and the courage to embrace new ways of thinking and working. That’s why, within the public service, the Deputy Governor is leading a fundamental reform to ensure we are developing and harnessing the power and talent of our people for the 21st century.
And Anguilla will need to continue to draw on that talent and the ingenuity to find new ways to help protect our reefs, preserve our fisheries and safeguard our precious natural environment. I know like me you will be proud of our Anguillian scientists involved in cutting edge science this year including mapping the seabed around Anguilla, monitoring moths with a novel AI tool and protecting our island from invasive species.
And yet, even as we celebrate, we must speak honestly about the work still before us. This is a wonderful society with some of the most kind and generous people I’ve met anywhere in the world. But in this society and among our community families and workplaces there are some people who are violent, to their own families and to us in the wider community. I appeal to all Anguillians to harness the courage of those revolutionaries and support the authorities to tackle those who would use violence. We must never become complacent. We must never accept violence as inevitable. As the Apostle Paul reminds us of the body, “If one part suffers, every part suffers with it.” The pain of one family is never theirs alone. It belongs to all of us, and so too does the responsibility to respond.
That is why this year we’ve been working with the Government to support our community workers, invest in the police and build up the Attorney General’s Chambers. By next Anguilla Day, I’m confident, with UK support, we will also see a new marine unit helping to police our borders. Something Anguillians have been crying out for for years.
But institutions alone are not enough. We also need people—people with a passion for justice, a heart for the vulnerable, and a determination to help those who are struggling, especially young people who need support to choose the right path.
So today, I want to make a heartfelt appeal. To Anguillians here at home: please consider public service. Our island needs more Anguillian police officers, electricians, planning officers, lawyers, teachers and leaders in every field. Public service is not just a job; it is a calling. A calling to help build the Anguilla we want to see.
And to Anguillians overseas, whether you are in London, New York, Toronto, Miami, or anywhere else in the world: your country needs you too. Whatever your skills—there is a place for you in Anguilla’s future. Come home, if you can, and help us shape what comes next. Bring back your expertise, your experience, your ideas, and your love for this island.
Anguilla’s future is bright. That brightness will be fuelled by people who are willing to serve, to adapt, to persevere, and to believe in one another. Empowered by yesterday’s legacy, and inspired by tomorrow’s promise, let us go forward together—with courage, with resilience, and with confidence in all that Anguilla can become.
Happy Anguilla Day, and may God continue to bless this remarkable island.
