Sandra Mason

Dame Sandra Prunella Mason, GCMG, DA, QC (born 17 January 1949) is the Governor-General of Barbados.[1][2][3][4] She was a practising Attorney-at-Law who has served as a High Court judge in Saint Lucia and a Court of Appeal judge in Barbados. She was the first woman admitted to the Bar in Barbados. She served as chair of the CARICOM commission to evaluate regional integration, was the first magistrate appointed as an Ambassador from Barbados, and was the first woman to serve on the Barbados Court of Appeals. She was the first Bajan appointee to the Commonwealth Secretariat Arbitral Tribunal and served briefly as the Governor General of Barbados. She has been called one of the 10 most powerful women in Barbados. In 2017, she was appointed as the 8th Governor General of Barbados, with a term beginning on 8 January 2018. Simultaneously with her appointment, Mason was awarded the Dame Grand Cross in the Order of Saint Michael and Saint George. On assumption of the office of Governor-General, Dame Sandra Mason, under the Order of Saint Andrew, became the Chancellor and Principal Dame of Saint Andrew.[5]

Her Excellency The Honourable Dame Sandra Mason GCMG DA QC
Governor General of Barbados Dame Sandra Prunella Mason, GCMG, D.A., Q.C
Governor-General of Barbados
Incumbent
Assumed office 8 January 2018
Monarch	Elizabeth II
Prime Minister	Freundel Stuart Mia Mottley
Preceded by	Elliott Belgrave Philip Greaves (Acting)
Magistrate of the Barbados Supreme Court
In office 2008–2018
Personal details
Born	Sandra Prunella Mason 17 January 1949 East Point, Saint Philip, Barbados
Children	1
Residence	Government House
Alma mater	University of the West Indies at Cave Hill

Biography

Sandra Prunella Mason was born on 17 January 1949[6] in Saint Philip, Barbados.[7] After completion of her education, she began teaching at the Princess Margaret Secondary School in 1968. The following year, she went to work at Barclays Bank as a clerk. Mason enrolled in the University of the West Indies at Cave Hill, earning her Bachelor of Laws.[6] Mason was one of the first graduates of the Faculty of Law from UWI, Cave Hill, completing her education in 1973. She was admitted to the bar to begin her practice on 10 November 1975,[8] becoming the first woman member of the Barbados Bar Association.[6] She is a Soroptimist and Patron of SI Barbados.[9]

Career

Beginning in 1975, she worked in Trust Administration for Barclay's and transferred to several different posts within the Barclay's company until 1977. In 1978, Mason began working as the Magistrate of the Juvenile and Family Court and simultaneously tutoring in family law at UWI. She stopped tutoring in 1983 and continuing as magistrate. In 1988, Mason completed the Royal Institute of Public Administration in London's course on Judicial Administration.[6] She served on the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child from its 1991 the inception until 1999, holding the vice chair from 1993 to 1995 and chair from 1997 to 1999. [10] Between 1991 and 1992 she served as chair[6] and was one of the two women appointed to the 13-member CARICOM commission charged with evaluating regional integration.[7] Mason left the family court in 1992[6] to serve as an ambassador to Venezuela and was the first woman magistrate from Barbados to serve in that position. Upon her return to Barbados[8] in 1994 she was appointed as Chief Magistrate for Barbados and then in 1997 became the Registrar of the Supreme Court.[11]

In 2000 Mason completed studies on Alternative Dispute Resolution at the University of Windsor in Windsor, Ontario, Canada and then completed a Fellowship with the Commonwealth Judicial Education Institute in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 2001, as well as a course in Advanced Dispute Resolution at UWI.[6] She continued to serve as Registrar of the Supreme Court until 2005, when she was appointed as Queen's Counsel to the Inner Bar of Barbados.[6] In 2008, Mason was sworn in as an Appeals Judge[11] becoming the first woman to serve on the Barbados Court of Appeals.[6] For three days in 2012, she became the acting Governor-General of Barbados[12] and the following year was the first Barbadian appointed to membership in the Commonwealth Secretariat Arbitral Tribunal (CSAT). The Tribunal operates among members of the Commonwealth of Nations to resolve issues concerning contract disputes.[7] With that appointment, Loop News named her one of the 10 most powerful women in Barbados.[13]

In 2017, Mason was appointed as the 8th Governor-General of Barbados, with a term beginning on 8 January 2018. Simultaneously with her appointment, Mason was also appointed a Dame Grand Cross in the Order of Saint Michael and Saint George.[14]

In 2020, Mason in her official capacity announcing government policy in the 'throne speech', written by the government of Prime Minister Mia Mottley, stated that Barbados would become a republic, removing Queen Elizabeth II as head of state.[15]

Honours

National Honours

• -  Barbados : Chancellor and Principal Dame of St. Andrew Order of Barbados (DA)

Commonwealth Honours

• -  United Kingdom : Dame Grand Cross of the Order of St. Michael and St. George (GCMG)
•  United Kingdom : Dame of Grace of The Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of St. John (DStJ)[16][17]

References

1. "New G-G named". Barbados Advocate. 2017-12-28. Retrieved 2020-07-27.
2. "Sandra Mason to be new Governor General". www.nationnews.com. 2017-12-27. Retrieved 2021-02-06.
3. "Congrats to the new GG". www.nationnews.com. 2017-12-29. Retrieved 2021-02-06.
4. "New Governor General Dame Sandra Mason installed". www.nationnews.com. 2018-01-08. Retrieved 2021-02-06.
5. Deane, Sandy (2017-12-27). "Justice Sandra Mason is Barbados' New GG". Barbados Today. Archived from the original on 2017-12-28. Retrieved 2017-12-28.
6. "Sandra Prunella Mason". St. Michael, Barbados: Caribbean Elections. 2015. Retrieved 1 December 2015.
7. "Justice Sandra Mason records another first". Barbados Advocate. St. Michael, Barbados. 9 August 2013. Retrieved 1 December 2015.
8. Brathwaite 1999, p. 287.
9. "Soroptimists committed to empowerment of women, girls". The Barbados Advocate. 20 June 2018.
10. Erickson, Cohen & Hart 2001, p. 231.
11. Blackman, Theresa (30 September 2008). "Court of Appeal Judge Sworn In". St. Michael, Barbados: Barbados Government Information Service. Retrieved 1 December 2015.
12. Martindale, Carol (30 May 2012). "Justice Sandra Mason acting GG". Nation News. St. Michael, Barbados. Retrieved 1 December 2015.
13. "The 10 most powerful women in Barbados". The Loop. 23 October 2015. Retrieved 1 December 2015.
14. "Sandra Mason to be new Governor General". Nation News. Fontabelle, Saint Michael, Barbados. 27 December 2017. Archived from the original on 27 December 2017. Retrieved 27 December 2017.
15. "Barbados to remove Queen Elizabeth as head of state". BBC News. 2020-09-16. Retrieved 2020-10-25.
16. Another Honour For Dame Sandra Mason by Nya Phillips, May 30, 2018, Barbados Gov. Information Service
17. Press Release: Governor General of Barbados, Dame Sandra Mason becomes patron of St John Ambulance Barbados, 30 May 2018, The Order of St. John, St. John International

Bibliography

• Brathwaite, Joan A. (1999). Women and the Law: A Bibliographical Survey of Legal and Quasi-legal Materials with Special Reference to Commonwealth Caribbean Jurisdictions and Including Relevant Commonwealth Caribbean Legislation and Case Material. Kingston, Jamaica: University of the West Indies Press. ISBN 978-976-640-069-9.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• Erickson, Martha Farrell; Cohen, Cynthia Price; Hart, Stuart (2001). Malfrid Grude Flekkoy (ed.). Children's Rights in Education. London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers. ISBN 978-0-85700-174-0.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• AUDIO: Learn about Dame Sandra Mason - B'dos Gov't Information Service on SoundCloud

External links

• Dame Sandra Prunella Mason, GCMG, D.A., Q.C., Governor-General of Barbados - Gov't of Barbados