The Sunday Archive: The Pilot, August 1997 - Part 7

The Sunday Archive: The Pilot, August 1997 - Part 7

Parish Letters

St Clement
JOHN OULESS
Ministre Desservant

My dear Friends,

News at last! By the time you read this, it will have been announced that the Rev David Shaw has accepted the offer of this living, and that he has been appointed to this benefice. He spent eight years in business before ordination, and comes to us from the parish of Wotton-under-Edge with Ozleworth and North Nibley in the Diocese of Gloucester. He hopes to move over here with his wife, who is a solicitor, and their two young children in September and to begin work among us in October - but more of that later, when we have a definite date for his induction.

Several members of our church joined the merry band of early risers from our Island to catch an early chartered flight to Southampton on 21st June for the Deanery Day at Winchester Cathedral, where a long, exhausting but very enjoyable day was experienced, and where they were also joined by Malcolm and Mary Beal, our former Rector and his wife, who had come up from Devon for the occasion, to share the fellowship and the Cathedral worship.

As I shall be away for the first two Sundays of August, the 8 and 9 am services will be taken by the Rev Michael St John Nicolle; on 3rd August the 10 and 11 am services will be taken by the Rev Michael Halliwell and the 6.30 pm service by Mrs Sue Halliwell, while the following week (10th) Canon Lawrence Hibbs will officiate at 11 am and Mr Brian Clarke at 6.30 pm.

Two urgent pleas for your assistance: please contact our Churchwarden Mrs Jean Chapman if you can help with the voluntary work of keeping our Parish Church bright, sweet and clean; and contact Mrs Pat Br& if you can offer to do the altar flowers on various dates.

HOLY BAPTISM. 15th June, Luke Anthony Vetier, Alisha Louise Vetier; 29th June, Liam Andree Gicquel; 6th July, Leah Marie Barrot.

HOLY MATRIMONY. 28th June (at St Lawrence), Martin Peter Emmanuel and Brenda Doreen Rondel.

FUNERALS AND BURIAL OF ASHES. 18th June, Percy John Gosling; 19th June, Eline Gertrude Burman; 23rd June, Jeane Brown Willicombe; 1st July, Leslie Nickels; 3rd July, Edgar Le Vesconte; 10th July, Gwendoline Helena Frampton; 11th July, John Bertram.

All Saints and St Simons

From
GEOFF HOUGHTON Priest-in-Charge

THE month of August traditionally sees many visitors at All Saints, who we look forward to welcoming. In reality, the influx is often matched by the exodus of our own families getting "off the rock" during school holidays, so on the surface it would seem to be a quieter period. But behind the scenes (and in front of church) there will be much activity.

The Late Miss Bessie Pilkington, remembered by many with great affection at All Saints, very generously left a bequest to the church, for which we are very grateful. The amount goes a long way toward meeting the cost of providing a wheelchair and pushchair ramp at the front of the church, which many will recall was part of the redevelopment begun with the 'Link' building. The ramped access will provide a fitting and lasting memorial to Bessie who would surely rejoice at the number of young children currently being wheeled into church! If anyone would like to make a contribution towards this specific project please contact the Vicar in confidence. It is very much hoped that this work will be completed by the end of August.

The Vestry is also long overdue for a fresh coat of paint and general re-organising of a very busy space. Your Church Officers are also keen to take this opportunity to set it up as a proper church office and equip it appropriately with a computer. This will hopefully allow those who are working at home on a variety of machines to work centrally, more efficiently and in the same format. Volunteers with paint brushes would be welcome!

In a growing and increasingly active church, where many of the "new faces" over recent years are very busy people, there is an increasingly evident need for some part-time secretarial and administrative work at the church. Already many people do an enormous amount of much appreciated work for the church in this area, but we need to be sensitive in discerning what is offered with goodwill and what becomes taking advantage of people. On the one hand there would be a cost, but the benefit of taking on such help would lie primarily in the freeing up of your priest to do what he has been trained to do — be priest, rather than administrator. Your Church Officers are currently exploring the costing and practicalities, and would very much welcome your opinions and ideas, please.

Church Photograph. In September 1937, the then Vicar of All Saints and his Church Officers gathered in front of the newly-built church hall for a photograph. Sixty years on, it seems very appropriate to have a fresh photo-graph taken in front of the refurbished church hall, this time to include all the fellowship, young and old. So please make a date in your diary to be with us for a shortened service and fun photograph on the morning on Sunday 7th September.

Gouray Church
From
BILL MATTHEWS
Honorary Curate

PLEASE look out for the visit to Jersey of the Apollo Male Voice Choir in the week beginning 5th October. They are one of the finest choirs in the UK and will be singing in Gouray Church at the 10.15 Morning Service on 5th October. There is also a Concert together with the wonderful Harmony Men at 8 pm that same evening in the Great Hall at Victoria College. Other concerts and events have been organised during the following week.

Keep an eye open for the events of One World Week (19th-25th October). Please join in the spirit and fun of this special week. There is more about the 'Week' in the first part of this edition.

RECENT ENTRIES FROM GOURAY

REGISTERS

HOLY BAPTISM. We welcome into the family of God Lucy Hope Lacey Banks (29th March); Jenessa Star Vickers (24th May); Lucy Maria Jouault (1st June); Thomas Edward Wagstaffe (27th July).

HOLY MATRIMONY. Congratulations to Christopher and Karen Clark (14th June) and Paul de la Haye and Natasha Gilmour (21st June).

FUNERALS. We offer our love and condolences to the family of Thora Phyllis Uniacke and especially to Joe, her husband, to whom she was happily married for 65 years.

The Cailleach at Imbolc

Rather like the legend of St Swithun's Day, there is an old Pagan story about the 1st of February, traditionally called "Imbolc", and here it is presented in a poem.

The Cailleach at Imbolc

I saw her, an old woman in a black shawl:
And there was swift silence, no bird call,
But all was still, a moment within time,
In which I watched her slowly climb,
The hill, shrouded in leafless trees;
After a mighty storm, the branches fell,
And even whole trees, so they do tell;
And she wonders, gathering firewood,
This old women, dark dress and hood;
And I remember the tales long told
Of Imbolc, kept in winter’s iron hold;
Of the Cailleach, and her gathering:
For it is now, at the very dawn of spring,
If she makes weather bright and good,
She will gather plenty of the firewood;
And the winter will last cold and long:
So I was told by druids in bardic song;
But if Imbolc weather is very foul,
She will be asleep, and never prowl:
That means winter is nearly done,
And we can welcome lambs and sun

The Victorian December 1983: Activities Section

The Victorian December 1983: Activities Section

ACTIVITIES SECTION

THIRD YEAR INTRODUCTORY COURSE

DESPITE intense pressure from the Follies, attempts at sabotage by the Skins and the Woodpeckers, and even a late dash by the Mobeymen who carried off the honours on our last field day, Fortun's Multiracial Morons managed to hang on to their position at the top of the table and finally proved to be decisive winners of the cup.

The year began with an interesting lecture by Mr. Derek Hart of the Le Geyt Centre explaining the aims of the Centre and describing the work done by the trainees. Subsequently each group visited the Centre on five separate occasions during the year, accompanied by Mr. du Feu, and took a very active part in their Friday afternoon activities. Our weekly football matches have become a sporting highlight at the Centre and since our visits began almost seven years ago the Centre has started taking touring sides to Guernsey for annual championship matches. The team are eagerly awaiting fresh opposition from our new groups in the coming year.

This year saw the end of Mr. O'Donovan's reign as the master in charge of visits. Over the years he established and maintained a wide and varied programme of trips to local firms and places of interest. Mr. Hamel takes over from him in September and will no doubt seek to maintain our contents and expand their scope still further.

After the success of her course last year, Miss Sheila Squibb, the Health Education Officer, returned to College with an extended series of talks. This time each group followed a two-week course in basic first aid which included a tape-slide presentation on safety in the home. This was later supplemented by a joint session in the Science Lecture Theatre with the States Ambulance Service. After a very informative lecture on resuscitation, all 50 boys were given the opportunity to put into practice what they had learnt with the life-size mannequins which had arrived in the States ambulance.

The following term Sheila presented two well documented films graphically illustrating the dangers of smoking. After some disturbing scenes the boys were treated to a lengthy discussion on the harmful effects of tobacco. This was complimented in the summer term by a visit from the Police Duty Squad whose film and illustrated lecture gave an even more disturbing picture of drug abuse. We are again grateful that the Chief Inspector of the C.I.D. was able to send his man to us for an afternoon.

This year saw the introduction of a new activity. Miss Jan Wheeler, Yoga instructress at Highlands College and the Jersey Arts Centre, gave a number of talks and practical lessons in the art of Yoga. Anyone passing the de Carteret Building on a Friday afternoon would have been delighted to see some of the 'louder' elements in Year 3 grimly endeavouring to untangle their knotted limbs as they silently writhed across the floor.

Mr. Shaw again welcomed us into Eden and each group benefited from a three-week course in computing. Field days were enjoyed by one and all and the overnight camp as always provided staff and boys with an excellent excuse for a weekend in bed. My thanks to all who helped, especially Messrs. du Feu, Simpson and Gilson. Thanks also to Edward Devenport for conducting the groups in their lunatic antics across the fives courts and for running 'observation and memory', a truly audio¬visual delight. And finally to Messrs. Fortun, Fauvel, Skinner, Woolley and Postlethwaite, the group leaders, who grinned and groaned their way through some horribly dangerous activities! It warms the wrinkles of my heart to see a new batch of smiling, eager sixth formers each year ready and willing to take up the challenge.

G.D.B.

Computing

THE computing activity is now run by Mr. Simpson; I have transferred to the Naval section of the C.C.F. I am sure new blood is a good thing!

Boys new to the activity have spent time recently getting to grips with the Video Genie and its graphics capabilities whilst old hands have continued advancing to better things.

It is hoped we will follow up recent Science Fair successes and that we will get some enthusiastic entries to this year's Fair.

The Hubbard report has now been approved and we can look forward in hope to more central support and finance.

P. B.

COMPUTING CLUB

THE club started well this year with many Year 2 lads coming to join in spite of (or because of) their introductory computing course last year.

The BBC machine continues to be a great success and we all look forward to a proper monitor and disk unit for it.

Despite providing three sessions a week after school and lunch-time use, overcrowding remains a problem: we try to ensure all pupils have a fair time on a computer during a club session so numbers do have to be restricted.

Mr. Le Quesne has also started a "Computing for Electronics" club, especially to get programs written for peripheral devices — this is both important and exciting.

P.B.

Cine/Video Group

THE group wishes to record its thanks to Mr. R. A. N. Biggar who has always supported its activities with the loan of equipment and has now made a donation to help with the cost of nine film processing. The group is also indebted to Mr. A. L. Le Masurier for the loan of his portable video recorder on Field Day. This enabled all members of the team to try their hand at 'cameraman', under careful supervision with such valuable apparatus. The results, viewed later, showed some of the C.C.F.'s activities, including 'abseiling' at St. Catherine.

Modelling

SADLY the group has contracted considerably this year and we are almost devoid of experienced modellers. Nevertheless, we are hoping to resurrect the model railway board from its state of confusion arising from numerous changes of plan; two radio-controlled boats are nearing completion and we are indebted to Mr. Rothwell for the first completed model this year — a beautifully finished sailing yacht. Control-line flying is still in the picture with a scale model Fokke-Wulf 190 under construction.

Sadly the technology revolution has brought sophisticated radio-controlled 'toys' within the scope of most young people and the satisfaction of a long-term modelling project is becoming less attractive.

AB.L.

Electronics

THE summer term is traditionally a quiter one, with the outdoors providing a greater attraction. The majority of projects in progress were completed and a number of devices for attachment to the BBC microcomputer were constructed and tested. We shall be sorry to lose Andrew Binnington, Ian Wilson and David Speight, all members of the activity since it started, but look forward to the new generation of enthusiasts in the autumn.

E.G.LeQ.

Sailing

AS the sailing season comes to a close we now have time to reflect on a reasonably successful year.

The navigation activity have undertaken a number of cruises throughout the summer term. The longest was a week's cruise around the Brittany coast on board the Nantucket Trader. On the theoretical side a 100 per cent pass was achieved by those who took the R.Y.A. Dayboat Skipper theory examination.

Now that dinghy sailing has moved to St. Helier we are able to go out in most weather. Unfortunately the problem of damaged boats has also come to a head, so a new system of two people being responsible for a boat for the year has been introduced.

Once again we achieved a fine victory over Elizabeth College to win the Brennan Transom for the eighth year running. The race was held in Wayfarers in St. Aubin's Bay in light winds, with Elizabeth College determined to win. This led to some very close racing which showed that next year we will have to be on our guard.

G.M.J.H.

Bookshop

SUPPORT for the bookshop continues to grow, perhaps in response to the widening range of stock. The junior school, as always, is most enthusiastic, but there is a pleasing increase in the number of browses from the upper school. Best sellers at the moment are undoubtedly the 'Fighting Fantasy' books, latest editions of which sell out within a day of appearing on the shelves. Over 100 boys have accounts, and anyone else who would like one should see Mr. Thorp. The bookshop is open Monday, Tuesday and Thursday lunchtimes near the sixth year changing rooms.

Chess

JONATHAN DAVIS prefers playing himself, Martin Grimshaw distracts attention with his chess computer and young Buesnel never wins. Ten chess players, of varying abilities, snarl at each other over chequered boards every Friday afternoon and some lunchtimes. Despite the wide range of standards some good games are had by all.

Physical Education and Recreation

A WIDE range of activities were covered by the group of about 25, culminating in a new experience for many in the performance of an interpretation of "I Don't Like Mondays" by the Boomtown Rats in the form of educational movement.

This course is run for fourth year boys and above and includes many different aspects of physical education including fitness and health, competitions and serious lectures, all of which combine to make a very entertaining Friday afternoon activity.

Good performances throughout the year were maintained by D. Omissi and M. Gallichan (Year 7), G. Manger and K. Henley (Year 5). However, it is unfortunate that many of the older better boys are taken out of the activity before the end of the course in order to help with other activities.

Photography

THIS will be my last report for 'Photography' in The Victorian, but no doubt Chesham Grammar School's equivalent will soon be ringing with pleas for colour printing facilities! The last six years have put the College well and truly in a forefront position in this activity. Standards have fluctuated with pupils' abilities, but always excellence has had its place.

Recently we have seen the charming unflux of a dozen ladies from our sister college to our activity group. We have, therefore, had to expand our facilities. With five black-and-white enlargers, and our colour processing, we are stretching our darkrooms to the limits. It would be of tremendous help if another darkroom could be established. This would be my hope for the future. A couple of interested staff will be taking over from me —and believe me it certainly is a two man job! I wish them, the club, and activity group every success and look forward to reading of your winning entries in the national Press.

A.J.V.

Christianity in Action: Lesson 15: Control of the Tongue

Lesson 15: Control of the Tongue
By G.R. Balleine

[Warning: Balleine was writing in the 1920s and 1930s, and his views and language reflect many at that time. However, as a time capsule of the prevailing beliefs, this can be very useful for the historians of that period.]

LESSON FOR THE FOURTH SUNDAY IN LENT.

PASSAGE TO BE READ : 1 Peter ii. 19-25.
TEXT TO BE LEARNT : " If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue . .. this man's religion is vain ' (St. Jas. i. 26).
HYMNS : " Oh, for a thousand," and " Angel voices ever singing." COLLECTS for Third Sunday after Easter and St. John Baptist.

Aim : To show the power of the tongue and the danger of its misuse.

I. AN UNBRIDLED TONGUE.

(a) The Japanese have a little carving. It represents three apes. One has its hand on its eyes ; one on its ear ; one on its mouth. The first means, " I control my eyes and am careful what I look at." The second means, " I control my ears and am careful what I listen to." The third means, " I control my lips and am careful what I say." It is the third ape's message that we are to think of to-day.

(b) What is the most dangerous thing in the world ? Rattlesnakes ? Lyddite ? Cholera ? No, they only come second, third or fourth. The most dangerous thing is a tongue. Slandering tongues, mischief-making tongues, tempting tongues destroy more lives than any high explosive. Snakes and infectious diseases only destroy the body. Tongues have power to destroy souls as well.

(c) Imagine a crowded theatre. Some idiot shouts Fire. What follows ? Panic. Stampede. Men's clothes torn from their backs. Women trampled underfoot. Hundreds of well-dressed folk fighting desperately at the doors. What caused this ? A single click of a fool's tongue. There is no limit to the mischief that a tongue can do.

(d) A scolding tongue makes everyone in its neighbour-hood miserable. In old England every parish kept a scold's bridle, two iron hoops padlocked round the neck and head, holding in position a flat plate, which pressed down the tongue. Villagers who perpetually scolded their neighbours were condemned to wear this for so many days. If they could not bridle their own tongues, their tongues were bridled by the parish.

(e) A blasphemous tongue brings sacred things into contempt. Nearly every Roman Catholic Church has a branch of the Confraternity of the Holy Name, a Society founded in 1274 to secure greater reverence for the Name of God. Its millions of members are pledged not only to speak reverently, but to do all in their power to restrain others from taking God's Name in vain. It would be well if every Church had something of the same kind.

(f) A tattling tongue can do endless mischief. " Thou shalt not go up and down as a tale-bearer among thy people " (Lev. xix. 16). An Indian Prince had a daughter. " I must find for her," he said, " an intelligent husband." So he had two statues set at the door of his palace. They were exactly alike in size and face and dress ; and he proclaimed that no one should marry his daughter unless he could discover the difference between the statues. Scores of young nobles examined them, measured them, weighed them, but they seemed as alike as two peas. At last came a youth who inspected them for a long time ; suddenly he looked closely at their ears and lips ; he pushed a straw into the ear of one, and it fell out of its mouth ; he pushed the straw into the ear of the other, and it remained inside the head. " Tell the Prince," he said, " that I have discovered his secret. One is the statue of a wise man and one is the statue of a fool. A fool pours out of his mouth everything that comes in at his ears. A wise man keeps what he hears inside his own head." A little girl announced one day, " I am a child of God." When asked how she knew that, she replied, "'Cos I'm a peacemaker. I heard something about a girl at school, and never told anyone." We can often show that we are children of God by keeping our mouths shut. " My duty is to keep my tongue from evil-speaking."

(g) A merely chattering tongue can make itself a terrible nuisance. Sir Walter Raleigh got so annoyed by a man who would not stop talking that he flung him on the floor, and sealed his moustache to his beard with sealing-wax. Does no one ever say to you, " Oh, do be quiet." " Do hold your tongue for five minutes " ? There is only one proverb that has found its way into every European language, and that is, " Speech is silver, silence is golden." Our Lord gave a solemn warning, " I say unto you that every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgement." A Persian proverb says, " Great trees burn silently ; it is only thorns that crackle." Miss Soulsby, the famous writer for girls, says in one of her books. " I have known a Lenten resolution against chatter do wonders in deepening the character."

II. GOLDEN SILENCE.

(a) Think now of some fine types of silence. There is heroic silence. We know the picture entitled, " When did you last see your father ? " The Roundheads have raided the manor house in which a Cavalier is hiding, and are questioning his little son; but he is closing his lips firmly and refusing to answer for fear of endangering his father's safety. At the entrance of the Acropolis in Athens was the statue of a lioness without a tongue. It was erected in honour of Lemna, a woman who bit out her tongue for fear that torture might make her reveal a secret that had been entrusted to her.

(b) There is a dignified silence. When Saul was made King, " the children of Belial said, How shall this man save us ? But he held his ,peace " (1 Sam. x. 26). When Sennacherib's captain made insulting speeches before the walls of Jerusalem, “the people held their peace and answered him not a word, for the King's command was, Answer him not " (2 Kings xviii. 36). But the best example of this is our Lord Himself. At His trial before Caiaphas " He held His peace and answered nothing " (St. Mark xiv. 61). Herod " questioned Him with many words, but He answered nothing " (St. Luke xxiii. 9). To Pilate at first He spoke freely, but when He saw that Pilate meant to act against his conscience, " Jesus gave him no answer " (St. John xix. 9). On the cross He made no reply to those who taunted Him. " As a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so He opened not His mouth " (Isa. liii. 7). Read Passage.

(c) There is a discreet silence. There are some subjects it is best not to talk about. There are many subjects it is best not to talk about before strangers. In every railway carriage in Germany there used to be a notice : A soldier must not only be able to fight, but also to keep silence for his Fatherland."

(d) Madame Montessori, who has revolutionized the teaching of younger children, puts the Game of Silence in a prominent place in her scheme of education, teaching tiny children to love silence, to move silently, to breathe silently, to rejoice in the silence that they themselves have created.

III. THE USE OF THE TONGUE.

(a) Some religious people have felt the danger of the tongue so keenly that they have taken vows never to speak at all There are Indian Fakirs who have sat in silence for fifty years. Some put earth between their lips and sow mustard seeds in it to show that they never open them. In the Roman Church there are Orders of Silent Monks and Nuns (Carthusians, Carmelites, Trappists). But this is clearly a mistake. If God had meant us to be silent, He would not have given us tongues. It reminds us of the man in the parable who was afraid to use the talent entrusted to him.

(b) There is a cowardly silence. On Good Friday there were plenty of witnesses for the prosecution, but not a single witness for the defence : all the disciples were afraid to speak up for their Master. Are we never like that ? In cases like this control of the tongue means forcing it to speak.

(c) There is an unkind silence. " Comfort ye, comfort ye My people, saith your God." It means a lot to a boy in trouble, if you let him know that you are awfully sorry for him. " God hath given me a tongue," said St. Paul, " that I should speak a word in season to him that is weary."

(d) There is a selfish silence, if we know good news and do not pass it on. The lepers of Samaria found that the enemy had retreated, and left their camp empty. While helping themselves to plunder, their consciences pricked them. " They said one to another, We do not well. This day is a day of good tidings, and we hold our peace '.' (2 Kings vii. 9). Good news should be shared with others, specially the best of good news which we call the Gospel.

(e) A well-controlled tongue speaks when it ought, and also says what it has to say in the pleasantest way. A king consulted a fortune-teller. " Sir," he said, " every relation you have will die before you." The thought of this long succession of deaths seemed so dismal that the king condemned the seer to death. He summoned another who said, " Sire, you will outlive all your relations." This prospect was so pleasing that the king gave him a large reward. Both had said the same thing, but they had put it in a different way. One had made the king angry ; the other had made him grateful. Tactless words are " as vinegar upon nitre " (Prov. xxv. 20). But " a word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in baskets of silver " (xxv. 11, R.V.).

A summary of Bernard Place's argument.

https://jerseyeveningpost.com/voices/2026/01/15/jersey-needs-a-political-culture-that-can-differentiate-between-frustration-and-corrosive-fatalism/

Bernard Place’s essay in the JEP argued that Jersey’s political culture must learn to distinguish between legitimate frustration and corrosive fatalism.

He frames what some dismiss as “pitchforks and torches” politics instead as a “politics of impatience,” rooted not in malice but in care for the Island and its institutions. This perspective is a strength of his argument: it acknowledges the emotional intensity of local debate without trivialising it, and it recognises that impatience signals civic attachment rather than disengagement. 

Place highlights how Jersey’s small scale amplifies emotion—failures feel personal, decisions seem opaque, and accountability appears diffuse. By treating these sharp-edged voices as an early warning system rather than a threat, he positions impatience as a democratic resource.

Another strength lies in his call for listening carefully and responding with clarity. He insists that politicians should hear the underlying concerns behind blunt statements, translating “nothing ever changes” into worries about slow implementation or poor communication. This approach encourages empathy and constructive engagement, rather than defensiveness. His emphasis on transparency, accountability, and visible progress provides a practical antidote to drift, offering Islanders the reassurance of direction rather than slogans.

However, Place’s argument also has weaknesses. While he rightly cautions against dismissing impatience, he underplays the risks of oversimplification. He admits that impatience can flatten complex systems into single villains, but his essay does not fully explore how this dynamic can corrode trust or fuel populist scapegoating. 

His optimism that impatience can be harnessed as renewal may overlook how quickly frustration can harden into cynicism, especially if expectations for “visible, measurable progress” are not met. Moreover, his call for clarity and deliverables, though appealing, risks sounding abstract without concrete examples of how Jersey’s institutions might achieve this balance in practice.

In sum, Place’s essay is strongest when it reframes impatience as care and insists on listening as the first step toward renewal. It is weaker when it assumes that frustration can easily be channelled into constructive energy without acknowledging the structural and cultural obstacles that make such translation difficult. His vision of a political culture that turns sharp voices into catalysts for confidence is compelling, but it depends on whether institutions can move beyond rhetoric to deliver the progress Islanders expect.

A Short Story: The Oak’s Long Memory

A Short Story: The Oak’s Long Memory

Three centuries had passed since the acorn first split its shell in the sandy soil above St Brelade’s Bay. The church was already old then, its stones weathered by salt winds and prayers. The oak grew slowly, year by year, its roots threading into graves, its branches stretching toward the bell tower. It had watched tides rise and fall, generations kneel and depart, caretakers come and go.

The caretakers were curious creatures. They came down and vanished into the church, mostly on Sundays, when the bells rang out to call people to church, but sometimes other days. Some evenings they used to go to the nearby Fisherman’s Chapel instead, but this was not as often of late, only once a month. Something of a pattern had been lost, reflected the oak, sadly.

For the tree knew their rhythms: a season of tending, then silence. One would vanish, another arrive. Always transient, always earnest. Their task was simple, to care, and then move on. The oak respected that. It too had its task: to endure.

Yet the oak remembered them. The ones who helped drag the Parish cannon in and out of the large doors of the Fisherman’s Chapel. The one who took out the cannon for good and blocked up the door, and had workmen paint the walls. The one came when and arranged the plain windows of the church to be replaced with stained glass windows. The one who paraded with young people and their drums each February. Each left a trace, like rings hidden in its heartwood.

The last but one caretaker was different. He noticed the oak’s weariness. Rot had crept into its limbs, heavy branches sagged dangerously over the graves. The oak felt shame, was it failing in its duty to stand? But this caretaker did not abandon it. He summoned men with ropes and saws, tree surgeons who climbed into its canopy and cut away the sickness. The oak trembled at each wound, yet felt lighter, renewed. Sunlight reached places long dark. For the first time in decades, it breathed freely.

That caretaker lingered often. The oak saw him outside the church, dressed in flowing robes, speaking with Parishioners as they left Sunday service. His voice carried warmth, his hands blessed children, his eyes lifted toward the sea. The oak thought: “Strange, for a caretaker to wear such garments. Perhaps he tends both tree and stone, both earth and soul.”

Seasons turned. The oak healed. New shoots sprouted where rot had been. It remembered listening to the caretaker’s words drifting across the churchyard, words of hope, of remembrance, of quiet courage. The oak wondered why this one stayed longer than the rest. Caretakers were meant to move on. Yet he remained, week after week, year after year, his robes catching the wind like sails. He was a steward of paths and pews. He was the heart of the parish, the one who carried its burdens and its joys, who prayed beneath its branches and spoke of resurrection beside its graves. Until, at last, it was time for him to leave too. But the oak endured.

One evening, as dusk settled over the bay, the oak reflected on its long memory. It saw caretakers as shadows passing through time, each entrusted with the church for a while, then gone. And each left their mark. And now there was a new caretaker. The oak watched her arrival, and its branches and leaves rustled in welcome.

The oak understood at last. What it had called a caretaker was in truth the rector, the parish priest, the shepherd of souls, the guardian of tradition, the one who tended not only the tree but the people who gathered beneath its shade. Their care was woven into the life of the parish itself.

The oak shivered in the evening breeze, humbled. For three hundred years it had stood sentinel, believing itself the witness and the caretakers the passing ones. But now it saw: each rector was no shadow. They were also an enduring presence, as rooted in the parish as the oak itself. Together, tree and rector shared the same task, to care, to endure, and to remind the living that even in change, there is continuity.

They were the faithful guardians of the legacy of St Brelade, entrusted with a sacred duty of care. Each caretaker would care for the Parish and Church, and hold that legacy in trust for a while, and then pass on their task to another. So it had always been, from when St Brelade landed here, long before the oak was planted. For out of small acorns do mighty oaks grow.

And so the oak stretched its branches toward the stars, whispering gratitude into the night.

Fact Checking Manifesto Promises: Richard Honeycombe

‘I’d like to see a fact checker introduced ahead of the elections to check whether politicians have kept their promises’ (Fiona Walker).

Your support is essential to the role of Connetable. The Connétable is your voice in the States Assembly. If elected I would like to see more involvement by all Parishioners, I would be expressing your views in the States Chamber this is why I would need to know what they are. I would hold regular Parish Assemblies, meetings and working parties to gain your views on important propositions. It would be wonderful to fill the Parish Hall to have lively discussions and for you direct me on how you want to go forward. Maybe even stream some meetings and have online input.

If elected, I would hope to move forward on the following:
• Homes for the elderly
• Low cost housing for the young people of our Parish
• The extension of main sewer system to all properties
• Mains water available to the whole Parish
• Kerbside re-cycling

Waiting at the Bus Stop

A rather inconsequential poem today, but then life  is mainly full of inconsequential moments.

Waiting at the Bus Stop

It is a very dark morning, as I set off
And the cold air makes me cough
And sometimes Venus shines above
Bright the Roman goddess of love

Other days the clouds are thick
And my pace is fast and quick
Later leaving, as rain is falling
And the wind is quite appalling

Timing right to arrive just so
To miss the bus is such a blow
But standing in rain is not nice
Or worse, ground frost and ice

Then the lights coming round
I hear the heavy diesel sound
Now the bus turns the bend
And so my wait is at an end

The bus stops upon the road
At the painted bus stop node
My appointed travel meet
And I alight and find my seat

No more waiting, time to read
As the bus now picks up speed
Along the coast, heading down
And I am onwards off to town

Homes of the Channel Islands: St John's Manor, 1967 Article

HOMES OF THE CHANNEL ISLANDS
St. John's Manor, Jersey
By Penny Hart
Jersey Topic, 1967

Remote, secluded, St. John's Manor stands aloof from the seasonal scrimmage on Jersey's roads. Masked by acres of woodland, its surroundings are timeless, quiet. The only interruptions are the occasional cackles from a group of Canadian geese which spills across the lawn.

Until recently few people - even Islanders - knew what the place actually looked like. For years there was not even a name on the gateway.

Then the present owner, Mr. Noble Lowndes, threw the grounds open to the public in aid of Mental Health Week. And more than 1,000 curious sightseers seized their opportunity to see what lay at the end of the long, tree-lined drive. They weren't disappointed. Jersey Topic went alone to see.

Le Manoir de St. Jean la Hougue Bate, startlingly white in the sunshine, stands serenely in the midst of its 10-acre grounds. The elegant Georgian façade facing a vast, sweeping lawn edged with palm trees and tall white statues. The whole effect is somehow un-English—almost colonial.

Maybe this was the quality which first attracted Mr. Lowndes (there is no Fief of St. John so he can't lay claim to the title "seigneur"). He's a New Zealander whose grandfather was a naval settler in the North Island. He came over to live in Britain in 1933 and built up a world-wide insurance company based in London. Recently he found he was running the danger of being "surtaxed out of existence" so he quit his Surrey home and came to live in Jersey. In the same month he retired from business at the age of 70.

It took five aeroplane loads to bring the furniture over and when he walked into the Manor at the end of last summer everything was ready in its place. Little has been moved since then. For Mr. Lowndes' main interest is in the grounds. Thirty gardeners are working there full time—roughly three men to an acre. And apart from the surrounding woodlands there are 40 acres of farmland belonging to the Manor.

So far this year they've opened up a road to St. Lawrence which has not been used for 60 years. They've uncovered a Japanese garden. They've built a log cabin (the wood had to be sent to Guernsey for cutting because the logs were so large) and a tennis court. Still to come are the stables, the heated swimming pool and the woodland barbecue.

 

"We've had so much to do," says Mr. Lowndes, dressed in pin-stripes and smoking a fat cigar, "that I've only been into St. Helier four or five times since I've been here. I hardly know my way round the Island yet."

He explained that the house originates in the 14th Century. But there have been so many alterations over the years that little remains of the ancient building. At one time there were wings on either side, but these were pulled down by a former owner, Mr. Alexander Raworth, because the walls were crumbling.

An artist and sculptor, Mr. Raworth bought the fief in 1910 and probably had the strongest influence on the shape of the present Manor.

 

He knocked down, he rebuilt, and everywhere there are pieces of his work. Possibly the most impressive - certainly the most original - is the ornate Edwardian moulded plaster ceiling in the banqueting hall. It has an extraordinary stalactite motif stamped with the Raworth crest.

When he died in 1950 his widow built a stone memorial chapel in the grounds and his coffin lies in a sealed vault below. The oaken pews were made from wood pulled from the banqueting hall when the new floor was laid.

The banqueting hall, in fact, is the most interesting room in the house. It is 55 feet long with a doorway onto the drive and a modern granite fireplace at one end. Antique furniture and silver lines the oak panelled walls and the centrepiece is a heavy, oak refectory table.

 

On a slightly higher level and through an archway is the dining room. This is probably the oldest part of the house - witness a huge granite fireplace running the length of one wall. It was the original kitchen hearth and at the back of it is an oven with the Carteret arms on the door.

That is the ground floor. Then the inside stairway or the double flight of steps from the drive leads to the entrance hall and the main floor of the house. On one side is the drawing room with grey silk panels on the walls. The most striking pieces of furniture here are two hand-painted wooden cabinets with a matching painted grand piano. On the opposite side of the hall is Mr. Lowndes' bedroom.

Further back and past an ornately curved and carved grandfather clock are two more bedrooms—a guest room and one for his 12-year-old daughter Sarah.

Upstairs to the top floor are more bedrooms, including a suite for Charles Lowndes, 16, who is at Canford School, near Wimborne.

Down the back steps and past an elegant stone well (Mr. Raworth again) is a small triangular building—purpose unknown but probably built before 1600. Leading from it is a high stone wall and a gateway into a large, sunny walled garden, believed to be about 1825.

The outbuildings are extensive, but the most picturesque in a fairy tale kind of way is the modernised dower house with its leaded windows and big Tudor chimneys.

With the past nine months intensive work, the Manor is already taking on the stamp of its new owner. But whereas Mr. Raworth's name is inextricably linked with improvements to the house, Mr. Lowndes will undoubtedly be remembered for the transformation of the grounds into one of the most beautiful and secluded parks in Jersey.

Christianity in Action: Lesson 14: Control of the Temper

Lesson 14: Control of the Temper
By G.R. Balleine

[Warning: Balleine was writing in the 1920s and 1930s, and his views and language reflect many at that time. However, as a time capsule of the prevailing beliefs, this can be very useful for the historians of that period.]

LESSON FOR THE THIRD SUNDAY IN LENT.

PASSAGE TO BE READ : St. John xviii. 1-11.
TEXT TO BE LEARNT : " He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty ; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city " (Prov. xvi. 32).
HYMNS : " We are but little children weak," and " Do no sinful action." COLLECTS for St. Stephen and Third Sunday after Easter.

Aim : To teach the class " to fight a battle for our Lord " on the lines laid down by verses 5 and 6 of " We are but little children weak."

I. THE PURPOSE OF ANGER.

(a) During Lent we are thinking about—? Self-control. We have thought of some parts of our nature which need to be kept under strict control. Name them. To-day we are going to think about another—our temper.

(b) Do not think that temper is a wholly bad thing. It is part of the animal nature that we have inherited from the past, and it was put there for a good purpose. Many things in Nature are provided with something to warn off enemies. If a cow eats a buttercup, it gets such a horrible bitter taste in its mouth, that it says to itself, " Never again ! " The sting of the nettle, the spikes of the thistle, make animals that would destroy these plants keep at a safe distance.

(c) What the bitter taste does for the buttercup and the sting for the nettle Anger does for animals. The growl of the dog, the hiss of the snake, the lashing of the lion's tail, say " Touch my food, interfere with my babies, and it will be the worse for you." If animals had been limp and lazy creatures, who never grew angry when wronged, they would have been exterminated long ago. Anger is one of Nature's protective devices.

(d) Man has inherited this faculty of anger ; and there are still occasions when it is right to use it. Nehemiah was working hard to re-establish the Jews in Jerusalem after their captivity, when he found that the rich Jews, instead of helping him, had been taking advantage of the poverty of their poorer brethren, and lending them money, and then, when they could not repay, selling their sons and their daughters as slaves. He says, " I was very angry (v. 6). And he gave them such a scolding that they promised at once to set free all the slaves.

(e) Our Lord was very angry on the day He cleansed the Temple. He found what should have been a House of Prayer turned into a noisy market. And it was in the Court of the Gentiles that this market was held, the only part of the Temple to which " all nations " were allowed to come, and there worship had been made impossible by this noisy rabble. A strong indignant protest was needed. Our Lord made a scourge of cords and scourged the traders out. He overthrew their tables, and strewed the floor with their money.

(f) To-day sometimes a brutal crime causes a great out-burst of righteous anger. A little girl is foully murdered, and everybody stops work, and the whole country-side turns out to hunt for the murderer. And criminals know this, and they hesitate to do anything that may arouse the anger of the whole community against them.

II. A LOW FLASH-POINT.

(a) But the trouble is that most of us get angry far too easily. There is a cheap and dangerous kind of oil known as Low Flash Oil. It explodes very easily. Sometimes we hear of people being injured by the explosion of a lamp. They were using this cheap oil. As the lamp grew warm, it reached a point too warm for this oil to stand. Then came an explosion. The flash-point was too low. They should have used an oil that could stand a very much higher temperature.

(b) All good oil has a flash-point somewhere, and so have all good people ; but it is fatal to have the flash-point too low. Moses was a good man, but his flash-point was too low. When he came down from the mountain, and found that the people had made a golden calf, it was quite natural that his " anger waxed hot " (Exod. xxxii. 19), but it was merely silly to relieve his feelings by smashing the precious tables of the commandments, which had not done any harm. Another flash of anger, " Hear now, ye rebels, must we fetch you water out of this rock ? " (Num. xx. 10) brought down the terrible punishment that he was not allowed to lead the people into the Promised Land.

(c) St. Columba was the missionary who made Scotland Christian, and this was how he came there. He had been an Irish monk, and he had borrowed a Psalter from another monk, and copied it. The owner of the Psalter said that he had no right to have made a copy, and so they quarrelled. The monks belonged to different tribes, and their tribes took up the dispute, and there was a fight in which three thousand people were killed. So Columba was banished from Ireland, until he should have made as many converts as men had been killed in his quarrel. His silly little squabble about a Psalter was regarded as responsible for the death of thousands. No one knows to what evil the loss of temper may gad.

(d) Henry II was in some ways a strong and wise king ; yet, when things upset him, he would fall into such fits of passion that he would roll on the ground and gnaw the rushes on the floor, and bite at those who came near him. And all the disasters of his reign, including the murder of Becket, were directly due to these fits of rage.

(e) Peter the Great was one of the best of the Czars of Russia. In a rough homely way he did a lot of good to his country. Among other things he made a law that any noble who ill-treated his serfs should be imprisoned. The next day he noticed that a stupid gardener had spoilt a favourite rose-bush, and he struck the man such a blow that he died. " Alas," he cried, " I have conquered the nations in war. I have civilized my wild subjects. But I cannot control my own unruly temper."

III. A HIGH FLASH-POINT.

(a) The best oil has its flash-point so high that you can put a lighted match into it, and the match will go out. And there are lives with the flash-point so high that they can bear great provocation without flaring up. Pericles was Ruler of Athens. One day, as he was judging cases in the market-place, a bystander began to abuse him, and continued to revile him in the presence of the people all the afternoon. When the court closed, he followed Pericles to his house, shouting false and cruel accusations. All that Pericles did was to call a servant, and say, " Bring a torch, and light this gentleman home."

(b) When our Lord was arrested in Gethsemane, St. Peter was the man with the low flash-point. He was so indignant that he drew his sword, and began slashing wildly around him. But our Lord showed no sign of anger. He healed the man whom St. Peter had wounded. He quietly allowed Himself to be led before the High Priest. Read Passage.

IV. SELF-CONTROL.

(a) Clearly temper is something that needs being kept under control. Quote Text. Another text says, " A fool uttereth all his anger, but a wise man keepeth it back and stilleth it " (Prov. xxix. 11).

(b) Every religious teacher has recognized that he must train his followers to control their tempers. Mohammed did. There is a great deal about temper in the Koran. Husain, the grandson of Mohammed, was a great man in the East. One day a slave spilt some boiling water over Husain's knee. He gave a cry of rage, but the slave fell at his feet, and quoted a verse from the Koran, " Paradise is for those who bridle their anger," and Husain forgave him. Another passage in the Koran describes how Mohammed visited Paradise. He saw beautiful palaces standing on a height overlooking the whole country. " These," he was told, " are for those who keep down their anger, and pardon insults.

(c) Buddha said : " He who holds back his rising anger, as a chariot-driver reins in his horses, he alone can be called a man. All others are feeble babies."

(d) And the New Testament is full of teaching on the subject of temper. There are texts which tell us to use our wills to keep our anger in check. " Let all bitterness and wrath and anger be put away from you " (Eph. iv. 31) ; " Put off all these, anger, wrath, malice " (Col. iii. 8). Putting off, putting away, is an act of the will.

(e) There is a text which tells us not to let anger last too long, never more than a single day : " Let not the sun go down upon your wrath " (Eph. iv. 26).

(f) There is the example of Christ, " Who, when He was reviled, reviled not again, when He suffered, He threatened not," " leaving us an example that ye should follow His steps " (1 Pet. ii. 23, 21).

(h) Above all there is the promise of Grace, God's strong help to stiffen our feeble wills : " The fruit of the Spirit is love, peace, long-suffering, gentleness " (Gal. v. 22). In as famous chapter St. Paul told the Corinthians that love is the best of all the gifts of the Holy Spirit, and love "-is not easily provoked " (1 Cor. xiii. 5).

(i) When sorely tempted to lose your temper, there is always time to send up one short ejaculatory prayer : " Help, Lord " ; " O God, make speed to save me " ; " Jesus, defend me " ; and God's grace will come and save you from making a fool of yourself.

A Statement on Dialogue, Disagreement, and Communal Consultation

A Statement on Dialogue, Disagreement, and Communal Consultation

In days of old, Rector and Constable were able to rule as benevolent autocrats and were only accountable to an assembly of parishioners and that in a fairly limited sphere. In many ways this is much easier, and when all goes well it is fine, and it is also less time-consuming. But in today's world we can no longer, I believe, regard it as the right way for a Parish to run its affairs whether civil or ecclesiastical. An increasingly well educated and vocal community must have a part in the ordering of its communal life and this should now, in my view, be built into the official fabric of the working of both civil and ecclesiastical communities in our Island” (Canon Michael Halliwell, Rector of St Brelade 1971-1996)

In our life together as a parish, people often turn to Scripture for guidance on how to handle differences. One passage frequently cited is Matthew 18:15–17, where Jesus instructs us to address sin privately at first, then with witnesses, and finally with the wider church if reconciliation fails. This teaching is vital for dealing with moral fault and personal wrongdoing. Yet it is important to recognize that Matthew 18 is not about silencing debate or discouraging discussion. It is about healing relationships when sin has caused harm.

Disagreement, however, is not the same as sin. Throughout the New Testament, we see examples of faithful people debating openly about matters of practice and interpretation. In Acts 15, Paul and Barnabas entered into “sharp dispute and debate” with others over whether Gentile converts must follow the Law of Moses. The apostles and elders gathered in Jerusalem, listened to testimony, and reached a communal decision. This was not handled privately, nor was it treated as moral failure—it was discernment through dialogue.

Similarly, in Galatians 2, Paul recounts how he opposed Peter (Cephas) publicly when Peter withdrew from eating with Gentiles. Paul believed this action compromised the truth of the gospel, and so he challenged Peter openly. This was not a matter of personal sin to be hidden away, but a question of practice that affected the whole community. Scripture shows us that open debate, even confrontation, can be necessary when the integrity of our shared life is at stake.

In our own time, we face similar challenges. Practices and traditions, whether liturgical observances, symbolic acts, or communal customs, can evoke strong feelings and differing interpretations. To treat every disagreement as “sin” is to misapply Scripture and risk stifling the Spirit’s work among us. Instead, we are called to distinguish between moral fault, which requires reconciliation, and honest difference, which requires dialogue.

The quote from Michael Halliwell remindeds that in days past, Rector and Constable could rule as "benevolent autocrats", accountable only in limited ways to parishioners. That may have been simpler, but it is no longer fitting for today’s world. We live in an increasingly well‑educated and vocal community, and it is right that parishioners have a part in ordering our communal life. This principle applies not only to civil governance but also to ecclesiastical practice. Consultation, transparency, and shared discernment are not burdens—they are blessings that strengthen trust and unity.

Therefore, when disagreements arise in a parish, I suggest the following:

• Disagreement is not sin. It is part of the Spirit’s work in shaping us together.
• Open dialogue is biblical. Acts 15 and Galatians 2 show that debate belongs within the life of the church.
• Consultation is essential. As Halliwell notes, our communities flourish when decisions are not imposed but discerned together.

Churches should therefore commit themselves to a parish life where differences are aired respectfully, where Scripture guides us toward discernment, and where consultation is built into our fabric. In doing so, we honour both the gospel’s call to reconciliation and the Spirit’s call to communal discernment.

The church should be one that listens, debates, and decides together, not as autocrats and subjects, but as brothers and sisters in Christ, seeking truth in love.

A Critical Scrutiny of the Social Security Minister's Statement

Damage Limitation after public outcry

The Minister’s statement of 19 January can be read as a defensive attempt to reassure the public that she has not cut JET’s base funding, but it is open to significant criticism when placed against the wider context of her tenure and the trust’s own response. She has been in office since early 2024, and during that time she has had ample opportunity to reform the outdated funding arrangement that governs JET’s support. 

Yet despite acknowledging that the arrangement is “old and out-of-date,” she has only now introduced a limited RPI-linked uplift, despite being nearly two years into her role. This delay makes her position appear reactive rather than strategic, as though she is responding to immediate criticism rather than having pursued a long-term plan to secure the trust’s sustainability. For an organisation that provides vital services to disabled Islanders, the absence of foresight is a serious failing.

The Minister’s statement confirms that JET’s baseline funding has been given an RPI uplift for the current year only, not a guaranteed uplift across all ten years. It is described as part of stabilisation funding for 2026. There is no commitment in the statement to apply RPI uplift automatically for each of the next ten years. Instead, the Minister stresses that future funding will depend on a new contract and Treasury approval, with “future‑proofing safeguards” considered once a sustainable model is agreed.

The previous reliance on one-off grants further undermines the credibility of her statement. She points to the £785,000 top-up in 2025 and the £200,000 in 2026 as evidence of government support, but these are ad hoc measures dependent on underspends elsewhere in the department. Such funding is inherently unstable, leaving JET unable to plan confidently for the future. A charity that depends on unpredictable top-ups cannot secure staff, develop programmes, or reassure clients that services will continue uninterrupted. By failing to embed inflation-proofed funding permanently into the baseline, or backtracking it over ten years, the Minister has left JET exposed to uncertainty, and her statement does little to disguise that weakness with her statement that she would never remove baseline funding. Critics can argue that this approach amounts to patching holes rather than building a sustainable foundation.

The Minister also places significant emphasis on data-sharing, suggesting that delays in agreeing to share information with government have held back reform. Yet JET’s board has made clear that it has, for years, shared all information it is legally permitted to provide. The barrier is not reluctance on JET’s part but the constraints of data protection legislation, a position of which the department was fully aware. This clarification exposes a gap between the Minister’s narrative and the legal reality. By framing JET as obstructive, she risks misrepresenting the situation and unfairly shifting blame onto the trust. In effect, she has used “data-sharing” as a scapegoat for her own delay in reforming funding, despite knowing that the law prevented the sharing of personal client data. This undermines trust between government and the charity, and it raises questions about whether the Minister is more concerned with deflecting criticism than with solving the problem.

The tone of the statement itself is reactive rather than strategic. By stressing that she “has not cut base funding,” the Minister appears to be engaging in damage control rather than setting out a vision for sustainable disability support. Her rhetoric about a strong disability inclusion agenda rings hollow when the funding insecurity of JET directly undermines services for disabled Islanders. The contradiction between policy rhetoric and practical delivery is stark: she claims commitment to inclusion, yet her actions have left a key provider uncertain of its future. This inconsistency weakens her credibility and suggests that her agenda is more about appearances than substance.

The implications of these criticisms are significant. Service instability means that disabled Islanders cannot be confident in the continuity of support. Public trust in government is eroded when ministers appear to misrepresent facts or deflect responsibility. And politically, the Minister is vulnerable to the charge that she had nearly two years to embed RPI safeguards and negotiate sustainable contracts but failed to act until forced by external pressure. The board’s clarification about data-sharing only sharpens this critique, showing that the obstacles she cites were known and manageable, and that her failure lies in not finding lawful, constructive alternatives.

Taken together, the criticisms highlight a pattern: the Minister has been slow to act, reliant on temporary fixes, and willing to deflect responsibility onto JET rather than confront the systemic flaws in funding. Her statement may reassure some that base funding has not been cut, but it does not address the deeper issue of sustainability. For Islanders who depend on JET’s services, this is not a matter of political rhetoric but of daily life and dignity. The Minister’s failure to embed inflation-proofed funding earlier, coupled with her misrepresentation of the data-sharing issue, leaves her open to the charge that she has undermined both the trust and her own disability inclusion agenda. In the end, the statement reads less like a plan for the future and more like an attempt to cover for past inaction.

Debate in the States?

Now that there is a petition on the matter which has reached 5,000 signatures, should there be a debate?
Technically, the States Assembly could decide not to hold a debate even when that number is reached. But the damage of ignoring it would be considerable, because the threshold is meant to signal significant public concern and provide Islanders with a formal route into parliamentary discussion. If the Assembly were to disregard it, the message would be that even when citizens follow the rules and mobilise in large numbers, their voices can still be set aside.

A petition with 5,000 signatures represents a substantial proportion of Jersey’s population. To ignore it would risk alienating not just those who signed, but also the wider community sympathetic to the cause. In this case, the issue touches on disability inclusion and the funding of JET, which carries moral weight. Politicians who appeared complicit in brushing aside the petition could face reputational damage and electoral consequences, as opponents would seize on the decision as evidence of indifference or arrogance.

Jersey’s government often speaks of fairness, inclusion, and transparency. To ignore a petition that has reached the advisory threshold would undermine those principles in practice. It would look like a government unwilling to engage with uncomfortable issues, preferring procedural escape routes over open debate. That contradiction would be especially stark given the petition concerns services for disabled Islanders, a group whose voices are already vulnerable to being overlooked.

Finally, it should be noted that petitions are one of the few mechanisms by which Islanders can directly influence the Assembly’s agenda. If the Assembly ignored this one, it would send a signal that collective action is futile. That could discourage future participation, leaving Islanders disengaged and resentful. In a small jurisdiction like Jersey, where civic involvement is vital to community life, such disengagement would be damaging.

So while the threshold is advisory, ignoring it would carry real costs: undermining trust, damaging political credibility, contradicting values, and discouraging civic engagement. In practice, the Assembly would gain little by refusing a debate, but it would risk a great deal in terms of legitimacy and public confidence. Even if the debate is uncomfortable, holding it is the healthier path for democracy.

A Short Story: The Lecture Room

 

The Lecture Room

The room smelled of chalk dust and old varnish. Fluorescent lights buzzed overhead, casting a sterile glow on the rows of desks—each one occupied, each student hunched over notebooks, eyes glazed, pens moving not with curiosity but obligation.

At the front, Dr. Ellison stood like a relic. His jacket hung loose on his frame, the cuffs frayed, the collar stained with years of coffee and indifference. He spoke without inflection, his voice a low drone that filled the room like fog. Behind him, the blackboard bore the scars of past lectures—half-erased equations, ghostly outlines of diagrams, and today’s fresh scrawl: a mess of symbols that might once have meant something.

He didn’t look at the students. He didn’t ask questions. He simply wrote, spoke, handed out the assignment, and waited.

The scripts came back in silence. He marked them in silence. Red pen. Tick. Cross. “Incomplete.” “Correct.” “See notes.” The rhythm was mechanical. The names meant nothing. The handwriting blurred together. He didn’t read—he processed.

Outside, the world moved. Leaves fell. Rain came. But inside the lecture hall, time was fixed. Each student had their place. Each lecturer had their role. The bounds were clear, the expectations clearer.

Once, years ago, Ellison had tried something different. He had paused mid-lecture and asked, “Why do you think this matters?” A few students had looked up, startled. One had even answered. But the department chair had called him in later that week. “Stick to the syllabus,” she’d said. “We’re not here to philosophize.”

So he stopped asking.

He stopped wondering.

He stopped trying.

Now, he taught the way he was taught. He marked the way he was marked. He existed within the system, a cog in a machine that neither welcomed nor punished deviation—it simply ignored it.

One afternoon, a student lingered after class. A quiet boy, always in the back row. He approached the desk and said, “I think I understand the equations. But I don’t understand the point.”

Ellison looked at him. Really looked. The boy’s eyes were tired, but not dull. There was something there - something reaching out.

He opened his mouth. Closed it. Then said, “The point is to pass.”

The boy nodded slowly. “Right.”

He left.

Ellison sat alone in the empty hall. The blackboard still bore his scrawl. The scripts still waited to be marked. He stared at the chalk in his hand, then at the board, then at the door.

He thought of saying something different next time. Of writing something that wasn’t part of the syllabus. Of asking again.

But he didn’t.

Because he remembered the meeting. The memo. The silence that followed.

And so he picked up the next script. Tick. Cross. “See notes.”

Alas for he that tries to be human.

The Sunday Archive: The Pilot, August 1997 - Part 6

Still time to take part in the Celebration of Christian Reconciliation
Guernsey, 20th-27th September 1997

THE Channel Islands were the only British territories to be occupied during World War II. Many of the children were evacuated to England, separated from their parents and frequently from their brothers and sisters. On their return five years later, many did not know or recognise each other. Some even wished to return to their foster families. For many these painful memories were resurrected when Guernsey celebrated the 50th Anniversary of the Liberation in 1995, a joyful celebration for those who had endured the war years on the Island.

The Chairman of the Guernsey Council of Churches was herself a child refugee and felt the need to share the pain and confusion that World War II had brought to countless children on both sides. Thus the concept was born to invite German Christians of all denominations and those who were in Guernsey during the Occupation to pray and share these experiences together and enjoy a week in each other's company. The Rev Canon Paul Oestreicher of Coventry Cathedral, the Right Rev Jonathan Gledhill, Bishop of Southampton and other leading church-men will lead the prayers and discussion groups each evening, and church, cultural and outdoor events will be arranged for our guests and church members.

There is a poignant entry in the register of St Sampson's Church by Oberleutnant Burkert dated 8th May 1945. This was the last service he conducted for the German troops:

"I express my thanks for all the love of Christ which has come to us in this house of God during our stay in Guernsey. I pray that the Lord may lead the world towards the Eternal Goal of His Heavenly Kingdom and establish a Peace higher than all human understanding. Jesus Christ, the same yesterday and to-day and forever."

This hope is shared by our Chairman and many others in Guernsey for the benefit of future generations. With the help of the German Embassy, Wilhelm Burkert, now aged 83, and his wife have been traced and they will also be in Guernsey for the Reconciliation Week. "We wish to take part in this important and helpful event." He speaks of the religious revival amongst the German troops in the winter of 1944/45 and how some studied Theology in the PoW camps in England and Scotland between 1945 and 1948 under his tuition. A reunion was held in London and Coventry in 1995 for this "University behind the Barbed Wire."

Reconciliation was the theme of the second European Ecumenical Assembly held at Graz in Austria in June this year at which Councils of Churches throughout Europe were encouraged to present reconciliation initiatives.

Robin Gurney from the European Ecumenical Council in Geneva together with the Bishop of Winchester have been to Guernsey to launch Guernsey's initiative. The Rev Peter Lane represented Guernsey at Graz. The invitation to celebrate Christian Reconciliation in Guernsey from 20th-27th September has been sent to Germany.

The Guernsey Council of Churches believes there are German Christians resident in the UK and people with Guernsey connections, particularly with wartime memories who would also like to take part. They are requested to contact Guernsey Travel Services Ltd, Les Goubeys, Vale, Guernsey for information on travel and accommodation.

Celebrate Christian Reconciliation in Guernsey this September 

 A WORLD of DIFFERENCE

THE celebration of Christian reconciliation will take place in Guernsey from 20th to 27th September 1997 and a warm invitation is extended to members of all Christian denominations throughout Germany to participate.

The theme of the Second European Ecumenical Assembly, held in Graz in June, was titled: 'Reconciliation - Gift of God and source of New Life'

Local Councils of Churches throughout Europe are being encouraged to promote initiatives which will develop this theme, in ways appropriate to their own situations. In Guernsey there are churches of many traditions, Catholic and Protestant, and all would welcome the opportunity to meet Christians from the new Germany, of their own as well as of other denominations. It might be possible in some cases to arrange for individual congregations to be "twinned" with their Guernsey counter-parts. It is believed that there is much to be shared between both Christian communities and to be learnt from each other.

The Secretariat of the Conference of European Churches has defined "Reconciliation" in this context as "Getting on with each other again and being friends; it is the work of God's love as expressed in Jesus Christ."

Guernsey has many excellent hotels and comfortable guest houses where you would be made very welcome. This will not be a typical holiday as the occasion is seen by the Guernsey Council of Churches as a special opportunity for shared Christian friendship. In addition, those taking part will be able to enjoy the beautiful scenery and cultural attractions which the Island is proud to offer, meet local Christians and their families, join in Church gatherings and receive a warm welcome from the Guernsey Tourist Board

 

A WORLD of DIFFERENCE

NINE BY FIVE - that's the size of it. That is Jersey. A mere speck on the face of the Globe. Are we then just too small to figure in the affairs of the wide world?

Well, we may not be the centre of the universe but that should not diminish our significance or role. Our world is a precious whole which each of us affects for better or for worse. There is only one world and in it, each of us is creative or destructive. Each of us adds to or detracts from the value of its life. Each of us can poison or pollute it. Each of us can sweeten or refresh it. Each of us has a significant part to play in it.

You remember John Donne saying that no man is an island entire unto himself. Well, no island is an island entire unto itself either. We belong to our world and to each other and we cannot divorce ourselves from the reality of the responsibilities implied therein.

Moreover, God knows we are important and asks us to join Him in recreating our world, which is His world, which we can all share together. With regret, all of us know that in too many ways it is sadly damaged and neglected.

But let's take heart. Even as a small Island we can contribute usefully to the value of the whole of human life. We have many blessings to share and many more we can find in our world if we look for them.

I commend to you ONE WORLD WEEK which comes in October from 19th to 26th. Look out for ways to share this in Jersey.

Do we need a challenge to enjoy life? Read Deuteronomy 30 where God says to us: I set before you this day, life and death, blessing and cursing. Choose blessing and life!

BILL MATTHEWS

One World Movement
TO BUILD A BETTER WORLD

No Island is an island entire unto itself and jersey has a vital part to play in sharing responsibility for our world.

All of us have a precious part to play in shaping the future and maybe the survival of our planet.

We can rejoice in the riches of our world BUT . . .

issues have to be tackled and tasks embraced before our hopes can become realities.

One World Week addresses these issues:

I. POVERTY

Perhaps our biggest problem but one we can solve given the will. We work together in the International Decade for the Eradication of Poverty.

2. ENVIRONMENT

Our precious planet needs our loving care and we alone can save it.

3. RACISM

Self-interest has shattered human communities but we can rebuild from where we are.

4. OVERSEAS AID

As a rich Island we give less than we could to help others.

5. DEMOCRACY

Effective participation is difficult even for us in Jersey but it is not even an option for too many powerless people.

The One World movement seeks ways of re-educating each other to make a better world a reality for Century 21.

Saturn Falling

One from  the archive from 21 February 2005. This looks at the idea in Neopaganism of "Drawing Down the Moon", and also draws upon the descent of the planetary spirits in C.S. Lewis "That Hideous Strength", but here the object is not the moon but Saturn, in the old solar tongue, known as "Lurga".

Saturn Falling

Come Saturn, ancient planet,
In far distant space, cast a net,
And draw in rings, many bands
Of colour, falling light on lands;
Antiquity rising, now come down,
Cold pressure descending, a gown
Of mystic purpose, heavy burden:
A crushing weight of glory then,
Like mountains of centuries past,
Layered, deep, so huge and vast;
Freezing waters, such biting cold,
Unendurable sorrow, so very old;
Yet strength as well, hard as rock,
As granite walls, the waves do mock,
Fling back the breaking seas, endure:
This is Lurga, ancient of days, sure
To strengthen us with powers blast;
But a fraction of the planet cast,
More would unmake us, take care:
Saturn descending, become aware.