Jan Cheek
Jan Cheek | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of the Falkland Islands Legislative Assembly for Stanley | |
| In office 5 November 2009 – 9 November 2017 | |
| Preceded by | Janet Robertson |
| Succeeded by | Stacy Bragger |
| Member of the Falkland Islands Legislative Council for Stanley | |
| In office 9 October 1997 – 17 November 2005 | |
| Preceded by | Wendy Teggart |
| Succeeded by | Janet Robertson |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Janet Lynda Biggs February 1948 (age 78) |
| Party | Nonpartisan |
| Spouse | John (died 1996) |
| Children | Miranda and Ros |
Janet Lynda Cheek MBE (née Biggs; born February 1948)[1] is a Falkland Islands politician who served as a Member of the Legislative Assembly for the Stanley constituency from 2009 to 2017. She was previously a Member of the Legislative Council from 1997 to 2005.[2]
Early life and education
[edit]Jan Cheek was born in Stanley, the oldest child of Basil Biggs and Betty Rowlands.[3] She was a sixth-generation Falkland Islander and was the oldest of three siblings.[2][4] She spent much of her childhood in South Georgia after her father was appointed policeman and handyman for the island.[3] For her A-Levels she was awarded a government scholarship to a study at a grammar school in Dorset. [5]
Career
[edit]In 1995, Cheek became a Trustee for the South Georgia Whaling Museum and later joined the board of Trustees for the South Georgia Heritage Trust.[4] Cheek was a member of the Falkland Island Legislative Council, representing Stanley between 1997 and 2005.[2] She served as a Member of the Legislative Assembly, also for the Stanley constituency, beginning in 2009. Cheek won re-election in 2013 but stepped down from the assembly at the 2017 election.[6]
Cheek worked as a Secondary School English teacher from 1969 until 1989. She then moved to Fortuna Ltd. where she rose to become co-owner and director until her retirement in 2008.[5] Cheek is the owner of the Volunteer Point nature reserve.[7]
She was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2019 Birthday Honours for services to the Falkland Islands.[8]
Personal life
[edit]Cheek married fellow islander John Cheek (1939–1996) in 1968, with whom she had two children, Miranda and Rosalind.[1] She then became a grandmother to Hamish (2004), Flora(2005) and Tom(2011). Following John's death in 1996, Cheek became a Trustee of the John Cheek Trust.[9]
References
[edit]- 1 2 "Cheek, John Edward". Falklands Biography.
- 1 2 3 "Jan Cheek bio". Falkland Islands Government. falklands.gov.fk. Archived from the original on 16 December 2010. Retrieved 9 April 2011.
- 1 2 "Biggs, Betty Josephine née Rowlands". Falklands Biography.
- 1 2 "Stories from the Women – Jan Cheek". Whalers' Memory Bank. Retrieved 1 May 2026.
- 1 2 Jan Cheek (28 October 2009). "The Election Manifesto of Jan Cheek". Retrieved 9 April 2011.
- ↑ Brock, J. (6 November 2009). "Falklands Election – Stanley Constituency Upset". South Atlantic Remote Territories Media Association. Archived from the original on 16 July 2011. Retrieved 13 June 2010.
- ↑ "Former Falklands lawmaker, Jan Cheek awarded the MBE". MercoPress. Retrieved 1 May 2026.
- ↑ "No. 62666". The London Gazette (Supplement). 8 June 2019. p. B23.
- ↑ Harold Briley (10 September 1996). "Obituary: John Cheek". The Independent. Retrieved 9 April 2011.
- 1948 births
- Living people
- Falkland Islands businesspeople
- Falkland Islands Councillors 1997–2001
- Falkland Islands Councillors 2001–2005
- Falkland Islands MLAs 2009–2013
- Falkland Islands MLAs 2013–2017
- Falkland Islands schoolteachers
- Falkland Islands women in politics
- 21st-century British women politicians
- 20th-century British women politicians
- People from Stanley, Falkland Islands
- Members of the Order of the British Empire