Once regarded as one of the cushiest postings, with political appointees such
as Lord Waddington, the former Conservative home secretary holding it from
1992 to 1997, the governorship has lately been given to career diplomats.
Sir Richard Gozney, the outgoing governor, was in the post for nearly five
years.
The Progressive Labour Party on the island wants independence from Britain,
but Fergusson is, happily, a seasoned operator. A former British high
commissioner to New Zealand and Samoa, and the governor of the Pitcairn
Islands, he is the son of Baron Ballantrae, the governor-general of New
Zealand in the Sixties. His middle name “Raukawa” is Maori and reflects the
history of members of his family being appointed to vice-regal posts in New
Zealand.
In New Zealand, he found a way to charm the locals, when, as a seven-year-old,
he arrived with his father: he performed a forward roll on the front lawn of
Government House to loud cheers. The Bermudians must be hoping for an
encore.