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The Ascension Island Newspaper |
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On Saturday, 25th March,
in a short ceremony held at the Residency, HH the Administrator, Geoffrey
Fairhurst, declared Steve Fowler and Helen Monk man and wife. The ceremony
was witnessed by Helen's father Graham and close friends. Helen, pictured
opposite cutting the cake with Stephen, wore an elegant hand-beaded gown
with fishtail, complemented by pearls and tiara. After the wedding, the
newlyweds hosted a party at B262, Georgetown. |
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Dear Friends,
MOTHERING SUNDAY is a very special day in the calendar of the church.
It used to be called "Refreshment Sunday", and treated as a sort of holiday
from the rigours of the somewhat sombre religious season when people took Lent
more seriously than they do today.
Lent is a time of preparation for Easter, of saying sorry to God for all that
we do that displeases him. Traditionally, clergy wear purple robes or vestments
during this season, but on this Fourth Sunday of Lent, Mothering Sunday, they
would 'lighten up' and wear pink instead; whole congregations would go to their
Cathedral, their "Mother Church" on that day, and mothers generally would be
honoured with little gifts. Then, 'after the break' as they say on TV, it was
back to Lent proper.
You won't find me wearing pink, and getting to our cathedral would be a bit
tricky, but at 10 o'clock we shall have a special family/parade service to which
all the children are invited and we hope they will bring their mums. During
the service (Tristar permitting) mums who come will be able to receive from
their children a small token of their love, a posy of flowers.
So there we were - very late on Saturday night as far as we were concerned but
quite early for those of you who start to party at ten o'clock - busily stapling
together the latest edition of 'A Short History of St Mary's Church, 1843-2000'.
The hope was that a few visitors from Silver Wind might buy it! No-one did of
course, but at least I've completed the task. The former edition had run out
of steam in 1993, prior to the most recent restoration.
There are a few extra bits of interest, like a mention of Little Willie who
made our magnificent pews. Copies are £1 each at the back of the church.
Another good buy is Teresa Corker-Coleman's newly published guide around Georgetown,
"The Georgetown Explorer." Liked the bit about the church needing donations!
And the fact that if you open out the cover the church is right bang in the
centre - where it should be in all our lives.
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LETTERS| From the Editor:-
Okay you lot - you've all had a week off, now it's my turn to spend Tuesday on the beach! Seriously, it's been great fun editing the Islander again, despite the late night sessions! It has certainly highlighted the huge advances in technology over just the past two years, though sadly in my case it's still a case of Internot-yet rather than Internet. Thanks are due to everyone on the editorial team, and in particular Ian and Penny for their help and support, Dean for the ice lollies, and Paul, Chocolate & Nathan for their patience when I hid the website pages yet again (and apologies for missing your names out last week). Many thanks also to Patrick for assistance above and beyond, to Ceddie and the Marine Department for making all those Pierhead stories possible and to Caz for letting me loose on all this new-fangled technical stuff. Congratulations to Stephen and Helen - it's amazing what some editors will do to to see their names on the front page! Sue |
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ACROSS A SOUTHERN SEA
| It takes a big ship to rival the Maersk, but Sunday's visitor achieved this with elegance and style. Silver Wind appeared on our horizon at dawn, dropping anchor in Clarence Bay at 8am. | |
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Positioning her tender alongside the Pierhead steps proved a hazardous undertaking in the building swell, and there was some doubt about whether her passengers would be able to come ashore. Fortunately, most of them were undeterred by the prospect of getting their feet wet, and a total of 158 people eventually landed, with 68 taking the excursion. The remainder stayed in Georgetown, where the Museum, Exiles Club, Post Office and shops had all been opened specially.Two Landrovers and five minibuses ferried the visitors on a circuit of the Base, Travellers and Two Boats and up to Garden Cottage, where Sandra Bendall and the Youth Club team were waiting with tea and cakes on the lawn.For most of the passengers, this was the highlight of the day. Everyone enjoyed the cool air and views, staying for over an hour. All proceeds went to the Youth Club. |
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Silver Wind is en route from Brazil
to Cape Town on a 16 day voyage. She sailed from Rio de Janeiro on
20th March, with a brief stop at Salvador two days later. After 3½days
at sea (and a 3 hour time change), she reached Ascension. She sailed
again at 3pm on Sunday, taking with her ten bags of mail for St Helena.
After a full day at St Helena, her next port of call is Walvis Bay,
Namibia. She is due to arrive at Cape Town at 3pm on 3rd April, with
passengers disembarking the following day. COMING SOON… ANOTHER MEDIVAC MAERSK BAFFIN AND FINALLY… S.E. |
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FLYING VISIT
On 11th April Wideawake Airfield will welcome a very distinguished visitor.
Australian Dick Smith and his co-pilot Gerard Moss are flying around the
world in a tiny Cessna Caravan. Dick has already made two crossings of the
Pacific Ocean and most recently flew from Anchorage to Antarctica. He then
gained the distinction of being the first pilot to fly a private aircraft
from Argentina to Port Stanley in the Falklands, and was also given permission
to hop between the various local airstrips around the islands.
The idea of landing on Ascension came during this visit, and he subsequently
wrote to the island requesting permission to land en route from Recife,
Brazil to Gabon in Africa. Permission for a one night stay was granted.
56 year old Dick Smith has a long and action-packed career. His achievements
begin with the first solo helicopter flight around the world in 1982-1983.
This included a landing at Balmoral Castle, where he was welcomed by Prince
Charles. In 1988, flying a Twin Otter, he became the first person to fly
around the world via the poles.
Dick also claims the first east to west helicopter flight around the world,
the first helicopter flight to the north pole, and the first non-stop balloon
crossing of the Australian continent. Not content with this, he has also
climbed the highest mountain in Australasia (Carstenz Pyramid), as well
as the Balls Pyramid in the Tasman Sea.
Dick has received numerous awards in recognition of his achievements in
aviation and for his humanitarian work. In 1992 he received the prestigious
Lindbergh Award, an honour he shares with Thor Heyerdahl, Jacques Cousteau,
and Neil Armstrong. He is the author of five books and the patron of several
associations.
His career began with the founding of retail company Dick Smith Electronics
Pty Ltd, which had achieved an annual turnover of $50 million by the time
it was sold in 1982. He went on to chair various councils and associations,
including the Civil Aviation Safety Authority Board and Australian Geographic
Society. He is a member of the Airspace 2000 Committee and the Australian
Aviation Industry Association, and the founder and publisher of Australian
Geographic. He is also a Fellow of the Committee for Scientific Investigation
of Claims of the Paranormal. We hope he won't find anything to add to this
Australian X-Files whilst on Ascension.
ST HELENA STATISTICS
The annual rate of inflation on St Helena is currently 1.5%, according
to the latest newsletter from the Statistics Office, which also reveals
the Retail Price Index for the first quarter of 2000.
The newsletter also reports that in 1999 there were 24 marriages, 3 divorces,
42 births and 45 deaths on the island. 31 new houses were built and Hutts
Gate received the most rainfall (901mm) over the year. Jamestown was the
driest place on the island, with only 160mm.
PASSPORTS FOR PETS
Good news for pet owners. The 7 March 2000 edition of This Week in
Britain reports on the arrival of the first passport-holding pet to enter
the UK. Frodo Baggins, a five year old pug, sailed into Dover by ferry.
Three labradors - Amber, Bodie and Chester - took the hydrofoil route, while
more passport-holding pets entered the country via the Channel Tunnel. Britain's
Passports for Pets scheme was announced in March 1999 and the programme
is likely to be extended to the US, Canada and the Caribbean in 2001, so
Ascension cannot be too far behind.
S.E.
| FROM THE
ADMINISTRATOR |
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FISCAL & ECONOMIC STUDY
A couple of weeks ago
the Governor and I met in London with Mark Hampton and John Christensen, the
Consultants engaged to undertake this study. We saw the draft Fiscal part of
the report. The Economic part and the Recommendations were still being written.
We really need to see the whole report before we can comment substantively but
I think I can speak for the Governor in saying that we were both encouraged
by the picture that was emerging. We saw the potential for a brighter future
for Ascension with a positive effect on St Helena. We have asked the Consultants
to do some more work on some aspects of their Report. I will report back as
soon as their work is further advanced.
WEDDING
On 25th March I performed the marriage ceremony at the Residency
for Helen Monk and Steve Fowler. We wish them both much happiness together.
FERAL CATS
You will see elsewhere that the Foreign & Commonwealth Office have agreed to
fund an attempt to severely reduce the number of feral cats on Ascension. With
perseverance and some luck we may even completely eradicate them. I make no
apologies for seeking the funding of this project. Feral cats have severely
damaged the indigenous bird life of Ascension. They also take turtle hatchlings
and they cause public health problems. Coincidentally only last week one Islander
received an unpleasant injury and a nasty shock from a wild cat. I am seeking
the cooperation of all the organisations on Ascension to ensure that we deal
with the cats as humanely as possible. We will also do our utmost to protect
pet cats. So that there can be no doubt about whether a cat is someone's pet,
please get it micro-chipped as soon as possible. Caz Parker at AISPCA will do
the necessary for a nominal fee and it takes only seconds to do.
Geoffrey Fairhurst
27 March 2000.
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On March 22, we had our scheduled
base-wide power outage. The purpose of the power outage was two-fold. First,
we were completing the installation of our new transformer. While the power
plant was off-line for the transformer replacement, we also completed a critical
portion of the switch gear wiring for the new 5th generator. The switch gear
effort went off without a hitch; however, we experienced some problems with
the new transformer. For whatever reason, the new transformer would not assume
the full load. We ended up splitting the load between the two transformers while
we troubleshot the problem. Before we could get resolution, the new transformer
went off-line giving us an unscheduled power outage on March 23. We are still
troubleshooting the problem while the old transformer carries the load.
Over the weekend we had a team working on wind turbine #2. The two main members
of the team were from Denmark, where the turbines were originally built. They
were on-island to replace a faulty wind turbine gear-box that involved taking
the turbine blades off. Luckily our largest crane could just barely reach the
required height.
Last week, we were honored to have a distinguished group of people from our
parent organization, the 45th Space Wing (SW), located at Patrick Air Force
Base, FL visit the base. The visitors included the 45th SW commander, Brigadier
General Donald Pettit; Captain Harry Sheffield, commander of the Naval Ordnance
Test Unit, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fl; Chief Master Sergeant Paul
Zima, Command Chief Master Sergeant for the 45th SW; and, Mr. Lee Bridges, technical
advisor for the 45th Logistics Group Commander, Colonel Byron Evans. The team
also visited our sister base, Antigua Air Station, Antigua, West Indies, just
prior to visiting us. They were only here for the one day; however, we packed
in quite a few things for them to see and do during their visit. This was the
first trip to the island for the General and two others in his group. Overall,
they were very impressed with the island and its people. I would like to thank
the Administrator, Geoff Fairhurst, and his wife, Wendy, for their hospitality
during the General's visit.
For the last two weeks we have been quite busy with the floating fuel pipeline.
Around 15 March, a fuels team from RAF Strike Command discovered a gouge in
one of the sections of the floating pipeline. Obviously, we had to replace the
damaged section prior to conducting any future fuel pumpovers. On Monday, 17
March, we pulled 29 sections of pipeline out of the water to get to the damaged
section. Kudos to the team for getting the pipeline safely repaired in one day.
On the following Tuesday, we connected the floating pipeline to the Maersk Gannet
in preparation to pump around 1.3 million gallons of fuel to Catherine Point.
Unfortunately, we were not able to complete the task. In case you didn't know
it, the Maersk Gannet requires a certain amount of wind during fuel pumpovers.
The wind helps keep the Maersk Gannet properly aligned with the attached floating
pipeline. Tuesday was one of those unusual Ascension days when there is barely
a breeze. We suspended operations and tried again on Wednesday. Again, because
of the unusual lack of any appreciative wind, we had to suspend the pumpover
operation. Luckily for us, Thursday was a typical Ascension day, and we were
able to start the pumpover. We finished Friday after about 1.1 million gallons
were delivered to Catherine Point. Our next pumpover will occur after the Maersk
Baffin transfers fuel to the Maersk Gannet. The Maersk Baffin arrived this morning
(Monday) and will probably pump the petrol to Catherine Point on Tuesday.
As you should know by now, American Legion Post #373 is sponsoring the next
Dew Pond Run to be held May 7, 2000. The Legion is also looking at the possibility
of holding a separate relay race up to the Dew Pond. The relay race will only
take place if we have enough interest. So let us know whether you are willing
to participate in the relay race. Also, let us know if you are going to participate
in the regular Dew Pond Run. This will help the American Legion plan for the
T-shirts.
Until next time,
Maj Martin
Hello again,
School Review
Over the past ten days, our school has been undergoing a review of our teaching, learning and management systems. Dr. David Langridge, Director of Education in the Falkland Islands, began the Review on Sunday 19 March when he met with all staff. The days that followed were used for classroom visits and discussions with staff, committees and others who are linked to the school in one way or another. Meetings were well attended and I take this opportunity to thank all parents who took the time to come into the school for them, particularly those who will have had to attend two sessions. By the time you read our page, Dr. Langridge will have flown south having completed his business with us on Monday 27 March.Smile Day
The Dentist visits the School on Wednesday, 5 April to check our children's teeth. This is definitely a smiles all round day as they all look forward to seeing Johnny and Desiree come into School.Swim Gala
This annual event, which is held at Travellers Pool, is scheduled to take place on Wednesday, 12 April starting at 9.30 a.m. Staff members are currently drawing up a programme of events based on that of previous years with, perhaps, one or two changes. Details giving time, etc. will be in next week's Islander. This event 'cools' the school down and brings us to the end of Term Two!Term End
School closes for holidays at the end of Term Two on Wednesday, 12 April following the Swim Gala which is due to end around lunchtime. Children will be transported from the pool back to School and then by bus to Georgetown. Two Boats children will walk home in the usual manner. School will resume on Tuesday, 25 April, for staff only followed by a return of our pupils the next day, Wednesday, 26 April.
That's it for this time!Betty Joshua
Headteacher.
Year 8 have some environmental concerns about endangered species of animals. Under the guidance of Mrs Andrews , they have researched an endangered animal of their choice and as part of their studies in Geography, have written their findings to share with you.
THE PANDA BEAR
In our Geography lessons we have been studying about the Panda Bear: why it
is endangered and how the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) has been giving protection.
These are some of the facts we've found out about the Panda Bear. Pandas are
dying out because poachers aren't killing them directly, they are destroying
their homes and the pandas only live in certain places and they won't have any
homes for protection. But all that is going to be stopped by a group of people
who want to take care of them. Because they are going to make sure that the
Panda has a proper home, food and is treated with respect. The Panda is a very
shy creature, and people don't hunt it for its fur because they know that the
Panda's fur isn't suitable for clothing. But they are dying by people destroying
their homes.
By Natasha and Shanade
KILLER WHALE
A killer whale is tall with a dorsal fin, rounded head and black-and-white pattern.
An adult male can be 9m (30ft) long and weigh 10 tons. Most of this is muscle,
for the fastest mammal in the seas can sprint up to 56km/h (34mph). Killer whales
are reproducing very slowly and they seem highly intelligent. People have hunted
whales for two thousand years. Hand harpoons were thrown into the whales. In
the struggle, boats were often overturned and men drowned. Even in the early
days too many whales were killed. These are the names of the tools they used:
harpoons were made of soft iron so they could be straightened if they were bent
by the whale, lance to kill a whale, blubber knife for cutting though thick
layers of fat, flensing spade, for peeling back rolls of blubber.
By Kelly Leo
SAVE THE ELEPHANTS
Every year elephants die because poachers are killing them for their ivory tusks.
There are only two species in the world, African and Asian. The largest type
of elephants is the African elephant. Over 27,000 years ago people used to kill
elephants for their tusks as well. They kill them because they need them for
making models of their gods, making musical instruments and making furniture.
Vets take elephants tusks not for the money but so poachers don't have a reason
for killing elephants.
By Karl Yon and Jamie Maggott
PENGUINS AT RISK
When the cargo vessel Cordigliera sank in heavy seas off the eastern Cape of
Hope last November, a thousand tons of heavy bunker oil flowed from the broken
hull and formed a large slick. After the oil drifted along the South African
coast for days, lively winds blew tons of the oil into Algoa Bay near Port Elizabeth,
home of half the world's remaining population of African Jackass Penguins. Jackass
penguins are found only in Southern Africa; the species has plunged from 2 million
adults at the turn of the century to only 180,000, and the population continues
to slide towards extinction. The African Jackass problems in recent years are
mainly due to oil pollution. This is a difficult situation - African Jackass
penguins are not the only penguins to cope with this threat. From Argentina
to New Zealand to Peru, from the equator to sub-Antarctic waters, other penguins
are plagued by the same problem. Other threats to the penguins are overfishing,
habitat loss, exotic predators and a new threat - Global Warming.
By Justine Yon
SAVE THE KILLER WHALES
Many animals are endangered - the killer whale is one of them. The killer whale
is killed by humans for its flesh and oil. The killer whales are speared with
a giant harpoon gun and are cut up with sharp tools. The harpoons were made
of soft iron so they can be straightened if bent by the whale. A lance is used
to kill the whale; a blubber knife for cutting through layers of fat; a flensing
spade for peeling back rolls of blubber. The killer whales killed outnumber
the killer whales being born. If whaling continues these species will be wiped
out entirely like the dinosaurs. The numbers of some of them are perhaps so
low that they can never recover. There are many conservationists trying to save
the killer whales.
By Shaun Stevens
THE LAST OF THE GLYPTODON
For 40 million years South America was isolated from North America Marsupials
thrived in the south. About 10 million years ago the two parts of the American
continent collided. Placental mammals from the north moved down into South America.
The migration wiped out many South American animals, particularly the marsupials.
Glyptodon, an early ancestor of today's Armadillo, was one of the few South
American animals.
Steve Francis
CHIMPANZEES
In the future chimpanzees will be driven back into the forest because we will
need more land to grow food for the increasing human population. It will be
many years before they are in danger of extinction. But if we act fast the chimpanzees
will live longer, may be even for a few centuries. The chimpanzees used to be
kept as pets. They were being ill-treated and now keeping them as pets is against
the law.
By Leroy Fowler
SAVING THE TIGER
THE ENDANGERED TIGER
All races of the tiger are endangered. One of the races - the Balinese tiger
- is now extinct. The destruction of the tiger has been entirely caused by humans
- mainly through hunting. Today most countries do not allow tiger hunting, but
many tigers are still being poached.
LIVING IN A ZOO
Of the Siberian race of tigers, only about 50 are thought to be left in the
wild, but at least 500 live in zoos around the world.
SIBERIAN & WHITE BENGAL TIGERS
The rare Siberian tiger measures 1.4 - 2.8 meters long, excluding its tail,
which is 69 - 95 cm in length. It weighs 180 - 306 kg. It has thick yellow fur
with dark stripes. The Bengal tiger is about 3 meters long, including tail,
and usually weighs 180 - 258 kg. It is found on the islands of south-eastern
Asia and in central and southern India. Its coat is white with dark stripes,
and it has blue eyes. The Bengal tiger inhabits grassy or swampy areas and forests.
Those living on islands have almost disappeared. There are only a few left in
captivity.
By Jodi Joshua
Other members of the class chose to share different pieces of their schoolwork with you. Here they are:
DRUGS
COCAINE:These are some of the names :Coke, Charlie, Snow, and C. Cocaine is
a white powder that some users sniff up their nose, some inject it. This is
a class A. drug - it is against the law to supply it.
SPEED:These are some of the names: Speed, Whiz, Uppers, Billy Sulphate. Speed
comes as a dirty white substance or sometimes in capsules. It is a class B drug.
By Aaron Peters
THE HISTORY OF WRESTLING
Wrestling has been popular for a long time. We can trace wrestling back to the
Stone Age, people have made this discovery from cave drawings that were found
in France and it is thought that they used the same holds as we do today. In
Ancient Greece wrestling was a big part in the culture. Greek wrestling was
very brutal. Wrestling was very popular in the Middle Ages - houses in France,
England and Japan had wrestling as an entertainment. Early American settlers
liked wrestling as well. The first national wrestling tournament was held in
New York in the year 1888. That was the brief history of wrestling.
By Jack Armstrong
Statistics for the week ending 26th March 2000.
Max (deg C) Min (deg C) Rainfall (mm) AIRHEAD 31.0 24.3 4.3 TRAVELLERS 30.0 21.0 0.9 GEORGETOWN 32.0 23.0 1.7 RESIDENCY 29.0 19.5 Trace ST. HELENA 25.9 17.9 16.0 FALKLANDS 13.1 2.6 18.9 BRIZE NORTON 13.7 -1.6 4.4
ASCENSION SEA SWELL FORECAST (based on data available on Monday afternoon): South to southeast between 1.0 and 1.5m and 1.5 - 2.0m from the northwest.
Sea temperature around Ascension Island: 28 Celsius
ASCENSION ISLAND: Apart from a scattering of showers on Tuesday, most of the week was fine dry and sunny.
ST HELENA: Gary Thomas reports:- A reasonable amount of rainfall during the week, most of which fell during the nights of Monday and Tuesday. Relatively hot/sunny and sometimes humid conditions, with just a gentle breeze, made for a rather uncomfortable week with the max temp for the month occurring on Sunday.
U.K: After a fine dry start to the week, a touch of winter returned by the weekend with some snow over parts of Scotland and with a scattering of some fairly beefy thundery showers elsewhere.
FALKLAND ISLANDS: Last week's snow showers were followed by a spell of quite windy weather with occasional rain and over the weekend it turned colder again with some sleety showers.
Bing Bong, Hi-de-Hi, Hello Campers,Gladys Pugh here,
Well I was sitting in my office on Saturday morning feeling rather shabby after yet another Friday night at the VC, where I had had one drink too many again, when by remarkable coincidence an e-mail arrived from home which contained the following quotations for some strange reason. Does my other half know what I get up to on a Friday night, I wonder? This is verging on X-files material. Anyway here they are:-
"I feel sorry for people who don't drink. When they wake up in the morning, that's as good as they're going to feel all day." --Frank Sinatra
"Always do sober what you said you'd do drunk. That will teach you to keep your mouth shut." --Ernest Hemingway
"You're not drunk if you can lie on the floor without holding on."-Dean Martin
"Drunk is feeling sophisticated when you can't say it." -Anonymous
"Time is never wasted when you're wasted all the time."-Catherine Zandonella
"Reality is an illusion that occurs due to lack of alcohol."-Anonymous
"A woman drove me to drink and I didn't even have the decency to thank her."
"What contemptible scoundrel has stolen the cork to my lunch?"--W.C. Fields
"Beauty lies in the hands of the beer holder." -Anonymous
"Work is the curse of the drinking classes." --Oscar Wilde
"When I read about the evils of drinking, I gave up reading."--Henny Youngman
"Life is a waste of time, time is a waste of life, so get wasted all of the time and have the time of your life." -- Michelle Mastrolacasa
"24 hours in a day, 24 beers in a case. Coincidence?" -Stephen Wright
"Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy." --Benjamin Franklin
"Without question, the greatest invention in the history of mankind is beer. Oh, I grant you that the wheel was also a fine invention, but the wheel does not go nearly as well with pizza." --Dave Barry
"I drink to make other people interesting." -George Jean NathanI thought that some of the quotations were rather appropriate for some on this island and with that in mind next week's offerings will be on the subject of celibacy............ Well that's all from me.
Bing Bong, Ho-de-Ho, Over and out.Gladys Pugh.
ST.HELENA POLICE
ASCENSION DETACHMENT
Litter Campaign
For the last few weeks we have been focusing our attention on the litter problem. To date no incidents have been reported. We have visited various picnic sites and have found the areas to have been left litter free. There is, however, still the odd piece of litter being dropped along the roadside. I would like to appeal to those responsible to take their litter home with them or to use the litter bins provided and above all to help keep Ascension litter free. Over the next few weeks we will be concentrating our efforts on being Community Beat Officers. As our resources are limited there is only so much we can do but we will be concentrating on areas in which we can develop better public relations. Please do support us in this.Entertainment
It has been brought to our attention that the noise level from clubs and private functions is becoming a nuisance, especially at the weekends. Please do have some consideration for those who are trying to sleep and keep the music at a reasonable level.Roller Skating
It seems that roller skating is becoming very popular amongst the children on the island. We are, however, getting concerned that they are using the roads to skate on, a practice which we consider to be very dangerous to themselves and other road users. We do not wish them to stop skating but would ask that they find safer areas in which to do so.Found Property
One Panasonic remote control found near the Red Lion. One pendant on necklace found at Comfortless Cove One Timex Wrist Watch found at Comfortless Cove
If you think you own any of this property then please call in at the Police Station to make a claim.R M Williams
Insp of Police
AISPCA NEWS
Congratulations
All of us at the AISPCA would like to extend our warmest congratulations to Elizabeth Scholtz of the RSPCA, St Helena on her being awarded the RSPCA Overseas Meritorious Award. This is the highest international honour awarded by the RSPCA and is only given once each year. Elizabeth is well known on St Helena for her tireless efforts to improve the welfare of all animals but she was also instrumental and indeed the inspiration for setting up the AISPCA here on Ascension. Despite her own long working hours and recent ill health she has always been available to give help and guidance when needed. We cannot think of anyone more deserving of the award.Feral Cat Control Program
Most of you will already be aware that over the last 12 months we have been trying to implement certain laws and procedures to help reduce the number of unwanted and feral cats. The most important reason for this is to lessen the threat that cats cause to the seabird and turtle populations. From an animal welfare point of view, the control and hopefully eradication of the feral cats is also important to protect the welfare of our domestic cats. Feral cats have found that life is far easier if they invade residential areas and eat the cat food that you put out for your pets than if they have to hunt for it themselves. Those among you who feel sorry for kittens or cats around the bungalows, bashas or workplaces and occasionally put food out are causing far more problems than you are solving. If you want a pet cat then bring it down to the clinic, get it neutered/spayed and microchipped but please do not encourage or feed feral ones. Recently the Foreign and Commonwealth Office approved a sum of money for the Administrator to start a Cat Control Program. This means that very shortly a massive and sustained cat trapping operation will take place over the whole island. This will include residential areas (Two Boats, Georgetown, Travellers Hill, USAF Base). Any cat found not to have a microchip will be destroyed. The wearing of a collar will no longer be accepted as proof of domesticity. If your cat has not yet been microchipped then it is at risk. As I will be leaving the island next month (April 15th) on leave I will run some extra clinics to enable all cats to be chipped before I go. These clinics will be for microchipping and emergencies only. The bottom line is that the responsibility lies with you the pet owner to ensure that your cat is neutered/spayed, microchipped and safe.Clinic Times
Sat 1st April
Mon 3rd April
Tue 4th April
Thur 6th April
Sat 8th April
Mon 10th April
Tue 11th April
Sat 15th April1200-1230
1730-1800
1730-1800
1730-1800
1000-1030
1730-1800
1730-1800
1200-1230Open Clinic
Microchipping
Microchipping
Microchipping
Open Clinic (note changed time)
Microchipping
Microchipping
Open ClinicThere will be no further clinics until June. Times will be advertised in the Islander.
As usual, until 15th April, please feel free to contact me for further information or in case of emergency on 6836/home or 4622/work.Caz
NEWS FROM THE
ARMOURER
The demand for compromise and standardisation on the battlefield led to more mobility for the guns and a commonality of weaponry for the troops. I'll digress for a minute, as this wasn't always the case. Even as late as 1812 at the Battle of Borodino the Russians (who were fighting Napoleon) has issued 20 different calibre of musket, and guns, to their troops - just think of the supply problems that caused! But let's go back again. "The Sailors", now with gun ports cut into the sides of their ships, wanted bigger calibre cannon; ones that could damage enemy ships, rather than just repel boarders. Up until then, tactics had been to lay alongside and board, with maybe just a few shots fired in the hope of damaging sails or killing a few of the enemy officers. Now with larger guns fitted, they could really "rake" the enemy ship before boarding. To do this, they adapted land guns.
The most commonly used in the mid to late fifteen hundreds and into the sixteen hundreds were the Culverins, mortars and the Saker, mainly because they were readily available on land. The problem was they were too big for the ships of that era, as these were mainly converted merchantmen, so they couldn't mount many guns on deck. Henry started to change all of that with some purpose-built warships of two and sometimes three decks. The Mary Rose was an example of this.
The warship developed very slowly. They were regarded as merely floating batteries in the main. It was the smaller ships that developed gunnery at sea. These smaller more manoeuvrable types of ship developed specialist roles. "Bomb ketches" for example used different sizes of mortars in support of land forces, operating up rivers or bombarding ports.
Sloops and frigate ships developed the gunnery required to chase, rake, sink or board an enemy ship. This required different types of ammunition and a smaller, handier, set of guns, of a standard class for each task, but we'll get to that later.
Until then, keep up the contributions to my pyrotechnic collection. As always, stay safe.Bryn the SERCO armourer
Hash number: 794
"In case you hadn't noticed, a band of about 30 deranged individuals meets at seemingly random places around the island every Saturday afternoon. There then follows about an hour of hysteria and random running about. The group then seems to regain its senses, meet at the point they started at and open an impromptu bar and restaurant. The activity has no object, reason or logic. However the participants claim mysterious benefits and return (almost) every week. The activity appears to be mildly additive, but mostly harmless. Psychological and behavioural analysis by some of the world's experts in group dynamics, chaos theory, sociology and alcoholism suggest that this must be the fabled Hash - The drinking club with a running problem.
This week's mob turned up with some trepidation (and in two cases late too… tsk tsk Ivor & Thunder Thighs). Uncle Warp speed has something of a reputation to live down to, and our spies had reported that he had made at least 3 long visits to the NASA area carrying bags of Hash in the last week… Could this be a 2 hour killer run?? The briefing sounded innocuous enough.. three circles, one back check and one bar. The run soon took on the properties you would expect from Uncle Fester…
Caledonian…. In this case designed for a Haggis - the long-legged heather-hopping variety I would suspect. Unfortunately most Hashers are equipped with legs of equal lengths, so progress along the steep sides of Cricket valley was errrrr slow. The FRBs had a need for speed, and missed the first circle check completely. They were reluctantly called to a halt while Chief Longpole admired the view from Lovers' Leap (DON'T DO IT… Oh well carry on if you insist… stitches in that sir?) and the Von Trapps got into Rock n Roll.
The route then got complicated… you have to be careful when trying this as Hashers are easily confused.. and described a neat figure of eight, crossing on the track down towards Weatherpost, Spires etc. We found the second circle easily enough, and then proceeded to miss out on the third one entirely which probably accounted for us winding up back at the cars after a piffling 40 minutes on the trail.
Full marks to PJs and Jean Luc for their tenacity in managing to put a trail together after 2 abortive attempts at trying to do something clever. Good food and lots of it too thanks. Things got a bit chilly after half an hour standing in the breeze.. Comment of the day must go to the Chief, who said he was pleased he had brought an insulated beer can holder…. What? You are worried about your beer getting too cold???!!!?? He bin here too long methinks.Victor Bicycle's law - It is better to retire too soon than too late.
Rabies' Law - We can lick gravity, but sometimes the paperwork is overwhelming.
Le Guru's Law - On ne peut pas vivre sans l'Hash.This week's HASHers: Sticks, Thomas the Tank Engine, PJs, Sniffy, Warp Speed, Chief Longpole, Ladylike, Occasional, Whynot?, Grasshopper, Morticia, Thunder Thighs, Frank 'n' furter, Ivor the Engine, Fit Guy, smallthing, and 2 of PJs friends (I didn't get their names, but one is rumoured to be the owner of Scotty's magic wand). No sign of Gladys Pugh or Ratty.
Receding Hareline: Sat 1st. April - (you fools) Hash by Sniffy, starting from the picnic area opposite the end of the Scouts Campsite road / NASA road junction. smallthing (of little consequence)
ASCENSION PREMIERSHIP 1999/2000
