His Excellency Basil G. O’Brien C.M.G.

His Excellency Basil G. O’Brien C.M.G.

Throughout its 162 years of existence, the parish church of St. Agnes produced many leaders in church and in state.  One such person is His Excellency Basil G. O’Brien, CMG, the fifth High Commissioner of the Bahamas to the Uninted Kingdom.

In December 1940 Cyril and Kathleen O’Brien, both natives of Cat Island, welcomed their third child and second son.  This third child would later be joined by five other boys and two other girls, making for a family of ten: seven boys and three girls.

At the time of his birth, Kathleen and Cyril O’Brien had no idea that the child whom they called Basil Godwin would ultimately become the head of the public service as Secretary to the Cabinet.  Having entered the public service in 1969 as Higher Executive Officer in the Ministry of External Affairs and progressing through the ranks of Assistant Secretary, Cabinet Office 1970, (rising to the rank of Deputy Permanent Secretary), Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Tourism,1978, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs 1986, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture, Trade and Industry 1989, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education,1993, his appointment in 1994 as Secretary to the Cabinet and Head of Public Service, made him the second member of the St. Agnes congregation to fill this post, Mrs. Magaret McDonald being the other.

Soon after his birth, Basil’s family relocated from Cat Island to New Providence, where they settled in Mason’s Addition, an area located within the physical boundaries of the parish of St. Agnes.  It was not accidental, therefore, that as staunch Anglicans his family, who were ministered to by Canon Milton Cooper in Cat Island, joined the St. Agnes family and Basil along with his older brother Charles became an acolyte, a service which he still practices whenever he is in the country.

The establishment of St. John’s College in 1947, increased the opportunity for people of colour to obtain a secondary education. Basil seized this opportunity.  While a student at St. John’s, Basil became Head Boy and was greatly influenced by Canon Milton E. Cooper, who had encuraged a number of his acolytes to test vocations for Holy Orders. It was accepted that Basil would proceed to Codrington College and follow in the steps of other acolytes of St. Agnes who would later become distinguished Fathers of the Church. However, this was not to be and on hisgraduation from St. John’s College in 1958 he was employed briefly in the Civil Aviation Department and shortly thereafter he proceeded to London to pursue post secondary education at the University Turorial College and the University of London.

Simultaneous with the appointment to the court of St. James as the fifth High Commissioner of The Bahamas to the United Kingdom in 1999, he was appointed Ambassador to the European Union, Belgium, France, Germany and Italy.  At the same time he was accredited as Permanent Representative to the International Maritime Organization, in London, the International Organization for Migration and the World Trade Organization in Geneva and the Bureau of International Expositions in Paris.

As a career civil servant,  Basil’s counsel is sought after by civic and religious groups. Thus he has served as Chairman of the Board of Governors of St. John’s College; member of the Anglican Central Education Authority; Director of The Bahamas Hotel Training College and Director of Bahamasair Holdings Company.

During his sojourn as a student in London, he met and fell in love with  Marlene Devika Chand, a native of Guyana, who like many other Commonwealth citizens had migrated to the UK to complete studies as a registered nurse.  Their marriage produced two children: David Krishna and Tariq Jeremy.

Basil retired in 1999 as Secretary to the Cabinet and folllowing is tenure as High Commissioner/Ambassadors he retired finally in 2008.

He has been a lifelong member of the Guild of St. Ambrose at St Agnes. He enjoys reading and continues to be a keen observer of international affairs.  He is a member of SKAL: International Persons in the Travel Industry, Chaine des Rotisseurs, The Royal Automobile Club, Royal Overseas league and The Royal Commonwealth Society.