The
public is advised that a 72-hour advance notice is needed for any requests for
crane operations. This is due to the Logistics Coordinator
leaving the Island on Saturday, 16 November 2019, until the New Year.
Anyone
requesting crane lifts is advised to contact Port Control directly via
telephone: 22750 and not to contact the Government Garage.
Port control apologises for any inconvenience and
thanks the public for their continued support.
Returning Officer, Carol George, this afternoon, Wednesday 13 November 2019, announced the names of the five Candidates who will be standing for the Bye-Election to fill the vacant seat on Legislative Council.
The
candidates are as follows:
Gillian
Ann Brooks: of Upper Cow Path,
Half Tree Hollow
Jeffrey
Robert Ellick: of Police Quarters,
Alarm Forest
Jeremy James Johns: of Nr.
Harlyn, Half Tree Hollow
Elizabeth Knipe: of Perkin’s
Gutt, Sandy Bay
Lionel George Williams: of ‘Brenville’,
Nr. Half Tree Hollow, St Pauls
The list
of nominated candidates, including the names of Sponsors, can be found in the Extraordinary
Gazette Notice 94 – 13 November 2019, available on the SHG website via: https://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/news/government-gazettes/.
Polling
Day is set for Wednesday, 27 November 2019. Details on how and where to
vote will be published in next week’s newspapers.
The following is a Public Announcement from the
Infrastructure & Transport Directorate:
The
Highways Authority has given approval for the road from the General Hospital to
New Bridge Pond to be closed from 9am to 3pm on Tuesday, 19 November, and
Wednesday, 20 November 2019.
This
closure is to allow the Roads Section to carry out slurry works in this area.
While
the road is closed, the diversion route will be via Side Path Road and only
emergency services will be granted access.
The
public is thanked in advance for their continued support and understanding.
A new Export Sector identified in St Helena’s
Sustainable Economic Development Plan (SEDP) 2018 – 2028 is Honey and Honey
Bees.
Due to strict biosecurity restrictions on St Helena,
local honey bees are free of the major diseases that cause significant damage
to bee colonies as many other bee keeping Islands and countries experience. The
genetic make-up or simply the disease free attribute of the St Helena bee makes
our honey very valuable as one of the purest in the world.
The honey making industry on St Helena has
developed in recent years but the scale and production is still small. One way
of encouraging bees to increase honey is to plant more non-invasive flowering
plants for honey bees to feed from.
The St Helena National Trust (SHNT), Beekeepers Association and Enterprise St Helena (ESH) has collaborated and created a brochure called ‘The Honey Bee on St Helena – How you can help them’which provides information on the benefits of plants to bees and encourages people to buy or grow flowering plants which will help the Bee populations thrive. Plants include Coffee, Fruit Trees, Garden Plants and Herbs.
To help Honey Bees on St Helena and provide a
Honey Bee friendly habitat, residents are also encouraged to:
Grow
native plants in their garden to increase the plant population
Grow
vegetables which will attract bees to your garden to help pollinate your plants
Endeavour
to have more garden variety for bees to feed on, we can reduce the invasive
plant population which compete with our endemic and garden variety plant for
space and nutrients
Work
with your employer, local community, schools, and others to enhance pollinator
habitat
As
a land owner or manager, provide access to forage habitat to beekeepers for
their honey bees.
Chief Economist, Nicole Shamier, said:
“We
appreciate the excellent work that the National Trust has done to put this
brochure together with support from ESH. As you told us when we were developing
the SEDP, increased honey production starts with more bee food, so even if
everyone help to grow just a couple of extra flowering plants each year, this
can make a difference. Of course everyone is making best efforts to water
plants with captured rain water or grey water during the drought, and this will
be of great help to preserve a healthy ecosystem which in turn supports the
livelihoods of our beekeepers.
“We
haven’t started exporting honey yet, unlike Pitcairn Island which receives a
healthy income from their exported jars, but the 10-year SEDP vision is to
produce enough honey for both the local and the export market, targeting very
niche high value suppliers, as we do with our coffee.”
St
Helena’s current water situation remains serious and has worsened over the past
week with the Island’s stored water volume decreasing by 2% in just seven days.
Consumption
rates also remain an issue with the required rate of under 1000 cubic metres of
water occurring only on Sunday, 10 November, meaning consumption rates were
above 1000 cubic metres for six of the seven days in the past week.
If
daily consumption rates of above 1000 cubic metres continue and the stored
water volume subsequently continues to decrease, further Island-wide water
restrictions will be imposed.
Connect
Saint Helena (CSH) is continually exploring options to increase stored water
levels. A burst pipe at Fishers Valley caused some disruption to pumping for a
few hours last week, but the issue was promptly rectified and pumping
recommenced.
Despite
some light showers on Tuesday morning, 12 November 2019, the Island is still
experiencing long dry sunny spells which is forecast to continue. The small
amount of rain has had little to no impact on surface flow which remains very
low.
With warm weather patterns and no significant
rainfall forecast, it is therefore very important that we keep our water
consumption to essential use only.
The public is reminded that we are currently
under an Island-wide hosepipe ban. If you see anyone using water irresponsibly
or notice a burst pipe or leak, then please inform CSH immediately.
Every drop counts, every action counts – save water now to be safe
later
The
following is a public announcement from the Infrastructure & Transport
Directorate:
The Highways Authority has given approval for the
Roads Section to carry out line painting works on the parking area, near Dr
Arnolds Monument, the Grand Parade, Jamestown, on Sunday, 17 November, starting
at 7am.
All vehicle users are asked to vacate this area by 6.30am
on Sunday, 17 November, to allow these works to take place.
The Roads Section would like to thank the public in
advance for their cooperation.
Executive Council met today, Tuesday 12 November 2019, to
consider and advise whether the Currency (Amendment) Bill, 2019 should be
printed, published and presented as Government Business at the next formal
meeting of Legislative Council on 6 December 2019.
The amendments address two issues, namely:
Deficit
arrangements – that any deficit in any given Financial Year is covered by the
General Reserve of the Currency Fund
Distribution
of Surplus in any given Financial Year, and related powers for Currency
Commissioners.
Before considering the proposed amendments, Members noted
that these were procedural and administrative changes to the Currency Ordinance
and that the Currency Fund has not incurred a deficit in recent years but that
it is prudent to ensure that provision is made in the legislation should a
deficit occur in the future.
Members also noted that these amendments provide that the
Commissioners are able to allocate as much of any surplus generated in the year
to build the General Reserve and build financial resilience and security for
the Currency Fund rather than the surplus having to be allocated to the General
Revenue of St Helena Government (SHG).
Secondly, it will give the Commissioners the ability to
contribute to the General Revenue of SHG, if it is deemed equitable to do so
with the approval of the Governor, through a clear and unambiguous process.
These proposals had been previously endorsed by the
Economic Development Committee and Members accepted the proposed amendments and
changes therein.
Council viewed this as a tidying up exercise of the
legislation and fully supported this pragmatic approach.
St Helena Police Support – Firearms & Procurement Officer and Police Armourer, Garry Henry, has recertified as an Armourer having recently completed a recertification training course in the UK.
Initially
certified as an Armourer in 2015, Garry undertook the Armourer recertification course
in Nottingham with Heckler & Koch, a German defence manufacturing company.
Here Garry learned how to take apart the MP5, G36, 417, and Baton guns. He was
also tasked with identifying and fixing faults on these weapons.
As
part of his recertification training, Garry sat both a written and practical
exam. In the Heckler & Koch written exam Garry had to identify and name
each individual part of a weapon. The practical exam put Garry’s skills to the
test as he had to disassemble 12 Glock guns and find the fault in each one
before reassembling them again, with just seven minutes allowed on each weapon.
Garry
said:
“Both the practical and written
exams were difficult but doable and I am happy I was able to use all I have
learned during my initial certification training, and the recertification
training, to test and prove my abilities as an Armourer.”
As
Armourer for the St Helena Police Force, Garry is in charge of the Armoury and
responsible for the maintenance and servicing of all Police firearms. He is
also in charge of the Police shooting range and has the authority to remove
anyone from the range that he feels are not conducting themselves in a safe
manner.
Gary
concluded:
“I am proud to be the Armourer for
the St Helena Police Service and take my duties very seriously. Now that I am
recertified, I will continue to regularly service the Police Artillery to
ensure, as far as possible, the safe operations of the St Helena Police
Service.”
During his time in the UK, Garry also undertook a work placement with the Leicestershire Police Service and had the opportunity to police a football match alongside former St Helena Chief Inspector, Steve Riley.
To
recognise White Ribbon Day 2019, the UN Development Programme Safe Haven
Project and the Children & Adults Social Care Directorate will be running an
awareness raising campaign, starting on Monday, 18 November, and ending with a
final event on Monday, 25 November 2019. The theme for this Campaign is ‘SOSU’
for Domestic Abuse– Speak out, Stand up for Domestic Abuse’.
Around
the world, White Ribbon awareness focusses on men taking a stand against
domestic violence. The White Ribbon Day Committee has chosen to change the
focus from targeting males and decided that the aim and vision would be to use
the voices of the male and female population of St Helena to encourage all on
the Island to ‘Speak Out and Stand Up’ against all kinds of abuse,
irrespective of gender and age.
To recognise White Ribbon Day 2019, the UN Development Programme Safe Haven Project and the Children & Adults Social Care Directorate will be running an awareness raising campaign, starting on Monday, 18 November, and ending with a final event on Monday, 25 November 2019. The theme for this Campaign is ‘SOSU’ for Domestic Abuse– Speak out, Stand up for Domestic Abuse’.
Around
the world, White Ribbon awareness focusses on men taking a stand against
domestic violence. The White Ribbon Day Committee has chosen to change the
focus from targeting males and decided that the aim and vision would be to use
the voices of the male and female population of St Helena to encourage all on
the Island to ‘Speak Out and Stand Up’ against all kinds of abuse,
irrespective of gender and age.
Campaign
activities are as follows:
White Ribbon (WR)
Campaign Programme (18 – 25 November
2019)
White
Ribbon activities includes purchasing T-Shirts (donations made to a
registered charity), distribution of White Ribbons, signing of Pledges, and
gathering for group photographs.
Date
Event
Time
Monday,
18 November
Launch
of White Ribbon Campaign via the local media.
8am
– 9am
White
Ribbon activities for private sector organisations and the community at the
Market, Jamestown.
9am
– 12pm
Tuesday,
19 November
White
Ribbon activities for private sector, government organisations and the
community as follows: CCC (9am-10am)
Joshie’s
(10am-11am)
Children
Services/Ebony View (11am-12pm).
9am
– 12pm
Wednesday,
20 November
Media
Radio Interview on the 30th anniversary of the Convention on the
rights of the child.
8am
– 9am
All
Schools: 30th anniversary of the Convention on the rights of the child
assemblies and White Ribbon Formation.
9am
– 2pm
30th
anniversary of the Convention on the rights of the child Reception held at
Plantation House (invited guests)
5pm
– 7pm
Thursday,
21 November
White
Ribbon activities for SHG Directorates and community at the General Hospital,
Jamestown.
9am
– 12pm
Friday,
22 November
White
Ribbon activities for SHG Directorates and community at the Castle Courtyard.
9am
– 12pm
Monday,
25 November
March
from Napoleon Street to Castle Gardens for Closing Ceremony. The Closing
Ceremony Programme includes a rose tree planting and an inscribed stone laid
in honour of survivors and victims of domestic abuse, and a number of
speeches.