Honours Committee First Report received and recommendation approved

10. Mr Lowey to move:

That the First Report of the Tynwald Honours Committee 2011-12 be received, and the following recommendation be approved –

That His Honour J W Corrin CBE be awarded the Tynwald Honour on 5th July 2012.

The President: Item 10, the Tynwald Honours Committee. Mr Lowey to move.

Mr Lowey: Thank you, Madam President. It is rare indeed for me to move a motion in this Hon. Court with such relish and unbridled pleasure as I do today in proposing the resolution standing at Item 10 on the Order Paper. When I first entered this Hon. Court, Madam President, over 37 years ago, His Honour Jack Corrin was the then Attorney General, and I can remember the assistance and help that he gave me, the greenest of greenhorns, coming into this august Chamber. I had been presented with a Bill within two months to move through the lower House. It was the High Court of Justice Bill. I met him one day in the corridors in Government Offices and I must have had that lost look about me. Some in this Court would say I have never lost it! He said to me, ‘I believe they are blooding you well, early, Mr Lowey.’ He said, ‘Do you know what it is about?’ I said, ‘No, sir,’ – honesty is the best policy – and he said, ‘Well, come to my Chambers tomorrow afternoon and I will give you a run through what the legislative programme and introducing legislation is all about.’ He must have been a tremendous tutor, because I learned more in that one afternoon that has stood me in stead for over 37 years, and it was done selflessly and without any bidding on my part, but he could see that I needed assistance and he helped me. I have tried to impart that knowledge to Members who have come and gone in this Chamber ever since. So I have a personal knowledge of getting assistance from Jack Corrin from the first day I set foot inside this Court and throughout my career. Can I also say, I can go back, another decade on, when His Honour Jack Corrin was mentioned to me. By this time, he had moved on to become the First and . I was on a committee of this Court, looking into the terms and conditions of lawyers – which sat for five years, so nothing changes. I can tell you that I was so impressed with the unsolicited compliments that were being paid to His Honour for the work that he was doing in encouraging the profession to re-energise itself with young people. Remember when, 37 years ago, we had 18 lawyers for the whole of the . We now have well in excess of 200 and it has been the bedrock of the success of the Isle of Man’s finance industry. All done by the encouragement of His Honour Jack Corrin. I then come further on to his work for the community, and I remember being President – another decade on – of the Foundation for the Physically Disabled, and we were just about to start the workshop for the disabled. There is a golden rule in life: if you want a job well done, give it to a busy man. I offered the job to Jack Corrin to become the first Chairman of the Foundation. He accepted without a moment’s hesitation and the rest, as they say, is history. There are three little facets of this man’s life that I have seen from first-hand experience. In fact, there are so many facets to this man’s life, there are more facets to this man’s life than there is to any jewel in the late Elizabeth Taylor’s wide range of diamond rings. I had better, Madam President, get back to the script that has been written for me and I will do so, but I do say that His Honour Jack Corrin has certainly got my full support and I am sure he is regarded in the Isle of Man as a national treasure. Madam President, following the acceptance by this Hon. Court of the Report of the Select Committee and Standing Committees of Tynwald in December 2002, Tynwald was empowered to confer honours in its own right. The remit of the Tynwald Honours Committee was extended to recommend to Tynwald for the awarding of such honours to living Manx persons. Your Committee has held two meetings during the past year and dealt with a considerable amount of e-mail and other correspondence to consider the issue of awarding honours to living Manx persons. The Report that is presented before this Hon. Court reflects the result of these deliberations. It is not my intention, Madam President, to repeat all the Report contains, I am sure Hon. Members will have read it. However, I would like to explain to this Hon. Court the basic thinking behind our Report. The Tynwald Honour is the highest honour which the Isle of Man can bestow. It is awarded only to those who have made an outstanding contribution over many years to one or more areas of Manx life. Hon. Members can see the full criteria for the award in paragraph 2.3 of the Report. It does not have to be awarded every year. The first award was made in 2007 to the late Mr Norman Alexander Sayle RI; in 2008 to Mr Harvey Briggs,

Tynwald 15 May 2012 ; in 2009 to Mr Ian Qualtrough; 2010 to Dr Brian Stowell and in 2011 to Mr Thomas . All these people made a significant contribution to Manx life over many years in the community, the arts, the professions, charitable organisations and cultural spheres. This year, 2012 your Committee has resolved to award the Tynwald Honour to His Honour J W Corrin CBE, known affectionately to all as Jack. This opinion is based upon our consideration as to why His Honour would be a worthy recipient of the Tynwald Honour. This true Manx gentleman has made an outstanding contribution to many areas of Manx life. He has carried out the worthy work in respect of the constitution during his career and has demonstrated strong selfless commitment for many years to charitable causes. His work with the Manx Blind Welfare Society and the Manx Workshop for the Disabled demonstrates his aim of promoting the quality of life in the Island and the wellbeing of its population. Further evidence can be found in his support of the Douglas Buxton Music Trust, the Soldiers, Sailors and Airmen’s Families Association, the Manx Asthma Association, Crossroads Caring for Carers, Alcohol Advisory Council, the Manx Housing Trust, he is a past president of the Isle of Man Postgraduate Medical Centre, an honorary member of the Isle of Man Medical Society, an honorary life member of the Isle of Man Law Society and furthermore, he was appointed a trustee of the Manx Methodist Church. He is also a trustee of the Manx Foundation for the Physically Disabled and Ellan Vannin House. I could stand here and recite many more, but you have got the picture. Members were circulated, as Hon. Members will note from the Report, we recommend that the Tynwald Honour be awarded to His Honour J W Corrin CBE on 2012 by Madam President in the chapel at St John’s at the Captioning Ceremony. We believe this to be a suitable venue and dignified occasion for the award to be made. In line with the terms of reference of the Tynwald Honours Committee, Tynwald Court has to approve and decide whether this honour should be bestowed on His Honour Jack Corrin. I commend him to the Court and I am sure it will meet with your unanimous support. Thank you, Madam President.

The President: The Hon. Member for Douglas North, Mr Houghton.

Mr Houghton: Thank you, Madam President. I have great pleasure in seconding the Hon. Member, Mr Lowey and supporting every single word that he said in support of His Honour Jack Corrin. Jack Corrin, as many people from the time that Jack Corrin was indeed a long-standing advocate in the Isle of Man, then Attorney General, then, of course, worked his way up into the judiciary to become First Deemster and Deputy Governor of this Island. Madam President, the work that I have done with His Honour Jack Corrin, in the time that I have worked with him – I have been associated in only partial areas of his great wealth of his understanding and contribution to this Island – has been quite insignificant and quite… in my circumstances, where I feel I am an active person, he puts us all to shame. He has put me to shame and I am very humbled to say that, in the amount of work that he has undertaken for this Island. It has been a pleasure to work with that gentleman and when we talk about gentlemen, there is no greater gentleman than Deemster Corrin. I have every pleasure in seconding and supporting this motion and I thank you.

The President: The Hon. Member, Mr Downie.

Mr Downie: Yes, thank you, Madam President. I would like to be associated with the remarks of the previous two speakers. I do not think there is anybody in this Isle of Man who is more down to earth, more approachable and more a true Manxman as Jack Corrin. I think we should also make reference today to his wife, Pat. (Several Members: Hear, hear.) She has also done a fantastic amount of work in the community, very respected by everyone who has any dealings with her and I am very, very pleased today to be able to support this motion that is with us. Thank you.

The President: The motion before the Court, Hon. Members, is that the First Report of the Tynwald Honours Committee 2011-12 be received and the following recommendation be approved – that His Honour J W Corrin CBE be awarded the Tynwald Honour on 5th July 2012. Those in favour, say aye; against, no. The ayes have it. The ayes have it.

Tynwald 15 May 2012