civil servant and churchwarden of Christ Church Cathedral was born in Stanley on 28 June 1928 the only son of William (Bill) John Halliday (born in Punta Arenas) (1896-1985) and Mabel Watts (1900-1989). Les had five sisters – Hilda (known as Francis) b.1921; Joan b.1922; Doreen b.1924; Agnes b.1926; Orlanda (Lani) b.1941.

He was educated firstly at the St.Mary’s Roman Catholic School and then for secondary education at the Government School.

In 1942 he was evacuated to Walker Creek settlement for safety during wartime. He left school shortly before his 15^th birthday and he began his long career in government service as a messenger in the Secretariat. In February 1945 he became a clerk in the Education Department.

In December 1950 he was diagnosed as suffering with tuberculosis which resulted in a three year confinement in the KEMH hospital receiving treatment. He resumed his job in the Secretariat on 31 December 1953 having been declared fit and free from the disease.

During his stay in hospital Les met Margaret Mary McLeod (Peggy)(1926-1994) who was a locally trained nurse – they married on 6 November 1957. Les and Peggy had no children.

From September 1954 he began work in numerous departments of government – Post and Telecomms, Harbour and Aviation and the Medical Department, At various times he acted as Chief Clerk in the Secretariat and Acting Postmaster.

Finally in July 1973 he became the Collector of Customs, Harbourmaster and Officer in Charge of the Agriculture Department.

From 1973 until 1981 he played a leading role in the eradication of hydatidosis - a parasitic disease effecting sheep with the potential of transmission to human beings. In the late 1970s his work with the Customs and Harbour Department increased greatly bringing substantial income to the Islands, thus his Agriculture Department responsibilities were passed to other people. He continued to act as the Trinity House agent and was responsible to the management of the lighthouse at Cape Pembroke.

Following the opening of the military base and international airport at Mount Pleasant the workload for Halliday and his colleagues increased enormously. He finally retired on 31 December 1991 after completing more than 47 years in government service.

The early years of his retirement were spent devotedly caring for his wife Peggy who had become seriously ill with a terminal disease. Peggy Halliday died on 7 December 1994.

Both Peggy and Les Halliday were committed Christians, and they were active and long-standing members of the Anglican Cathedral congregation. Les Halliday was one of the two churchwardens for many years. Many of the clergy who served at the Cathedral had good cause to be very grateful to the Hallidays for their practical support and encouragement.  One newly arrived clergyman recalls the care Les took to explain the intricacies and challenges of a peat fuelled Rayburn in the Deanery on his first day in the Islands.

Halliday’s most significant contribution to future of Anglican cathedral came in the mid-1970s.  The Anglican church in South America began life in the 19^th century with the Falkland Islands as its base and home of its cathedral. Gradually several dioceses emerged as the number of missionary churches expanded – one of which was the diocese of Northern Argentina.  Until 1974, these missionary dioceses were under the metropolitical oversight of the Archbishop of Canterbury. In 1981 these dioceses were formed into the Province of the Southern Cone.

Initially the Falkland Islands were included in this new arrangement despite the opposition of the last Bishop of the Falkland Islands – Bishop Cyril TUCKER (1911-1992). When Tucker retired in 1975 it was realised that the new Provincial creation would result in the Anglicans living in the Falkland Islands would in time find themselves under the leadership of an Argentine bishop. This provoked a very strong reaction from Halliday and many Islanders. He and Des KING travelled to the UK to meet the new Archbishop of Canterbury – Donald Coggan (1909-2000) – in order to ensure that arrangements could be made for Anglican work in the Islands to remain under the jurisdiction of Canterbury - where it remains to this day.

Another of the highlights of Les Halliday’s time as churchwarden of the Anglican Cathedral was to welcome Archbishop George Carey and his wife Eileen for a for a five-day visit to the Falklands in 1992 in order to celebrate the centenary of the building of Christ Church cathedral. Bishop Waite STIRLING (1829-1923) was the driving force behind the new building, and it was largely financed by generous donations received from the mother church of the Anglican church - Canterbury cathedral.

Professor Jim MCADAM, the noted agricultural scientist, lived in the Falklands during the 1970s and has returned to islands many times.. He pays tribute to Les and Peggy Halliday:

Les and Peggy were extremely friendly and helpful to Sally and I when we first arrived in the Falklands in 1976.  They gave us garden produce and offered to loan us money to get us started  when we first arrived. I shall never forget their kindness and generosity. The attached picture actually has Les on the left as the uniformed customs and immigration officer meeting the LADE flight from Comodoro in 1977.

Halliday found new happiness in his personal life when travelling in Scotland in 2000 when he met Agnes MacDonald. They were married in the Boat of Garten church, near Inverness, on 30 June 2001. Tragically Les Halliday died just 14 days after his wedding. On 18 July 2001 Les Halliday was buried in the cemetery in Grantown-on-Spey.