Dear Friends, We welcomed Father Chris Marsden from RAF Waddington to our service at St. Mary's on Sunday morning and he did the same to us at the service at the Grotto in the evening. Father Chris is on his way to the Falkland Islands. Please give him a smile and a cold drink if you should see him around. Father Chris will be taking Mass at the Grotto, on Saturday the 15th June at 7pm as he will be on the aircraft on the Sunday, all are welcome.

I went to two meetings this week during which thank-yous were said. The ADF committee thanked all of those who contributed in anyway to the success of the Fair; the Church Vestry Meeting, not only thanked the ADF committee and all who had helped; but also the guys who had done such a good job painting the outside of the Church for us. My thanks go to everyone who helped Cheryl while Mervyn, Terry and I were not here.

The Church Vestry meeting suggested, and the guides have agreed, that all of our services at St. Mary's should be held at 1030 am on Sunday mornings, unless we announce otherwise. We hope this will make it easier, especially for visitors to join with us in our worship here on Ascension. We are going to buy Bibles for each of the Confirmation candidates and some for use by the congregation in the services.

There was so much to talk about from the readings last Sunday that I really had to discipline myself to keep to a common theme from each of the readings and not get side tracked. I was able to talk about a man called Hosea who had to marry a prostitute, and yes I used the word in Church. Hosea had three children, one of whom he knew was not his own, he had to rescue his wife at one point and take her back. His job though, was to tell the people of Israel that they were to return to God. The people did not listen. If you have not read this book before, I really recommend it to you. The psalm, told us to call upon God in our day of trouble. Paul was reminding his listeners that at 100 years old Abraham had faith in God, and believed that he would have descendants whose number would be greater than the number of the stars in the heavens. Matthew told us of the faith he had in Christ as he was called to follow him, the faith of the lady who touched the Lord's cloak and the faith of the leader of the Synagogue whose daughter had died. So much to listen to and to think about, put simply it said to us: Love not sacrifice. Faith not the Law. Mercy not sacrifice.

We are planning on holding our monthly family and parade service on the 14th of July, to avoid the Sports Day on the 7th. We hope to hold the service on the 14th, with the kind permission of the Head Master, at School in Two Boats. We are going to be having a SONGS OF PRAISE SERVICE, with a picnic afterwards in the playground. We pray that we shall be able to praise the Lord together with much joy and singing. If you have any ideas please let us know.

From the Editor and a letter...

ASCENSION ISLAND: Some showery spells around last week with some fairly notable downpours, not least on the Mettie BBQ. But were we downhearted?

UK: Generally unsettled and mostly quite cool but Scotland had some quite nice weather from the middle of last week. Skye recorded max temperatures of 26 and 22C on consecutive days, and Aviemore reaching 25C the next.

“METCHAT” ************************ “METCHAT” ************************ “METCHAT” ************************“METCHAT”

"Yes, after spending the past month investigating the hidden hazards of Ascension Island, Dangerous sets about discovering and catching the more obvious ones.

A traditional farewell note from Paxo after 4 months Met Ascension service. Having a previous 6 month tour under my belt, albeit over 10 years previously, I had wondered what changes I would find on arrival at the beginning of February. After only 3 hours delay at Brize (so far nothing new!) we were off.

It was good to be back and find a bigger and better Met Office than previously, and a much improved system to deliver our data. Unfortunately the pipeline through which the information is pumped frequently springs a leak, just as on my last tour,

The Basha was fine and in a much better state of internal decoration to last time. The combined messing system provides food of excellent quality and choice as far as I'm concerned. The cheese and wine night provided a really good selection of both of these items and more !

I was surprised to find so much livestock has learned to pole vault the cattle grids at Traveller's. I could lie in bed with crabs, sheep and rabbits beneath me (Under the floor!) whilst I had an almost tame Ratty for a neighbor. Seriously though the sheep deposits and associated flies deserve some attention for that H&S Officer.

There seemed a total lack of change in the geographic features of the Island, greener yes, but each beach and rocky outcrop, plus the various walks seemed identical to ten years previous, perhaps not unexpected in the scale of the evolution of this Island.

Initially I thought that the roadside litter dumping was much reduced, though in other place the deposits of old litter had changed little (Mars Bay etc). Surely the adopt a beach system is to be applauded. A recent walk across Turtleshell beach would suggest that Ohlsons brewery have taken on that area already with a neat little tin advertising their product in virtually each of the turtle nests.

The Best things: The walking has been super, as has the snorkeling when the swell has allowed, and also the banter at the bar. The visit by my wife, even though I was always at work (All together -- ahh..). And I must say that working with the current Met team has been especially rewarding.

The final Mettie Barbie by the Basha was accompanied by the traditional deluge of rain pouring off the roofs. Even so, no one there allowed their spirits (mainly gin!) to be diluted.

Now with the current 24 hour delay on my homeward flight, I must shortly return to a land where fried bread and custard no longer feature. A spell of duty at Brize Norton and retirement in a year. Thanks for your assistance and company during my relatively short visit.

HASH TRASH

Hash Hounds: Skipper,Boots,Bonehead,Mama 3 Bones,Fruit Bat,Fido, Buzz Lightyear,Crystal Tips,Lara Croft,Rug Rat,The Major, Frank-n-Furter,Hong Kong Phooey,Tit Pecker,Puff Grannie, Barley Buckeye,Eeyore,Uncle Fester,Yeti,Billy Graham, Bootless,Tuff Cookie,Maryland Monroe,Hildie

Beware Ascension !! The hash pack has gathered once again. This time the venue had to be Gannet Hill. With snow looming in the distance, and the pack questioning the GHM's weathering skills, the brief is given. HKP spells out the fate of the Newbees and our misguided set of rules. The On-On is given and off the pack goes skirting the base of Gilligan's Hill following some beasty tracks. The Hash Tigger shows off his bounciness and skitters off a few rocks exposing himself meters away from an O check. Nurse Ratchet looks over and states "He IS human". On-On again and the trail follows the old roads and the 'Plane Road'. Buzz Lightyear finds some pirate boxes and tells all they are for the night-pirates. "?" (me thinks he has run into one too many walls) The pack comes to another circle check and the remains of the last metal bird that missed. Bonehead looks for souvenirs and Bootless ponders her up-coming departure. A reverse back the way we all came and a gathering at a ridge to Gilligan's place. The pack splits with the sensible taking the low road and the 'others' taking the high road. With one group waiting at the base of a sheer skree drop and the 'others' preparing for the jump over, Nurse Ratchet mentally(me thinks THIS is a stretch) prepares for body parts. Rat Boy pans out a shoestring and takes the plunge. Hoots & cheers from the lower group bring in the 'others' back to the fold. Lara Croft is now welcomed by HKP as a true member of the Skree Pack. As the last suicidal hasher jumps off the top, Tit Pecker & Uncle Fester try to race back UP the skree. UF decides he is no match with TP and turns around and returns to the pack. However, TP gains new admiration as he becomes the Hash Spiderman by continuing to the top. (me thinks he has TOO much energy) The On-On is sounded again and all return to the vehicles and some lovely nibbles and drinks. Wounds are noted and compared as HKP steps aside and starts to make the unmistakable "Anointing Circle". Rat Boy is given some verbal instructions as to the reasons and shown, one last time, the ways of naming. Three Sorry Souls are brought forward and with the pack jeering and cheering, we welcome into the fold Buzz Lightyear, Bootless, and Tuff Cookie.

Mid-Atlantic Fishing Charters arrive in Ascension

Jórg-Dieter Haselhorst and Georg Geyer, both from Germany, have been involved in sportfishing of all kinds for more years than they care tell me. In 1993, Dieter got involved in the charter business for the first time in the Azores. It was there that he met Les, Zak and Ian. In 1998 he sold his business in the Azores to Ian and opened up a brand new big game charter business in Ghana with a partner, Georg Geyer. This was the first charter operation ever in Ghana and proved to be a great success with anglers throughout the world. However, running a business in a remote part of Africa was not easy and living conditions for the crew were rather primitive.

When we heard that it would be possible to start a charter business at Ascension, and our research indicated that the fishing should be extremely good, Dieter and Georg lost no time in contacting the Administrator and visiting the island. They liked what they saw, the decision was made and Mid-Atlantic Fishing Charters was born.

We really want to put the locals at ease and assure them that we are not going to be competing with them. Our boats will fish much further away from the island and we target the really big fish such as marlin, large tuna, swordfish, etc, "big game fish" as they are known in the industry. A lot of these fish are on the verge of becoming threatened species so we do not kill them. The anglers take a photograph or two, we insert a tag for research purposes, and then release them. The anglers we bring to the island come from all over the world and hopefully will help to bring more tourists to Ascension in the future. Our guys may occasionally bring in a smaller fish for their own consumption but we will not sell the fish we catch.

Four crew arrived with two boats in Ascension last weekend after the long trip from Ghana. Ian Carter, originally from Cape Town, South Africa; Marty Bates from North Island, New Zealand; Les Gallagher, originally from Lancashire and Zak Condé, from the Azores.

The two boats are:

SHY III - 38 foot long Bertram big game fishing boat. Displacement: 15 tonnes. Shy III started off as a private pleasure boat in Germany, then moved to Croatia where she was used as a sport fishing boat specifically for tuna. In 2000 she moved again, this time to Ghana where she started her serious charter career. With Ian Carter at the helm and Marty Bates in the cockpit, they had a sensational season in early 2001, releasing 124 blue marlin in 96 days. Ian and Marty have delivered Shy III from Ghana to Ascension.

HARMATTAN - 36 foot long Rampage Express sportfishing boat. Displacement: 12 tonnes. Harmattan (picture below) was bought in the USA and shipped to Ghana in 1999 to begin the charter business in that country. With Les Gallagher at the helm and Zak Condé in the cockpit, she has now completed 3 years in the charter business. Les and Zak were on board for the delivery to Ascension. In October a third boat will join the fleet in Ascension. Andromeda is a 46 foot Bertram. She will be delivered to Ascension by Les, Zak and Marty. She has been based in the Azores for the past 3 or 4 years where she was used mainly for the private use of her owners, Georg Geyer, Dieter Haselhorst and Matthias Henningsen. Each boat has a captain and one experienced Mate.

Your health this week

LADYBIRD GOLDEN JUBILEE REPORT!

The Ladybird Playgroup celebrated the Golden Jubilee in style with a mini street party. It was a great morning enjoyed by all who attended.

The morning started with a crown decorating competition. Joey Leo and his dad made a great team and won the first prize which was a commemorative mug. This was followed by a visit from our local friendly fire fighters which caused great excitement for both children and parents! We all had a chance to sit inside the fire engine, and try on a real helmet.

We then had our Jubilee feast, and waved our Union Jacks. Finally we had games including Pass the Parcel which was won by Mackenzie.

We are hoping to provide all of the children with a photograph of the event so that they all have a reminder of what they did during the Golden Jubilee, and to record the fact that, however small, there were some celebrations on Ascension. (As always there are a number of people to thank including Billy and Mario from the Ascension Fire Brigade, Mrs Fairhurst, Jackie Ellick, Mackenzie's mum and dad, and everyone else who came!)

HELLO FROM TWO BOATS SCHOOL

Nursery

If there are any parents who would like their child(ren) to attend Nursery throughout the next school year could they please contact the school. Any child who is three years old before 31st August 2002 is eligible to attend Nursery.

Awards Assembly

Last Friday we held our half termly Awards Assembly in School and this was attended by about thirty parents. The Assembly started with two musical items and then Johnny Hobson presented prizes for the Dental Health poster competition that he set up at the time of the school dental checks.

The three winners, each of whom received an electric toothbrush, were Euton, Alex and Caitlin

Johnny also gave small gifts to all who had entered a poster in the competition.

Water Safety and Swimming certificates were presented to all the children in the Reception and Lower school classes

School special awards were presented to the following pupils:

Karl, Justine, Jamie and Jonathon for their excellent essay work. Mashay, Penny, Ben and Kirsty for their excellent results in Mental Maths. Penny for her excellent English work. Cody, Dayna, Sharae, Joe, Rachel, Suzanne, Tiffany and Tyler for their excellent work in Numeracy with Money. Alex and Euton for their extra effort in Literacy and Numeracy. Charlotte and Christiane for their consistently good effort in Literacy and Numeracy.

The one Special Mention award, which is the school's top award, went to Rico Phillips for his consistently high standard of work in Maths.

As a result of these awards and the house points awarded over the half term the House trophy was won by Beale House (145 points), followed by Huxley (132 points) and Connelly (127 points).

Further Education and Evening Classes 2002 - 2003

Traditionally the staff at the school have run evening classes in certain subject areas and we would hope to continue that in September if there is any demand.

Subjects available from September will be:- Art - GCSE Level Geography - GCSE Level Combined Science - GCSE Level English Language - GCSE Level Business Studies - GCSE Level Mathematics - GCSE Level Child Development - GCSE Level Information Technology - CLAIT Plus level

In addition we are able to offer a course in Wood Crafts.

If there is anyone who is able and willing to offer to teach a course, either for a qualification or as a leisure pursuit, could they please contact me at school so that we may advertise the course.

Governors' Committee Meeting

The inaugural meeting of the Two Boats School Governors' Committee took place on Thursday 23rd May. After the Chairman had outlined the role of the committee to members there were three main items discussed. These were sun safety policy, nursery hours and the timing of the school Sports Day.

After discussion about sun safety it was agreed that children should be reminded to wear hats and apply sunblock when outside and that more shade in the shape of gazebos should be considered.

There was an opinion expressed that the Nursery should run in the morning rather than the afternoon and the educational value of this was agreed by all. However the reason for the current situation was to do with availability of staff. The possibility of substituting one and a half hours in the morning for the current afternoon session will be looked into.

It was agreed that the Sports Day will start at 9.00 am as usual and that hopefully the events will be completed by 12 noon.

The next meeting of the Committee will be on July 4th.

All parents were sent a copy of the minutes of the meeting and copies are available at school.

That's all for this week - we'll have more news for you next time.

David Higgins

SPECIAL STAMP ISSUE

"20th ANNIVERSARY OF THE LIBERATION OF THE FALKLAND ISLANDS"

Friday, 14 June 2002 is the 20th Anniversary of the Liberation of the Falkland Islands. To mark this occasion the Post Office will release a set of four stamps in commemoration of Ascension Island's role, which was vital to the successful prosecution of the war. The four stamps feature as follows:

15p Troops landing at English Bay - Although few ships spent much time at Ascension Island the Amphibious Task Group with 3 Commando Brigade stayed to prepare for the coming landings. As the number of troops landing at Ascension increased so did the need for accommodation. Empty houses, barracks and storerooms were all utilised. In Two Boats Village empty bungalows were pressed into service. Indeed, there is a story that a soldier coming through Ascension some years after the conflict called on the then inhabitants of a bungalow and asked if he could photograph their shed. He had spent a week there in 1982! Eventually, temporary accommodation was provided at the US Base using air-conditioned concertina type shelters. Troops were often to be seen route marching around the island in order to keep battle fit.

35p Weapons Testing at Ascension - Although only limited preparation on the island was possible (there is no room for large scale manoeuvres) troops were able to train on rapidly constructed firing ranges. 3 Para's anti-tank platoon fired over 37 years' worth of training rounds in one day. Practice in disembarking from the troopships by helicopter and landing craft was also undertaken.

40p HMS Hermes - The Falklands Conflict of 1982 was the most extended series of naval battles since the Pacific campaign of World War II. At 3800 miles (3300 nautical) from the Falkland Islands, Ascension Island was the nearest friendly base. HMS Hermes arrived at Ascension on 16 April, leaving for the Falklands two days later. On 17 April, Admiral Sir John Fieldhouse, Commander in Chief and overall commander of the Task Force, flew in secret to Wideawake and then onto HMS Hermes. There he met with the military commanders to decide how precisely the Falkland Islands were to be retaken. HMS Hermes, commanded by Captain Black, was the flagship of the Task Force. An aircraft carrier, commissioned at the end of 1959 and given a thorough refit in 1971, it was bought by India in 1986.

50p Vulcan Bomber at Wideawake Airfield - As well as its Navy role, Ascension was also the main base for Royal Air Force operations. The first RAF transport aircraft was deployed to Ascension Island on 3 April. Air attacks on Stanley, reconnaissance and airdrops were carried out by Vulcans, Nimrods and Hercules. Add the helicopter and transport movements and Wideawake became one of the busiest airfields in the world with up to 400 movements of all types each day. The stamp features a Vulcan that took off from Wideawake Airfield on 1 May 1982 for its target of Port Stanley airfield and was the longest non-stop military flight in history.

Mint sets of stamps at £1.40 and Official First Day Covers at £1.90 will be on sale at the Post Office for a period of fifteen months provided stocks last.

I I Henry, Postmistress,Post Office, Georgetown 11 June 2002

EDITOR : Richard White
The New Islander Office, Fort Hayes, Georgetown, Ascension Island.
Tel/Fax 00 + 247 6327

E-Mail: editors@the-islander.org.ac

Internet Team: Richard Thomas, Laura & Mark Handley, Gavin Yon, Richard White

Deadline for all contributions is 6.00pm on Monday

	Max (Celsius)	Min (Celsius)	Rainfall (mm)
AIRHEAD	29.8	22.7	25.4
TRAVELLERS	28.2	19.4	30.5
RESIDENCY	26.8	17.7	35.1
GEORGETOWN	30.0	21.5	9.0
ST. HELENA	21.2	18.5	16.2
UK	26.0 (Isle of Skye)	0.0 (Aberdeenshire)	28.3 (Bognor Regis)
FALKLANDS	No report

The Islander - Thursday 13 June 2002

Change of Command at

Ascension Auxiliary Airfield

News From St. Mary's: