Ascension : CHRISTMAS MESSAGE FROM THE ADMINISTRATOR
Submitted by The Islander (Gavin Yon) 25.12.2003 (Article Archived on 08.01.2004)
There have been a number of new appointments to the Administration during the year.
2003 has been a busy year on Ascension, particularly as far as the Island Council is concerned.
Much of the early part of the year was taken up with the Council involved in planning. Whilst it may have looked to the public that not much was going on this is far from the truth. The Council quite rightly felt that it did not want to offer a “knee jerk” reaction to matters which came up for discussion and decision making. They wanted to make informed decisions based on a picture of how Ascension is likely to develop over the next few years. This resulted the drafts of two key documents: The Strategic Plan and the Land Development. Both of these will undoubtedly change again and again over the forthcoming months as they evolve to keep pace with the changing situation on Ascension.
If you look around Ascension Island this Christmas you will see how some of the decisions that the Council have made have started to come to fruition.
- Bates Block was completed in August to enable the Two Boats School to employ three new teachers;
- Five students have gone to study A Levels or B Tec courses at Chichester College in the UK;
- Work has started on a number of building projects, including the “Links West” housing development, Ocean View, the New Police Station and Court Room
- A new lifeboat has been purchased and delivered. This project has had substantial support from the RAF;
- A new building for the Fire Station has been delivered;
- A new library building has been purchased and will be delivered in January;
The Island Council has also been concerned with our legal framework. In particular, right of abode, immigration requirements and the ability to purchase land have come high up the agenda. In addition that Council submitted to the Attorney General two new pieces of legislation: on Land Planning and Development Control and National Protected Areas.
The Council has not, therefore, been idle and I am sure that those few of you who attend the Council Meetings will confirm the lively and involved discussions that take place.
On the Administration front there have been a number of important changes. In January the Agency completed a major piece of work in the renovation of the Islander Building and the Finance and Administration sections of the public service moved into a single building. The Council Chamber was also opened for business.
There have been a number of new appointments to the Administration during the year. Sandra Benjamin joined the public service as the Clerk of Council in February. Phil Thomas took up a newly created post of “Head of Operational Services” and is now the primary customer contact between the administration and the Agency.
Natalie Heath-Hall joined the school to teach modern languages, Catherine Campbell teaches IT and Hope Palmer has strengthened the primary school. We welcome them and their families to Ascension. We also recruited Carolyn Yon from St Helena.
Early in the New Year we will say farewell to Adam “The Taxman” Henshaw, Julia, Jack, Sophie and Emily. In fact Adam has been much more than “The Taxman” (although I suspect that he will never be able to shake off that tag here on Ascension.) He was instrumental in setting up the accounting and budgeting systems in both the Agency and the Finance section of the public service, he participated to the full as an Island Councillor and even played football for Georgetown. We will surely miss his and Julia’s participation in island activities but we have an excellent replacement in Allan Wilson.
We have also established a permanent core of people in the Fire & Rescue Service, comprising Billy Minto, Marty Joshua with Mario Green and Jerry Williams. This “small but robust” team will also be trained in the early part of 2004 to operate the lifeboat.
Darren Roberts joined the Environmental Team to help deal with “our little fury friends” and the Conservation Office saw the arrival of Stedson Stroud together with his Triumph motorbike and Mary (although not necessarily in that order.)
So we have seen significant changes in 2003. Undoubtedly there will be more of the same in 2004. Perhaps the biggest challenge – with potentially the biggest rewards – lies ahead of us as we start work on implementing the Wideawake Agreement which was signed on 1st October 2003, allowing civilian charter flights to fly into Ascension Island.
So I would like to wish the Councillors, all members of the public service and their families and everyone else living on or connected with Ascension Island the very best for this festive season. Relax and enjoy yourselves (heeding, of course, Dr Shub’s sage advice about not over indulging!) And come back to work in the New Year prepared for another year of hard work and changes.
Andrew Kettlewell
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