ECONOMIC Development Minister Allan Bell has paid tribute to the Isle of Man's resilience and fighting spirit in dealing with the difficulties of the economic situation during the last twelve months.
Speaking at last night's Isle of Man Newspapers Excellence Awards ceremony at the Villa Marina, Mr Bell said the way that the Isle of Man had faced the situation made him feel very proud of the Island.
“When I stood here a year ago the atmosphere was very different, facing a situation brought upon us by outside influences. Here we are 12 months later - the sky hasn’t caved in, the Manx economy is not in recession, we have 1.7% unemployment and we are still meeting new investors who want to join our way of life and help to create a future for the Island, especially for our young people who will one day be seeking employment.”
The spontaneous warm round of applause which filled the Villa Marina following Mr Bell’s words reflected the respect which the Island’s business community frequently expresses in private about the Economic Development Minister, but rarely gets the chance to show in public.
Mr Bell added, “I am a great believer that adversity can be a great unifier. In the last few years the Isle of Man has shown great resilience, compassion and continued to search for excellence. In adversity, the unifying strength of our nation shines through.”
An even stronger burst of applause greeted the Minister’s words delivered in a passionate manner by Mr Bell whose love for the Isle of Man is well known.
He added, “The Isle of Man continues to punch above its weight in many different ways. Tonight shows that the Isle of Man is a major success story. Not everyone here has won an award, but everyone here is a success and we salute you all.
“We have all had to face difficult challenges but we have shown loyalty to the Isle of Man and businesses have continued to promote the national identity, culture, heritage and economy and there are any number of wonderful examples all over the Island.
“But it’s not just businesses; we have many individuals who promote the Isle of Man with their successes off the Island such as our Special Olympians, our Commonwealth Games team and our cyclist Mark Cavendish.
“They all embody the ethos of Freedom to Flourish which had its roots in the mid 1980s when Sir MIles Walker was Chief Minister and began the path towards his aim for a prosperous and caring society.
“Those were difficult times 25 years ago when economic conditions were far worse than they are today, but Sir Miles led the Isle of Man forward to overcome those challenges and become prosperous and today I believe those challenges are no different.
“And this evening is an opportunity for a celebration of everything that is positive about the Isle of Man and our ability to re-invent ourselves and show innovation and ingenuity to continue to prosper.”
Mr Bell’s impassioned speech before 1,200 of the Island’s top business people was greeted with warm enthusiasm around the Royal Hall on a glittering night at the Villa Marina.
It paved the way for the most emotional part of the night when a superb video recorded the life and times of one of the Isle of Man’s greatest ever Manxmen - First Deemster Mike Kerruish who died in July this year.
Friends and family paid countless warm tributes to the man described as “a great friend, a wonderful family man and a true and loyal Manxman.”
There was hardly a dry eye in the house as the tributes poured in, linked together by numerous archive photographs of the always smiling Mike Kerruish - the highlight being a classic movie clip of his marriage to Marianne in 1973.
A standing ovation and a roar of approval greeted his wife and family on the Villa Marina stage to accept the Lifetime Achievement Award on Mike’s behalf - without doubt THE moment of a truly memorable night.
