Rick - Australia

Rick

Director, British Group Inter-Parliamentary Union (BGIPU)

My ancestor, Felix Noisette, an 11-year-old slave in Port Louis, Mauritius, was freed in 1835 by Britain’s Slavery Abolition Act. His emancipation allowed him to emigrate to Australia upon adulthood, where he settled down in Melbourne. He married Rebecca Fryer of Buckinghamshire in 1845 – some 118 years before my birth.

While much of the history of the British Empire is dark, tragic and unjust, there are many uplifting human stories of opportunity and hope, linking our lives and aspirations down the centuries.

As a citizen of the Commonwealth, I am very proud to work in the UK Parliament, which provides inspiration to parliaments and people across the family of nations and wider world.