The Governor Designate will take the Oath of Allegiance and the Oath for Due Execution of Office at a welcome and swearing-in ceremony to be held at the Council Chambers at 9 Tuesday morning.

Chief Minister Dr. Orlando Smith and Leader of the Opposition Ralph O’Neal will address the ceremony, and the new Governor will make a reply.

The Governor Designate, together with his wife, Susan, and their daughter, Poppy, arrived at Terrance B. Lettsome International Airport on Beef Island on Saturday afternoon. The family was greeted by Chief Minister Dr. Orlando Smith, Deputy Governor Dancia Penn, Q.C., and Police Commissioner Reynell Frazer.

After signing the guest book in the airport’s VIP lounge, Mr. Pearey inspected a Guard of Honour mounted by the Royal Virgin Islands Police Force.

Pearey comes to the BVI with 27 years of experience in the UK’s diplomatic service. Until January 5, 2006, he was British High Commissioner at Lilongwe, Malawi. From 2000 to 2004, he was British Deputy High Commissioner and Head of Post at Karachi, Pakistan.

Previous to that, from 1995 to 1999, Mr. Pearey was counsellor and head of the Commerical/ Economic Department in the British High Commission in Lagos, Nigeria.

Pearey’s earlier career included three years as a Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) inspector in the mid-1990s and two years as assistant head of the FCO’s Southern European Department in the early 1990s.

From 1988 until 1990, he was First Secretary and Head of Chancery in the British High Commission in Kampala, Uganda. Prior to that, he served as a policy planner and in the Energy Science and Space Department of the FCO.

His first appointment in the diplomatic service was as first secretary (economic) in the British Embassy in Ankara from 1979-1982.

The new Governor was born on July 15, 1948, and married Susan Anne (nee Knowles) in 1996. Their daughter, Poppy, is five years old. He succeeds Thomas Macan as Governor.

Mr. Macan left the Territory on April 10 after serving more than three years as its Governor.