Bobeth O'Garro
On this International Women’s Day, I would like to highlight one of the many women in my life that has contributed to my journey. From an early age, as a member of the Cayman Islands Cadet Corps, I’ve admired Mrs. Bobeth O’Garro. We both share similar faiths, with Bobeth giving her heart to the Lord and accepting Jesus as her personal Savior from the age of 9 when she was baptized. In her own words, “His perfectness helped me when I was so imperfect and made a million mistakes, but He sent His angels who walk on earth to pick me up, to support me, to guide me and to protect me even when I thought he had forgotten me.” She is a proud wife of 23 years and mother of two awesome young men.
Being a young mother and a young wife was difficult, especially when she became the youngest and only female Deputy Commandant in the region within the first year of marriage and into motherhood. The military/paramilitary fields are male dominated. She had to balance gender discrimination and racial discrimination while introducing a new concept to our islands. Despite the challenges, at 31 she became the first female Commandant in the region and second youngest, having served as Commandant for 13 years.
Anyone who truly knows Bobeth, knows she is a sports fanatic. She loves and plays almost every sport. She’s been on various national teams over the years, with Gaelic football being her favorite sport; however, her top accomplishments in sports have not been as an athlete, but rather in officiating. She was the first and only Female FIBA (Basketball) qualified referee. She enjoyed representing the Cayman Islands internationally. She refereed various pre-Olympic tournaments and was selected to referee at the U21 Women's World Championship. She was one of three Female FIFA referees, a pioneer in this area as well.
Another top achievement of Bobeth is mentoring. She has taken great pleasure over the years working primarily with young women, helping them achieve personal and professional goals, and become the best versions of themselves. Although she is not a part of any organization, she is always keen to assist in whichever way she can. Seeing the young people she has mentored succeed in life, no matter how small or big a step they have taken, makes her feel like a proud mama. She has been privileged to be recognized nationally for her involvement with sports, youth services and disaster management, for which she received a Certificate of Honor. Nonetheless, her involvement is never about recognition, but has always been for the love and passion. It's the way she was raised, to give back to the country that has given her so much.
Editor: Shanda Gallego
