LONDON, England — In a tweet on his Facebook page, His Excellency Ellison Greenslade, QPM, Bahamas High Commissioner to the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland, noted that he had “a delightful meeting at The Bahamas High Commission in London with His Excellency Mr. Milton Inniss, newly appointed High Commissioner of Barbados to the Court of St James” on Wednesday, January 30, adding that they affirmed their “willingness to maintain excellent relationships between our countries.”
According to an article published in BARBADOS TODAY on December 21, 2018, High Commissioner Innis arrived in London on Monday December 17 to take up his duties.
“The affable and self-effacing diplomat said he was honoured to be asked to represent Barbados and that in so doing, he will strive to bring all Barbadians in the diaspora, regardless of colour or creed, together for the common good of the country,” the article states, noting that he “emphasized that his mission, first and foremost, is to serve our nation and by extension all its people in the UK”.
Continuing, the article added: “Born in 1963, the son of Mr. Julian and Mrs. Ina Inniss of Deacons Road, St Michael and latterly of Chelsea Road, St Michael, he was introduced to the discipline of a structured education at the early age of 4 when he attended Merryvale Infants School, Belleville before moving to Harrison College at age ten. After leaving the Crumpton Street school, he attended Reading University in Berkshire, England and qualified as a Quantity Surveyor.
“Whilst at the University, the High Commissioner threw himself into the cosmopolitan life of the University and became a prominent member of the Afro-Caribbean Society. Drawing his attention to the then relatively high Barbadian population in the town, I asked if he found it possible to link with the resident Barbadians. He said although he was fully aware of the homeland connections, he was not able to do as much as he might have done.”
The article quoted High Commissioner as saying, “My probing and enquiring mind sought knowledge of the wider community and oft times I would take the relatively short journey to London to explore and absorb the broader British culture that could be found there.”
Continuing, the BARBADOS TODAY article said; “High Commissioner Inniss has travelled on many occasions to London from Barbados and now feels that, in some way, he is at home away from home.
“After his spell at the University, on returning to Barbados he became a Director at Quantity Surveyors Cooper Kaufman where he stayed for ten years. He changed careers thereafter and worked with the construction company Moojani Caribbean Ltd. as General Manager and Director for a further 23 years.
“Despite what appeared to be a heavy work load, His Excellency honed his skills and appetite for service to the community and for the last 30 years has been a member of the Rotary Club of Barbados West. He become District Governor for 2015/2016 -7030 covering a region from as far north as St Kitts to as far south as French Guiana. It soon became apparent that the High Commissioner lives and breathes the motto of his club, Service above Self.
He was quoted as saying, “Service to others defines an individual, it helps to mould one’s character and above all it enables one to give back to the community.”
