page 3sams.sh/images/sentinel/sentinel_190801.pdf · 2019-08-05 · 2 opinion thursday 01 august...

New National Trust Director

Announced

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Vol. 8, Issue 18 - Price: £1 Thursday 01 August 2019“serving St Helena and her community worldwide”

SENTINELTHE South Atlantic Media Services, Ltd.

Water Consumption Increases, Still No Significant Rains Forecast

Harley Williams Achieves Upper-Class Honours

Eggs-traordinary ProtestCouncillor Beard

to Take Over From Councillor Scipio

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Medical Cannabis Oil to be Legalised

Medical Cannabis Oil to be Legalised

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OPINIONwww.sams.sh Thursday 01 August 2019 | THE SENTINEL 3www.sams.shTHE SENTINEL | Thursday 01 August 2019

Emma Weaver, SAMS

SENTINELCOMMENT

“There are no beaches, it’s expensive to get to, and landings on its cliffside airport get a bit hairy. But damn. I loved beautiful, remote St Helena Island and its people. I thought I might feel stuck there because there is only one flight a week, but I could easily have spent a month there.

“And that’s saying something, because it has the crappiest, most expensive internet I’ve ever experienced – including places like Iran and Antarctica.

“However frustrating, that was also a stark reminder of how much better life could be if people didn’t spend half their lives on their phones[...] So who’s coming with me next time?”

Jurriaan Teulings posted this on Facebook last week, promoting his recent article in the South African magazine FD Persoonlijk.

And his words hit home.Visitor numbers may not be what we

need to see. The link with Johannesburg and the prices of the flights are deterring visitors. And no, things on the island aren’t perfect.

But despite all the difficulties, the visitors that we do have – and the returning Saints like myself who could have stayed abroad but preferred to come home – love St Helena.

I’ll be leaving Saturday for my first holiday since I moved here in January 2017. I’ll be away six weeks – and I already know I’ll miss the island.

The thing is... Although there’s so much opportunity, so many things to see and do (and most importantly, eat!) in the outside world, St Helena owns a memorable and attractive niche market.

The familiarity of the British language, customs and architecture provide a feeling of comfort while the remoteness, disconnectedness and little-known-corner-of-the-world feel of the place, provide a unique experience.

Visitors feel a safety they don’t feel elsewhere. They feel special as they join those in-the-know travellers who have visited this remote gem. They feel a breath of fresh air, literally (in the clean sea air) and figuratively (in being disconnected from technology and experiencing a more relaxed atmosphere).

And increasingly, people around the world are seeking this type of experience.

Most everywhere else in the world today there’s significant turmoil – trade issues, rising crime, technology advancements and addictions... and each country has its own issues too. Brexit is tearing the UK apart, and racial tensions continue to plague politics in South Africa.

So in the midst of all this, the innocent traveller is looking to get away to a place like St Helena; a remote little haven.

Are we sure we know what we’re doing? Are we selling the island off piece by piece, looking happily at each price tag but forgetting the impact of the larger picture?

The thing is, without Freedom of Information or Data Protection it’s difficult for members of the public or the media to form a true idea about the direction the island is going. But within the infamous word on the street, and investigative reporting, there are murmurs.

So what happens if the island is sold off, and everything changes? Is that something we would want? Is that something SHG would alert us was happening? Is that something we would realise, too late, had already happened?

While visitor numbers aren’t yet what we want them to be, the island holds great potential. If we let that potential go – well, it’s reasonable to think things could actually get worse here, despite any initial extra money coming into St Helena. While things aren’t perfect now, we have our culture. We have our prized, niche area within the tourism market that is worth protecting.

This is a critical time for the island. What I really hope, is that the island doesn’t sell itself out. Few unique places like this island exist in the world today – and it would be a shame to lose this ‘Galapagos of the South Atlantic.’

Of course, in past centuries the remoteness of the island meant it was often used as a prison. It’s funny, really, that now travellers are seeking it as a haven. But its good - because with time and the right promotion, certainly the island could attract the growing masses of visitors needed.

But there is one worrying question that’s been playing on our minds at SAMS lately... ‘Who else might be seeking our island as a haven?’

The airport hasn’t just opened us up to more travellers. It’s opened us up to more investment, more globalisation, more scrutiny from the UK taxpayer (and possibly the new British Government). Overall, the airport has made us better connected, but also more vulnerable.

SHG needs to decrease reliance on UK funding and so is encouraging new types and levels of investment. Yet we still lack Freedom of Information and Data Protection.

I fear we’ve all been caught up in the smaller issues – the couple pence increase on fruit juice boxes, etc... but meanwhile, gentle rumblings are trying to warn us that underneath it all, we might be in an era that will take away St Helena’s culture.

We’ve been saying it for years now: St Helena is in an era of change. But people elsewhere are discontented. Groups of people are looking for safer places to live. St Helena wants money and investment, and fast, and is relatively new to the game.

The importance of who invests in our island, and how much investment and what types we allow, is hugely significant. We are new to this level of investment – we could be easy prey for people wanting to snatch up masses of land and change the island from what it is, into a haven for others, potentially creating greater pay gaps between the local population and those moving to the island.

South Atlantic Media Services, Ltd.,The Media Centre, Castle Gardens, Jamestown, St Helena, South Atlantic Ocean, STHL 1ZZ. Tel: 22727E: [email protected], W: www.sams.sh

Last Thursday, St Helenian Harley Williams, the son of Tammy and Gavin Williams of Gordon’s Post, graduated with an upper-class honours bachelor’s degree in environmental science.

Harley studied at Bath Spa University for the past three years. Now, he will continue his academic journey by moving on to a master’s degree programme in environmental management, which will begin in September of this year.

“Being at university for the past three years, have been the best years of my life,” Harley told SAMS. “My experiences have helped me grow as a person and equipped me with essential skills for my future.

“For any fellow Saints considering further education, go for it! I can’t begin to tell you how rewarding the experience is.”

Harley’s graduation last week means that in total, six young St Helenians have earned bachelor’s degrees, with honours, so far in 2019. Congratulations to all graduates and their families and friends.

Donna Crowie, SAMS

Harley Williams Graduates with Upper-

Class Honours

Councillor Beard to Replace Councillor Scipio as ExCo

Member, Chair of EducationDonna Crowie, SAMS

Councillor Clint Beard will be replacing Councillor Christine Scipio as a member of Executive Council and therefore also as Chair of the Education Committee.

Shortly after the opening of Friday’s formal LegCo meeting, the 12 LegCo members elected five of their number to also serve on ExCo.

The LegCo members up for election Friday were Clint Beard, Cruyff Buckley, Anthony Green, Lawson Henry, Derek Thomas and Russell Yon.

Councillor Beard won enough votes from his fellow councillors to take over the ExCo seat that

Councillor Scipio had vacated. This means Councillor Beard will take over Councillor Scipio’s role as Chairperson of the Education Committee.

Meanwhile, the other four ExCo members – Anthony Green, Lawson Henry, Derek Thomas and Russell Yon – were re-elected. Each member will remain Chairperson of the committee they already chaired.

The new ExCo composition officially takes effect Aug. 2.

ExCo elections take place during the second and third years of every Legislative Council’s four-year term – meaning the next elections will take place in one year’s time.

“Several Weeks” of Heavy Rain Needed to

Replenish the Island’s Water

StocksAndrew Turner, SAMS

Although the island’s water levels have risen to 28 days’ supply, conservation of water remains increasing critical.

Significant rain still eludes the island, and consumption has risen.

Reserves have increased only due to increased pumping of water from Jamestown into the larger storage areas at Harper’s, as all pumps are now working 24/7 at full capacity.

Still, the Harper’s earth dam and the two reservoirs in the area are empty. Only Scott’s Mill has water, which is being pumped from Hutt’s Gate and from Jamestown.

Rainfall has still not saturated the ground, and the latest estimates from Connect St Helena show that “several weeks” of heavy rain are needed to replenish stocks.

No such rain is predicted for at least the coming week.

If those worries are not enough, there has been a rise in consumption again over the past week.

The St Helena Resilience Forum is strongly urging the public to reduce water consumption.

The meter that shows just how much water is left in the Reservoirs, the “1” indicates how crucial it is to conserve water

ST HELENA NEWS

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ST HELENA NEWSwww.sams.shTHE SENTINEL | Thursday 01 August 20194 www.sams.sh Thursday 01 August 2019 | THE SENTINEL

ST HELENA NEWS

Executive Council last Tuesday approved the first three projects that will be funded by the Capital Programme – now known as the Economic Development Investment Programme.

The DfID funding will total £30m over the next six years.

The projects approved last week were the Phase One, Year One projects.

At least two of these three initial projects are funding developments within SHG, although SHG said that the private sector will begin to see more impact from the funding during the second half of this financial year.

The first approved project is upgrading SHG’s Information & Communications Technology infrastructure, including increasing storage capacity and increasing the IT services offered to schools.

The second approved project is SHG paying others to help them plan and

First Capital Programme Projects Emma Weaver, SAMS

manage this and any future capital investments.

The third approved project is actually more than one project. SHG has set aside money for “Micro-Projects” – which will be projects that cost £50K or less, can be quickly implemented, will directly support strategic economic development goals and will have broad public benefit.

SHG told The Sentinel that “the actual projects which will fall under the ‘micro-projects budget’ is still to be determined and will go to an ExCo at a later date.”

The Capital Programme historically provided funding for important development projects, and spurred increased private-sector work, especially in the construction sector. The island had not received such funding for a few years, until DfID this year again granted the funding to St Helena.

In December 2016 a Government Landlord House (GLH) burnt at Barracks Square, Jamestown.

Nearly three years later this small, one–bedroom, lower-floor flat has still not been made available for tenancy despite ever-increasing applications on the St Helena Housing Register.

The St Helena Housing Register and Allocations Policy sets out who is eligible for GLH. As of June 2019, 78 people were on the waiting list for GLH.

Back in December 2016 the previous tenant was re-housed, and it seemed then that no more than one month would be required to make the flat

Government Landlord House Still Empty after Three Years

Cyril (Ferdie) Gunnell, SAMShabitable for others.

But a Sentinel investigation last month revealed that “no final decision has been made yet as to making it habitable (as there are issues with the property having to comply with planning requirements).”

When asked to explain, ENRD Director Derek Henry, speaking for the Housing Section (responsible for GLH), said that, “The flat is small and the living spaces would have to meet the minimum requirements in order to be acceptable from a planning perspective.”

But how is it possible, when faced with a growing list of people in desperate need of GLH with some in overcrowded situations, that three

years could lapse before a “final decision” is made?

SHG has said there is a growing need for bachelor flats. At the July 26 formal LegCo Cllr Brian Isaac asked the Chairman, ENRC if he is aware that a bachelor flat in Barracks Square has been vacant for years and in need of renovation.

Cllr Isaac was warned he had strayed away from the original question he had put down on the order paper. But it did appear to listeners that the Chairman had not been made aware of the circumstances surrounding the empty GLH at Barracks Square.

“At least the public is now aware,” Cllr Isaac told The Sentinel.

Minor Driving Offences to be Decriminalised

At the Legislative Council Meeting on July 26 Cllr Brian Isaac proposed a motion to create legislation that would decriminalise certain “minor offences.”

This would mean that certain minor offences such as parking infringements would no longer carry a criminal record and would instead be policed through on-the-spot fines.

This would mean that parking infringements can be more easily policed and that fewer people will have the hindrance of having a criminal record when seeking jobs.

The council also passed this motion unanimously.

The laws, once written, will be made retrospective so that people who already have criminal records for minor offences can have them removed.

Andrew Turner, SAMS

The word on the street recently has been that the MV Helena would be going into unexpected dry dock very soon.

SAMS contacted Andrew Weir Shipping to confirm the rumour, but Andrew Weir said it is not true.

“Unlike the RMS St Helena, who did have to dock every year, the MV Helena only dry-docks every 5 years,” an Andrew Weir representative told SAMS. “[But] as all vessels do, we will be completing general maintenance as well as the class annuals each year.”

‘MV Helena Not Going into Dry Dock’ Donna Crowie, SAMS

“SHG has made a budget provision of £350k for a subsidy to the St Helena Fisheries Corporation (SHFC) for this current financial year. It is anticipated at this stage that operations will continue until an alternative sustainable option is agreed and taken forward,” Financial Secretary Dax Richards told Councillors at the July 26 formal LegCo, in response to questions from Councillor Gavin Ellick on the future plans for the SHFC.

Mr Richards said that SHG recently sought an investor for SHFC to help them find a sustainable solution for a fish processing plant.

“Unfortunately the procurement process did not result in any compliant tenders and the process was therefore brought to an end.”

But according to Mr Richards, SHG has since received alternative interests.

“We are awaiting formal proposals

The UK Government’s Blue Belt Programme, which provides funding and support in St Helena, this week released a report about the highlights of its work in the 2018/2019 Financial Year, and the work plans for 2019/2020.

The Blue Belt Programme advises and supports SHG in finalising establishment of the Category VI Marine Protected Area – MPA – that SHG declared in 2016.

Until SHG fully implements the commitments associated with establishment of the MPA, the waters around St Helena technically remain classified as a 445,000square-km Exclusive Economic Zone rather than

in order to determine whether this is something that can be taken forward quickly, is sustainable for the Island, and is compatible with the St Helena Fisheries Sector Strategy 2016-2025,” Mr Richards said.

But how did SHFC get to this point?When the St Helena Fisheries

Corporation (SHFC) on Nov. 1, 2015 took over the ailing Argos Cold Stores in Rupert’s, they inherited a business associated with massive debt.

Councillors at the time said the decision “ensured the fish processing plant would continue supporting local sales and exports.”

The Argos operation had been losing approximately £250k every year.

The Chairman of Economic Development Committee (EDC), Cllr Lawson Henry, told SAMS Radio 1 that SHG saw potential in the industry, but sustainability depended on increased throughput of fish – requiring 500 tonnes annually “just to break even.” This hasn’t

SHFC to Receive Annual £350,000 for Foreseeable Future

Blue Belt Still Helping SHG Secure Category VI MPA

Cyril (Ferdie) Gunnell, SAMShappened.

When SHFC took over the plant they acquired assets that were over 20 years old. These ageing and inefficient assets have made running of the plant very costly.

The biggest overhead back in 2016 was electricity, at £17,000 a month.

The plan going forward was to look for a smaller factory. Mr Richards said that implementation of the freezer downsizing project will help to reduce electricity costs when completed, however the cost structures are such that without a significant increase in the volume and quality of fish landings, and access to more lucrative markets, the Corporation would need to be heavily subsidised for the foreseeable future.

Mr Richards said that a new site has been earmarked, but he couldn’t give a definitive date as to when the new plant might be built.

“We don’t have funding yet,” he said.

Emma Weaver, SAMSa fully established Category VI MPA.

In order to finalise MPA status, over the past year the Blue Belt Programme has helped enhance research of St Helena’s marine environment and marine species; has helped initiate research into the local grouper population, as little about sustainability of the population is currently known; has provided support for revising the Fisheries Ordinance; has provided funding to train local fishermen and others in new areas of marine work; and has aided the recently successful planning proposal for a marine centre at the Jamestown wharf.

In the coming year, Blue Belt will continue helping SHG increase

protections of St Helena’s marine environment.

Blue Belt in 2019/2020 plans to assist development of a Marine Accreditation Scheme for the island’s marine tourism operators; to help update the Environmental Protection Ordinance; to help assess the impact of sand extraction on the marine environment; to help develop further fisheries legislation; and to aid in further analysis of samples taken on the Royal Research Ship Discovery, which collected a total of 3,629 specimens at Tristan and St Helena earlier this year, to better understand St Helena’s waters.

BLUE HILL COMMUNITY CENTREANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

It was disappointing to note that there were insufficient persons present at the previous AGM to form a quorum and as such a committee was not elected. All Blue Hill residents and Associate Members are therefore urged to attend the Blue Hill Community Centre Annual General Meeting at 7.30pm on Wednesday 7th August 2019.

6

ST HELENA NEWSwww.sams.sh Thursday 01 August 2019 | THE SENTINEL 7

ST HELENA NEWSwww.sams.shTHE SENTINEL | Thursday 01 August 2019

The 2017/18 Financial Statements of the St Helena National Trust were scrutinised during Monday afternoon’s formal session of the St Helena Public Accounts Committee.

The session was held one week before the rest of the PAC items scheduled for this coming Monday, because the Trust’s current Director, Jeremy Harris, departs the island Saturday.

There were few new questions since last year’s accounts, with questions focused on policies for personal use of Trust vehicles, and on procurement policies.

A small crowd gathered around the entrance to the Castle, Jamestown on Wednesday morning to witness island egg producer Rodney Yon’s one-man protest against the continued importation of eggs and chicks to St Helena.

He stood outside the Castle just after 10am, banging a shovel and pipe together and adorned, over his regular clothing, in an empty all-mash feed bag.

Around him lay broken eggs and scattered sheets of egg-yolk smudged paper bearing phrases such as “It’s only Government money, who cares,” “Clueless” and “Government Give Chicken Farmer’s

Jeremy, who appeared before the PAC Monday, is scheduled to depart St Helena this weekend after three months prior announcing his resignation from the Trust. Jeremy will be moving to Scotland for new employment.

On Wednesday the Trust announced that its new Director - Tara-Jane Sutcliffe - will arrive from the UK Sept. 16.

After Jeremy’s departure and before the new Director arrives, National Trust and Blue Marine Employee Beth Taylor will serve as the Trust’s Temporary Director.

a Monthly Pay.”The one-man protest is said to have

occurred after Roddy met with EDC to speak against Solomons continuing to import eggs and Government importing batches of 1,000 chicks to the island. Recently, the shops have been packed with eggs – in contrast to a year or two prior – and word is that local egg producers like himself are struggling in the now-over-saturated egg market.

The Police arrived at the scene just after 10:30am and said they were going to arrest Roddy, but Roddy questioned the grounds for arrest, and was soon afterward seen driving away from the scene in his own car.

SHNT Financial Statements Scrutinised as Current

Director Prepares to Depart

Eggs-traordinary Event Wednesday as Man Protests

Chick/Egg Importation

Andrew Turner, SAMS

Mic-Kail Harris, SAMS

Last month SHG issued a press release stating that Hand Foot & Mouth disease had appeared on St Helena and was affecting young children.

After more recently hearing that adults on St Helena were also coming down with similar symptoms, SAMS contacted SHG.

SHG last week confirmed that the disease can be contracted by anyone, although it is most common in children.

The symptoms are usually the same in adults as in children. However, symptoms can be more severe in adults, who may experience for instance more blisters and ulcers. The recommendations for treatment are the same for children and adults.

The symptoms are cold-like and include loss of appetite, cough and a moderately high temperature of around 38-39°C (100.4-102.2°F).

Symptoms also include non-itchy red rashes, made up of spots or small, fluid-filled sacs that usually develop on the hands and feet but may also occur on the knees, elbows, groin and buttocks – sometimes the rash can develop into painful blisters. Symptoms may also include painful mouth ulcers.

To help with the symptoms, doctors suggest drinking fluids to prevent dehydration; avoiding acidic drinks such as fruit juice; eating soft foods like soup; avoiding hot and spicy foods; and taking Paracetamol or Ibuprofen to help ease the sore mouth or throat.

Please avoid contact with others if you have symptoms, as Hand Foot & Mouth Disease is highly contagious.

SHG asks that people with these symptoms please avoid going to the outpatients, clinics or the Hospital, but please instead telephone for advice.

Hand Foot & Mouth: What You

Need to KnowDonna Crowie, SAMS

Under questions from Cllr Dr Corinda Essex at the July 26 Legislative Council meeting, Financial Secretary Dax Richards gave an update on how SHG is planning to spend the six-year £30m Economic Development Investment Programme (EDIP), which was formerly known as the Capital Programme.

Mr Richards said that to make best use of the EDIP funding, SHG developed four key themes intended to make the most of opportunities provided by the airport and impending cable connectivity.

These themes will include projects that allow further progress towards:

Developing the Island’s transport and logistics infrastructure;

Developing the Island’s visitor economy infrastructure;

Developing the Island’s private sector and human capital;

Developing and modernising how the Island functions in the 21st century.

Mr Richards said SHG has adopted a

At the Legislative Council meeting Friday, July 26 council passed a motion to begin work on legalising cannabis oil for medical use on St Helena.

The motion was proposed by Cllr Brian Isaac.

When speaking to the bill, Cllr Isaac pointed out that cannabis oil had been used medically throughout history and had even been prescribed to Queen Victoria.

“Cannabis oil has been used as a medicine for thousands of years all over the world,” he said. “It was a common form of medication in the UK and was even given to Queen Victoria to relieve her period pain.”

Cllr Isaac made the case that denying the use of cannabis oil is a potential human rights issue under the ‘right to a healthy life’ that is enshrined in the St Helena Constitution. He said

“comprehensive and robust appraisal and governance system” for the whole of the six-year programme, “to ensure we get the best value and impact out of the limited resources available.”

For the first year SHG has proposed a portfolio of early-win, confidence and capacity-building projects that can kick-start the programme and bring some immediate benefits to the local private sector.

“These projects are being developed in phases, with the 1st phase having been approved by ExCo earlier this week, which included a microprojects budget, ICT infrastructure and technical capacity to enable the delivery of the projects within the programme,” Mr Richards said. “We appreciate it might not feel that these projects will have the level of impact that is anticipated however this is the first of several projects and allows momentum to be built.”

Mr Richards said that towards the end of August, Phase 2 will be presented to ExCo for approval.

St Helena should not bar people from getting the best possible treatment.

Many council members spoke in favour of the bill. Councillor Cruyff Buckley went as far as to propose that council should consider legalising

Financial Secretary Reveals Plans for £30m EDIP

Cannabis Oil to be Legalised for Medical Use

Cyril (Ferdie) Gunnell, SAMS

Andrew Turner, SAMS

“For this phase we would expect to see a more significant amount of activity on the ground as a result,” he said. “It is envisaged that approval will be sought to progress Rupert’s development including the rock fall protection in both Rupert’s and Jamestown.”

According to Mr Richards, Phase 3 will be brought forward for approval shortly after, and will include the start of projects to address sewerage issues in HTH and Bottom Woods to open up new housing developments in both areas, and improve water security on-island through increased storage.

St Helena was without a Capital Programme/EDIP for three years. In April 2019 the UK Government informed SHG they would provide up to £30m over the next six years – £15m committed for the next three years (2019/20-2021/22), followed by a mid-point review to unlock the remaining £15m investment indicatively planned for the following three years (2021/22-2024/25).

the drug more widely, saying that the law should “stop making criminals out of our young people.”

However some members wanted to wait for the UK to fully legalise cannabis for medical use before doing so here. For instance Public Health Committee Chair Cllr Derek Thomas pointed out that although the UK had legalised cannabis oil for medical use, it was only for an interim period to gather data and he recommended that Council wait for the UK to make a final decision before legalising locally.

Cllr Gavin Ellick responded to this call by saying that councillors only follow the UK “when it suits them,” and said that council was in no way required to follow the UK practices on this issue.

Despite strong opinions on both sides, the motion was passed unanimously.

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8

INTERNATIONAL NEWSwww.sams.sh Thursday 01 August 2019 | THE SENTINEL www.sams.sh

‘Rainfall has rocketed’: the remote weathermen charting the climate crisis

Mike MacEacheran, The Guardian

At 11.15am on a blustery spring morning, Lori Bennett stands on an exposed bluff on the remote south Atlantic island of St Helena, holding a gigantic, wobbling balloon. The wind is roaring, waves are churning up a swell and the sea air is charged with industrial hydrogen pumped from a nearby outhouse and used for blowing up the inflatable.

The Met Office station manager, born in Northern Ireland and now living half a world away from his friends and family in Swindon, is a picture of calm in a drab boiler suit, old ski goggles and a flash hood he jokingly calls his “Star Wars outfit”. Moments later, he prepares to let the weather balloon slip from his fingers. Swinging it around, so that it lifts straight up rather than floating across the weather station car park, he is soon watching it jiggle steadily upwards before it disappears into the clouds.

“They’ve been known to scare the life out of pilots,” says Bennett, flipping his goggles off. “But out here in the middle of nowhere we don’t get many planes.” As well as launching the balloon in 45-knot winds that “can pull your arm off”, Bennett’s main worry is the hydrogen used to fill it. A spark of static could detonate the gas inside the warehouse and violently blow the doors clean off. “You wouldn’t walk

away from that,” he says, matter-of-factly.

Sometimes, it is easy to forget the lengths to which meteorologists go to bring us forecasts: telemetry instruments and synoptic codes don’t really figure in the chitchat of TV weather presenters such as Carol Kirkwood and Tomasz Schafernaker. But as the climate crisis gains new urgency, our understanding of weather systems and patterns is more important than ever – and the weathermen working here are key to that. Among the last in the world to use such analogue methods as weather balloons, they are guardians of a dying art.

The Met Office has five other operational locations outside the UK (Antarctica, from October to April; Ascension Island and the Falkland Islands in the south Atlantic; Gibraltar and Cyprus), but none as unreachable as this tiny British overseas territory. The far-flung volcanic outpost doesn’t just filter data into global forecasts to help predict whether your summer bank holiday will be a washout; it plays a vital role in tracking how our climate is changing over time. Added to that, the south Atlantic is a hotbed of geomagnetic activity – something many experts believe is a factor driving the climate emergency. Crammed into Bottom Woods station, little more than a humble portable at the end of the Earth, are complex instruments sounding a warning to anyone who will listen.

After precisely 90 minutes, Bennett’s balloon reaches a height of 100,000ft (30,480m), where the air temperature hovers around -80C; the giant latex ball has stretched to the size of a two-storey house. It is used only once and will eventually burst somewhere on the edge of the stratosphere, but not before a mini weather station, known as a radiosonde and attached to the neck of the balloon, can relay back data on temperature, moisture, pressure, visibility and radiation. With Whitney Houston’s One Moment In Time drifting out of the weather station’s FM radio, it is the oddest science

lesson you could imagine. Bennett sometimes imagines himself flying away with the blimp, he says, like the balloon salesman Carl Fredricksen and his cartoon house in Disney’s Up: “Just working in this quiet place gives me the freedom to dream.”

As the wind continues to whirl across the balloon launch site, the station manager introduces me to the rest of the team. St Helena’s weather station has been operational since September 1976.

Technical manager and islander Marcos Henry, 58, has been working at the station since leaving school at 16. He says the balloon procedure – one daily launch, always at 11.15am – is effectively the same as it was 43 years ago. The weather never stops, he says, although he notes that they used to launch two balloons a day, before cost-cutting measures started to bite. Sunday is now launch-free – and sometimes the four-man team are stretched.

Today, Marcos is joined by 28-year-old Murray Henry, his island-born cousin, but not Garry Mercury, another (appropriately named) scientific observer; he is at the dentist with toothache. If there are any further staffing issues, one of the local binmen has been trained to act as a substitute. “You can’t really put a value on what we do here,” says Marcos, as a gritty light begins to spill through the clouds. “We have a collective responsibility to gather information, because it affects people’s lives every day – we’re the frontline in Atlantic forecasting.”

I follow the three men into the office, which is topped with VHF antennae and fortified with a clunky array of instruments, including a broken anemometer that once measured wind speed, an obsolete sunshine recorder and a bank of computers that transmit data back to Met Office HQ in Exeter. It feels like a place that exists in a different era. “Satellites only do so much,” says Marcos, with one eye on the readings coming in from the balloon. “Honestly, there’s still nothing as reliable as a land-based station.”

The St Helena unit is just one of

190 stations that make up the Global Climate Observing System (GCOS), which is co-run by the UN, Unesco, the International Science Council and the World Meteorological Organisation to monitor activity in the Earth’s upper atmosphere. As a key station in the south Atlantic, its data is vital for climatological studies, and its old-school methods have made the men unlikely rock stars on the island. “Everyone wants to see the big balloon,” says Bennett.

St Helena is 5,000 miles from the problems of Brexit Britain, boasts black-sand beaches, Galapagos-like giant tortoises and all manner of indigenous birds. Yet that is mixed with reassuringly familiar snapshots of the UK: homes in the British overseas territory are decorated with pictures of the Queen, shops stocked with bottles of HP Sauce and cans of Irn-Bru.

What also characterises the island is its topographical weirdness. With its odd mesh of rainforests and moon-like tablelands, the landscape changes abruptly from Yorkshire Dale to Jurassic Park, while the night skies are a blowout of frighteningly bright nebula. Small wonder Bennett – as well as Charles Darwin and Edmond Halley – fell for the place. As in the UK, there is plenty of talk about the weather, too.

Have its forecasters noticed signs of the climate crisis? Bennett says he has little doubt. The wettest day since the weather station opened came last February, with 49mm of rain in just 24 hours. Marcos remembers a time growing up on the island when streams flowed freely; recently, they have dried and turned to dust. “There have been landslides and rock falls, too,” he says. In the 90s, the island recorded 4,543mm of rain, a figure that soared to 5,148mm over the following decade. So far, from 2010 to this March, the weathermen have seen levels rocket beyond anything on record.

One complex meteorological instrument under the team’s watch is the Marvelesque Sun Sky Lunar Multispectral Photometer, which feeds into a global network to monitor pollutants in the atmosphere; growing levels are a clear indicator of how we need to change our habits. There is also an automated radionuclide station, which recently picked up nuclear particles from the Fukushima Daiichi disaster in 2011, and continues to search for evidence of nuclear tests.

Across the island, in the air traffic

control tower overlooking St Helena’s airport, another Met Office scientist, Timothy Baker, is contemplating the same clouds. The meteorologist has been at his desk since 4am creating a forecast to ensure the safe arrival of the biweekly aircraft from Johannesburg, the island’s principal connection with the outside world. (The airport opened for commercial flights in 2017.) His hope is that the bank of low stratus to the south will relent in time, otherwise the plane will have to turn around, 1,100 miles into its journey.

“It’s a complex place because of how quickly the weather can change,” he says, as radio static from a console begins to cut through his words. “Four seasons in one day? It’s more like 12. It can flip from sunshine to thick fog within minutes. Sometimes, they can’t see the fuel barrels on the apron [where planes are parked] from five metres.”

As I come to realise, the usual norms rarely apply here. Along with a colleague at Heathrow and a handful scattered around RAF bases, Baker is in the unusual position of being a weatherman embedded at an airport, working in tandem with the Bottom Woods team. Other airports rely solely on remote forecasts.

On the day I leave, clouds are billowing over Diana’s Peak, the mountain that looms to the west of the airport. The plane accelerates and all I can think of is the ends-of-the-Earth weathermen, enveloped in cloud, predicting sun patterns, rain showers and crosswinds. We have become so used to weather updates on TV, radio and phones that we have stopped seeing the act’s grandeur. To visit St Helena – to see Bennett, Marcos and Murray launch their balloons into space – is a chance to glimpse that absorbing strangeness once again.

The Met Office team on a south Atlantic island reveal the extreme lengths they go to in order to forecast the weather

July 26, 2019

INTERNATIONAL NEWSTHE SENTINEL | Thursday 01 August 2019 9

Marvin at the Weather Station

David Giles Conducting Checks with the MET Station Team

www.sams.sh

Harford Primary School Prize Presentation and Open Day

Harford Primary School, Contributed

Harford Primary School hosted their annual Prize Presentation and Open Day on Tuesday, 30th July 2019. As usual, Harford Community Centre over flowed with parents and invited guests all keen to support the school and celebrate their children’s achievements.

The event started at 10 o’clock, with a welcome from Mrs Carlean Crowie, the school’s Head Teacher. The children then took centre stage entertaining the audience with a variety of songs, dances and short plays. Year 5 and 6 performed a drama entitled ‘Wonder Land’, Nursery sang ‘If Your Happy And You Know It’ with a twist, Year 1 and 2 did the ‘Sid dance’, Reception sang ‘Alice The Camel Has Ten Humps’, Year 4 did a dance to the song ‘Hung Up’ which included some of their favourite memories, Year 2 sang ‘A Million Dreams’ with singing hands and Year 3 ended the entertainment with a play called ‘Revolting Cinderella’.

The Prize Presentation then commenced, with prizes awarded for best effort and highest achievement in Literacy and Mathematics, for Reception class through to Year 5. Year 6 pupils’ were awarded prizes for highest achievement and best effort in all subject areas, as it is their final

year of their primary schooling. The pupil of the Year award was awarded to Bobbi Clingham, who showed excellence in behaviour, social and academic areas, throughout the year.

In closing the Prize Presentation, the school was then opened to the public for viewing, where pupils excitedly waited to share their learning, their classes and their school with their family and friends.

All at Harford Primary School would

like to take this opportunity to thank all for taking the time to support our school and most importantly for valuing our pupils’ hard work and learning.

www.sams.sh

HOME & GARDENTHE SENTINEL | Thursday 01 August 2019 1110

SCHOOL PAGEThursday 01 August 2019 | THE SENTINEL

Ham & Cheese Round

Ingredients• 640g frozen ready roll

puff pastry (thawed beforehand but still cold) 4 tbsp. All Gold Tomato Sauce

• 1 tsp. paprika • 1-2 tbsp. freshly chopped

parsley leaves (or basil or combination of both)

• 8 – 12 fairly thin slices ham (local ham is particularly tasty)

• 250g grated Gouda cheese (Cheddar will also do)

• 1 lg egg (slightly beaten)• 1 tsp. rock salt (Himalayan rock

salt is available)• Sesame seeds for

sprinkling (if available, or use a few poppy seeds) *Optional: Medium onion (very finely chopped and fried)

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C Fan/Gas mark 6. Line a large baking tray with strong baking paper.

2. Working on the baking paper for easy handling, unroll both pieces of pastry joining two of the short ends to make one long rectangular piece. Press the two edges together firmly to seal.

3. Mix ketchup, fresh herbs and paprika together in a small bowl * plus onion if used - then spread over one side of the pastry, leaving approx. 1 – 2 cms free around the edges. Lay slices of ham on top, followed by the grated cheese. 4. Roll up the pastry starting from the long edge and as firmly as possible - like when making a Swiss Roll. (Make a first narrow fold and pinch together

firmly). 5. Press the two ends together to create a ring. Place the pastry ring on the prepared baking tray.

6. Using a sharp knife, cut 2 - 3cm-width slits around the outside edges, making sure not to go all the way through. Gently pull and twist each section of pastry and lay the slices on their side, exposing the swirly filling to resemble a “crown.”

7. Brush the top of the pastry with beaten egg and sprinkle with rock salt and sesame seeds. Bake in the oven for 35 to 45 minutes. (Ovens vary so make sure pastry is cooked through, well browned and and very crispy on top). Once out of the oven, leave to cool slightly on the baking tray.

SERVE: Cut off separate “wedges” and eat warm.

The original recipe “Ham and Cheese Crown” was demonstrated by Nadiya Hussain (winner of the Great British Bake-Off in 2015) on her Family Favourites programme re-broadcast on local TV a few months back. This version has been adapted to use ingredients available on island. Although shop bought frozen pastry is fairly expensive, it saves time

and effort; the end result is a tasty alternative to pizza; for lunch or brunch or even a party food.

Pamela Lawrence,Contributed

www.sams.sh

PUZZLE TIME:

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National Spider-Man Day (Aug. 1)In the US, Aug. 1 is National Spider-Man Day. Spider-Man proved anyone can be a

superhero, and Spider-Man’s popularity has hardly waned since 1962. How will you celebrate Spider-Man Day?

National Spider-Man National Spider-Man

Name: Date:

2. Wilson Fisk3. Adoptive mother of Peter Parker.4. Villain forever bonded with any sand he comes in

contact with.5. Team of Superheroes8. Villain with ability to control, manipulate, and project

electricity by command.10. Sentient alien Symbiote who survives by bonding with

a host, usually human.

ACROSS1. Spider-man6. Green Goblin7. Adrian Toomes9. Villain with helmet made of one-way plexiglas11. "With great power, there must also come--great

responsibility."12. Villain that suffered an accident that fused a harness

to his body.

AUNT MAY KINGPIN VULTURE NORMAN OSBORNPETER PARKER SANDMAN MYSTERIO AVENGERSUNCLE BEN VENOM DOCTOR OCTOPUS ELECTRO

1 2 3 4

5 6

7 8

9

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DOWN

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1. He’s relatableSuperman is an alien and Batman is rich beyond

measure, but Peter Parker is the everyday highschool kid we all were at some point. By creating a hero that we identify with, Marvel managed to inspire all of us to do our part for the good of the community. We just have to figure out how to do it without super strength of spidey sense.

2. He's made for the silver screenWhen comic book movies had a resurgence in the

early 21st century, Spider-Man led the way. The 2002 release of Spider-Man led to gross income of nearly $822 million worldwide. Its sequel in 2004 raked in almost $784 million, while the third installment in 2007 broke all previous records with gross income just shy of $891 million worldwide.

3. He teaches us great life lessonsFrom the iconic quote “with great power comes

great responsibility” to learning humility, Spider-Man has reminded a generation of some core life lessons. His ability to not take credit for the good he does and his commitment to always be himself serve as a model for all of us to follow.

www.sams.sh

BAHA’I FAITHwww.sthelenabahai.org

Saturday 3rd August 20190915 – 1000

Sabbath School Programme1000 – 1045 Group Bible Study

1100 – 1200 Divine Service1400 – 1500 Masterguide, Pathfinders & Adventurers

Every WednesdayWednesday 7th August

1930 – 2030 Prayer MeetingAll are Welcome

For further information contact:Pastor Paul Millin Tel No 22267

DIOCESE OF SAINT HELENA

The Cathedral Parish of St Paul

Sunday 4 August - 18 Sunday of the Year

8.00 a.m. Reserved Sacrament Cathedral

BAPTIST CHURCH

“O Son of Man!Neglect not My commandments if thou

lovest My beauty, and forget not My counsels if thou wouldst attain My good

pleasure.”-Baha’i Scripture

DEVOTIONAL MEETINGBAHA’I CENTRE

Gumwoods8pm

THURSDAY EVENINGS

ALL ARE WELCOMETelephone 24342

Sunday ServiceSunday - 4th August

Jamestown Chapel 2.30 pmNo services will be held in the Sandy

Bay and Head O’Wain Chapels.

Bible StudiesTuesday - 6th August

Jamestown Chapel 7.00 pmThursday - 8th August

Sandy Bay Chapel 5.30 pm

ALL ARE WELCOME

For further information contact:Tel No 24644 or 24438

Activities at the Army this weekend

FRIDAY 2ND AUGUST 2019 ‘QUALITY SECONDS’ SHOP & CAFÉ

OPEN FROM 10AM TO 1PM.

SUNDAY 4TH AUGUST 2019MORNING WORSHIP AT THE HALF

TREE HOLLOW HALL AT 11AM. ALL ARE WELCOME.

EVERY WEDNESDAY EVENING PRAYER MEETING AND BIBLE

STUDY AT THE HALF TREE HOLLOW HALL AT 7.30PM. ALL ARE

WELCOME.

There is always a warm welcome for you at the Salvation Army.

If you would like to know more about The Salvation Army’s activities, contact Majors Nhlanhla and Priscilla Ziqubu

on telephone Nos 22543/22703.

Take care and God bless.

Prayer MeetingSaturday the 3rd August at 8am at the home of Anthony and Elaine

Hopkins at Sapperway.

Praise and Worship serviceAt No 3 Unit Longwood Enterprise Park on Sunday 4th August at 11am

Sunday School at 11:30am.

Cell Meetings Sandy Bay at 6pm on Tuesday 6th August also at Cape Villa at 5pm.

Wednesday 7th AugustAt No 3 Unit Longwood Enterprise

Park at 7:30pm and also at the home of Anthony and Elaine Hopkins at

Sapperway.

The Christian bookshop and DVD rental will be open from 10:30am to

12 noon on Saturday 3rd August.

For further information contact 23249 or 62552

10.00 a.m. Sung Eucharist and Baptism Cathedral3.30 p.m. Reserved Sacrament St Peter

Thursday 8 August10.00 a.m. Eucharist St Swithins


8.00 a.m. Eucharist Cathedral9.30 a.m. Reserve Sacrament St Martin11.15 a.m. Reserved Sacrament St Helena and the Cross5.30 p.m. Choral Evensong Cathedral

The Parish of St James


9.30 a.m. Sung Eucharist St James3.30 p.m. Eucharist St Michael

Thursday 8 August7.00 p.m. Eucharist with Healing St John


9.30 a.m. Sung Eucharist St John

Parish of St Matthew


11.15 a.m. Sung Eucharist St Mark

Tuesday 6 August7.00 p.m. Eucharist St Marks


11.15 a.m. Sung Eucharist St Mark

FAITH MATTERSTHE SENTINEL | Thursday 01 August 2019 1312

TIME OUTThursday 01 August 2019 | THE SENTINEL

14

NOTICE BOARDwww.sams.sh Thursday 01 August 2019 | THE SENTINEL 15

SPORTS ARENAwww.sams.shTHE SENTINEL | Thursday 01 August 2019

NOTICE BOARDwww.sams.shTHE SENTINEL | Thursday 01 August 2019

The Saint Helena Government wishes to invite suitably experienced contractors to submit tenders for the following contract-

Refurbishment Works of No.6 & No.7, RE Yard, Ladder Hill

Copies of the tender documents can be obtained fromMiss Tiffany LawrenceProcurement OfficerEssex HouseJamestownTelephone No: 22270 or email tiffany.lawrence@

sainthelena.gov.shA site visit to view the works will take place on

Thursday, 25 July 2019, at 10am, meeting at the RE Yard, Ladder Hill.

If you are unable to attend the site visit during this time, please contact the Procurement Officer to arrange another date & time.

Should you require any further details, please contact the Civil Engineer, Mr Christopher Peters, on telephone number 22270 or email [email protected].

Completed tenders should be placed in the Tender Box at Essex House by 12noon on Thursday, 08 August 2019.

Interested parties should note that this opportunity is not being advertised overseas.

Invitation to Tender

VACANCY FOR AUXILIARY WORKERThe successful person will be responsible to the Head teacher. The main responsibilities of the post

will be for the supervision of pupils before and after school, during mid-morning and lunch periods and to accompany and supervise nursery pupils being transported home at mid-day.

The ideal candidate must display a caring and sensitive attitude towards children, be energetic, enthusiastic, self-motivated and able to carry out instructions given by the Head Teacher. A sense of responsibility is also essential.

Salary for the post is at Grade A.1, commencing £5,713 per annum.For further details and a full job description for this post, interested persons should contact Miss Elaine

Benjamin, Headteacher, Pilling Primary School, Education & Employment Directorate on telephone number 22540 or email [email protected]

Application forms are available from the Education & Employment Directorate and Corporate Human Resources and should be completed and submitted, through Directors where applicable, to the Human Resources Officer at the Education Learning Centre or e-mail [email protected] by no later than 4pm on Wednesday, 7 August 2019.

The Education & Employment Directorate is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and expects all staff to uphold these principles. All appointments are subject to a satisfactory medical check and vetting or DBS Disclosure and references. SHG reserves the right to have information provided on the application form independently verified.

PUBLIC NOTICE

Invites you, your family & friends to theirFamily Guest Service

PLACE: JAMESTOWN CHAPELDATE: SUNDAY 4th AUGUST 2019

TIME: 2.30 PM

COME AONG AND JOIN IN FOR AN AFTERNOON OF WORSHIP and FELLOWSHIP

Followed by fellowship tea

ALSO THERE WILL BE GUEST SINGERS TO BRING YOU SOME INSPIRING GOSPEL MUSIC

LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU THERE!

Tel Nos 24438 & 24644

The Baptist Church

The Education & Employment Directorate has the following obsolete items for sale by tender on an “as is” basis. Interested persons are asked to contact the relevant personnel for further information as below.

Venue: Prince Andrew School: Contact: Mr Stuart Leo, Caretaker on Tel no. 24290Viewing of items will be held, on Monday, 12 August and Tuesday, 13 August 2019 from 10.00 am – 2.00 pm.

Samsung VHS Video Player Hi Logic Pdcsv-2158 1Washing Machine Hotpoint FEW12 114” TV And VHS Player Combined 1Toshiba Text TV Screen 1Defy Dryer 1Defy 731t Termofan Elac Stove 4 Burner 1Defy Gas Stove 6 Burner 1Flavel Gas Stove 4 Burner 1Debut Gas Stove 4 Burner 1Ocean Gas Stoves 4 Burner 2Bosch Cordless Drill With Charger 1Atlas Copco Drill 240v 1Black & Decker Drill 240v 1Motive Fitness Cross Trainer 2BH Fitness Treadmills 2

Venue: Scotts Mill, Francis Plain Gut: Contact: Mr Kurt Thomas, Senior Stores Clerk on Tel. no 22607Viewing of items will be held, on Monday, 12 August and Tuesday, 13 August 2019 from 10.00 am – 2.00 pm.

Ferguson TX TV Screens 2Toshiba TV Screen 1ATUNG TV Screen on stand 1LG TV Screen & Tape combo 1LG TV Screen & Tape combo 1Toshiba TV Screen 1JVC TV Screen 1Gold Star TV Screen 1Amcar Air conditioner 1Portable Air conditioners 2Desk and Pedestal Fans 5Red Conference Chairs with Arm rests 3 lots of 4Blue Conference Chairs 2Maroon Office swivel chair 1Red Office swivel chair 1Blue Office swivel Chairs 2Coomber Radio/ Tape Players 3CD/Cassette player Radios 3Bathroom Scales (Various Makes) 2Table top LEC Fridge 1LG Under counter Fridge 1Hotpoint (first edition )Fridge/ Freezer 1Table Top BECKO compact Cooker (2 plate burner and oven) 3Paper Trimmer 1Comb binder 1White Flip Chart Stand 1 Tenders should be sent in writing to Mrs Joanne Jonas, Finance Officer, Education Learning Centre, Jamestown

or by e-mail to [email protected] by no later than 4pm, on Friday, 23 August 2019.

TENDER NOTICE

16

SPORTS ARENAwww.sams.sh Thursday 01 August 2019 | THE SENTINEL 17


NOTICE BOARDwww.sams.sh Thursday 01 August 2019 | THE SENTINEL


Recycle your washing up

water to water your garden.

Notice of Music Event

THIS FRIDAY 2nd August at the Muleyard.

L

Visiting guest artist Donald WG Lindsay is a Scottish musician and singer and musical instrument designer/inventor on his way through to Ascension. He will be playing and singing his own and traditional Scottish songs accompanied by his 17-year-old son Ryall on percussion and other local players.

Free entry. All welcome. Donations for The Duke of Edinburgh Playground Appeal

Live Music

with Donald Lindsay

7pm

The following is a public announcement from the St Helena Public Accounts Committee:

A formal session of the St Helena Public Accounts Committee (PAC) will take place at 9.30am in the Council Chamber on Monday, 5 August 2019.

The programme of business will include the 2017/18 Financial Statements of the St Helena Government, St Helena Currency Fund, St Helena Fisheries Corporation and Enterprise St Helena.

Members of the public and interested persons are invited to attend.

The meeting will be broadcast live via SAMS Radio 1.

PUBLIC ACCOUNTS COMMITTEE MEETINGMONDAY, 5 AUGUST 2019

PUBLIC NOTICEVACANCY FOR A TEMPORARY TEACHER

The Education & Employment Directorate is seeking to employ a suitable person to work in the Primary Sector on a temporary basis for the period 2nd September 2019 – 13th December 2019. The successful application will be required to teach all subjects across the primary curriculum,

Please note that the opportunity for this post is advertised locally.

Applicants must have qualified teaching status and recent experience in teaching would be advantageous. The ideal candidate must be self-motivated and have good interpersonal skillsRate of pay for this role will be dependent on qualifications and experience, on the Directorates Scheme of Service ranges from £10,550 - £18,114 per annum.

The Education & Employment Directorate is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and expects all staff to uphold these principles. All appointments are subject to a satisfactory medical check and vetting or DBS Disclosure.

For further details regarding this post and a full job description, interested persons should contact Miss Elaine Benjamin, Headteacher Pilling Primary School on telephone number 22540 or e-mail [email protected]

Application forms which are available from Education & Employment Directorate and Corporate Human Resources should be completed and submitted, through Directors where applicable, to the Human Resources Officer at the Education Learning Centre or e-mail [email protected] by no later than 4pm on Tuesday, 13 August 2019.

SHG positively accepts applications from all members of the community regardless of race, gender, disability, age, sexual orientation, religion or belief, and will consider all applications on the basis of merit, in accordance with the person specification. All disabled applicants meeting the minimum criteria listed in the job profile will be guaranteed an interview.

Falkland Building Services are looking to employ an HGV Driver preferably with Plant Operator experience.

The successful candidate must have a flexible approach to work as the job is varied and in the summer months the working hours will be maximised and overtime hours will be available. An immediate start would be advantageous. Successful applicants must hold a full clean driving licence, and be of clean sober habits.

For further information on the above posts contact Roy Smith, Construction Director on 00500 27605 or email your CV with a covering letter to [email protected]

Glad Tidings magazine will help you understand the Bible and how God’s plan for His future Kingdom on earth will affect you. If you would like it delivered FREE for 6 months - fill in these details and send them to the address below.

Your Name (BLOCK CAPITALS please)

___________________________________________________________________

Address ________________________________________________________

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______________________________________ Country ___________________

Write for the offer to:CBM, C/o Apartment 9, Scarlet Oak, 911-913

Warwick Rd,Solihull,UK,B91 3EP

GladTidingsOF THE KINGDOM OF GOD

18





AGRICULTURE AND NATURAL RESOURCES DIVSION, SCOTLAND, ST HELENA, SOUTH ATLANTIC OCEAN, STHL 1ZZ

July 2019

Crop Watch This is the first in what will be a regular article focusing on crop production on St Helena. The aim is to give the readers up to date information on what’s going on in the fields, and to help farmers and gardeners get the most out of their crops.

ANRD Agronomist Edward (Ted) Whitton has been on the island since the beginning of July. His role is to assist producers to improve crop production.

“Prior to working here I have spent more than ten years as a farmer in the UK. Although the conditions on St Helena are certainly unique my experience on the “sharp end” of farming has given me a good understanding of the business of crop production, not just the science.”

Ted is here with his wife and two sons; William (4) and Bertie (3 months).

Please do not hesitate to contact Ted with any crop related queries. Contact Details are below.

Drought Dry weather continues to be the main theme in crops. Remember if you want to water your crops during the hosepipe ban you will need to apply to Connect for an exemption. You may have your garden assessed for water need.

If you want to know how best to utilise limited water supplies then contact Farmer Support (24724) at ANRD for irrigation advice.

Drought and water shortage will continue to be a problem in the future due to Climate Change. It is well worth considering how to use water as efficiently as possible, and this will have the added benefit of saving money on your water bill. Techniques like drip irrigation, maintaining green cover, using compost and manure, and minimising soil disturbance will save water and can increase production from your land.

Pests With the dry weather and high daytime temperatures pest and disease are a bigger problem this winter than they have been in the past. Be aware of Potato Tuber Moth (PTM) and protect seed tubers in an insect proof container prior to planting. Plant quickly to minimise exposure and mole up well. Remember that moth and its worm are trying desperately to get to your tubers!

Whitefly and rust mite is also taking advantage of the weather. Contact Pest Control for bio and chemical control options. Don’t leave it too late. As soon as you

think you might have seen whitefly; treat it! Organic and chemical options are available and there are some very effective techniques you can adopt to reduce the population.

Potato Blight Potato Blight is present in all the potatoes inspected. It is important to take an “Integrated” approach to controlling blight; a method known as IPM (Integrated Pest Management). With potato crops that are waiting to be planted or yet to come up it is important to invest in controlling the disease if you want to maximise production.

If you are aiming to farm without pesticides you must search out blight resistant varieties (call ANRD for a list of suitable ones).

Everyone needs to be careful to plant clean seed, and you must destroy all waste tubers, weed potatoes and weed tomatoes; all these are sources of Blight. Remember a weed potato in your patch could be a source of infection for the neighbours’ potatoes too.

Sprays are an important part of an IPM system. The correct ones must be applied at the correct timing. ANRD will be very happy to advise you on this. But be aware; sprays are all protectors, once the crop has blight it is too late. If you are going to spray you need to start early and spray every 7 to 10 days.

Fertiliser And some good news; good value fertiliser is now available from Thorpes. Urea (Nitrogen), MAP (phosphate) and MOP (Murate of Potash) supply the main nutrients needed for crop growth and are highly concentrated compared to what’s been previously available. They are also cheaper! They are suitable for all the crops we grow in soil. If you would like to know how to make best use of them please call ANRD for advice.

Contacts For all crop related enquiries please contact ANRD at Scotland on 24724.

Agronomy: Ted Whitton ext. 216. Email [email protected]

Pest Control: Rosie Peters ext. 210. Email [email protected]

The St Helena Fisheries Corporation (SHFC) has the following

FOR SALE BY TENDER 2002 White Nissan Crew Cab 2700cc

Fibre Glass Tank (l) 260 x (h) 99 x (w) 99 cm 18 Red 600 litre Storage Boxes

Items will be sold on an as is basis, please contact Miss Terri Clingham, Operations Manager on 22333 or email [email protected] for viewing

Tender submissions should be addressed to Mr Graeme Beckett, Finance Manager, SHFC Main Office, Ruperts, in a sealed envelope marked Tender and the item by no

later than 4pm Friday 16th August 2019

SHFC reserves the right not to accept the lowest or any tender

COMING SOON – VARIOUS FISHING EQUIPMENT

PUBLIC NOTICEVACANCY FOR A TEMPORARY TEACHER

The Education & Employment Directorate is seeking to employ a suitable person to work in the Primary Sector on a temporary basis for the period 2nd September 2019 – 13th December 2019. The successful application will be required to teach all subjects across the primary curriculum,

Please note that the opportunity for this post is advertised locally.

Applicants must have qualified teaching status and recent experience in teaching would be advantageous. The ideal candidate must be self-motivated and have good interpersonal skillsRate of pay for this role will be dependent on qualifications and experience, on the Directorates Scheme of Service ranges from £10,550 - £18,114 per annum.

The Education & Employment Directorate is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and expects all staff to uphold these principles. All appointments are subject to a satisfactory medical check and vetting or DBS Disclosure.

For further details regarding this post and a full job description, interested persons should contact Miss Elaine Benjamin, Headteacher Pilling Primary School on telephone number 22540 or e-mail [email protected]

Application forms which are available from Education & Employment Directorate and Corporate Human Resources should be completed and submitted, through Directors where applicable, to the Human Resources Officer at the Education Learning Centre or e-mail [email protected] by no later than 4pm on Tuesday, 13 August 2019.


20





VACANCYAssistant Secretary (Councils)/Clerk of Councils

An exciting position has become vacant within the Corporate Services Directorate for an Assistant Secretary (Councils)/Clerk of Councils.

Responsible to the Head of Corporate Support, the post holder will be required to make decisions relating to the day-to-day operational activities of the Executive and Legislative Councils.

The main duties of the post will include:- Ensuring papers for Executive Council are properly processed to include all necessary inputs; that minutes of meetings are

produced and follow up actions carried out, all within the set timeframes- Arranging and attending formal meetings of Legislative Council and ensuring follow up action as appropriate- Performing the duties of Assistant Registration Officer and Assistant Returning Officer for conducting General and Bye-

Elections and compiling the annual Register of Electors.Applicants should have at least GSCE English Language and Mathematics at Grade C or above and should ideally have the

following:• Level 3 Diploma in Management• At least 5 years administration experience at middle management level• At least 2 years managerial experienceApplicants must be confident in dealing and communicating with senior officials and members of the public, as well as

possessing excellent written and verbal communication skills. The post holder should also have the ability to plan and prioritise workloads to meet strict deadlines and occasional out-of-hours work will be necessary.

Salary for the post is at Grade D commencing at £11,034.For further details regarding the duties of the post and for a copy of the job profile, interested persons can contact Assistant

Secretary (Admin), Connie Johnson, on telephone no: 22470 or e-mail: [email protected] forms can be obtained from Corporate Human Resources and Corporate Support and should be submitted through

Directors, where applicable, to Delma Stevens, Corporate Human Resources, The Castle or e-mail: [email protected] by no later than 4pm on Friday, 9 August 2019.


PUBLIC NOTICE

EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST Non-Executive Board Director

H e a d O f f i c e : M a r k e t S t r e e t · J a m e s t o w n · S t H e l e n a I s l a n d · S T H L 1 Z Z T . + 2 9 0 2 2 3 9 0 · F . + 2 9 0 2 2 5 5 3 · e m a i l . i n f o @ s a i n t h e l e n a b a n k . c o m · w e b w w w . s a i n t h e l e n a b a n k . c o m

Established and regulated under the Financial Services Ordinance, 2008, the Financial Services Regulations, 2017 and the Company Ordinance, 2004

Bank of St Helena Ltd is seeking Expressions of Interest from persons to serve as a Non-Executive Director on their Board. Non-Executive Directors are required to act with a degree of independence from the operational activities and have a role in providing strategic vision; monitoring the Bank’s performance; the financial reporting process; the review of risk and controls; and governance. Time commitment is on average 2 days per month and remuneration is provide at £3,000 to £3,500 per annum. Where experience and qualifications allow, there is potential for a non-Executive Director to also serve as Chairperson of the Board.

Interested persons should submit their Expressions of Interest and a CV to Leeanne Henry, Acting Managing Director, by email [email protected] or in person at Bank of St Helena Office in Market Street, Jamestown.

Closing date for Expressions of Interest is Wednesday, 14 August 2019

VACANCY FOR SCHOOL SECRETARY – PILLING PRIMARY SCHOOLThe successful person will be responsible to the Headteacher of Pilling Primary School for providing effective and

efficient administrative support.

Applicants must have GCSE in Math’s and English at Grade C or above or equivalent and be proficient in Microsoft applications (word, excel, outlook and publisher). Working experience in an administrative role is essential.

The ideal candidate must be self-motivated, highly organised and have good interpersonal skills.

Salary for the post is at Grade B.A, £6,722 per annum.

For further details regarding this post, interested persons should contact Miss Elaine Benjamin, Headteacher, Pilling Primary School on telephone number 22540 or email [email protected]

A Job description and application forms are available from the Education & Employment Directorate and Corporate Human Resources and should be completed and submitted, through Directors where applicable, to the Human Resources Officer at the Education Learning Centre or e-mail [email protected] by no later than 4pm on Monday, 12 August 2019.


PUBLIC NOTICE

The winners of the Scouts July Jackpot Draw were as follows:

1st prize - £100 – Alan Joshua – Half Tree Hollow -Ticket No. 220, 2nd prize - £50 – Crystal Maggott – Ruperts – Ticket No. 247, 3rd prize - £25 – Maureen Young – The Briars - Ticket No. 113, 4th prize - £25 – Pat Essex – Jamestown - Ticket No. 486.

The Draw for August will take place at the Standard Bar on 30th August 2019.

Tickets are available from the following vendors:

The Standard Bar, Debbie’s Hair salon (Market), Rose & Crown, Thorpe’s Wholesale, MTB’s Pick ‘n’ Pay, C H Yon – New Ground, Maisie’s Shop (Longwood) and Chad’s Shop - they are also available from the following personnel: June Lawrence, Pat Crowie, Dorita Fuller, Elaine Benjamin, Angie Roberts, Colin Yon, Joy George – HTH, Bobby Essex, Ray Hudson, Anya Richards, Gavin George and Beavers, Cubs and Scouts.

Please remember to have any chance of winning, you must participate.

The Saint Helena Government wishes to invite suitably experienced contractors to submit tenders for the following contract-

Refurbishment of No.12 Piccolo Hill, LongwoodCopies of the tender document can be obtained fromMiss Tiffany LawrenceProcurement OfficerEssex HouseJamestownTelephone No: 22270 or email tiffany.lawrence@

sainthelena.gov.shA site visit to view the works will take place on

Tuesday, 06 August 2019, at 10am, meeting at No. 12 Piccolo Hill.

If you are unable to attend the site visit during this time, please contact the Procurement Officer to arrange another date & time.

Should you require any further details, please contact the Project Manager, Mr Mark Plato, on telephone number 22270 or email [email protected]

Completed tenders should be placed in the Tender Box at Essex House by 12noon on Tuesday, 20 August 2019.

Interested parties should note that this opportunity is not being advertised overseas.

Invitation to Tender

22





TRISTAN APPEALIn support of the people of Tristan da Cunha

following the recent storm damage.

Please look out for collection boxesand other events.

Donations may also be paid directly into theBank of St Helena, Red Cross account no. 00334002

marked ‘Tristan Appeal’.

The Tristan Appeal is organised by the St Helena Branch of the British Red CrossRegistered in St Helena as Charity no. C0046.

Don’t Forget!

SAMS Radio 1

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£4 per day for each further

consecutive day

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The past year has been busy for St Helena’s athletes.

Late last year, a St Helenian team participated in two international cricket tournaments for the first time. In June this year, a St Helenian team participated in an international football tournament for the first time. And in July, a St Helenian team took part in another NatWest Island Games.

Members of the public have recently been questioning what the island’s sporting plans now are – will teams be going off to the next tournaments again? How will this be funded? Will the island’s sporting facilities and sporting culture be bettered before again spending money overseas?

FootballThe 2019 Inter Games Football

Tournament took place in Wales. Team St Helena raised and were sponsored for over £70,000 in order to participate.

The team placed last – at 10th out of 10 teams.

While there were no medals for Team St Helena, St Helena Football Association (SHFA) Chairperson and Team Manager Nick Stevens said the team came back with a lot of experience and increased knowledge.

SAMS asked Nick whether he believes St Helena will also be participating in the next Island Games Football Tournament, Guernsey 2021.

“We have six weeks before we need to enter our name for the next tournament,” he said. “[Having to enter so early] used to be a hindrance to us in the past because[...] then you fear you can’t raise the money, and if you can’t raise the money we’d be sort of banned from being in the tournament for a long time.”

But Nick said that after securing over £70,000 for this June’s tournament, the SHFA knows they can achieve the level of fundraising required to enter and believes they can do it again.

Nick said he believes he can get backing from the SHFA to send another team to the 2021 tournament.

“I feel come the next AGM, the committee will back my decision to enter the team,” he said.

Thursday training sessions for the footballers would soon be back in full swing.

NatWest Island GamesAfter the football tournament concluded

at the end of June, Nick continued his

A Busy Year of International Sports for St Helena: What

Now?Donna Crowie, SAMS

time overseas as manager of the four young athletes who took part in the NatWest Island Games in Gibraltar.

All four athletes beat their personal best times in their respective sports and also broke some of St Helena’s international records, though placed near the bottom on the overall scoreboards.

None of this year’s athletes, however, were shooters. While historically St Helena has won medals in rifle events at the Games, the island lacks the 50metre range that is now required for participants to qualify to enter for the Games and other international shooting events.

It is understood that a sum of money was earmarked to build a 50metre range that could be used by all shooters on the island. The latest update was that planning permission was needed – SAMS is enquiring about further updates.

Councillor Thomas Says SHG has Set a Sporting Precedent

Last week, to celebrate the Island Games athletes and the footballers, Governor Dr Philip Rushbrook held a reception at Plantation House.

Athletes, committee members and their families and friends, as well as councillors and SHG representatives, attended the reception.

During the evening, guests heard speeches from the Governor, from NSASH and SHFA Chairperson Nick Stevens, from goalkeeper/coach Keith Yon and from Councillor Derek Thomas.

Councillor Thomas’ speech held the most implications for the future. The Councillor called for the island to get new football and cricket facilities and to attempt to join FIFA, with the aim of hosting international tournaments on the island.

He also called out SHG for having set a precedent by providing funding for the St Helenian cricket team’s international tournaments last year. He said SHG now needs to continue, and to enhance, the support they give to all the island’s sports. Of course, this would mean making room in the already-stretched budget.

Councillor Thomas also recommended that SHG’s contracted External Funding Coordinator, James Bramble, should seek funding for sports. He ended by saying that SHG should in the immediate future support the football team signing up for the next Island Games tournament.

I have been informed by the Guernsey shooting co-ordinator that sadly there will not be any small-bore shooting at the Guernsey NatWest Island Games 2021.

Another busy shooting session took place early on Tuesday 30 July, at 4.30pm, with Elizabeth, Tatelyn, Kelly-Jo and Owen. It’s good to see the youngsters enjoying shooting and achieving a boost of energy competing against each other. Although scores were not as good as they had hoped, more importantly their effort to deliver a good performance was good to see.

Attending the late night event, we recorded 18 people, everyone preparing themselves for our Winter competition which will be starting soon.

Some of our newcomers shot three or four targets, demonstrating a growing comfort with the rifle and shooting technique. Their positive progress will allow them to test their skills in the up-coming competition.

Scores calculated for the ladies this week were Yvette with 85 and 90, Wendy Young comfortably shot 95.3 and Helena 62 & 72, all upping their game from their last shoot. Sue shot 91.2 and Heidi finished with 94.4 & 94.5.

As for we fellas! Arthur Young shot 80.1 then lost the sight with 66, Ronald shot 87.2 and 93.1, young Pascal, a left-hander, shooting with a right hand rifle, scored 74,77, 88 & 87.2 competing against Jeff ‘Foxy’ Stevens shooting 86, 88.3 & 82, golfer Nicky Stevens 88, 74 & 90.2.

From the more advanced group was Robin with 95.2, Nicky George 97.3, Bramwell 94.2, Patrick Young 98.4 & 98.2, Colin 96.2, Rex 97.2 & 97.3, but topping it all this week Pat H with 100.8.

We experienced another enjoyable night of shooting and socialising. Thanks to everyone for being such good sports, women and men, and will see you again next week. Leaving this Saturday on the flight for overseas leave is our friend Heidi, safe travels and enjoy your well-earned holidays.

Jamestown Rifle ClubPat Henry, Contributed

Bellboys 12 v 0 SaintsGoals for Bellboys - Alex Langham 4,

Andrew Yon 3, Ryan Benjamin 2, Matthias Young, Rick Joshua, Tyler Brady.

Yellow Card - Anelka Leo of Saints.YPOM - Owen Richards of Saints.MOM - Andrew Yon of Bellboys

Harts 2 v 0 WizardsGoal for Harts - Sean Lee Thomas, Selwyn

Stroud.YPOM - Brandon Harris of Harts.MOM - Colin Shoe of Wizards.

Wirebirds 6 v 2 LakersGoals for Wirebirds - Chris Owen 2,

Sanjay Clingham, Tyler Benjamin, Cody Harris, Ricardo Williams.

Goals for Lakers - Liam Yon, Cody Thomas.

MOM - Tyler Benjamin of Wirebirds.

Rovers 7 v 1 AxisGoals for Rovers - Sean Benjamin 3, Ronan

Legg 3, Rico Benjamin.Goals for Axis - Chico Williams.YPOM - Josh Benjamin of Rovers.MOM - Sean Benjamin of Rovers.

SPORTSARENA24 www.sams.sh Thursday 01 August 2019 | THE SENTINEL

28th July 2019Football Fixtures

Fixture Referee's Organisers

1:30 Harts V Rovers Denny Leo Saints

3:30 Wirebirds V Bellboys Wayne Yon Wizards

Saturday 03rd August

Fixture Referee's Organiser

1:30 Axis V FC Lakers Keith Yon Rovers

3:30 Wizards V Saints Mike E Williams Harts

Sunday 04th August

27th July 2019

Football Results

A strong field of 24 players turned up to take part in the Sure South Atlantic sponsored 18 hole stroke play monthly medal competition. The weather was great for golfing. The mood on the first tee was upbeat. After the usual banter before tee off things got serious. Every stroke whether in or out of bounce counted.

At the end there was a clear winner with nett 65 Mr Norman Thomas, second place with nett 67 was Bramwell Lumukwana third place with nett 68 was Mr Tony Green who beat Mr Donald Bowers on a countback. Mr Lawson Henry won both the longest drive and nearest to pin for the men while our Ladies Captain Mrs Helena Stevens won both the longest drive and Nearest to pin for ladies. The two ball pool

Primary School: Yellow devils 3 – jungle rangers 10

Goal scorers yellow devils: Zac -2 harry - 1

Goal scorers Jungle Rangers:Toure - 2 Blaze -8

POM: Ephren AND Blaze

11-15 yr olds: Skyscrapers 7 vs rangers 3

Goal scorers skyscrapers: Keiron W -3 Macay W -3 Kyron A -1

Goal scorers Rangers: Lars w -2 Dominic – 1

POM: Kieron W

11 – 15 yr olds: Galacticos 15 – Titans 2Goal scorers Galacticos :

Aiden Yon-Stevens -9 Ethan Harris -4 Evan Constantine -1Goal scorers Titans:

Josh-1 Ethan Johnson-1POM: Evan Constantine

Fixtures - Saturday 3rd AugustPitch 1: primary schools:

9am- Young rebels vs yellow devils 10am jungle rangers (friendly match)

Pitch 2: 11-15 yr olds9am- Galacticos vs skyscrapers

10 am Titans vs Rangers

was shared between Mr Lawson Henry and Pat henry with Lawson scoring 2 twice. Congratulations to all the winners and a big thank you to our sponsor Sure South Atlantic.

The next two consecutive Sundays 4th and 11th August 2019 the club will be hosting another major annual competition sponsored by Richard James International. This will be a 36 Hole Strokeplay competition with a tee off time of 12:00. Registration is ongoing through the usual channels. Add your name to the list on the clubhouse noticeboard, leave a voice mail on 24421, or drop a message to our Facebook page @SGHC.org.sh Junior golfers training continues every Thursday at 16:15 until further notice.

Wish you all a great weekend…..!

SHGC, Contributed

Golf Report 2019 Junior Football Season

Nick Stevens, Contributed

Sunday 28th July

Junior Fixtures - Saturday 3rd August

page 3sams.sh/images/sentinel/sentinel_190801.pdf · 2019-08-05 · 2 opinion thursday 01 august...

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