It's a Long Long Way from Baghdad to Vancouver:
Meet Martin Cronin, The New British Consul-General
By MAURA McCAY
VANCOUVER - It was just before Christmas and festivities in the city were in full swing and I had an invitation to attend the annual Christmas party hosted by the British Consul-General at his residence in West Point Grey.
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| MARTIN CRONIN the new British Consul-General to British Columbia, Alberta and the Yukon. |
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| AT THE CHRISTMAS party Martin Cronin and his partner Kyla Wheatley. |
The house was aglow with brightly coloured lights and candles flickered in the windows as lively guests gathered to celebrate the season. At the entrance, a man casually dressed in shirtsleeves bounded up with hand extended in welcome and announced, “hello, I'm Martin.”
This was Martin Cronin, the new British Consul-General who had arrived in Vancouver earlier in the year from Baghdad. London-born, Cronin has strong Irish connections with his grandparents having immigrated to England from Cork and Kerry in Ireland.
He introduced his partner Kyla Wheatley, who exuded a similar warmth and relaxed style. She met Martin while they both worked in Islamabad. A special-needs teacher, Kyla was born in Surrey, B.C. and grew up in Edmonton. When Martin accepted his six month posting to Iraq, she worked in South Africa.
During their tour of duty in Pakistan, the talented couple formed a rock and roll band to entertain the expatriate community. Martin said the band played mainly rock, blues and soul, and played pretty much to a “captive audience” as social activities outside the diplomatic compound were pretty limited.
While waiters dressed in white coats circulated the room with trays of hors d'oeuvres and people sipped their drinks, I suddenly noticed a big boxer dog saunter into the room and scavenge for scraps. Kyla introduced Ruby who had also recently arrived in Canada via Dubai and who was now also revelling in her newfound freedom.
Around the time of Martin Cronin's arrival in Canada, a major shift took place at the British consulate with the retirement of a number of key personnel. This opened the door for a whole new generation to step into these positions.
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| KYLA introduces Ruby the boxer. |
Nicola Austin became the new secretary to the Consul-General; Craig Munn took over the position of Media and Public Affairs; and Sharon Haughey stepped in as Investment Associate.
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| CRAIG MUNN, Nicola Austin, and Sharon Haughey shown here at the Christmas party, all recently joined the new team at the British Consulate-General last year. |
They were all present at the party in December and added to the youthful vitality surrounding this new administration. This was their first Christmas party and the atmosphere was one of celebration.
One upon a time there might have been a perception of the British diplomatic corps as very stuffy and uptight with a stiff upper lip, but this new contingent of fun-loving, bright young people seem to be the embodiment of the vision of cool new Britain.
Later in January, we met again at his offices downtown and Cronin spoke about the contrast between his previous posting in Baghdad and his new position in Vancouver.
Martin proudly mentioned that on the weekend prior to our meeting, he and Kyla had become engaged to be married and they would be taking their vows here in Vancouver in the summertime.
Given the war and political climate, one would think that Martin would have leapt at the opportunity to leave Iraq. Instead, he had been considering extending his tour of duty when London contacted him and advised that a position was coming available here.
Cronin needed to think it over and it was only after discussing the prospect with the British Ambassador, he was persuaded that a change might be a good thing. His work as first secretary at the British embassy in Baghdad was in the political section and related to external relations and the role of Iraq’s neighbours such as Syria and Iran. During his time in the Middle East, he also served in Yeman and Jordan.
Travel outside the heavily guarded embassy compound in Baghdad required complex planning and close protection. He would travel in a three-car armoured convoy with about eight bodyguards. Despite the danger, according to Cronin, it was a fascinating time to be in Baghdad. The country’s first elections had been held in January 2005 and the new constitution was in the process of being implemented. It was an intense and historical time.
Arriving in Vancouver, Martin said it was fortunate they arrived in August when the weather was good. At the time of our meeting at his office, Vancouver had been blessed with weeks of unrelenting rain.
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| JOHN CHEEVERS, the Honourary Irish Consul General of B.C. is shown here at the Christmas gathering with his wife Tish (left) and Vancouver City Councillor Suzanne Anton (centre) who was Acting Deputy Mayor of Vancouver at the time. |
He said, “I was struck by the tremendous beauty of the location, the sea and the mountains, and particularly the warmth and friendliness of the people. I found myself physically relaxing the moment I got off the plane in Vancouver.
In Vancouver, his portfolio covers not only British Columbia, but also Alberta and the Yukon. His responsibilities include promoting trade, tourism and investment between Western Canada and Britain.
According to Cronin, many opportunities exist today in the high tech sector and some people’s perceptions of Britain might now be a bit out of date. There has been tremendous developments in biotechnology and other technologies, and British Columbia has some key strengths similar to the UK. Across the board there are opportunities in mining and energy in Britain and for Alberta the North Sea oil and gas offers some interesting prospects.
The other aspect of his position relates to consular responsibilities. While passports are issued by the British High Commission in Ottawa, passport and visa application forms can be obtained from the Consulate-General.
The British Consulate-General in Vancouver is also available to assist British nationals with any problems they might encounter while in Canada. Regardless of the reason, Martin Cronin said, “we are here to help,” and the door at the British Consulate-General is open.
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For more information about investment opportunities in Britain, or for consulate related assistance, visit the British Consulate-General at #800-1111 Melville Street, Vancouver, British Columbia V6E 3V6. Call (604) 683-4421, or fax (604) 681-0693, e-mail: vancouver@britainincanada.org , or visit: www.britainincanada.org.
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