OBITUARY

Mr John Bostock, MBE, Cayman's first Chief Immigration Officer

Mr John Bostock

Wednesday,  February 16, 2005

A tribute from the Cayman Islands Immigration Department by Franz Manderson

Mr John Dwight Bostock took up his post in Cayman in 1970 while immigration was a part of the Police Department. Those officers who worked with him in the early days remember how he adapted so quickly to the Cayman imperative of burning the mosquito pan at the old Owen Roberts Airport. He would personally transport staff to and from work because of his concern for their well being, and he was especially interested in the safety of the young female officers.

When the decision was taken to set up a Department of Immigration, Mr Bostock was tasked with establishing the new Department as well as creating an operational framework for the first Caymanian Protection Board, the Board that was later known as the Immigration Board. 

Thanks to Mr Bostock’s expertise and leadership, this separation from the Police Department was a seamless one. As the Head of the new Department he continued to develop new policies and procedures to keep abreast of the demands of Cayman’s fast-changing needs.

We all have fond memories of Mr Bostock or “JDB” as he was affectionately called by the longer serving officers. He has been referred to as ‘a father figure,’ ‘a gentleman,’ ‘gentle giant’, ‘suave and handsome’, ‘a caring boss”.

He was our hero. He always saw the best in all of us and recognized our weaknesses and helped us to overcome them. He would gently offer advice and criticism and encourage us to reach our full potential.

My earliest memory of Mr Bostock dates back to July 1980 when I started my first summer job in the Immigration Department. I felt very nervous when I was told that I was to meet the Chief Immigration Officer, I was even more frightened when I saw this giant of a man. He towered over me, (I was much smaller then). He reminded me of an army general – powerful, confident, imposing. I was so intimidated that it took me a few seconds to realize that he was not actually breathing fire – the smoke was coming from his pipe. Then he smiled at me, and he spoke, and my fears vanished.

From the moment he spoke I knew everything would be fine. With a smile and a few words, he changed my fears to admiration. That was typical of Mr Bostock - he was at ease with everyone – and he could put everyone at ease. He was large in stature and humble in nature, and he was larger than life to his staff. I would describe him as strong and fearless, kind and sensitive. He was gentle as a lamb or as fierce as a lion, depending on the circumstances.

Once I started to learn the ropes in the Immigration Department, I began to understand the significant contribution that Mr Bostock had made to Cayman’s economic develop and his contribution to protecting the employment rights of Caymanians. He was instrumental in the drafting of the first Immigration Law, appropriately named the Caymanian Protection Law back in 1971, a very timely and progressive piece of legislation mandating that qualified Caymanians be given the first opportunity for jobs at a time when jobs were at a premium in the Cayman Islands. The provisions of that Law helped to set the stage for the success of many young Caymanians. Mr. Bostock was humbly proud of this. Although the immigration law has been changed many times over the years, it is a testament to the foresight of its authors that many of the provisions of that law are as relevant today as they were in 1971, and can be found – word for word – in the Immigration Law 2003 that was enacted earlier this year.

I truly enjoyed working with Mr Bostock and I learned so many lessons from him.

Shortly after the announcement that I would be taking up the post of CIO, Mr Bostock phoned to offer both congratulations and commiserations. “With the options you have open to you, are you sure you are doing the right thing?” He spoke of the mammoth challenges that I would be faced with, but I assured him that I was confident about my choice and I reminded him that I had had the privilege of learning from the best – I said, “Mr Bostock, I think I can handle it – YOU trained me well!” I heard his hearty chuckle, and he went on to offer his support and advice.

Mr Bostock was a man of great wisdom and vision. In the era when Cayman was known as the Island time Forgot, Mr Bostock looked into the future and saw cruise tourism, in addition to stay- over visitors. He diligently set about developing policies and procedures for admitting both cruise and stay-over tourists to our Islands, up-dating and changing them as necessary over the years as the Cayman Islands grew to become a popular cruise destination and the world’s fifth largest financial center. 

Mr Bostock retired from the Immigration Department in 1994 but his love and concern continued. He would often drop in to visit or telephone to see how we were doing. Sometimes he would call and tell us that he had won another victory at the immigration appeals tribunal. In those instances he was not calling to gloat but to let us know there was a problem and often gave us the advice about how to remedy the problem.
We were surprised to see him appear at the Immigration Department only a few days after the hurricane. Knowing how much he cared we really should have been expecting him. We were touched by his concern, and heartened by his visit, glad that he made time to check up on us in the midst of chaos and great personal losses.

Mr Bostock will be sadly missed by his friends and former colleagues at the Immigration Department. He will not be forgotten. We will always remember him, and strive to live by his mottos, for example:

“It’s not what you say but how you say it”; “A no decision today does not mean a no decision tomorrow”, and “Always be fair and treat everyone with respect.” However, he did not leave us with just words to live by, he led by example and it was his example that had the most lasting impression on the many lives he touched.

Mr Bostock’s many achievements during his distinguished career in Cayman include:

• Spearheaded the computerization of the Immigration Department, with the result that this was one of the first departments to be fully computerized in 1984.
• First secretary of the Caymanian Protection Board.
• Submitted proposals for the physical accommodation of the staff of the Immigration Department and oversaw the design and construction of a modern immigration building.
• Provided specialist advice and guidance in the drafting of three immigration laws to bring the legislation in harmony with economic and societal changes.
• Awarded the MBE in 1999 in recognition for his outstanding public service.

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