Norma Edwards

Norma Edwards OBE is a Falkland Islands politician. She served for two decades on the Falkland Islands Legislative Council[1] and has been described as a "noted hard-liner" in opposition to Argentine control of the islands.[2]


Norma Edwards

OBE
Member of the Falkland Islands Legislative Council
for Camp
In office
12 October 1989  17 November 2005
Succeeded byRichard Stevens
Member of the Falkland Islands Legislative Council
for Stanley
In office
3 October 1985  1987
Succeeded byTerry Betts
Personal details
NationalityFalkland Islander
Political partyNonpartisan
Spouse(s)Roger Edwards
ChildrenEmma, Rebecca

Edwards is a native Falkland Islander, the fourth generation born on the islands.[3] She pursued her early schooling there before leaving for the United Kingdom, where she trained as a nurse.[1] She lived for a time in Portsmouth, England, where her daughters Emma and Rebecca were born, before returning to the Falklands with her family after the 1982 war.[4]

She was first elected to the Falkland Islands Legislative Council to represent Stanley in 1985, the first election after the islands' 1985 constitution came into force.[5] She resigned from that post in 1987,[6] and in 1989 she returned to the council as a representative of the Camp constituency, a position she held until her retirement in 2005.[7][8]

Edwards has advocated in favor of the Falkland Islands' right to self-determination, in opposition to Argentina's claim to the islands.[1][9] She was a fierce opponent of the 1999 Anglo-Argentine joint agreement[8] and offered testimony to the United Nations in favor of the British side of the dispute.[10]

Her husband, Roger Edwards, whom she married in 1970,[1] is a current member of the Falkland Islands Legislative Assembly. The couple has lived on and run a farm on West Falkland since 1986.[11] Her daughter Emma Edwards also served on the Legislative Assembly from 2009 until 2011. Her younger daughter, Rebecca, is the first-ever female physician from the Falklands.[3][8]

Edwards was awarded the Order of the British Empire in the 2006 Birthday Honours for "services to the community."[12]

References

  1. "Norma Edwards OBE". The Falkland Islands Association. Retrieved 2020-09-17.
  2. "Argentine architects hope for early Memorial siteing". MercoPress. Retrieved 2020-09-17.
  3. Cockwell, Jenny. "Our Islands, Our Home" (PDF). Falkland Islands Government.
  4. "Hon. Emma Edwards". The Falkland Islands Government. Archived from the original on 2010-12-16.
  5. "FI Gazette LEC/20/8". Jane Cameron National Archives. 1985.
  6. "News in Brief" (PDF) (90). Penguin News. 30 January 1987: 11.
  7. "Penguin News". Jane Cameron National Archives. 13 October 1989.
  8. "Royal Honour for Falklands' Champion". MercoPress. Retrieved 2020-09-17.
  9. "Letter: Proudly British". The Independent. 1999-03-21. Retrieved 2020-09-17.
  10. "SPECIAL COMMITTEE ON DECOLONIZATION REITERATES CALL ON ARGENTINA, UNITED KINGDOM TO RESUME NEGOTIATIONS ON FALKLANDS/MALVINAS ISSUE | Meetings Coverage and Press Releases". www.un.org. Retrieved 2020-09-17.
  11. "Hon. Roger Edwards". The Falkland Islands Government. Archived from the original on 2010-12-16.
  12. "Birthday Honours List — United Kingdom" (PDF). The London Gazette. 2006-06-17.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.