A large crowd gathered outside St Mary's on Sunday for our annual Remembrance Service, The Administrator laid a wreath on behalf of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and our Island Community and the Service was made all the more poignant by the presence of 3rd Platoon of the 3rd Battalion of the Parachute Regiment just arrived back from the Falklands. Many were reminded of the strategic importance of Ascension to the Falklands War 20 years ago and the loss of young lives there and in the two World Wars and other Conflicts over past years.

It was good too, that among the other wreaths, one was laid on behalf of our new Island Council by Mrs Caroline Yon, linking the past with our ever changing present. We were reminded that the responsibility for peace and security in the world always starts with each of us - we are the present and the future and the way we live and give of ourselves is the measure of peace.

Thanks! Behind all the preparations for the Remembrance Service, are a large number of people and organisations which can easily be forgotten. This really is an Island occasion and our especial thanks are due to the Agency for the chairs and ground work, Two Boats School for the PA System, the RAF who deal with arranging wreaths and sending the money to the Earl Haig Fund, the colour bearers and countless others; the "Heavy Mob" who helped move chairs, set up the sound system and organise the music and replace everything afterwards and of course, the Scouts, Cubs, Guides and Rainbows who not only looked so smart, but who also carried out the other duties necessary for the smooth running of the Service, not forgetting our trumpeter and readers. Thanks must also go to those who sold poppies and "The Exiles" who offered refreshments after the Service.

For those of us who went down to Georgetown Cemetery and laid white crosses on each of the war graves as we remembered those unknown soldiers and sailors, we were made very aware of the long history of personal endeavour that has made Ascension Island what it is! How fortunate we are to play some part in the continuing life of this small part of God's World!

From the Editors...

Hiya, We're back in the Ed's chair once again; with a little of something for everyone to read. The first Island Council have been sworn in, the Princess Royal arrives tomorrow for her visit to St Helena.. Anyway, that's it for this time. Happy Reading….

ASCENSION ISLAND:: Last week saw a continuation of our usual rather cloudy senario, but with sunny intervals at times. Occasional showers also, mostly at night and in the early morning, especially on the Wednesday and Thursday.

UK: Very changeable. Rain spread in during Tuesday with strong winds in the NW: very mild in SW England with a highest temperature of 17C. Clearer weather with sunny intervals and occasional showers spread across during Wednesday and lasted through Thursday. Rain on Friday, heavy in places, gave 51mm in NW Wales. Mainly dry on Saturday, but further rain spread in during Sunday. Cold and frosty in the Scottish Highlands early Sunday with a lowest temperature of -4C.

FALKLANDS: A ridge of high pressure led to mainly dry weather until Wednesday night. Becoming quite warm on Wednesday with temperatures approaching 20C, despite the fresh or strong N-NW winds. Periods of heavy rain during Thursday, clearing during Friday. Mainly dry over the weekend.

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

It has been a fairly quiet week for the Metties and the rest of the guys in the Snob Hill Mob. Monday and Tuesday saw Makem and Stan Vesta take trips to One Boat to play golf. Unfortunately Makem, whose form had been all right in recent games, couldn't quite manage to get in to the "swing" of things. Monday evening saw the most of the usual suspects congregate in the mess bar for some muscle relaxants.

Tuesday evening saw Martin, Lyndon, Jonesey and Makem take a trip into the metropolis for the bonfire night celebrations, and it must be said that it was a rather large bonfire. Several comments querying as to whether the fire tender was parked far enough away from the site were made, these being voiced more vociferously once the fire had taken hold. Of interest to the Met men in particular where the mini dust devils that were spawned by the blaze, these spinning off downwind of the fire. One of the more interesting one's was horizontal and that formed above several others, this being caused by the ignition of the smoke above the fire. Afterwards the guys paid visits to the Exiles and the mess bar, but only to replace the fluids lost in the glare of the fire.

Wednesday was an extremely quiet day, with little in the way of things to keep us occupied in the office. Tracy and Jolene from the Commcen paid us a quick visit, this time successfully managing to order up some clothes. The evening saw the usual crew descend on the mess bar for a few quiet beers.

Thursday was a really quiet day, but not just for Makem and McNick. Falling Phil called into the office for a coffee during the afternoon, claiming he was bored. As he arrived, Makem was just completing an order for a number of ladies garments. These, contrary to what some people may think, were not actually for him, but for Jolene in Commcen. Seeing all this retail therapy going on must have exited Phil as he subsequently managed, in the space of about 5 minutes, to spend close to a thousand pounds on a new laptop computer. Martin, who had also dropped into the office for a cuppa, witnessed all this, commenting that the Met Office must be one of the most expensive coffee shops going. The evening saw the usual suspects take a trip to the Obsidian Hotel to see Blue Dust, who after a fairly slow start, settled into the groove and played a varied selection of cover versions, many of which very well received by the audience. Afterwards the Snob Hill Mob retired back to the mess bar to finish off the evening.

Friday saw Makem having a very quiet day, contemplating the domestic chores. While emptying the first load from the washer he realised that he had also been money laundering, but fortunately only coins. Afterwards a visit by the Postie put paid to all ideas of doing the ironing. The evening saw Happy Hour in the mess bar, as usual this was well attended, but Makem could only stay for one coke as he had to go off to work.

Saturday was a very quiet day all round, Makem not surfacing until well into the afternoon when Postie phoned to see if I was up. The evening at work was fairly quiet, Posie keeping McNick and Makem company until after the Tristar had departed. Postie was then called out to ferry the rest of the Snob Hill Mob around for the latter stages of the evening.

Sunday saw the rememberance service, so Travelers Hill was very quiet during the morning, which boded well for Makem sleeping after nightshift. Unfortunately the Para's were on a recce around Snob Hill, in preparation for their sheepdog duties on Monday morning. The evening saw the usual suspects turn out in the mess bar.

Monday morning presented a rather funny sight on Snob Hill. The usual quiet of the site was destroyed by the Para's, who were chasing sheep, (we'll leave the reason for that unwritten). One of our sources ascertained that they had indeed managed to apprehend around twenty of our fleecy friends, and had removed them blindfolded to more inaccessible parts of the island, the blindfolds being used to ensure they did not ee where they were being taken too!!!, though it was noted by our reporter that at least a few were later seen basking under the trees close to Snob Hill.

On a different track altogether, next week (around the 18th and 19th) sees the annual display of the Leonid meteor shower. This is thought to be one of the last good years for seeing a large number of meteors, and the display is not expected to be as bright or numerous for another 40 years or so. These meteors are caused as the earth passes through the dust trail left by comet Tempel-Tuttle and as the dust particles enter the earth's atmosphere at great speeds, they become heated by friction and burn up. This is what gives us the "shooting stars". Weather permitting, of course, the best time to see them from Ascension Island will be between 3 and 4 am on the morning of the 19th, when it is possible that around 1600 meteors per hour will be visible, though they should also be able to be seen in lesser numbers through the hours of darkness for a couple of days each side of the 19th. The other problem is that the moon will also be nearly full at that time, so this will make seeing the fainter ones much more difficult.

A big fish and a bigger fire...

Last Tuesday night was Bonfire Night which was well organised by the Scouts at Long Beach. Wednesday saw the catch of a 1337 lb Blue Marlin by skipper Trevor Cockle from the boat God's Favor.

Hash number: 926

Hares: Goat & Assistant

Hounds: Yeti, Eeyore, Mr. Bubbles, Batman, Bart Simpson, Baywatch Babe, Titpecker, Budweiser Belly, Pirate, Chicken Hawk, Puff Grannie, The Major, 100 Watt, Mama 3 Bones, Twin Peaks, Skid Marks, Billy Graham, Elmer Fudd, Jeannie, Dennis.

This week there was a collection of sorry looking souls. For a few of them, the ones that turned up, the deliberations of Friday night had obviously taken its toll. For the ones that didn't turn up Friday night had wiped-out them completely. Some of the brave and the normally healthy and sun-tanned faces were disguised behind an ashen mask, but eventually all were ready for the off. A very descriptive brief by Goat, included circle checks, bar checks, back arrows and a bar. What is a bar? Was the question. Come on you beer drinkers.

So, with enthusiasm, the Hash shot through the village and then down Butt Crater Hill. By now the Hashees had stretched out into what looked like a line of slow moving refugees. A reminder that Friday nights are the best nights. The shadow of Sisters Peak was looming. Groans all round. Yes it was up the hill, only to find the back arrow, back down they came. Smiles all round. On-on the other way and a scramble down the CSO telemetry line. On-on through a couple of circle checks and a rest at Butt Crater.

On-on, more circles, more back arrows, more scree to scramble over, some of the poison was now being sweated-out and a few pink cheeks were beginning to appear. At last the bar, and bucks fizz all round. More questions. Is this bar going to be a priority from now on? Ask the hares. Baywatch Babe admitted that she liked the stuff, The Major was sad that it had all gone before he could get a second glass, and before he could grab a beer it was on-on.

Goat was now going to play his dirtiest trick on the FRB's. The trail was onwards and around Perfect Crater, off went Titpecker, 100 Watt, Skid Marks, Yeti and others. The remainder of the pack sensibly closely eyeing the other hare, who actually wasn't moving too fast. In the distance the FRB's were getting smaller and smaller, and there it was - the back arrow. In Olympian style Titpecker raced through the pack to be once again the FRB. The end was now in sight, but not before Goat threw in another little deviation. The vertigo-less hares followed Goat, the Knitting Circle followed the road home.

Relief for some that Friday Night was now out of their system.

Well done Titpecker, you're Master of the Back Arrow. A great BBQ with shipwrecks and beer followed. Pity Oh That Woman had a back problem and couldn't hash, but she made it up with great hospitality.

Your health this week...

From The Archives…

(Extracts from the diary of General Simon Fraser, Royal Marines, written about 1843 - Part 5)

Frequently officers on board passing ships purchased a few turtle to take home; during the season the pond at Ascension often held as many as 300 turtle, mostly very large, and these constituted our fresh provisions, along with a small supply of bullocks occasionally from St. Helena. The pond was generally swarming with young turtle, about the size of large walnuts, and these were taken a mile out to sea and set free, to escape the small sharks and black fish. Where they went no one could tell, but a small one never turned up again. During the season the beach where they came to lay their eggs was strictly watched at night, and no one but the man on watch, was allowed near it. A short time after each turtle landed it was turned over on its back, and lay there quietly until the boat came to fetch it to the pond.

When I went my rounds in the mornings I was always tended by my faithful dog, and constant companion Pincher; he was a beautiful Scotch terrier, and was brave as well as handsome, caring nothing for the small sharks round him in the water, and the fierce War Birds just over his head; he was very fond of the water.

The day after we landed, Pincher took a walk to look at the barracks (by himself) when he was at once attacked by a whole pack of curs, kept by the men for hunting the wild cats and rats of the Green Mountain, on their Saturday afternoons. He was very roughly treated and came home bleeding all over; so I kept him confined for a few days. The first day I again took him with me, to my surprise, straight through the midst of them, looking at them right and left, but none of them ventured to interfere with him, and from that day Pincher ranged free and unmolested and was chief of the pack, and not a stray wild cat or any of the large black cinder rats were to be seen near my cooking house or quarters; and when he saw a scorpion or centipede on the walls, he never rested until he had informed me of the fact.

The scarcity of water in the garrison was greatly felt at times; during one season no water came from the Green Mountain and our tank was getting very empty, so that we had to kill off all our extra live stock. No rain had fallen for a great length of time, and whenever a dark cloud was seen, every piece of crockery about the house was brought out and ranged along in front of the verandah, so that we might catch any rain that fell, but none came. When we had reached our worse strait, however, our kind Commodore, Captain Foote, arrived with a supply of water on board, and a large water tank followed, to our great relief and delight. All our water used to come streaming down from the mountain; but on this occasion it was dried up on its way down, and not even a single cloud passed over the mountains to reward our anxious watching.

Generally the sea came in moderate rolls, but at other times with very little notice it came in in huge rollers. On one occasion the Purser of one of our ships came to me to request leave to land a large quantity of coal and other stores on the wharf for a day or two. I told him it would be very dangerous to do so, as the rollers came in often very rapidly and with great force, quite without notice. At this remark he only laughed and said, "Oh! I will run that risk."

Accordingly, for two days, stores of all kinds were landed and piled up along the wharf; but on the third day, about midnight, the garrison was roused by the ringing of the great bell and roll of the drum.

The waves came suddenly rolling in with even more than their usual force, without the least warning, and by ten o'clock the next day (Sunday) everything was swept entirely away, the rollers were rising mountain high and the wharf washed clean and clear. No one could land and the poor Purser could only stand on the deck of his ship and from a distance view his loss.

Not a breath of air was blowing, and a short distance out to sea the water was quite smooth. The cause of this strange phenomenon, like the coming and going of the turtle, remains hidden from our knowledge; from no quarter comes the slightest breeze, all is calm and still outside the rollers.

On another occasion, a very fine Merchant ship with a valuable cargo, coming in for a supply of water, and commanded by Captain Hamlin, of, and bound for Greenock, Scotland, was totally lost close to the landing place. The Captain had been there before this occasion, therefore nothing but fool-hardiness or gross carelessness could have made him take his ship inside the danger bouy, and right upon the coral rocks, where she stuck fast.

The Sergeant-Major of Marines (who was the smartest non-commissioned officer I have ever known) with our men did all they could to save the ship, but she soon rolled her masts overboard and began to leak.

The Captain then seeing her lost state formally handed the ship and cargo over to the Commandant of the Island. To save the valuable cargo, every spare man on the island was at once set to work; from daylight until darkness set in they worked hard, and fortunately the whole of the immense and valuable cargo was safely landed and housed in the Fort, only one bag of coffee getting a dip in the sea.

The Captain and his crew struck work, and were housed in a tent on the beach. Not long afterwards three ships arrived to take home the cargo, all of which our men re-shipped; they expected to have reaped a considerable sum as salvage money, and for their good and faithful service, but not a farthing did either officers or men receive, nor even thanks for their trouble.

In due time my year of service having expired I was relieved, and we bade adieu for ever to the Island of Ascension. THE END.

Next week - Memoirs by 'a Sometime Resident' (circa 1870)

Visit of the Princess Royal

Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal will be transiting through Ascension Island both at the beginning and at the end of her Royal Visit to St Helena.

The Royal Party will consist of Her Royal Highness and her Personal Secretary, Captain Nick Wright. She will also be accompanied by two personal protection officers.

On 13th November Her Royal Highness will be going from the airhead to the pier head, then to board the RMS St Helena. She will spend only a couple of hours on Ascension, enough time for breakfast at the Residency.

On 19th November Her Royal Highness will return after her visit to St Helena and having more time to spend on Ascension, a wider programme has been agreed.

The RMS St Helena is scheduled to arrive at Ascension Island at midday. Her Royal Highness will disembark and go to the Residency, to attend a buffet luncheon.

At 2.30 pm HRH will visit the Two Boats School for a tour conducted by the Headmaster, Mr David Higgins and the Deputy Head, Mrs Tania Maggott. The tour will include a visit to a number of classrooms whilst teaching is in progress. A bouquet of flowers will be presented to HRH at the end of her visit by Carl Yon.

At 3.20 pm HRH will arrive at the Conservation Centre to meet the volunteers and for a guided tour by Tara George. A copy of "St Helena and Ascension Island: A Natural History" by Philip and Myrtle Ashmole will be presented at the end of the tour.

At 3.40 pm HRH will be met at the Museum by David Bones, Chairman of the Heritage Society, accompanied by a former Chairman, Ben Juhl. A short tour of the museum will follow.

At 4:00 pm the Royal Party will leave the Museum for a motor tour of the island. The drive from Two Boats School into Georgetown will already have taken in Cross Hill, and the tour will start with a view of the Turtle Ponds and a drive along the back of Long Beach to Comfortless Cove to see the yellow fever graves. From there the tour will go out to the old NASA site, from which views of Crystal Bay can be seen. The tour will then go up to the Red Lion, arriving back at the Residency at 5.15 pm.

The final event on the programme will be a dinner in the RAF Officers Mess at Travellers Hill at which HRH will be Guest of Honour. The Royal Party will leave Ascension Island on the Tristar at 10:50 pm.

Hello from Two Boats School

Years 5&6-Biography Writing

We have been collecting information about different people on Ascension, and we have created biography write ups about them.

Hope you enjoy reading our contribution.

Mr Anthony Clingham was born in 1962. He has worked as a Police Officer for roughly 23 years. He stayed on St Helena for quite a while. He also went to school on St. Helena until he was 15 years old. He became a policeman at the age of 17 years. He has grown to be an educated man, who works on the police force as a sergeant at the age of 40. By Rico Clingham

Mr Andrew Michael Kettlewell is the Administrator. He was born 5th March 1958. He grew up in Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England. He has lived in Harrogate for 18 years. He went to school at Clifton House (an all boys school). Then he went to Ashville College. He has three brothers and one sister. Two of his brothers are now dead and also his parents. In 1980 he got a degree. He became a chartered management accountant in 1989. In 1993 he was married and left UK for an overseas contract. Since then he has been travelling around. Mr Kettlewell has been working overseas since 1993 and has no intention of going back to the UK. He is my dad! By Katie Kettlewell

Mr Cedric Ivor Henry was born in St Helena. He attended Country Junior School from 1955 to 1958 and Secondary Selective School from 1960 to 1964. He was a school teacher from 1964 - 1966. He then left St Helena and travelled to Ascension in June 1966 where he worked for Cable and Wireless in shipping. He lived in Centipede Cottage in Georgetown. Mr Henry was married in 1971. His first daughter was born in 1973 and his second daughter was born in 1983. His granddaughter was born in 1996. In May 2002 he retired from AIWSA. He enjoys gardening. At present he lives at South West Lodge, Georgetown, which has recently been converted to a house (the building was formerly called South West Stores). Mr. Henry is the first person to obtain property on the island. By Stephen Anthony.

Mr Patrick Arthur Brooks was born on St Helena. He attended the infant School, then the Junior School and then Pilling School as well at Prince Andrew School. He is an electrician and his hobbies are swimming and football. He has also worked on the Falkland Islands. By Nathaniel Yon.

The Reverend Brian L Birchmore was born in Chelsea, London. He is known as a parish priest (Father Brian). He is a friendly man who loves working with people and is an enthusiast for life. School began just before and during World War 11. His father was in the Royal Air Force at that time. He was educated in a village and town school and in London before and after being evacuated because of bombing. He also became a ballboy for the All England Lawn Tennis Club and he belonged to a Youth Club and Air Training Corps. In 1941/42 he was evacuated to a small village near Silverstone originally an RAF airfield. (Now a racing Circuit). He returned to London to celebrate victory in 1945. Following school, he worked in a chemical laboratory and cinema organisation. He then moved to Germany in the RAF in 1953-59 on National Service. From 1956 to 1959 he studied at London University. Became a Freeman of the City of London in 1998 and in 2002 became a Chaplain to RAF Ascension after retiring in 2001. Father Brian has worked in Kent, Essex and the City of London as a vicar. He has been a Youth Adviser, Community Worker, Industrial Chaplain and Chaplain to the Air Training Corps. He has had a varied and fascinating life, full of changes and different experiences and he has enjoyed it fully. By Corey.

Mr George E.Young better known as Jimmy was born in St Helena and lived at Chubb's Spring. He has four sisters and brothers. At the age of 18 years he travelled to Ascension to work for Pan Am and now for CSR. His first job was in the Supply, then Laundry, Mess Hall and finally to the Maintenance Section. He is also a lifeguard for CSR. Mr Young is very fond of the sea and his favorite hobby is diving. He does this in his spare time. He has lived on Ascension for 40 years and has thoroughly enjoyed the island life. By Anisa

Mrs Raxa Suhtanker grew up in Northern Rhodesia now Zambia, in a small town, surrounded by beautiful hills and lots of trees. She experienced its independence from Britain when it became Zambia. She had a wonderful childhood in Africa. At the age of five, she became ill with chicken pox. At the age of six, she had her first ever smack from a teacher. At the age of seven, she went on a long car journey to Dar-es-Salaam and then a voyage by ship to India. At the age of eight, she had to visit her mother in hospital. At the age of nine, Northern Rhodesia became Zambia. At the age of ten, she visited her father in hospital. At the age of thirteen, she left home and her parents to go to England to study. There she qualified as a nurse. She then travelled to Africa, Europe and India. India is where she got married. She then had children and soon after arrived on Ascension on the Dragon Bus. At Comfortless Cove she learnt to swim and also lost her wedding ring. Her life has always been filled with travel. In this long journey she has met wonderful people who have made a difference to her life. Ascension is special to her because it gives more opportunities to meet and get to know people better. By Jerrylee

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	27.5	20.7	1.0
TRAVELLERS	26.6	18.8	5.0
RESIDENCY	23.6	16.5	18.3
GEORGETOWN	29.0	22.0	1.0
ST. HELENA	N/A	N/A	N/A
UK	17	-4.0	51.0
FALKLANDS	19.7	0.2	4.8

The Islander - Thursday 14 November 2002

Island Council sworn in

Father Brian Writes:

From the Editors...

The Met Office Weather Report

A big fish and a bigger fire...

Your health this week...

From The Archives…

Visit of the Princess Royal

Hello from Two Boats School