The Sunday Archive: The Pilot September 1994 - Part 1

The Pilot, September 1994 – Part 1

The Dean’s Letter (John Seaford)

After the respite afforded by August and its lack of committee meetings, the .."Jersey Deanery Conference 1994-1997" will provide an opportunity for us to get back to work. Anyone involved in the Church of England in Jersey is invited to come to the Parish Hall at St Aubin on Wednesday 14th September at 7.30 pm. There, with the help of the Bishop of Southampton and Alec Knight, the Archdeacon .of Winchester, you can help set up a clear strategy for mission and evangelism within the Island, and for the provision of ministry to the people in the parishes.

This chapter in the life of our Church began in March when the Bishop of Winchester spoke about his understanding of what the Church is called to be and do at the present time. He was not despondent, and he did not want a lot of panic measures as if we were confronted by a major crisis. Starting from Easter and its proclamation of victory, with the light of the Easter Candle shining in the world, and our own Baptism in which every Christian is raised to life in the family of the Church, he was very positive about the future.

Obviously there is no single blueprint for every place is different, and the people are unique even within one place. Different congregations have differing ideas of what is the Church, whether it is the meeting of the committed, or a body which exists for the community with membership less formally defined. Whichever model you have, the Church is, as the Bishop said, "a symbol and sacrament of God's presence in the world."

That means the Church in dialogue, listening to the community and speaking to it: hearing when the community now say things like, "teach us to pray," "the people are hungry," "heal my servant," as the people said to Jesus; and saying "do this in remembrance of me," "your sins are forgiven" and many other things, as Jesus said to the people.

This study of the topics, worship, discipleship, commitment, leadership and service, has developed into a need for a strategy for the future. That is why the conference is called "Opportunities for Growth 1994-1997." We shall consider this in three ways: 1, What we are here for; 2, Who we need to do it; 3, What we need to make it possible.

Unlike Christians in many parts of the world, the Church of England appears to have developed a siege mentality. This is not good enough. I am firmly convinced that we must do whatever is necessary at least to maintain, but preferably increase, present levels of ministry, both ordained and lay, across the Deanery. We should not be stampeded into ill-considered economies. We must plan for growth, not just for survival.

In April 1995, the next phase in this project will be for the Chapter to have a residential conference to work out what is the most appropriate models for the Church and the ministry and see how they can work together in a complementary way. In particular we need to see how we can act as enablers and managers of ministry so that there are indeed "opportunities for growth" in the coming years.

There is no such thing as a static Church. It is either developing or degenerating. And that is not just true of the whole body, but of the constituent parts. Most Christians have little influence on the national Church, but only within the congregation or parish/district. I hope your Church will be well represented at the Deanery Conference.

Welcome to new clergy

This month we shall welcome two new priests to Jersey. On Thursday 15th September the Reverend Francis Mason will be licensed as Priest-in-Charge of St Martin de Grouville. Francis, with his wife Sian, and their children, Hannah, Emmanuelle, Benjamin and Gabrielle, will be coming from St James' Church, Gerrards Cross, where he is the Senior Curate.

Later, on 26th September, the Reverend Geoffrey Houghton will be licensed as Priest-in-Charge of All Sainte Church in St Helier. He with his wife Fran, and their young son Ben, is presently acting as a Chaplain in Cyprus, after serving his title at Sholing in Southampton.

There is no truth in the rumour that they were appointed to the Island solely because they both play cricket and we need to strengthen the clergy team ready to defend the farnous trophy next year in the annual confrontation with the Lawyers!

The Chancel Singers from Royal Tunbridge Wells

ON 24th/25th September the Chancel Singers from Royal Tunbridge Wells, Kent, are coming to perform in Jersey. By kind permission of the Dean they will be giving a concert in the Town Church on Saturday 24th September at 8 pm and on Sunday they will sing at two services in the morning, Eucharist and Matins.

The choir was formed in 1990 by John Francis and local singer Ginette Burton, who now lives in Tunbridge Wells, was invited to be a founder singer. Since living in England it has been one of her ambitions to bring the choir back home to Jersey.

The singers are led by John Francis, a highly respected organist and choirmaster of some 30 years experience. John has received a Civic Award for services to music in Tunbridge Wells, the Chancel Singers are based.

In the four years that the group has been together they have performed at venues throughout England but this is their first trip "abroad." The choir sing a wide range of music from madrigals to modern arrangements but also specialise in Cathedral music. Their visits have included Westminster Abbey, Portsmouth Cathedral, St Edmundsbury Cathedral, Southall Minster, Canterbury Cathedral, St Martin-in-the-Fields and now Jersey. In October they have been invited by the BBC to broadcast a live service from St Paul's, Rusthall.

On the Saturday of their visit the singers are particularly looking forward to giving a concert in aid of Jersey Hospice Care at the Town Church where they will have the opportunity to demonstrate their wide repertoire. In addition to choral items, soprano solos will be sung by Ginette who began her singing training with Pauline de Ste Croix and sang for many years with Amy Luce's Holmchase Choir.

God and the Poets By Tony Keogh

WYSTAN HUGH AUDEN was born at York on 21st February 1907, the third son of a physician who was also a classicist and an antiquarian. His mother, Constance Rosalie Bicknell, was the more powerful influence of his parents and long after her death in 1941, he would judge his actions and sentiments by whether or not they would have met with her approval. She was a devout Anglo¬Catholic.

The Audens were of Icelandic descent and the sagas on which he was brought up greatly influenced all his writings. The name "Wystan" was of a Mercian prince, murdered in 849 after objecting to the marriage of his widowed mother to his uncle, contrary to Canon law: Auden thought it very Hamlet-like. It was given to him partly because Auden's father had been educated at Repton, where the parish church is dedicated to St Wystan.

The family moved to Birmingham when Wystan was a year old as his father was appointed the Schools Medical Officer. After wartime service with the RAMC in some of the most dangerous theatres of war, Dr Auden became part-time Professor of Public Health at Birmingham University. Although Wystan spent five years at St Edmund's School, Hindhead, where he first met his lifelong friend Christopher Isherwood, he was never an English "southerner." The midlands and the north spoke to him much more than the trimmed lawns and leafy suburbs. The industrial devastation and the disused mines and factories came to possess his imagination. As he wrote in a poem of the 1930s, "Letter to Lord Byron":

"Clearer than Scafell Pike, my heart has stamped on
The view from Birmingham to Wolverhampton."

Limestone, not chalk, was his landscape, the Pennines, not the Downs his spiritual home. The poem, "In Praise of Limestone," written in 1948, his own favourite is, in some sense, a personal testimony. The land¬scape moves him as he gazes on it, but also because it symbolises his own tempera¬ment, inconstant: limestone dissolves in water and is secretive with its underground streams and caves. The poem recalls that statues and fountains are made out of limestone rock, which reminds him that:

"The blessed will not care what angle they are regarded from,
Having nothing to hide."

Yet he ends, immediately after, with the supreme gift that limestone has bestowed on him:

. . Dear, I know nothing of
Either, but when I try to imagine a faultless love
Or the life to come, what I hear is the murmur of underground streams, what I see is a limestone landscape."

At thirteen, Auden went to Gresham's School at Holt in Norfolk. He was con-firmed in 1920 and went through a period of Anglo-Catholic enthusiasm which, at Gresham's, he came to suspect as arising from "quite straightforward and unredeemed eroticism." Gresham's religion was "nothing but a vague uplift, as flat as an old bottle of soda water," while most who attended the Anglo-Catholic church in which his family worshipped at home seemed to him in some way handicapped, loving God because no-one else would love them. Christian images began to repel him when they did not seem risible. Yet he continued to go to church and loved singing hymns as he did for the rest of his life. He left school, so he said, "a confirmed anarchist individualist."

He began writing poetry whilst at school and his vocation suddenly dawned on him when a friend asked him what he did. He went up to Christ Church, Oxford, to read Natural Sciences but changed to English. He had a famous conversation with the English don, Neville Coghill, the memory of which appalled him later:

"And what are you going to do, Mr Auden, when you leave University?"

"I am going to be a poet."

"Well, in . . . in that case you should find it very useful to have read English."

(After a silence) "You don't understand, I am going to be a great poet."

A Haven of Peace

This poem was promoted by a recent visit to Winchester where on a very hot day we found St Lawrence Church open! So many churches in England are closed except for Sunday services, so it was a delight and a joy to enter and sit for a while. In a busy world, I think we all enjoyed the chance of a moment to pause and take stock. I know it is fashionable to mock the idea that buildings contain a imprint of their past, but I do believe it is so, especially where worship and prayer have been part of the building for so many centuries. It is indeed, or was for us, a haven of peace.

A Haven of Peace

Outside the Cathedral, down side street,
Away from the bustle of tourist’s feet,
Once a pilgrim route along this way,
They came to venerate St Swithun’s day;
St Lawrence Church, so cool and quiet:
Away from heat of the harsh sunlight;
The Normans built it, many years ago,
But destroyed by fire, a time of woe;
Rebuilt again, risen from ashes anew:
A voice calling, come in, faithful few,
And we enter, and come, sit down;
When Winchester was but a town,
Stone was laid on stone, in prayer,
For refreshment of the spirit here;
Prayer of ages enfolded in its stones,
For pilgrims to St Swithun’s bones;
Story-keepers of many past years,
And of all future hopes and fears;
Witness to all who walk this way,
And sit in peace, or come to pray.

Summary of States Sittings: 1965 – Part 1: January-March 1965

States Chamber

Summary of States Sittings: 1965 – Part 1: January-March 1965

January 19.—After various Orders and Regulations of committees had been tabled, the Bill to amend the Insular Insurance Law was proposed by Social Assurance Committee president Depuy A. M. Clarke. He spoke of the need for higher pensions and benefits, but opposition came from the president of finance. Senator C. Le Marquand, and Deputy V. Tomes. The Bill was eventually p...ed and had the effect of raising old-age pensions from 32s. 6d. to 55s. (single) and from 54s. to 90s. (married couple) weekly.

January 21.—A brief sitting wholly occupied by matters brought for-ward by the Legislation Committee, the most important being the revision of the Law on Hawkers. Amendments to the Company Law were also approved.

January 26.—The House adjourned immediately after the Bailiff had paid tribute to the late Sir Winston Churchill. The Lieut.-Governor was present.

January 28.—A number of propositions relating to Supply Day votes occupied the sitting after the Deputy Bailiff had paid tribute to the late Brig. R. C. Macpherson, a former Deputy. A Bill to provide for the establishment of a pilotage service in the Island's territorial waters was passed.

February 2.—Unanimous approval was given to the I.D.C.'s proposal to re-zone land and to negotiate for its purchase of building develop¬ment. The committee, who will have to receive the permission of the House before passing contract, sought these powers to prevent land passing to speculators. A proposal to the effect that a Jerseyman who had lived in a parish for ten years should be allowed to build on his own land with permission from the I.D.C. was overwhelmingly rejected.

February 4.—The Jeffery Traffic Report was debated at length and, despite appeals to the contrary, became involved in the question of the Fort Regent tunnel. By 45 votes to five, the House agreed that a traffic survey costing over £8,000 should be made by a London firm of specialists.

February 9.—The House discussed the Sewerage Board's list of priori-ties, and by 30 votes to 16 adopted an amendment proposed by Senator Dupre which will have the effect of advancing the work on the exten¬sion of main drainage to Gorey along the East Coast and putting the extension of main drains to St. Ouen at the bottom of the list of priorities instead of at the top. Regulations regarding speedboats and surf-riding, and a Bill to divide a Vingtaine in St. Lawrence were adopted. It was agreed that the Bailiff would meet with presidents of committees to discuss what form the Sir Winston Churchill Memorial should take.

February 16.—By 38 votes to 14 the House adopted an amendment to the Bill to codify the Law on the constitution, procedure and com¬mittees of the States which has the effect of reducing the Senators' term of office to six years. The amendment, proposed by Deputy Smale, means that every three years there will be an election for six Senators. An amendment by Senator Krichefski that a person should be resident in the Island for two years before standing for election was also carried. Earlier, another amendment by Sefiator Venables, designed to remove the Senators and Constables from the House and to replace them by Deputies, had no success, only the proposer voting for it. The Bill was referred back to the committee and the amended Bill will be represented later.

February 18.—Despite an eloquent speech by Senator Vibert, the House rejected his proposition that States members should be allowed to apply to the Finance Committee for £2 per half day spent on States' business by 39 votes to 13. A proposition that candidates at elections should have some part of their election expenses subsidized, was eventu¬ally withdrawn by its proposer, Deputy Smale, when he sensed that there was little support for the measure. Senator Vibert informed the House that a committee, which included non-States members, had been set up to decide what the memorial to Sir Winston Churchill should take. It had been agreed that an appeal would be launched towards the end of March.

February 23.—The House endorsed the decision they had taken at the previous sitting on the question of payment or allowances for States -members. A joint proposition by Senator Venables and Deputy Ellis that members should be allowed £2 2s. for each half day spent on States business was defeated by 36 votes to 13. It was decided to acquire land in Peel Road for a car park and for improving that thoroughfare to resort to compulsory purchase if necessary. Other matters dealt with included the adoption of new Licensing Regulations, proposed by the Tourism Committee, and an amendment to the Building Loans Regula¬tions which sought to provide the maximum possible assistance to those of limited means.

March 9.—The Housing Committee presented a report showing the financial position of the Dwelling Houses Loan Fund as at the end of last year, and its 1964 housing report. The president of the Harbours and Airport Committee made a statement in regard to the damage which was done to Gorey Pier during the storm on March 3 and said that repairs would cost " many thousands of pounds." The House then went on to discuss the Order of the Day, the Draft Gambling Regulations—gaming and lotteries and betting.

March 11.—In a statement to the House, which was received without comment, Senator Vibert announced the resignation of the Churchill Memorial Appeal Committee because of the stand taken by " The Evening Post " that money should go to the national appeal rather than to one of a local character. The President made a statement expressing concern at the micro-filming of Island documents by representatives of a body outside the Island. The House then continued to discuss the Draft Gambling Regulations—licensing provisions and pool betting. The regulations dealing with the setting-up of a licensing authority were to come into force on April 1 and the remainder on June 1.

March 16.—When the House adjourned late in the afternoon the debate on the Act, Report and Proposition of the Special Committee on former War Department Properties regarding the development of Fort Regent by the Burley Group of Companies, they had not come to a decision. A proposition to buy a strip of land at Mainlands, Bel Royal, for road-widening purposes, if necessary by compulsory purchase, was carried, but a proposition to buy about 41 verges of land at Don Farm, Les Quennevais, for £50,000 was lodged au Greffe.

March 18.—After almost a day and a half's debate on the Special Committee's report on the Burley Group's proposal to develop Fort Regent and the Weighbridge, the House rejected the proposal regarding Fort Regent by 34 votes to 15. No vote was taken on the Weighbridge project. A proposal that the responsibility for the Fort be given to the Public Works Committee was lodged au Greffe. The transfer of the Town Hall to the Parish of St. Helier in return for certain land at1Mount Bingham was agreed to. Deputy Smale made a statement with regard to the micro filming of re_cords and said that the usual fee would be charged.

March 23.—After nearly an all-day debate, the House adopted by 30 votes to 19 the Tourism. Committee's project to build an indoor fresh-water swimming pool at ount Bingham at a cost of over £350,000. At one stage it appeared that the vote might go against the committee after interventions by Senator J. and C. Le Marquand, the latter warn¬ing the House that to finance the scheme might well mean additional taxation. A proposition to buy land at Beaumont to build a car park was adopted.

March 25.—A move by Senator Vibert to have part of the Gambling Regulations referred to the committee, when they came up for third reading, found no support and all the regulations were adopted. How¬ever, when the debate on the Health Service Bill was continued, members expressed doubts on proceeding with the Bill in its prsent form, and, after approving only a few Articles, the House went on to the next item. A Bill to amend the motor racing laws to allow eight days for sand racing was adopted, but an Act to examine the position of Mr. H. Swanson with regard to the Watersplash and Report was again deferred.

March 30.—The House decided by 26 votes to 21 that fluoride should be added to Jersey's public water supply. The opposition was led by Senator Avarne, who was against the measure from an ethical viewpoint but not on medical grounds. Earlier, the House approved the proposition of a car park at Oualsne, agreed to a tender of £96,251 for work on town sewers, and to a proposition to buy a house in Ann Street for £16,000 in order to carry on with the slum clearance programme in the area. It was also agreed that Samaras Marsh should be bought for building purposes and that a community centre be built at Grands Vaux. The House rejected by 26 votes to 19, the Island Development Committee's proposal to purchase Don Farm, St. Brelade, to provide building sites for those who wished to purchase their own homes.

Executive Bonuses in Jersey Public Sector Arms Length Organisations: Some Notes

The JEP reported on Executive payments:

"BONUS payments made to the chief executives of government-owned entities have gone beyond a fair and appropriate level in some cases, the Chief Minister has said. Deputy Lyndon Farnham told the States Assembly yesterday that while he was in favour of the payment of bonuses when they were justified, he did not believe this was always the case."

"Matt Thomas of Ports of Jersey and Mark Siviter of Jersey Post, each of whom was paid a 2024 bonus of £120,000, while Chris Ambler of Jersey Electricity collected a £115,400 bonus and a deferred bonus of £44,200. Darragh McDermott of JT Group was awarded a bonus of £106,000 and a long-term incentive plan of £74,000."

"The other chief executives referenced in the report published last Friday were Ian Gallichan of Andium Homes, whose 2024 bonus was £27,300, Helier Smith of Jersey Water (£43,000) and Jersey Development Company’s Lee Henry (£65,000)."

Bonus and The Ratchet Effect

Once spot bonuses are paid, this sets new expectations. Year 2 targets get reset around last year’s elevated pay and bonuses, even if organisational performance hasn’t improved.

Because pay budgets rarely shrink, what started as a one-off bonus becomes a de facto permanent uplift to the salary baseline. Reducing it later is politically and administratively painful, so total pay only ratchets up over time.

Most of the organisations mentioned here are or should be theoretically bound by public-sector pay frameworks (often with top-end ceilings), but bonuses fall outside those ceilings. The ratchet effect thus becomes a back-door mechanism to inflate total remuneration.

Without a hard cap on overall reward or strict ratios, chief exectutives can see compensation climb well ahead of frontline staff, exacerbating employee pay gaps.

Policy Remedies

Transparency is critical. The High Pay Centre argues for mandatory pay-ratio disclosures and legally enforceable ceilings on the multiple between chief executive packages and an organisation’s median wage.

While they don’t always specify a single fixed number, they’ve frequently highlighted ratios like 20:1 or 10:1 as more socially sustainable alternatives to the current norms—where FTSE 100 CEOs often earn over 50 times the median employee pay

Linking bonus awards to truly one-off projects (e.g., exceptional crisis response) rather than recurring Key Performance Indicators can help prevent them embedding into base pay.

Overhauling pay frameworks so that total annual remuneration—including bonuses, pension contributions and allowances—falls within a single, self-enforcing cap avoids the current loophole.

Links:

https://highpaycentre.org/

The Sunday Archive: St Martin's Cloak August/September 2005 - Part 2

The Sunday Archive: St Martin's Cloak August/September 2005 - Part 2


The sky at night

This is perhaps the best time of year to see the Milky Way stretching across the sky, if the sky is really dark with no moonlight.

The Milky Way's band of countless stars is our own galaxy and extends from the northeast to overhead and down towards the southwest. It passes through the constellation of Cygnus, also known as the Northern Cross, now about overhead, and close to the bright star Vega which is also almost overhead at present.

The Milky Way is like a huge wheel of stars rotating in space, with our solar system quite a long way out from the middle. We can look outwards where there are less stars, or inwards to the line of the Milky Way towards the core or hub of the galaxy, which is why we see so many stars in that direction.

The planet Jupiter has been very prominent in the southern part of the sky during the summer evenings, and can still be seen lower in the west before disappearing for the time being below the horizon.

Another planet to look out for is Mars, just starting to appear low above the eastern horizon in the late evenings. Mars will not be quite as close this time as it was about two years ago, but will be in better view as we move into the autumn.

The Perseid meteor shower, the most reliable of the annual meteors, should this year be very favourable with little moonlight to brighten the sky. The meteors will be at a peak around the night of August 12th. With up to 80 meteors an hour sometimes recorded, some will be just a streak of light while others can be more spectacular, leaving a bright trail in the sky.

Sayings

If everything is coming your way, then you are in the wrong lane!

Few people blame themselves until they have exhausted all other possibilities!

The evening news is where they begin with 'Good evening, and then proceed to tell you why it isn't!

A lot of opinions that are expressed should have gone by slow freight



On your bike!

Local man Steve Bichard opened the very successful Adventure Cycles at Grande Rue, St Martin, five and a half years ago and it has now become an integral part of village life.

Many photographs have been taken by tourist and locals of the decorated bike that sits on the wall outside.

The shop was a brand new building built on land owned by the Ruette Braye garage. Steve managed to secure a lease before the building was finished as he had been looking to move his cycle shop from the Venture Garage in St Peter to a more prominent location.

The new shop was blessed and officially open by one of St Martin's well know cyclists, the Rev Richard Bellinger, assistant Curate at St. Martin's Parish Church and another well known local character and cyclist, Richard Cohen is also a regular customer and can often be seen cycling past, ringing his bell and calling out to the staff with his own unique turn of phrase!

Steve Bichard is no stranger to St Martin as he lived in the parish between the ages of six and twelve. He well remembers going in to Taylor's bike shop, which was where the old Co-op was, and Tostevin's Cycle Shop that was on the St Martin's Garage site.

`Life was so much slower back in the 60s,' he recalls, 'and parents never used to worry about us cycling to school. There seemed to be more little shops dotted around St Martin's, like Drinkwaters which is now the Guernsey Lighthouse, Sampson's shop at the bottom of Rue Jehannet estate, Dodd's Store next to the Boxing Club in Saint's Road and another little store on the corner by the Barberie Hotel.'

He was taught to swim at Saint's Bay by Paul Birtwhistle.

`He used to run the 'whoopee' floats in the long summers that we used to have. Or maybe time just did go slower in those days!'

`We used to sit for hours making barrages where the stream used to run down from the top of the beach, while Mum and Dad had a pot of tea carried down from the kiosk in an old tomato chip basket, and sandwiches which Mum had made at home. There was no way we could afford shop-bought sandwiches in those days, but we usually got a blackcurrant Mivi ice-lolly as a treat if we were well behaved.'

St Martin's parish had so much to offer: the beach, the harbour, the fantastic cliffs, and woods where the children could make dens.

`Our parents had to round us up for tea at six as there is no way we would have been stuck in front of the TV, and of course computer games were not even invented.'

The highlight of the year was the South Show but Steve's sixpence pocket money didn't go far, so they used to search for coins under the crown and anchor tables, and it was amazing how much money they found, all to be spent on candy floss, toffee apples and Coke.

The Co-op van turned up weekly at the Rue Jehannet Estate where Steve used to live and his Mum used to get a lot of her groceries from the van - such a difference to shopping in the smart new store. But in common with many other families, the Bichards didn't own a car when they first moved to the area, so the van was a great benefit.

The estate was brand new and everyone took a pride in their new house, and it seemed even more spacious as there were hardly any cars about.

`Walking to school was a pleasure along Saint's Road, unlike now when the older I get, the narrower the roads seem to be!'

Steve likes to put something back into the community around his business and old stomping ground, and to do his bit for Floral Guernsey. Every year he donates a cycle - this year it was two children's bikes - for auction at the parish Floral Guernsey fund-raising event, Another Blooming Good Evening. He really enjoys this event and usually invites a few customers as guests.

Last month 30 St Martin's School children turned up with their teachers to ask questions about the shop for an advert designing competition. 'They were so well behaved,' said Steve, 'and asked some very intelligent questions for ones so young. I was tickled pink by one of the adverts that featured a cartoon character with no hair, glasses and moustache! I can only say that it bore a stunning resemblance to me!'

As a true Guernseyman Steve is not always happy with the changing face of Guernsey and he in fact led the march to save Belle Greve Bay in 1993, but he realises that Guernsey must evolve to keep its very good standard of life.

`I also feel that large companies should not dictate the way the island evolves, and that the needs and wellbeing of true islanders, young and old, should always be a priority.'

Pauline Torode

A bird in the hand

A few years ago I was asked by the parish to supply and erect a number of small nest boxes in part of the wood in Moulin Huet valley. I obtained 12 -15 boxes of three designs which can attract different species depending on how they are fitted. It was hoped Blue Tits, Great Tits, Short-toed Treecreepers, Robins and possibly spotted Flycatchers would use the various options.

On other properties where boxes have been installed, over half are normally used each season. This would seem to suggest that in many cases, the only factor limiting bird populations to current levels is the availability of nesting sites. This has been further proved by the massive efforts of Vic Froome who supplies larger boxes.

Barn Owls and Kestrels have taken up residence in these large, expensive boxes throughout the island. In some cases, it would even appear that less than ideal natural sites have been abandoned in favour of the artificial homes. In one garden, a box was erected on a Tuesday and when the owner went up on the Saturday to put in a lining of woodchips, a Barn Owl flew out. That's desperation!

You cannot put up too many boxes. The only effect of saturating an area is that a large proportion will be unused but no harm will come of it. Birds will often use boxes for roosting in the winter too, making artificial homes even more important. Up to three-quarters of the boxes on a property could be used in this way, providing a lifeline, particularly to small birds during the difficult months.

In these times when many gardeners like to have everything neat, tidy and weed-free, it is not just the huge number of cats in the island which is having a negative impact on birds and other wildlife. The loss of suitable habitats has taken its toll and continues in many subtle ways.

If there are no nettles in your garden, there will be no breeding Red Admiral butterflies. If you spray for aphids, don't expect to see many ladybirds. If you poison slugs, don't waste time trying to hear a Song Thrush singing at daybreak. If you poison rats and mice, don't be surprised if you don't see Barn Owls in the headlights of the car.

House Sparrows have declined over recent years but can they get under your gutter to make their nest? Probably not - how about trying a nest box for them?

Of course nest boxes are just one way of helping wildlife. There are many others, such as making a pond, leaving some grassy corners to grow long for a season, planting native trees and bushes and creating a compost heap. If you would like ideas, La Société Guernesiaise is always happy to help with any requests for advice.

Jamie Hooper



St. Martin's moorings

When it comes to spectacular views along cliff paths, lined with a variety of wild flowers and inlets, beaches and safe anchorages for visitors and locals to enjoy, St Martin's takes some beating. The parish coastline is truly magnificent.

The welfare of the major bays is the responsibility of elected representatives, answerable to the Constable's Office, whose job is to supervise the boat moorings. Their combined knowledge ensures that there are few problems.

Half of Fermain Bay is in St Martin - the other half comes under St Peter Port. Gary Thoume looks after Fermain and some l4 moorings in Bec de Nez. The moorings committee for Saints, Petit Port and Moulin Huet are Ian Browning, Geoff Le Gallais and Alan Bonnel.

Fermain has parking restrictions, and reaching Bec de Nez involves a long walk through the fields and down the cliff path. Saints, with its own parking area, is the most popular mooring, and fishermen or pleasure boaters have very little distance to carry equipment or a fine catch after a day's sport.

Rex Bonnel, who lives opposite Les Douvres Hotel and who is the 88-year-old father of Alan, recalls spending every summer holiday at Saints with his two brothers, Arnold and Noel, fishing off the breakwater or the pier. In those days the twisting path to the bay was little more than a rough cart track.

Rex's father Walter would work in greenhouses until 8pm, then the two of them would row to Jerbourg and Moulin Huet to pull their pots for spider crabs. In his later years, Rex and his friend Reg Pearce would take their own boats out to fish, each looking out for the safety of the other.

Alan Bonnel was about six when he started fishing with his father and grandfather and his detailed knowledge of the area has developed over the years.

'We keep an eye on all the bays in the parish. Saints is recognised as an anchorage for visiting boats, but we have to watch that they don't pull up the anchors of other boats or get stuck on the telephone cable that comes ashore from Jersey,' he explained.

`And there is a big rock, uncharted and not seen at high tide, and we've had a few unwary visiting boats bump on it, but nothing serious.'

There were up to 30 small boats with moorings there before the storm last July, when many of them were lost and haven't been replaced. There are currently only 15 small craft now, hauled to shore on an endless rope loop secured to a 'bulls eye' submerged wooden block.

There are around 11 larger boats of more than 16ft, and these need punts or dinghies for shore access. These more substantial craft are on span moorings with two permanent seabed anchors fore and aft and an upright rope to the boat.

These boats make a picturesque scene on a fine summer's day, but in the winter the larger boats make their way to safer berths in St Peter Port marinas, while the punts and the smaller boats are hauled out using the winch on the slipway

This is one of the few bays where the moorings are not tidal, so the punts and dinghies are always afloat during the summer season. The moorings are free, and newcomers need to apply to the Constables' Office. There is no waiting list at present, and existing permit holders have to make use of their mooring within two years or lose it.

Saints had its share of excitement in 1967 when the 9,700-ton President Garcia, mistaking her route around the island, ran aground there with a cargo of copra, as many parishioners will clearly recall. She was damaged but successfully refloated within a week, without a single small boat being lost in the drama.

The original harbour had been constructed quite close to the present facilities, but was destroyed in the first gale after it was completed.

With the generosity of Charles Le Feuvre, Seigneur of Blancheland between 1854 and 1867, the present harbour was constructed for the use of the fishermen of St Martin. There is a granite obelisk commemorating the deed, which was partly damaged after German occupying forces threw it into the sea, but was rebuilt with as much of the stone that could be found.

A less obvious memorial can be found pencilled on the beam in the 'vote' -Guernsey-French for a cave or a vault -where the winch is housed, written by the late Maurice Thoume, to 'our dear mate Walter Bonnel', who lived on the Jerbourg Road, and who died on the steps at Petit Port aged 79 in 1964.

Pauline Torode




Parish Matters

There are occasions when familiarity, quite innocently breeds, if not contempt, then a capacity to put things to the back of the mind.

The St Martin's War Memorial, to those who fell in the First World War, is a case in point. When it was unveiled on October 28th 1923, on an important crossroads in the parish, on land donated by the de Sausmarez Family, it was a focal point for people to visit, and to have as a reminder as they passed on their daily duties.

Naturally as the years have gone by these personal memories have been replaced by the historical perspective, but it would be wrong to assume that there are no longer families in the Parish who still remember a fallen relative and who would welcome a quiet moment of reflection on occasions.

And there lies the problem. This piece of land now commands the most dangerous roadway in the Parish, on a corner that conceals a constant stream of fast moving traffic. It is only if you attempt to get to the memorial that you realize just how dangerous it is to try

Well, if there is a problem, there must be an answer. Clearly there is. We can move it to an area appropriate to its purpose - to be seen and to invoke the positives of heroism and bravery, or just quiet reflection.

Until recently no obvious site presented itself, but now the development of the Community Centre has altered the perspective and possibilities of the site. It now presents a nucleated site which is built with the service of the community in subject to the agreement of the church, and possibly planning procedures, for a small contemplative garden of remembrance with the cross at its centre.

The Memorial is still visited today, by a church parade on Remembrance Sunday, by the school and by relatives, gardeners and the occasional historian. To do this these people are risking their own lives. Is this what these brave soldiers would have wished?

If, on reading this, you believe the plan has merit, or if indeed you believe the opposite, could you communicate your thoughts either by phone, letter or e-mail to the Constables' office so that we can judge the feelings of the people of the Parish.



Natural Healing

Apart from the instinctive joy that Nature brings us, it can also be a powerful healer in times of sickness.

This I discovered for myself some years ago when I developed a long-term illness. I suffered with an ever-increasing number of chronic symptoms, which had built up over several years. It was only after many failed courses of antibiotics that I became so exasperated that I decided to try a more natural path of healing. After following a few simple steps in basic nutrition i.e. some adjustments to my diet together with additional intakes of certain missing nutrients, I began to feel my natural energy return.

I had truly forgotten how fantastic it was to feel this alive! Complementing the newly restored vigour, I noticed my health problems slowly slip away into the past. With limited knowledge but positive experience of the power of this healing, I began to study and eventually qualify as a Natural Nutritionist.

The good news is that healthy living does not have to be arduous or life-changing. Armed with a little awareness of how the body works (understanding what causes it stress and what can be supportive to its functioning) can allow us to make significant improvements to our well-being.

Simply by increasing our daily intake of water will immediately give us more energy, as well as improving memory and intellectual capacity. A documented experiment carried out at Loughborough University illustrates this perfectly: Two football teams trained for 120 minutes. Only one team was given water to drink during the entire session. Towards the end of the training period the players on the team that abstained from water became dehydrated, and therefore were making continuous errors. However, the players on the team that had been allowed to re-hydrate with water were still very much on the ball!

As well as additional nutrients, we have many wonderful herbs that have been created in order to support us. These can be used effectively in times of illness (health crises) or just for general maintenance. For example, Milk Thistle will aid and strengthen liver function, Agnus Castus helps with hormonal imbalances, Ginkgo Biloba improves circulation and memory, and of course Echinacea boosts the immune system in times of stress.

The body has been perfectly designed to keep us in good health throughout our lives. However, there is no doubt that the fast pace of modern life and high levels of man-made pollutants do eventually take their toll. So why not help yourself along the way with a little daily Natural Nutrition?

For more information, please contact Moira Le Huray



Here comes Postie

I must have been about five or six years old and in those days postmen never wore shorts but wore a uniform with a peaked cap and rode bikes with a sensible carrier in front, sufficient to carry all their delivery - not like those silly little tea-trays they have now! And - it was always the same postman. He had no need of post codes and the like. He knew everyone personally.

At such a tender age as I was, the arrival of the postman was an exciting event and if a letter was expected, one would look out of the front gate at about his usual time to see if he was in the vicinity.

Then it was a case of waiting impatiently while he popped in and out of gateways further up the lane until he came level with our house. Once that close, the question was - what is he going to bring

out of that big bag? Yes - is it? - yes - it must be - it is! - it's a rolled up package! Once again Mr Postman delivers the goods!!

It did not even occur to me to wonder who this kindly benefactor was. All I knew was that every so often kindly Mr Atkins in his smart uniform would produce a roll of comics from his bag. I did not even question the fact that they were rolled up in a used envelope. Only now do I wonder where did they come from? Was it Mr Postman himself? His own children?

We will never know. One thing I do know - it could not happen now. There's bound to be a law forbidding it but one small act of kindness made a lasting impression!



Seasons of mist

As I write these notes a mixed weather June has slipped into a damp and foggy July; the central heating is on and the strawberries are rotting in the garden. Not much of an advert for grow your own !

However, it is not always like this. Guernsey, in fact, has an excellent climate for the soft fruits in particular. We get very little late frost and provided a fruit patch is protected from cold spring easterly winds, an annual crop is virtually guaranteed.

As soft fruits are not very tall growing they also get some benefit from any convected ground warmth.

So far as soils are concerned, any deep, well drained and manured ground will do very nicely. None will tolerate bad drainage.

Success therefore, starts with thorough preparation and now is a good time of the year to finalise the site, finish the previous cropping and organise the preparations so that planting can take place during the autumn if possible. It is most important that any perennial weeds such as bindweed, couch, ground elder or mare's tail are eliminated before planting takes place; after planting this task is much more difficult.

One of the beauties of home grown fruit is the looking forward to the different crops in season. Also Guernsey (St Martin's) grown fruit will always be fresher, taste better and do you more good both physically and mentally than fruit that has Air Miles on the clock.

Do sit down and make a plan of the patch to scale if possible. This will help enormously as you will be able to determine fairly accurately the type of fruit plants and numbers before ordering. We have several good nurseries locally and provided you only want run of the mill varieties a quick early visit should procure your needs.

If, however, your choices are more specific, I recommend that you visit the garden centre as soon as possible, so that a specific order can be made up and sent for. (No local centre propagates its own stock for sale). Rare choices of varieties etc., may need to be ordered 12-15 months in advance of the proposed planting date.

So, what is worth a try, even for a small garden? Strawberries can be very successful, even in peat modules. Gooseberries and redcurrants can lie trained against walls or fences as can blackberries, loganberry and tayberry; blueberry (acid soil only) blackberry and raspberries need open garden to give of their best.

A word of warning. All this lovely fruit is very attractive to birds, so in the early years at least, some form of netting is essential. The bush fruits take a couple of years to come into worthwhile cropping but strawberries can be cropped in their first year.

Why not have a go? Then, in future years you too may be in a position to enter the South Show. This year the Horticultural classes are being held at St Martin's School on August 10th and 11th with entry night on Wed 3rd Aug, 7:30 pm at St Martin's Douzaine Room.

Whether you intend to show or not, just to grow, harvest and eat your own fruit will give you enormous satisfaction.

Undercurrents

One from the archive from the 30th May 2005. Inspired in part by "the key to the door to all reality" in Neil Gaiman's "Neverwhere", although only at the ending.

Undercurrents

Echoes of a voice, calling for justice
Fair and unfair known in our bones
Yet eluding our grasp, always is vice
How often are we throwing stones

Echoes of a voice, seeking the spiritual
Dry materialism is a deadly drought
Yet eluding our grasp, in empty ritual
Hope falls to despair, in atheist doubt

Echoes of a voice, in beauty behold
Wonder and joy fulfilled in the sight
Yet eluding our grasp, fade, grow old
Candle burns out, leaves us in night

Echoes of a voice, search for the key
Open the door, and all will you see

The Victorian December 1983: Captain Frank Mustow

Valete: Captain Frank Mustow: School Staff Instructor, 1959-83.

FRANK MUSTOW came to College on 1st July 1959 after a career in the Royal Marines spanning 23 years. That career began in 1936 when, after his initial training, Frank joined H.M.S. Sheffield and served in her up to the middle of World War II. During his time on the `Shiny Sheff she was part of Force 'H' in the Mediterranean and took part in the sinking of the German battleship Bismark in the North Atlantic.

Transferred ashore Frank became a qualified weapon training instructor in 1943 and continued as such until he joined 42 Royal Marine Commando in 1948. He served with 42 on stations from Hong Kong, Malaya and Malta to the Suez Canal Zone and Palestine.

He shot at Bisley regularly and was a member of the Royal Marines Pistol VIII in 1953 and again in the Rifle VIII in 1958.

His time with us at College extended over the commands of my two predecessors. Lt.-Col. R. L. Eden, O.B.E., T.D., and Lt.-Col. J. F. Hamon, T.D. He has played a great part in the coaching of the College's shooting VIII's and the many trophies won by our Bisley parties during his 24 years with us speak for themselves. 

John Le Breton, who is now our master in charge of shooting, can speak both as master and pupil on this. Frank's highlight must have been the Ashburton victory of 1961. He has in fact presented one of his own cups as a trophy for our own shots.

One of his duties at College was the preparation of Guards of Honour for Royal visits, annual general inspections and the Assize d'Heritage. His best efforts were seen in the parade of 1978 when the 75th anniversary standard- was presented by General Sir Desmond Fitzpatrick on College Field. The whole was faultless.

Frank was commissioned in 1973 having served as `Sergeant Major' up to that time. Cadets and officers who have served with him in the College Contingent will remember 'Frank' with affection and no little respect. We all in the Corps at this time wish him and his family all our best for a long, happy and healthy retirement with our sincere thanks for his services to us.

J.E.P.

More on Frank's wartime career here

https://tributetoheroes.co.uk/my-fathers-war/ 

THE FRANK MUSTOW PRESENTATION FUND

CAPTAIN MUSTOW'S presentation fund finally closed at the end of the summer term 1983 and reached a sum in excess of £250. The list of OVs who contributed is listed below and though I have not been able to acknowledge each one personally I would wish to thank 'them collectively for their generosity. 

The Cadets of the Contingent also subscribed to the fund and a splendid barometer suitably inscribed was presented to Frank on the last full parade of the summer together with a cheque. John Le Breton and Brian Vibert did the honours on behalf of the OVs; WO Guy Vautier for the Cadets.

List of Subscribers: J. Crowell, A. Binnington, C. Thacker, J. Fearon, the 'Tomes' family, J. & A. Pinel, A. R. Amy, C. P. M. & R. Forster, J. Le Maistre, R. Tostevin, J. Averty, Dr. A. Mourant, P. Pallot, J. Pinel, P. Pitcher, J. Perchard, M. Restall, Mrs. Restall, D. Letto, P. Baker, T. P. Ford, J. Eden, R. Arthur, H. Mcllroy, A. F. C. de Seychelles, H. Perree, S. Langlois, P. Crill, S. Makepiece-Taylor, J. F. Hamon, E. K. Cooper, R. Benest, A. B. Harrison, D. Yates, M. Yates.

The Contingent officers dined Frank out on the evening of the summer Field Day and presented him with an inscribed cigarette lighter. A good time was had by all.

J. E. P.

Update on the CCF 1983

BACK to the present and our new entry has brought the strength up to 141 cadets. The R.N. Section has grown to 46 cadets and have ranged far afield, from Loch Ewe in the north to the Mediterranean in the south. We welcome as new officers in the section on a regular basis Sub. Lt.'s Piers Baker and Andrew Pickup. They have both in the past rendered invaluable aid in a variety of ways. A.G.P.'s responsibility will be to organise the Duke of Edinburgh's award scheme within the whole of the C.C.F. I hope this will prove a great success. To them both and to 2nd Lt. Andrew Gilson, who joins the Army Section, we extend a warm welcome and trust that they will enjoy their time with us.

The R.A.F. Section has fallen in numbers to 22 but include their two R.A.F. scholars Guy Rossler and James Hunter. Both have now won their pilot's wings. It was my great pleasure to pin them on. Well done both. Perhaps the advent of Sgt. B. Tostevin, our new S.S.I., will cause an upsurge of enthusiasm for the section in the future. 

At least now the cadets get airborne at reasonable intervals, in fact 92 cadets were borne aloft by two Wasp helicopters of 829 Squadron Fleet Air Arm in June last. Lt.-Cdr.'s Mike Mullane and Nick Smith were the pilots; James Hunter took the controls on one of the flights and on another the C.O. disturbed the House cricketers as well as the seagulls during a photographic session at 500 ft. above College.

The Sunday Archive: St Martin's Cloak August/September 2005 - Part 1

The Sunday Archive: St Martin's Cloak August/September 2005 - Part 1

St. Martin's boasts some of the finest scenery in the Channel Islands and our bays are unique and exceptionally beautiful.

In this edition, we briefly visit three of them and the waters that surround them. Hopefully, by the time you read this, Petit Port steps will once again be open, so that everyone can enjoy this most picturesque of bays - well, those fit enough to climb down 325 steps and then up again!

The Community Centre is really taking shape now. The walls are going up around the framework and it is possible to make out individual rooms. What an asset it will be to the community once it is completed and we look forward with anticipation to that next year.

We would like to hear your views on issues that affect you. Why not respond to some of the articles that appear in this edition, such as the South Show piece or the proposal in the article 'Parish Matters'.

We also look forward to one of the most traditional festivals of the church -Harvest. This year, it will be celebrated at Les Camps Methodist on 19th September and at the Parish Church on 25th, with a Harvest Supper and Barn Dance the day before in the Parish Hall.

We are constantly on the lookout for information about groups and activities, interesting people and events in and around the parish, so why not drop us a line or e-mail our editor and tell us about what you are doing or what you would like to see happen.

Don't forget, 'St. Martin's Cloak' is a magazine by the community for the community!

Ed



School news

The PTA at St Martin's has been incredibly active organising events to raise funds to develop a new 'outdoor classroom' and play area.

The playground at the entrance to the school has, until now, been a stark area of tarmac lacking in shade, greenery and floral displays. Visitors to the school have had to 'run the gauntlet', avoiding flying footballs, skipping ropes and netballs, as they negotiated their way to the front door.

In late July a UK playground specialist company arrived and began to erect a pagoda in the centre of the playground. It is hexagonal in shape with seating and an amazing story teller's chair. We hope that this will provide a wonderful seating for outside story time, circle times, drama or even art lessons.

The outer sections of the pagoda are shaped to form a star and mature trees, shrubs and flowers will be planted in the autumn to provide shade as well as an attractive focal point to the playground.

Soft matting has been placed between the points of the star so that the children can sit comfortably to play games such as Jacks, Connect 4 or good old fashioned marbles. Playtime will now provide more alternatives for non football enthusiasts.

We are very grateful to all the parents and sponsors who have contributed to this project and to the PTA for its tireless fund raising efforts.




Kept at bay!

Moulin Huet is arguably the prettiest bay in Guernsey, so it is good news that it is open again. A notice remains at the top of the steps, warning the public to keep away from the foot of the cliffs, and a glance upwards reveals many a lighter coloured patch where rock has fallen away.

Most of the instability is on the left of the steps as you descend. It has been disintegrating there for years. In fact, it seems to be by the slow eroding of the rock that the beach has been formed. The standing pillars of granite that still dot the sand bear testimony to this. It is what gives Moulin Huet its special character.

The cliffs, in many shades of ochre, are nevertheless capped by swathes of tenacious plants; too many varieties for a lay person such as myself to count, but graced by white umbellifers, sea-pinks and yellow stone-crop. Perhaps the prize for colour, however, lies in the caves of Petit Port, where the rich mineral ingredient leaves the walls splashed with purple and vermillion, rather like an artist's palette. As clear and open as Moulin Huet is rock-furnished, its sands offer generous open space at low tide.

 

At the time of writing, access to its steps is still barred. I was able to descend only as far as the first railing before being hailed by distant voices warning me off. They came from some men who were clinging to the cliffs on the Eastern side, held by slim hawsers and protected by hard hats.

I made my way round there by the path and was able to speak to them as they regained the comparative safety of the cliff-top. I was told that the work was going very well. They had cleared away the loose stuff and stabilised the rest. They were now replacing the broken steps and, all being well, should be finished in `three to four weeks.'

That means that, thanks to their efforts, the beach might just be accessible to us by the time you read this bulletin.

Christine Le Poidevin

From the Rector

"Summer is upon us and once again the...”

Aagghh! It's so predictable! If I received a pound for every time a Priest began a letter in a those words, I'd be a millionaire. Mind you, it's not just Clergy who fall into the habit of predictability. Listen to any comment on TV from a politician or, come to think of it, a football manager and the well worn phrases and platitudes trip off the tongue: "I'm pleased for the lads..."

In fact, we all slip easily into patterns and phrases, rhythms and habits without thinking about them. Some of them are good and some of them are bad. The knack, of course, is to know the difference!

In many ways life is predictable. Routine provides us with a framework for living. Tradition gives us a sense of security and reliability. The great festival of Harvest, which we shall be celebrating towards the end of September, is a perfect example of this, reminding us of the predictability and pulse of nature. Yet, even this gentle rhythm is threatened by climate change.

Other forces play their part too to make our world and lives unpredictable. Those who travelled to work on the London Underground on the 7th July discovered at first hand, how unpredictable and indiscriminate life can be. 56 people were victims of it! It's not just the terrorist threat either: illness, bereavement, moving house, redundancy, childbirth, all add to that sense of never quite knowing what is going to happen next.

So what are we to do in the light of this unpredictability? When the London bombings occurred, there was a great sense of defiance from the public and one of the injured said: "Nothing will stop us from getting on with life or going about our business. You have failed to create terror from your terrorism".

That is one response and I admire the spirit of those whose lives have been affected by this tragedy. As a Christian, I believe God gives us security when all around is unpredictable.

King David proclaimed in Psalm 13: "My enemy will say, 'I have overcome him' and my foes will rejoice when I fall. But I trust in your unfailing love and my heart rejoices in your salvation".

He knew that no matter what life threw at him, he was in God's hands and that they were safe. Sometimes he clung on to that belief with his fingertips but in an unpredictable world, David trusted God for the future. Do you?

Enjoy your summer!

Mike Keirle




Community Centre update

The steel framework of the building was completed in June. The concrete surface for the ground floor and also for the floor above is in place apart from the area above the hall, which is open up to the roof. Block work has gone ahead and the rooms with their concrete block walls are clearly defined.

Early this month (August) the roof panels will be in position making working conditions unaffected by the weather apart from the tiling over the roof and outside groundwork.

The response to the raffle tickets is a great success and the donations which have, in some cases, accompanied the tickets are extremely welcome. We are dependent on donations and sponsorship for our Community part of the Centre (the Health & Social Services part is States funded) and it is the intention to maintain a good standard throughout, however difficult with limited resources.

It is a miracle that we have got so far through private generosity, but money is needed to cover the cost of fittings and furnishings and there can be no let up in fund raising. A chart of the monthly money or sponsorship received is in the Church porch on the right of the doors. Please keep supporting us, so that our new building can be a resource for the whole community!



South Show

Although the traditional South Show is no longer held under the spread of marquees in fields off La Grande Rue, the horticulture section is still flourishing, and for the second year will be held at St Martin's School on August 10th and 11th.

Entry night is very soon - on Friday August 3rd between 7.30pm and 9pm at the Parish Hall or the Constable's Office next door, and any parishioner who has a fine selection of fruit or vegetables, cut flowers or pot plants, is invited to take part at 40p per item.

The competition to win a trophy, certificate or a cash prize is open to people living in St Martin, Forest or St Peter Port, three parishes that come under the umbrella of the former South Show.

Apart from the outdoor produce, there are classes for jams and chutney, cakes and other cooked items, and homemade wine. The contest to produce the best sloe gin has always been highly competitive - much to the delight of the judges who enjoy a sip of each!

There is a section for children too, whose entries are just 15p for each item. Their classes include presenting vases of wild or garden flowers, painted eggs and pebbles, edible necklaces and the popular model garden made up in a box. For the older children there is a cookery section.

Competitors can start their set-ups from Tuesday afternoon and from 7am on Wednesday morning, August 9th and 10th, before judging begins at 10am. The shows are open to the public from 1pm to 9pm on the Wednesday, and from 10am to 8pm on the Thursday.

It looks unlikely, however, that the contests to find 'Miss Guernsey' and 'Miss Holiday Queen' will be held this year, but if sufficient organisers can be found, the popular event will be arranged later in the year and announcements will be made in the local media.

Richard Breban is in his second year as president of the South Show Association, and hopes that sufficient new people will be interested in joining to keep the show going in one form or another. He would be happy to hear from anyone wanting more information.



Yes, Minister!

The two ministers in St Martin's have a great deal in common. The Rector of the Parish Church, Mike Keirle, and the minister in charge of three Methodist churches, Paul Chesworth, are in their early 40s with young families and both have been in Guernsey for less than five years.

Paul Chesworth brought his wife, Liz, and two children Josh (14) and Abigail (12) to The Manse three years ago, having never been to Guernsey before. He had felt a strong calling to take up the vacant post here and accepted the five-year initial invitation that can be extended by mutual agreement.

Both his grandfathers were and his father is a Methodist minister, travelling widely within the British Methodist Connexion. Consequently Paul was used to the rather itinerant lifestyle of moving homes every few years, leaving Lytham St Anne's where he was born to live in Birmingham and Hertfordshire.

He married at 23, and after two years as a buyer and five in sales in the building trade, felt the call to follow in his father's footsteps. He trained at Wesley Bristol Theological College and moved to Derbyshire for his first appointment.

Before coming to Guernsey he has been in ministry for seven years in Bedford, and when the time came for him to move on, Guernsey was one of the choices he was given.

`I felt that God intended for us to come here - we just knew that it was the right move for us, and it has certainly proved to be my best-ever appointment,' said Paul.

He became one of a team of five ministers caring for 13 Methodist churches in the island. Paul divides his time between Les Camps, Rohais and the Mission at Carmel, heading a team of stewards at each church.

`I have spent my time on pastoral and leadership matters and, along with the lay leadership, have been working on a vision for the church's future. In my grandfather's ministry, there was barely time in those three years to learn everyone's names before it was time to move on.'

He is grateful for the dedication that went into the funding of a recent refurbishment of the church hall at Les Camps – some £250,000 to bring the well-used but dated area into a modern, bright and welcoming facility that is soon to be finished and will be rented out for all kinds of activities in addition to the church use.

`We run toddlers' group there every Tuesday morning, and that is extremely popular. I call in at some stage and gradually get to know the mums and the children.'

Weddings, baptisms and funerals of people who are not regular churchgoers tend to be held at the Parish Church, so Paul does very few except for his own congregation. He was with Molly Thompson of Torteval church, an island representative at the June Methodist Conference in Torquay, and part of the intense discussions during that week concerned the move towards closer ties between the Anglican and Methodist churches.

`I'm in favour of closer links if it makes the church more approachable to others, those people who are nervous to take the first step,' he reflected.

`St Martin's has a compact community, and our churches need to be community churches with growing congregations.'

His home in La Grande Rue, opposite the new M&S store, is also Paul's office, which means that he is on call most of the time, although he keeps Fridays as his day of relaxation.

`I love walking, and some lunchtimes I get down to Fermain and back to keep trim, but so often more important matters take up my time,' he said.

He used to belong to a light operatic society and also played the cornet in a brass band, but his musical activities these days are restricted to playing guitar in church or perhaps during school assemblies.

Guernsey has fulfilled his expectations of being a delightful and happy place for him and for his family, and he looks forward to a few more years of service here.

Look out in future editions of The Cloak for news about Lightbulb (Les Camps work with children and young people), and YAC (Youth After Church group).

Alien Nation

So much terrible news - the Indian air crash, the attack by Israel on Iran, riots in Ireland. And meantime wars beat on in Ukraine, in Sudan, in Yemen.  This poem, written largely before these events, looks at a country rounding up its immigrants whose status is declared dubious, and who are the latest scapegoat to authoritarian populism, and its cruelty.

Alien Nation

On the way to work, they came:
Took mother and child, no shame;
At the home, workplace and street,
Grab alien immigrant, no defeat;
The alien among us, one to despise:
Why would protestors not arise?
Wanton act, armed thugs come:
It is just too much for some;
But others go, the blessed meek,
To unknown future, very bleak;
Taken away, not to be seen again,
And taken all, not just the men;
Families taken from their home,
Wherever the armed thugs roam;
Yesterday’s news, you may think:
As armed men take them in a blink;
But nothing is new under the sun:
Once swords, now rule of the gun;
Now a great nation, but in the past,
Outsiders in pogroms were downcast;
Always the scapegoat, enemy within:
Trumpets a voice, who claims to win;
As cruelty reigns, no hope is given:
When into darkness, they are driven.

1965 - 60 years ago - June Part 2

1965 - 60 years ago - June Part 2

20.—St. John's Parish Church packed for the service to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Royal Militia Island of Jersey leaving the Island for service overseas in 1940.—Procession and services by the Roman Catholic fraternity marks the annual Corpus Christi.—The Channel Island Amateur (Close) Golf Championships (Jersey section) won at La Moye today by R. K. Le Couilliard, who defeated A. C. Monamy 4 and 2 in the final.

21.—During Saturday night the head office of Rive's ,A.J. Bakeries in Dorset Street was broken into and £70 in wage packets stolen and also a quantity of cigarettes.

22.—Annual inspection of Victoria College C,C.F. by Brigadier M. W. Biggs, C.B.E.

23.—Lord Coutanche, a former Bailiff, tells full story of the St. Malo evacuation at St. Helier Yacht Club reception.—St. Peter's parish assembly votes £1,217 to build and equip a Centeniers' room at the Parish Hall.

24.—In the Channel Islands golf final championships, held over the La Moye course today, Roy Mahy (of Guernsey) defeated Ron Le Couilliard (Jersey) by 9 and 8 over 36 holes.—Jersey Kart Club holds its second national restricted hill climb at Bouley Bay, three new records being established

25.—Inquest held on the body of Mr. John Riley, the 66-year-old visitor from Liverpool who was drowned while bathing at La Crabiere, St. Ouen's Bay, a verdict of accidental death being recorded.—At a second inquest held at the Hospital on the body of 44-year-old Mr. William David Egland, of Poonah Road, St. Helier, a verdict was returned that he was accidentally drowned after a fall from a rock while fishing near La Cotte, Ouaisne Bay, last Wednesday.—Local branch of the Old Contemptibles and their wives entertained to tea at Government House. —Before the Royal Court 25-year-old Peter Harold Cheetham, charged with assault and breach of the peace, was sentenced to nine months' imprisonment ; John Gallagher (20), charged with refusing to obey the order of the police and breach of the peace, was bound over for three years.

26.—Annual Coupe Blorideau race to Chausey organized by St. Helier Yacht Club sailed in perfect weather, Solgull (A. Clarke) being the winner.

27.—St. John Ambulance Brigade holds annual service and parade at St. Mark's Church.

28.—Three hotels and a guest house in St. Saviour's Road visited by thieves yesterday afternoon, a tape recorder valued at £65 and £10 in cash being stolen from one, £70 at another and jewellery, cigarettes and spirits from the others.

29.—Lightning strikes house in St. Clement's Inner Road during, thunderstorm, causing considerable damage to a chimney and the ceilings of two rooms; a number of telephone lines were also damaged.

30.—The 75th anniversary of “The Evening Post " celebrated by a banquet and ball held at the Hotel de France, many Island and mainland personalities being present.—St. Brelade parish rate fixed at is. 6d, there being no change.

Electric Cars: Why Jersey is still far below capacity for public chargers needed by 2030.

Let's look at a calculation: For 50,000 cars of which at least 25,000 are on street parking with permits, how many public electric charging points would be needed, and how is this calculated?

Calculation:

Here’s a back‐of‐the‐envelope way to size a public on‐street network for 50,000 cars—25,000 of which park on the street and can’t charge at home:

Determine how many cars need public charging – If the entire 50,000-car fleet goes electric, then up to 25,000 vehicles will rely primarily on on-street charge points.

1. Estimate charging “sessions” per day – Assume the average on-street EV tops up once every two days ⇒ 0.5 sessions/vehicle/day ⇒ Total sessions/day = 25 000 × 0.5 = 12 500
2. Pick a charger type and its daily throughput – Slow (AC) 7 kW charger: ~8 h per session ⇒ 3 sessions per port per 24 h – Fast (AC) 22 kW charger: ~4 h per session ⇒ 6 sessions per port per 24 h – Rapid (DC) 50 kW+: ~1 h per session ⇒ 20+ sessions per port per 24 h
3. Compute required ports = (sessions/day) ÷ (sessions per port/day) – Slow 7 kW: 12 500 ÷ 3 ≃ 4 200 ports – Fast 22 kW: 12 500 ÷ 6 ≃ 2 100 ports – Rapid 50 kW: 12 500 ÷ 20 ≃ 625 ports
4. Convert ports to physical charge units – Most curbside units carry 2 ports each ⇒ divide ports by 2 – e.g. for fast chargers: 2 100 ports ÷ 2 ≃ 1 050 dual‐socket units

Real-world planners typically aim for 1 port per 10–20 on-street EVs (to allow growth and peak-hour buffering). With 25,000 on-street EVs that implies:

– Ratio 1:10 ⇒ 2,500 ports (≈1,250 two-socket units) – Ratio 1:15 ⇒ 1,667 ports (≈ 834 two-socket units) – Ratio 1:20 ⇒ 1,250 ports (≈ 625 two-socket units)

So you’d need on the order of 1,000–2,500 physical chargers (2-socket pedestals), depending on charger speed, turnover assumptions and desired spare capacity.

Existing Charging Network

According to the States of Jersey, there are over 100 public EV charging points island-wide on the Evolve network.

In publicly managed car parks alone, you’ll find 35 charge points across ten locations (e.g. Sand Street 4, Pier Road 8, Goose on the Green 11) as part of that total

Current EV take-up

According to the States of Jersey Open Data portal, at mid-2024 there were: • Total vehicles registered in Jersey: 114,400 • Total battery-electric vehicles (BEVs): 4,890

That means BEVs make up 4.3 % of all registered vehicles on the island

Five Years to Go!

Current policy sees a restriction on imports of any petrol cars into Jersey in 2030, which is five years away. The expansion of the EV charging points would have to be massively accelerated to make the necessary chargers up to the minimum requirement of 1,000 assuming just 25,000 cars in on street parking.

The policy just hasn't been thought threw at all. As usual, one matter has been considered without considering the necessary and sufficient other part to be completed. I am not surprised. Joined up thinking is not something we see much of with government policy.