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The Ascension Island Newspaper |
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The Ascension Island Newspaper |
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The island is currently playing host to 72 (TEE) Fd Sqn (AS) (V). They are engaged in Exercise Turtle Truss, an annual troop-size exercise for the T.A. during which they practice their construction and refurbishment skills. The trip to Ascension is a nice change for the unit, who would usually carry out their annual training exercise in UK or Germany. (Right; the Squadron pictured on Cross Hill overlooking Georgetown) |
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The Squadron's full title is 72 (Tyne Electrical Engineers) Field Squadron
(Air Support) (Volunteer), and it is under the command of Major Charles
Waddell R.E. They are from Newcastle-upon-Tyne, and will be with us until
the 26th of July. The unit was also keen to undertake some tasks for the good and benefit of the community of Ascension Island, and consequently have been kind enough to re-paint the Hood Guns and the Victorian Cannon on Cross Hill on behalf of the Ascension Island Heritage Society. They also removed an enormous thorn bush from the site of the cannon. Dave Bones, the Heritage Society Chairman said; "Thanks to the army's hard work, we have seen a major improvement in the quality of one of our most important places of historical interest." Two REME engineers attached to the Squadron carried out some work on the WWII US Army Jeep, one of the most prized exhibits owned by the Society. WO2 (AQMS) John Colston and Cpl Ian Brown managed to get the old jeep running again. (By the way, thanks to Mr. Jamie Thomson of Turners, whose company was good enough to provide a battery, lubricants and also the loan of some tools.) All members of the Squadron would like to thank the community of Ascension Island for the assistance and welcome that they have been given Stephen Fowler / Pics Ian Andrews |
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 WO2 (AQMS) Colston, Lt. Harding RE, Dave Bones (Heritage Society Chairman) and Cpl Brown pose next to one of the newly painted cannon. |
 WO2 (QMSI) Billy Hardwick, Maj. Charles Waddell R.E., Lt. Simon Harding R.E., WO2 (AQMS) John Colston, Cpl Ian Brown preparing to go for a spin. |
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The Society is an entirely voluntary body whose aims are to awaken
public concern in, and appreciation of, the geography, history, natural
history and architecture of Ascension Island and to secure the preservation
of features of historic |
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Dear Friends,
What puts a smile on your face?
For a few days we had the smiles of all our schoolchildren beaming off the wall in the shop, photos of all the kids taken in Smile Week as a competition for customers to vote for the best smile, thanks to our dentist Johnny Hobson. And then, for the last few days, the real thing! Smiling customers! In the three years we have been here we have really seen such excitement. There it was, a variety of fresh fruit, fresh and frozen veggies galore, pre-packed dinners, cheese in abundance, a range of sweets never even seen before, even Liquorice Allsorts Ice cream. What more could anyone want? Who ever thought we would be eating avacado pears or biting into strong cheddar cheese on this island! And all at reasonable prices. So a great big thank you to the shop management and smiles all round. It just shows we don't ask the earth, we are generally thankful for what we do get, and it doesn't take all that much to put a smile on our faces. Or to wipe it off again. I've been going around with this "feel-good factor" ever since the ship from S.A. was unloaded and the goods appeared in the shop. And then this morning I heard a tale of petty adherence to rules, a case of not allowing a little common sense or flexibility to forgive an unintentional error, and a person being penalized for what was, in effect, some-one else's mistake. And suddenly it's not such a bright day after all, and the smile has faded.
In St Matthew's gospel we read the words of Jesus. He sits on the judgement throne and says to those on his right "Come and possess the kingdom which has been prepared for you since the creation of the world. I was hungry and you fed me, thirsty and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger and you received me into your homes, naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you took care of me, in prison and you visited me." Is it too fanciful to think he might have added "and you also put a smile on my face."?
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God Bless you and keep you, Fr Keith & Ginny. |
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Our Dependency's ConstitutionI would like to refer to a recent article by HE The Governor entitled 'Constitutional Advancement'. In that article the Governor refers to 'possible models to help the debate'. As a member of the public I have not had a sight of or even heard of these models or any others for that matter. My wish would be for Ascension Island to operate constitutionally the same as our sister island Tristan da Cunha, the other dependency of St Helena. A quote from the Tristan da Cunha official Web Site explains how: "Government The Administrator, appointed by the Governor of St. Helena, is the head of Government, which comprises 11 separate Departments. The Administrator must act in accordance with advice from the Island Council, which is composed of 8 elected members and three appointed members. A general election is held every three years. At least one member of the Council must be a woman. At the moment there are three women members. The Councillor who receives the most votes in the election is appointed Chief Islander" To my mind, and without knowledge of the 'models' I seriously think this is the road we should be going down. The Governor should be aware that at this point in time there have not been any public meetings to seek the opinions of the island residents in these matters. In the light of democracy may I ask how will we the public be told what is going on or participate? Will there be a meeting to discuss the way forward? If so, who will call it? Should it be the public, the Administrator's Advisory Forum, the Administrator or should it be the Governor himself? Harold H Henry |
LETTERS| From the
Editors:- Melanie D. Flanagan & Diane J. King.
Hello One and All, On my return to Ascension after approx 5 weeks leave, I realised that the time, once again, had come for the monthly stint of editing the lovely Islander paper with my fellow friend, who had tried to no avail, for windling our way out of it!! I'm sure I speak for all of us in wishing Mrs Betty Joshua all the very Best, have a lovely well earned leave and we'll see you next term. Thanks for your contributions to the Islander! Good luck Stella Richard and Tom in your new venture. Don't forget to try the Yorkshire Fat Rascals at Bettys café, in York. Thankyou to all concerned for making my weekly shop worthwhile, the dairy, fruit and veg diplay was impressive. "The wolves will be kept away from the door once more." See you out and about. Liz and Mariah |
STAKEHOLDERSUndeniably, St Helenians are advancing at an incredible pace. In all walks of life, there is clear evidence of the consistent aspiring confidence of our people-especially that of our young men and women. The self-belief, forward-looking, awareness and willingness to challenge, and their ability to take on responsibility and prove successful is evident-at all levels-within both Islands and throughout the wider world. Many of their endeavors and achievements will have a progressive positive effect on St Helena, reinforcing the support given by the British Government for that "Partnership for Progress and Prosperity"; making it all a real possibility. Beyond the negatives, there are encouraging and reassuring indications that a very interesting future is in the making for all those that have the best interest of St Helena at heart. C Leo |
| Letters to
the Editor can be sent to editors@the-islander.org.ac |
ED CHAT
Well the dynamic duo are back ready for another Islander!! Both myself and Diane have had a well deserved break back in the UK although mine was to visit my mum in hospital while she had her Kidney stones removed. However, I did manage to fit in a chinese meal, chicken pie and chips from our local chippie, donuts, and last but not least a visit to Thorntons in between hospital visits. It is amazing what things you miss when you have been on Island for a while, it goes to show how lucky we all are!! Infact my sister was highly amused at the fact she caught me doing some window shopping in a butcher's shop!! None the less, I am glad to be back in the bosom of my family and to the hot weather. My Bud deserves a medal for looking after our two boys while I was away, although he has developed several more grey hairs.
Diane, however, was even busier and even found time to be poorly. But I am glad my partner in crime is back even though it means I will be resuming my 'get fit/thin quick' plan, which has lapsed while she was away due to sore legs and having no inspiration what so ever to go. Diane, bless her, has been as enthusiastic as ever, even going while she was on leave. I must say that now my chum is back I feel like I have now had my right arm stitched back on.
What hasn't lapsed though has been the hectic social life that seems to be the main thing on the Island. Last Monday we had the WO's and Officer's Mess Summer Ball which included a Casino, excellent food, loads of free drink (which I drank loads of) and an excellent live Band (courtesy of the RAF). The Mess was decorated superbly with banners and balloons filled with helium (which played an important part in the late evenings entertainment). Several of us decided that it would be good fun if we passed one of the large balloons around and inhaled the helium in a 'communial' sort of way. Glyn thought he could sing in tune with the Band whilst affected by the gas, I wasn't too sure what Trevor was meant to be doing but Mystic Met's voice didn't change a bit!! And Andy Taber…….well he was just Andy Taber!! Don't worry Andy, your secret is safe with me!! I was impressed though by Julia - she managed to fit in the whole crew from the Maersk along with herself and her good hubby into the basket of the balloon for her photo!! I wouldn't have minded being in her shoes - I can tell you!!
As you have read in our last Islander we have set up a new column called 'Challenge Nick'. This stemmed from a conversation we had over the telephone with the Met Men one evening (who we have yet to still meet!!). It became very apparent that Nick was a bit 'confident' so we decided to set him something that he wasn't so good at. So if anyone has an idea as to what would give us all a good laugh at Nick's expense then please give us a call. Infact it was only the other evening when Bud and myself decided to do an impromptu BBQ that I started thinking of challenges. Now the only thing I seem to be able to do with ease (accordingly to my friends) is have the ability to drink a whole bottle of Amarula on my own within a small amount of time. This I obviously managed to do that evening, but it did give me the inspiration for some challenges. However, most of them are not printable and would involve someone else. Now my Bud has an amazing talent that even he by his own admission doesn't know how he does it!! He can stand in one place only moving to and fro from the fridge to get another beer whilst I am running around like a blue ?$%? fly, cooking the food sorting the kids, etc etc. Yet he still gets all the thanks and compliments. How does that happen?
Both Bud and I have decided once a week to do one of the letter boxes and yesterday was the turn of Mountain Red Hill. Now, I don't know if it is just me or wether other women have the same problem as me with their husbands, but my Bud unwittingly thinks that he can do something better than otherwise stated. He rarely reads the map, but when he does and the directions state 'the rest of the way must be made as best as you can by scrambling over the rocks', he seems to think that instead of going at a gradual incline it would be better to get it over and done with as soon as possible by going directly up and over. Which is fine for him, but I am asthmatic. Now I want to regrade the difficulties of all of these and mark them by stress rate (1 being lovers tiff to 5 being MURDER). I will agree that Mountain Red Hill is a 3 as me and my Bud almost divorced over the directions and steepness of the climb. It has always been said that you should never teach a member of your family to drive, well I reckon you should never do these walks with your spouse!!
Well all of us women who have children will know that this is the last week of school before they break up for several weeks. I am sure it won't take that long before I have a break down!! This will be something new for me because I have never been at home with them constantly for the summer holidays before due to the fact I have always worked (and yes I do work for DHE!!) So it will be interesting to see how many off spring I have left by September. I must admit I am quite looking forward to going back to work for DHE on our return to the UK, if only for the funny names that we received on application forms for housing. I remember once that we had an officer posted into Havefordwest in Wales who was named Julius Ceaser. We also had a Cpl Harry Houdini who went to Cardiff. I can also recall one particular application form which took me some time to study. Basically the wife of the applicant did not take on the surname of her husband and made it very clear she was not to be called by her married name. It wasn't until I looked into it further that I realised that if she did take on her husbands surname she would be called Romana Sultana - fair enough!!!!!
Anyway, I do have one thing to look forward to this week - it is our GIRLS NIGHT OUT!! Gloria, Liz, Myleen and myself have managed to fit in one more night and we can't wait. We will me celebrating my Birthday, which although isn't due for a couple more weeks, is a very good reason for drinking. So should you be in the vicinity then please…..watch out!!
Until next time………………………….
Melanie
CANCER: How to reduce your risk.
The good news is that many cancers are preventable and many can be successfully
treated if detected early. It is a mirth that everyone with cancer will die
from the disease. Half of those who get cancer have a good chance of survival.
In the last twenty years great progress has been made in our understanding
of what cancer is and how it can best be treated. For example, some cancers
that were fatal in the past, like cancer of the testes, are now almost completely
curable.
We also know more about the major causes of cancers and the kind of action
we can take to reduce our risks of getting them. We can take action by doing
self checks and going for screening
WHAT IS CANCER?
Cancer is not a single disease. It is a type of disease. There are over 200
different cancers, and each occur in its own way. What they have in common
is that they all start in the same way - with a change in the normal make-up
of a cell. To understand how cancer is caused, it helps to know a little about
what cells are and how they work. We all begin life as a single call. This
is formed when an egg cell is first fertilised by a sperm. The fertilised
cell then begins to reproduce itself. It divides into two, then four, then
eight… and so on, until a human being is complete.
But cell division doesn't stop there. Cells are constantly at work in our
bodies, dividing and multiplying to repair damaged skin, maintain hair growth,
and perform a hundred other everyday tasks. There are many types of cells
to do all the different jobs. Almost every cell has a control centre, the
nucleus. This determines what type of cell it is and also controls cell division.
When a cell needs to divide- to repair a cut in your skin, for instance- it
is the nucleus which controls the process. Usually the instructions given
by the nucleus are understood correctly. But sometimes things can go wrong,
resulting in an abnormal cell. This cell then divides and produces another
abnormal cell, then four, then eight….
The division of normal cells is carefully controlled. But abnormal cells divide
in an uncontrolled manner, and seem not to know when to stop. A cluster of
abnormal cells is called a tumour or primary growth. Not all tumours are cancers,
however. There are two types of tumour- benign and malignant.
Benign tumours are not cancers. They usually don't need treatment. But if
they do, they can be removed by simple surgery. It's the malignant ones that
can be dangerous; they're the cancers. Malignant tumours can invade nearby
parts of the body and may stop the cells there from working properly. Also
cells from malignant tumours can break away and travel- through the bloodstream,
for instance- to other parts of the body. There they settle, forming new colonies
of abnormal cells. These are called secondary growths.
The whole process is known as metastasis. Metastasis is one of the main features
of cancer. It also makes it more dangerous. Most lives lost through cancer
occur because of the secondary growths. That's why it is important to spot
cancers early, before metastasis has happened.
This is the process that leads to cancer. But remember: cancer is not a single
disease. All cancers start like this, but what causes them in the first place,
and how quickly they grow and spread, can be very different for each individual
cancer.
WHAT CAUSES CANCER?
The Facts:
· As cancer is not one but many diseases, what causes one type of cancer doesn't necessarily cause another. For example, smoking is the main cause of lung cancer but not of breast cancer
· Experts agree that most cancers are caused by our bodies, or parts of them, being exposed to certain substances over long periods of time. These cancer causing substances are called carcinogens.
· The causes of some cancers have been found through the work of scientists who study how disease patterns vary from one group of individuals to another. They have noticed that some groups of people seem to suffer more from some kinds of cancer than other people.
· For example, people who smoke have a lot more of certain cancers than non-smokers. There are also differences between countries. For example in Japan the death rate from stomach cancer is about twice that for England and Wales, while the death rate from breast cancer is about six times lower.
· Scientists have also explored how far cancers are related to what people eat, how they live, or what sort of work they do. For instance, over 200 years ago, Percival Pott began to study men who had developed cancer of the scrotum and found that many had been chimney sweeps when they were boys. But it was not until this century that scientists found a cancer-causing substance in soot
· These community studies, together with laboratory and other scientific experiments, have shown us the causes of at least some forms of cancer in humans. Smoking is by far the most important preventable cause of cancers
· Viruses are tiny particles which can reproduce only inside living cells. They can spread between in a number of ways- in the air or in the blood, for instance. Cancers where viruses are thought to play a role include cervical cancer, cancer of the liver and a skin cancer that can develop in people with AIDS. Cervical cancer is associated with a virus that can be transmitted through sexual intercourse. Cancer of the liver can develop in a person who has had an attack of hepatitis B- a virus which can be transmitted through sexual intercourse or using infected needles, e.g. illegal drug use.
Experts have estimated that more than 80% of cancers may be avoidable through changes that can be made in lifestyle and in the environment.
Every year, more and more people with cancer are cured.
Cancers that in the past were fatal are now often completely curable. Many
people are alive today after being treated for cancers which twenty years
ago would have been incurable
There are two areas in which you can take action:
1. By reducing the risks of getting cancer
2. By finding cancers at an early stage and getting treatment
Next week - Reducing the risks
PUBLIC NOTICE
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Chief Education Officer Tel No: (0290) 2710 |
Head Teacher Tel No: (00247) 4432 |
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Application Forms are available from Education Office, Two Boats School and the Personnel Department by hard copy or by e-mail. Completed forms should be sent through Heads of Department, where applicable, to the Secretary, Public Service Commission, Personnel Department by Wednesday 25th July 2001. B A George (Mrs) |
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After five years of negotiations, the Convention on the Conservation and Management of Fishery Resources in the South East Atlantic Ocean was signed in Windhoek on 20 April 2001. The signatories were the Coastal States (Angola, South Africa, Namibia and the UK in respect of the St Helena and its dependencies) together with the European Community, the US, Korea, Norway and Iceland. Japan, Poland, Russia and Ukraine also participated in the negotiating but did not sign.
The Convention will lead to the creation of a regional fisheries organisation (SEAFO) whose aim will be to establish a management regime to ensure the conservation and sustainable utilisation of fishery resources in the South East Atlantic outside the Exclusive Economic Zone of the Coastal State. The area designated under the Convention covers a sizeable part of the high seas of the South East Atlantic. The Convention is one of the first regional agreements to be signed following the 1995 UN Agreement on Highly Migratory and Straddling Fish Stocks. It contains provisions for information gathering, observation, inspection, compliance and enforcement. The Convention will enter into force after its ratification by three signatories (including at least one Coastal State).
Whilst membership of SEAFO will offer a number of opportunities for St Helena and its dependencies, it also imposes various obligations on the signatories.
Benefits to St Helena will include:
> Rights of participation in the High Seas fishery, on a basis which take into account St Helena's economic status and dependence on fisheries.
> The opportunity to develop with other Contracting Parties, joint ventures and other forms of collaboration, to exploit the High Seas fishery and straddling stocks both adjacent to and within the 200 mile fisheries zone of St Helena.
> The opportunity to extend control and surveillance of fishing on the South East Atlantic, in international waters and within the 200 mile fisheries zone through co-operation with other parties.
>The opportunity to sit as a member of the commission and its supporting committees and to influence and direct the decisions of the commission to ensure that St Helena's interests are not prejudiced.
And the various obligations will include: -
> Implementation of conservation and management measures as adopted by the Commission within the 200 mile fisheries zone of St Helena.
>Apply monitoring and surveillance measures within the 200 mile fisheries zone consistent with those adopted by the Fisheries Commission for the SEAFO region.
> Control vessels flagged in St Helena on the High Seas through the implementation of a licensing system and through the prohibition of vessels without authorisation from fishing.
> Report annually to the Commission on actions taken to apply the SEAFO management measures and on levels of fishing activity.
> Pay an annual subscription based on rates of exploitation within the Convention area.
> Establish a system for inspecting vessels in port or transiting through the 200 mile fisheries zone and assist and investigate fully any reports on illegal fishing by vessels flagged in St Helena.
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The Met Office Weather Report |
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Statistics for the week ending Monday 9th July 2001
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Max (deg
C)
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Min (deg
C)
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Rainfall
(mm)
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AIRHEAD
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28.3
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22.0
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1.9
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TRAVELLERS
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26.1
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20.5
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12.5
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RESIDENCY
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25.4
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17.7
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6.5
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GEORGETOWN
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29.0
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22.5
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4.1
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ST. HELENA
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18.4
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13.5
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19.6
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FALKLANDS
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7.3
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-2.5
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9.0
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BRIZE NORTON
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28.6 |
11.4
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18.4
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ASCENSION SEA SWELL FORECAST:
The swell around 1.5 metres on Wednesday will decrease to below 1 metre on Thursday
and Friday, however with strong southerly winds the seas will be over 3 meters
on the windward side of the island.
Sea temperature around Ascension Island: Just over 25 Celsius.
ASCENSION ISLAND: Generally cloudy with showers for much of the week, some of the showers quite sharp until Friday. The clouds then broke in time for the weekend, which thankfully was sunny and warm.
ST. HELENA: Gary Thomas reports - The week began cloudy with occasional light showers and a moderate to fresh breeze. From midweek the wind decreased and the cloudiness broke allowing some nice sunny days to develop.
UK: Some rain in the south otherwise fine across the UK on Monday, then low pressure crossed from the west bringing rain, which was heavy at times. Cooler showery conditions followed by Friday, then quieter weather dominated for the weekend as pressure rose again.
FALKLANDS: A settled start to the week but rain swept across the Falklands on Monday night, this then gave way to bitterly cold southerly winds with lots of snow showers on Tuesday afternoon. The temperature on Wednesday staying below freezing all day, at best only reaching minus 1.8 degrees. The showers gradually died out as higher pressure developed and it turned milder by Friday. Rain returned for the weekend ahead of further strong southerly winds and snow by Monday morning.
Well the mini-cloudy season miraculously broke as soon as The Laird's wife left the island but she reportedly enjoyed a week in the Ascension bubble nonetheless, even managing some more bubbly on the beach between showers. But if you think the weather has been bad here, spare a thought for the Falkands where reports came through last week of temperatures down to Minus 7C in strong winds and snow, so that would be a wind chill of Minus 17C - a bit parky guv ! But of course even this is nothing when compared to the Hurricane that recently hit Tristan Da Cunha. We send our best wishes and thoughts to the islanders whom we are sure will overcome this, as they proved they could after the Volcano all those years ago.
Nick has stayed out of the headlines recently but he did excel himself when we were arranging to buy spares for our landrover. He has recently gone by the nickname of Eco-Vandal after demonstrating a worrying ability to attack trees for firewood, showing no green conscience at all. Then we started calling him Human Gazelle for his speed whilst doing the letterbox walks. Now he has a new and entirely suitable moniker which demonstrates yet another side to his personality. My credit card is still in the post and cannot be used for buying over the internet, so when I suggested that Nick might want to volunteer his plastic for the task, he went ballistic and broke into a cold sweat with shouts of "No ! No! No!" I thought he must have a huge bill that he was trying to pay off but he then shot himself in the foot with his follow up saying "I owe them over three figures now - just think of how much interest that's going to be!" I was stunned - the interest alone on my bill strayed into 3 figures recently so I had no sympathy. These signs of tightness with the wallet are supposed to be a preserve of Scotsmen like Pete and I, so we have no hesitation conferring on him the title - MacNick! Jings he makes Aberdonians seem positively free with their loot.
There's been and outbreak of fish attacks recently. At English Bay last week I had an encounter with what I later found out was a barracuda. It suddenly appeared by my side and glided past, only to turn and head back towards me with a purposeful looking swish of the tail. I didn't wait to find out what it had in mind but it's a good job I didn't have my camera with me as I'm told they go for shiny things. I thought I was going to be bitten again on my very next time in the water, this time by a territorial jack. There I was, swimming along minding my own business when the black minder made a bee-line for me and started snapping at the water near to my feet. It then followed me as I swam away making sure I was well and truly off it's patch. Nick has also had an unsettling marine encounter with a baby shark! Only three feet long but still capable of biting, perhaps the marine life are trying to tell us something - stay out of our ocean!
Friday saw a gathering at the CO's house for supper and a very nice meal it was too, made all the better by the excellent setting with palm trees and the sound of waves crashing on the beach in the distance. The Highlanders telescope turned out to be the star attraction of the evening however, with several planets spotted along with clusters of thousands of stars and some colourful ones too. Very good timing for the breaking of the cloud, we're not forecasters for nothing!
There was some talk on the veranda of Peter's Basha the other night about cross-dressing and doing it for money. We were all pretty sceptical, although there was a hint that there might be a little truth when someone mentioned the word charity. Well you can imagine we all breathed a big sigh of relief! But it just goes to show, stray words, you just can't believe all the Chf Clk says, especially when he has only 4 days left on the island. Best wishes to Glyn and thanks for the coiffures.
Ascension Highlander / Mystic Met
 By the Headteacher - Mrs Betty Joshua |
SCHOOL PAGE |
 www.ais.co.ac/school/ |
Hello from TBS
There have been a few social events happening over the past month which have drawn our parents and friends to the school in search of fun and entertainment! Let's tell you a bit about what's been going on. We include, too, this week, some Moment in Time poems by Year 7. Enjoy them.
This was a one-night affair and offered a programme of music, game shows and dances. The night went very well and all who attended were entertained, I can assure you! Lots of thank-yous were extended especially to the students and staff who had worked extremely hard to bring it all together; to the families who so willingly participated in the game shows and faced their challenges with enthusiasm; to Les Dennis (or was it slap-him-round- the-face Jez Menace!) and Dotty Vicious (apparently the sister of Lily Savage and a very kind of up-front lady!!) both of whom were flown in from up north and who vowed they would return -they loved our tiny dot in the ocean!; to Glen Yon who set up the sound system and did loads of other things; to Two Boats Club for the loan of their curtains (we are saving hard to buy our own!!); to AIWSA for the loan of the chairs; and to anyone else who helped to make the show the success it was. Our boys and girls played their part extremely well: there was CHILL FACTOR the boys' band, the boy and girl Line dancers and Girl Thang - the pop dancers!! During the evening a raffle was drawn and the lucky ticket holder was Mrs. Winnie Bagley of Green Mountain who won a fish painting. Well done Winnie AND WELL DONE TO EVERYBODY FOR AN ENTERTAINING EVENING. The money taken on the night was £338.38 (some expenses to be taken out). The profits will now be put into our 'stage curtain' fund!
This event was held on a Saturday to allow more people the opportunity to join
us. Once again the support was excellent - before and on the day. The school
would like to thank parents and friends for their donations towards the stalls
and their support on the day. Special thanks to those parents who gave their
time to run some of the stalls.The actual yield from the day amounted to £868.70.
Didn't we do well and what a generous community. Thank you, all.
Here now are the winners of the various raffles and games:
Food Hamper - Bobby Leo of Georgetown
Fish Painting - Raymond Yon of Two Boats
Game Boy cartridge - Jacob Duncan of Georgetown.
Guess the Name of the Teddy - Leroy Fowler of Two Boats
Guess the Weight of the Cake - Doris Henry of Two Boats
Guess the Number of Sweets in a Jar - Joyce Bennett of Georgetown
White Elephant Stall Games: winner of Monkey game - Ashley Lawrence of Two Boats
and winner of
Lion game - Carl Peters of Georgetown.
Well done to you all! Worthy of mention is the amount of work that went into
the Craft stall by our staff and pupils. Most of the items, and there was a
very nice variety, were made by them and a fine job was done, too. So well done
and thanks, again.
And on a final note, we are now on the count-down to the end of the term and
school year. Our Leavers' Assembly brings the term to a close on Friday, 20
July. May I extend a huge thank -you, on behalf of the whole school, to everyone
who has supported us in any way over the past academic year. Thank you, all.
And that's it for now…..
Betty Joshua
Headteacher.
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We at the Islander, would like to thank Mrs Betty Joshua for all the hard work and effort she has put into her Job as Head Teacher at Two Boats School. We know that we speak on behalf of everyone on the Island in wishing Betty all the very best in her new role within the School. We can only hope that her replacement is half as good as she was. We would also like to take this opportunity to thank Mrs Stella Burke for everything she has done, not only for 'The Islander' but also for the community of the all of the Island. We would like to wish you and your family all the very best for your future posting, and needless to say you would be more than welcome to come back and visit us. |
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A joint team from DFID (Steven Hillier, Programme Manager and Ken Grimshaw Governance Adviser, Overseas Territories Unit) and the FCO (Alan Penrith, Head of Atlantic Section, Overseas Territories Department) visited St Helena from 5-12 July 2001. The main purpose of the visit was to undertake, with the St Helena Government (SHG), a mid term review of progress on the agreed Country Policy Plan for the period 1 April 2000 to 31 March 2003.
2. The team also took the opportunity to have preliminary discussions about the Comparative Study of Air and Sea Access, to discuss progress on on-going and planned development, good government and economic diversification projects, and issues relating to Ascension Island.
3. The joint team welcomed the active involvement in the review of the recently elected Legislative and Executive Councils, the Governor, Chief Secretary, senior officials and representatives of the private sector. The discussions were conducted in a positive, open and constructive spirit that helped to promote respect and a common understanding of the key issues. This aide memoire records the key issues discussed during the visit.
4. The visit coincided with publication of the final report of the Comparative Study of Air and Sea access and provided an opportunity for preliminary discussions on the recommendations contained in that report. The team reaffirmed the commitment, given when the Comparative study was agreed, that financial support equal to the least capital cost option of meeting the policy commitment of maintaining St Helena's physical access with the rest of the world would be provided, and confirmed this commitment would be additional to the regular development assistance programme. The team noted that should St Helena wish to pursue a more expensive option it would need to consider how the additional funding might be provided.
5. Whilst recognising that the Comparative Study had identified a significant difference between the least capital cost option and the cost of an airport and all related ancillary infrastructure, SHG confirmed its strong preference for air access. The team acknowledged that the Comparative Study made a strong case for air access. Subsequent discussions focused on the options for meeting the funding gap between the commitment to provide funding equal to the least capital cost option and the financial resources needed for the provision of air access. A number of potential options proposed by SHG were discussed. These included: the possibility of a joint public/private sector partnership; the use of expected European Development Fund allocations; the possibility of committing to reduced future levels of development assistance to offset any additional funding that might be sought from HMG; or a combination of these options.
6. In order to enable firm proposals to be made on the way forward, it was agreed that SHG would need to undertake an analysis of the costs, benefits and implications of the possible options and look at their impact on the economic, social and environmental development of the Island. It was further agreed that the results of this analysis should form the basis of a wide public consultation process to ensure broad support for the preferred option, and that the process should include the option of continued sea access to enable all views to be properly taken into account. SHG indicated that their analysis and consultation process would take 3-6 months. This process would then be followed by more detailed discussions with HMG. The DFID team confirmed it would be willing to provide technical support and advice to support this work if requested.
7. The joint team welcomed the work SHG had undertaken to review and update the Country Policy Plan action matrix prepared for the CPP discussions in January 2000. This now included a comprehensive report on progress up to the end of March 2001 and proposed outputs and inputs for the current financial year. The team noted that the report showed good progress in many areas. It was also agreed that additional vigorous action was needed in other areas to ensure real progress was being made and that value for money was being achieved. Action in this regard was a matter for SHG. The team welcomed SHG's commitment to take effective measures where progress had been limited and where action was needed to secure performance improvements.
8. It was agreed that the Country Policy Plan matrix had served a valuable purpose in setting Departmental and central management performance measures, and would continue to be useful in this regard. However the team were pleased with the progress that had been achieved and did not foresee the need for HMG to review the matrix in detail during the remainder of the current planning cycle. While the Country Policy Plan matrix would continue to be an essential part of SHGs internal management and performance appraisal system it was expected that the agreement for the next CPP period would be based on a more strategic planning process to which any action matrix would be a subordinate management tool for SHG. Future Strategic Planning Processes
9. The team noted that SHG officials would seek Executive Council endorsement for a process of strategic planning and performance measurement which would be integrated with budgetary processes; and which would also seek to more effectively link the planning and management of the development assistance programme. It was expected this process would build on the work undertaken for the St Helena Review 2000-2010, would include objectives and outcomes for the whole of government (both Departmental and cross cutting issues) and would be based on a widespread consultation process which included the private sector and civil society. The joint team supported this approach and agreed that it should provide a basis for future Country Policy Plan discussions. The team agreed to provide examples of frameworks used elsewhere to develop national strategies for sustainable development and, if requested, to provide support to facilitate the process.
10. The team noted that the flexibility offered at the end of the last financial year had enabled SHG to react effectively to the reductions in expected revenue in the last financial year; in the event, the additional £400,000 budgetary aid provided at the end of the 2000-01 financial year had contributed to a budget surplus of £342,000 which would roll forward into the current financial years plans. The team welcomed the hard work done by SHG in adjusting to these revenue reductions and noted that projections suggested that SHG would be able to work effectively within the agreed budgetary aid ceiling over the remainder of the Country Policy Plan period. Development aid and Technical Cooperation funds were also expected to be fully spent.
11. Noting Executive Council's concern on the treatment of sensitive revenue sources the DFID team indicated it would be willing to consider sympathetically a proposal from SHG for the introduction of an agreed policy for dealing with any increase in such revenues in excess of conservative and sustainable budget projections. The underlying principles of any proposal would be that any additional revenue could not be accumulated as general reserves, could not be used to increase recurrent budget expenditure levels and that budget projections for these sources would need to be regularly reviewed to ensure they remained at appropriate levels. SHG undertook to develop such a proposal for consideration before the end of the current financial year.
12. While noting that some concerns remained over the introduction of revised tariff structures the team welcomed SHG's continuing commitment to the principle of full cost recovery for utilities and to the establishment of effective asset replacement funds. The team noted SHG's intention to review the basis for the calculation of tariffs taking account of future capital investment needs in both the electricity and water sectors, the needs of the most vulnerable members of society and the opportunities for phasing tariff increases to link them with investments in the sectors. It was agreed work on this would be taken forward immediately.
13. The FCO representative of the team had discussions with the Governor of Ascension, St Helena officials and elected representatives and the private sector (Chamber of Commerce) about future developments on Ascension Island. It was noted that constitutionally, SHG could not direct the affairs of Ascension Island. However given the important economic relationship and family ties between the two Islands, it was agreed that a close and constructive dialogue be maintained between the administrations of the Islands to their mutual benefit. Commercial, economic and social developments, including constitutional advancement, would need to consider the needs of both Islands. To this end, the FCO Constitutional Adviser would be visiting St Helena and Ascension in October 2001 to discuss constitutional issues.
OTU/OTD
St Helena Island 1
2 July 2001
Footnote: The Overseas Territories Department of the FCO have advised that the people living on Ascension will be consulted and their opinions sought before any changes are made to the current constitution.
Hash #861
14 July 01
Hash Hares: Yeti,Hong Kong Phooey
Hash Hounds: Fugitive,Frank-N-Furter,Bonehead,Boots,Ivor the Engine,
Soon Come,Colgate,Krista,Vince
Hash Cooky: The Major
As far as Tiggers go, they like to bounce more than slip & slide.
As all gather, the view is filled with ups or wets. Hazards are listed off as slippery heights, loads of loose stuff, and diving wild life. A faint to the ups worries most, however, the on-on is pointed towards the wets. Down a small cliff face and into the sands and off in the direction of the water. Mother Ascension was seen spewing forth liquid from a crevasse in the rock trying to wet the pack. Boots stops to look and gets spewed upon with cheers from the rest. On-on thru the sands and up another steep face. Fuge and F-N-F finds an arrow and hear the maniacal laughs from HKP as he bounces across the correct trail. Krista finds that the hash gods can be devious and gets pulled back down to reality. A bar check takes F-N-F in one direction, Colgate and Fugitive in another and Bonehead in a third. With all blind and unable to find the trail, Yeti leads the way. An O check brings all back before a lovely slippery down. Some devious instructions of "go to the wood and follow the directions" makes Ivor and Fugitive think of trickery and leaves them cautiously waiting and watching. The trail takes all back under the spewing crevasse and up the way we came. The hash cooky starts with the foods and serves all some wonderful yummies. Short but good hash guys. The food and liquid stuffs last well after the twinklers come out and darkness descends.
Next week's events: A short run will start the festivities with Ivor & Fugitive setting. Afterwards, foods provided by all will start a hash bash at Patio 13 on the USAF base. A dish of eatables to feed 8-10 can be bangers & beans, crisps, salads, BBQ stuff, curries or whatever. All will be welcomed. ALL hashers are included, even the ones with poor excuses. Half 4 for the run and 6 for the festivities.
Hash Scribe - HKP
EDITORS : Melanie D. Flanagan & Diane
J. King
The New Islander Office, Fort Hayes, Georgetown, Ascension Island.
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