Norma Edwards

OBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

is a

Falkland Islands The Falkland Islands (; ), commonly referred to as The Falklands, is an archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean on the Patagonian Shelf. The principal islands are about east of South America's southern Patagonian coast and from Cape Dub ...

politician. She served for two decades on the Falkland Islands Legislative Council and has been described as a "noted hard-liner" in opposition to Argentine control of the islands. Edwards is a native

Falkland Islander Falkland may refer to: * Falkland, British Columbia, a community in Canada * Falkland, Nova Scotia, a community in Canada * Falkland Islands, an archipelago in the south Atlantic Ocean ** Falklands Crisis of 1770 ** Falklands War of 1982 * Falkl ...

, the fourth generation born on the islands. She pursued her early schooling there before leaving for the

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, where she trained as a nurse. She lived for a time in

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, where her daughters Emma and Rebecca were born, before returning to the Falklands with her family after the 1982 war. She was first elected to the Falkland Islands Legislative Council to represent

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, the first election after the islands' 1985 constitution came into force. She resigned from that post in 1987, and in 1989 she returned to the council as a representative of the Camp constituency, a position she held until her retirement in 2005. Edwards has advocated in favor of the Falkland Islands' right to self-determination, in opposition to

Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...

's claim to the islands. She was a fierce opponent of the 1999 Anglo-Argentine joint agreement and offered testimony to the

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in favor of the British side of the dispute. Her husband, Roger Edwards, whom she married in 1970, is a current member of the Falkland Islands Legislative Assembly. The couple has lived on and run a farm on

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since 1986. Her daughter

Emma Edwards Emma Jane Edwards (born 26 September 1971) is a British born, Falkland Islands teacher and politician, who served as a Member of the Legislative Assembly for the Stanley constituency from her election in 2009 until she resigned in 2011. She is t ...

also served on the Legislative Assembly from 2009 until 2011. Her younger daughter, Rebecca, is the first-ever female

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from the Falklands. Edwards was awarded the

Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

in the

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for "services to the community."

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Edwards, Norma Living people Falkland Islands women in politics Falkland Islands Councillors 1989–1993 Falkland Islands Councillors 1993–1997 Falkland Islands Councillors 1997–2001 Falkland Islands Councillors 2001–2005 Year of birth missing (living people) Officers_of_the_Order_of_the_British_Empire