The Immigration Service would like to advise all persons travelling with children under the age of 18 to South Africa of a change in entry regulations. Parents may be asked to show an Immigration Officer a full birth certificate (including both parents’ names) for all travelling children. This applies even when both parents are travelling with their own children into South Africa and has been introduced in an attempt to reduce instances of child trafficking through South Africa. This is not specific to St Helena – It applies to all children travelling through all South African sea and air ports. The revised regulations apply both to South African citizens and to visitors.
These changes are expected to be implemented on Wednesday 1October 2014. There is no change to Ascension Island or UK entry controls relating to children at this time.
For children born in St Helena, birth certificates can be obtained from the Customer Service Centre in Jamestown. For those children born in the UK, the following address may be used to order a replacement birth certificate: https://www.gro.gov.uk/gro/content/certificates/default.asp. Sufficient time should also be allowed ahead of your departure from St Helena to receive the certificate by post from the UK. A one day despatch service is available. Services vary in other countries.
Until Wednesday 1 October 2014, there is no country specific guidance for parents travelling with children to South Africa. However, single parents, or a parent travelling alone with their child or those travelling abroad with children for whom they do not have parental responsibility, should generally obtain an affidavit or letter of authority from person(s) with parental responsibility prior to travel. General UK guidance is available online at: https://www.gov.uk/permission-take-child-abroad.
Further information is available from the Immigration Office in Ogborn House, Jamestown – telephone no: (00290) 22236.
Prince Andrew School Students Burying the Time Capsule
To mark the construction of the Airport Terminal Building, history was made on Saturday 28 June 2014 in a special Commemorative Stone ceremony at the St Helena Airport site.
To over 100 invited guests, and under clear skies, HE Governor Capes unveiled a Commemorative Stone at the front entrance of the Terminal Building, His Lord Bishop Richard Fenwick blessed the building and a Time Capsule was buried by Prince Andrew School students.
The placing of the commemorative stone, a local basalt rock, marks one of many key milestones of Airport construction. In his speech made on the day (full version attached) Governor Capes spoke of the ceremony as a landmark, one that just over 2 ½ years on since the Airport contract signing between St Helena Government and Basil Read, marks the ‘massive progress achieved by Basil Read’.
Thanking all who have worked so hard on this historic undertaking, particularly ‘the many Saints and the workers from further afield’ Governor Capes spoke of the benefits and challenges to overcome when the Airport becomes operational:
“The big challenge for all of us is to see that St Helena is positioned to fully benefit from air access. Sound economic and social arguments underpin the justification for investing in this Airport. Social gains will come relatively easily – having rapid access to specialist medical care, much easier and quicker journeys to and from the Island by family and friends and, for our sporting enthusiasts, making it possible for St Helena’s sports teams to participate in international competitions.
“The more complex, less easy task, is preparing St Helena to be able to benefit from new economic opportunities. But we can do it. Air access gives us the opportunity to halt the many decades of economic decline. To give St Helena the means to prosper by developing a vibrant economy, to give St Helena a confident, bright future that will reverse the flow of young Saints leaving the Island. That is the goal. That must be the focus for our energy and resources.
“Deon de Jager and his team have shown that – with the right attitude, with determination, with a ‘can do’ mind set – so much can be achieved. That is how this airport is being built.
“St Helena must adopt that same approach to building a new economy. It is happening in the fishing sector. Trevor Thomas and the crew of the Extractor, with determination and a ‘can do’ approach, are showing the way to success.
Sealing the Time Capsule
“It is time for change, to adjust to the new realities and to grip new opportunities.”
Echoing Governor Capes, Deputy Chief Executive for Economic Development, Susan O’Bey highlighted the ‘once in a lifetime opportunity’ the Airport will provide to ‘ensure that there is a viable St Helena in the years to come for our children and for our children’s children’.
Susan said:
“A tourism-based economy will provide opportunities to develop our other key assets; as our economy grows and as more and more people come to the Island, the demand for fresh fruit and vegetables will increase as will the demand for freshly caught fish and St Helena coffee.
“The tourists who will arrive on a weekly basis, will expect to have a variety of activities to participate in and places to visit on the Island, they will also expect to stay in good quality accommodation; be it in a hotel, in a bed and breakfast, in an eco-lodge, or in self-catering. These are the many areas where Saints can take advantage of the business opportunities available for innovation and growth.
“We have young people studying to become doctors, vets, airline pilots, engineers, lawyers and journalists. In 2016 we will open an Airport which will be of a world class standard. Let us also have set out a solid foundation for sustainable economic growth which will set us firmly on the path towards a bright and positive future for us all.”
Bishop Richard Blesses the Terminal Building
Basil Read Island Director Deon de Jager, Miles Leask from the Project Management Unit and Deputy Airport Director Clare Harris also spoke on project progress and the hard work of all involved.
Clare commented:
“The Airport Project is on time, on budget and to specification. We can see today that a tremendous amount of design and construction work has taken place – achieved through a close working relationship with Basil Read, Halcrow, our Project Management Unit, DfID and SHG. Thank you everyone. It has been challenging at times, but we all have the same end goal: an operational Airport in February 2016.”
Tribute was paid to the late Sharon Wainwright for her dedication and commitment to the project and to ensuring that air access brings lasting benefits to the Island.
To ensure the future people of St Helena are aware of this vision and of the hard work of everyone involved in the Airport project, a Time Capsule was buried on the day to give future islanders a snapshot of life on St Helena in 2014. A full list of the contents of the Time Capsule is attached, a list which was placed in the capsule to guide those who will open the capsule in years to come.
The ceremony continued with a presentation from the St Helena Arts and Crafts Association of limited edition site soil souvenirs to Governor Capes, Deon de Jager and Annina van Neel from Basil Read. Guests were also able to purchase these souvenirs while mingling over refreshments and viewing the display of the interior perspective of the Airport Terminal.
Construction of the Permanent Wharf in Rupert’s Valley has begun and will continue for a period of about eight to nine months, weather permitting.
During the construction period all boats and vessels will be subject to a ‘No Go’ area around the immediate construction site. All leisure users will be similarly affected and are asked to adhere to the signage on site.
The restricted offshore ‘No Go’ area (map and coordinates attached) will be marked by yellow buoys, and fishermen and other marine users are asked to strictly adhere to these markers and remain outside of them. A Divers’ Boat and Survey Boat will be at work in this area, marked by the internationally-recognised blue and white flag and red flag respectively.
The Fisherman’s Association, Fisheries Corporation and Argos Atlantic Coldstores have been informed about the restrictions and all affected parties are thanked for their understanding and cooperation during this period.
Students on St Helena will be the first to pilot and help to develop a new learning aid called Storyteller – developed for the International Slavery Museum (ISM) in Liverpool, UK. Feedback from St Helena’s students will influence how the final device works, a device which will be used in the Museum for years to come.
This information-based, interactive device – through photographs, text and audio – allows students to come to their own conclusions about archaeological finds, much as archaeologists do themselves. The device (looking a little like a large radio) allows individuals to interact with information on archaeological artifacts that would usually be displayed in a glass case in a museum.
Leading the project for the ISM on St Helena is Heidi Bauer-Clapp (Doctoral Student in Anthropology at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, USA) who recently arrived on Island to kick start the design process. She will be here until the end of July.
Heidi said:
“I am very interested in the liberated African heritage of St Helena and the current exhibition at the ISM in Liverpool has gained much international media attention – which is where the design team in Liverpool came up with the idea of using it as a trial subject for this development project.”
The Storyteller learning aid was initially going to be tested in schools in the United Kingdom, but on reflection St Helena seemed to be the best starting point to test the pilot project, with information on the device originally gathered byAndrew Pearson (who previously conducted archaeological investigations in Rupert’s Valley).
Councillor Christine Scipio-O’Dean was instrumental in organising the visit, additionally setting up sessions in all three primary schools plus Prince Andrew School.
About the learning aid, Heidi commented:
“Storyteller is like a radio that also issues reams of information, and it also connects to the internet so you can collaborate and share information at an international level.”
The idea centres around school tours that happen at the International Slavery Museum in Liverpool. The device will be sent in advance to classrooms, so students can gather historical information on exhibits before seeing them for real, at the museum.
Heidi is also conducting an additional project on liberated Africans in the primary schools, working with year 5/6 students in their history curriculum, with the hope of setting up an exhibition based on student’s work to display to the public.
Executive Council met today, Tuesday 24 June 2014. It has been a little while since ExCo met, so this was a fairly large agenda. There were seven items on the Open Agenda.
The new Chief Secretary Roy Burke was welcomed to his first Executive Council meeting.
The first item discussed was the proposed amendment to the Customs and Excise Ordinance to provide for a duty free shop at the Airport terminal. Duty free shopping is customary at international airports and Council agreed that a Bill for an Ordinance to amend the Customs and Excise Ordinance should go forward to the next formal meeting of Legislative Council. Council also agreed to enact Regulations to provide for exemption of customs duties on goods imported for supply and sale in a duty free shop.
The second item was to again amend Customs Regulations to bring into force the appropriate forms to be completed by persons arriving and departing St Helena. These relate to declaring goods in excess of the current duty free allowances and to declare currency being carried in excess of £6,000. ExCo approved the forms.
The third item was the application for development permission for the new Fire Station to be constructed at Alarm Forest. In attendance were the Planning Officer and the new Head of Planning and Development Control to provide technical advice. Executive Council recognises the need for a new Fire Station as part of the Airport certification process. There were no major concerns with the building, but issues to be addressed include ensuring that rainwater run-off from the roof is managed and that suitable traffic safety measures are in place. The existing bus stop will also need to be relocated.
The fourth item was also an application for development permission for Constitution Hill Road. This road is in need of repair and approval for this was given. It was pleasing to note that certain individuals had given up short strips of land free of charge to create additional road space. Executive Council commended these individuals for their public spiritedness. In granting development permission, Council requested an advisory note from SHG for the repair and maintenance of the Run, as it was recognised that storm water could cause erosion to its fabric.
The fifth item was a request for approval to remove unproductive land from the National Forest Estate. This was approved, as it is important that land not being used for forestry can be released for other developments.
The sixth item was an application to wind up the St Helena News Media Board. This relates to the previously existing media service. The application was approved and any assets realised from the previous Media Board will be transferred to SHG.
The last item on the Open Agenda was a request for approval to register the company St Helena Hotel Development Limited. It is vital for the continued economic development of the Island that there are sufficient hotel rooms for visiting tourists post-Airport. This company would lead negotiations for the financing and construction of a hotel, although it is important to note that this is not giving the go- ahead for a specific hotel and that no monies have yet been allocated. Executive Council gave approval and there will be further information on any hotel development in due course.
On the Closed Agenda there was a recommendation that diesel for commercial fishing vessels be duty free. Executive Council recognises the importance of commercial fishing and was pleased to grant this concession. This equates to a reduction in price of approximately 27p per litre, backdated to 1 April 2014 and to run for initially one year.
The Social Services Section of the Health & Social Welfare Directorate is currently reviewing its existing procedures in order to improve the services it provides.
This, combined with an ongoing recruitment drive, training and other developments means that for the next few weeks it is necessary to prioritise the services available.
With immediate effect, Social Services will:
Operate between 8.30am to 4pm, Monday to Friday
Prioritise cases based on assessed needs
The Service will continue to meet the needs of the community’s most vulnerable while developing improved and robust services with key partner agencies going forward. Social Services appreciate your cooperation over the next few weeks.
Arriving on Tuesday 17 June 2014 was Interim Emergency Planner Alistair Smith (photo attached). Alistair is on Island until 22 December 2014 to temporarily fill the Disaster Management role previously carried out by Disaster Management Executive Kevin Hornett.
Alistair’s primary aim while here will be to further develop the way we think about disaster planning, refocusing on contingencies and planning for emergencies.
Alistair explained:
“Disaster management focuses on dealing with matters after an incident has actually happened. Emergency Planning is about building resilience, identifying systems and processes and having them in place before a crisis actually occurs – it’s a subtle shift towards what we’re trying to achieve and what works best for the Island.”
The current National Disaster Management plan will now be operationalised and rolled out across the various parts of SHG, other service providers and the general public to raise awareness of the plan – advising people what their role is, what they need to do in the event of an emergency and where they fit in. This will also cover what they might be asked to do and what they should expect to receive in terms of services.
Putting this Emergency Plan into operation will involve extensive stakeholder engagement through public meetings and the media. Keeping everyone updated as the plan develops is very important. And the Emergency Plan is not only about the Airport – it will take into account a raft of issues that could affect the Island and her community.
Alistair said:
“Recognising the full range of risks, those that exist today and those that will come with the Airport, we will develop a workable plan that will enable emergency services and Government to respond effectively and efficiently to any scenario that arises.”
Legislative Council has been briefed on what Alistair will be doing while here and his next steps are to expand on the work already in place and the capabilities on the Island, to understand how best an emergency plan should be drafted.
Alistair commented:
“The key here is about working with people to develop a plan that will stand the test of time.”
Over the coming weeks Alistair will be visiting various sites and meeting different organisations, gathering information on what works well and what doesn’t. This will be an ongoing process to set the basics for a plan which will be continually reviewed and updated against the risks as seen. Having a national emergency plan in place is fundamental for the Island as there are risks here that need to be acknowledged.
Alistair added:
“Having a plan is the starting point. It doesn’t necessarily take away the fact that scenarios will differ but it’s a good foundation on which to act and respond to any crisis that occurs.”
Alistair has a wealth of experience in emergency planning. Prior to coming to St Helena he completed 30 years with Surrey Police. For eight years he was an Inspector and the last seven were spent with the Force Planning Resources Team, where Alistair had responsibility for emergency planning, operational planning, force resources and force duties for the Surrey Police.
Alistair concluded:
“The Island is great. You soon realise how far you are from the rest of the world but many of the challenges here are the same as you would expect back home. Obviously it’s on a different scale with special local variations, but in essence it’s very similar.
“I’ve been made to feel very welcome, it’s a beautiful place and I’m keen to get around and see a bit more. Hopefully when I leave I’ll take away some great memories, and will have contributed something to the Island’s safety.”
The public are once again reminded that while construction works are ongoing at the Wharf, the area will be open to pedestrians only between the hours of 16.00 & 08.30 Monday to Friday and from 16.00 Friday to 08.30 Monday – ie, open evenings and weekends only. There will be restricted access to vehicles, and a barrier will be in place.
Authorised users only will be able to drop off/pick up equipment (e.g. diving equipment, fishing tackle etc) at the lower steps – before returning their vehicle to the area beyond the barrier. No vehicle at any time can be left parked on the Wharf between the construction site and the landing steps – this area needs to be kept clear in the event of an emergency.
Port management would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for their continued co-operation.
To mark the construction of the Terminal Building at the Airport, the Laying of a Commemorative Stone, Blessing of the Building and Burial of a Time Capsule will take place at the Airport site on Saturday 28 June 2014.
Since early May the St Helena Government Public Relations Office has been running a competition in Island schools for young people to submit a drawing, poem or essay – with winning entries to be placed in the Time Capsule and buried at the Terminal Building.
Other contents of the Time Capsule will include photos and short films showcasing the Island community and Airport progress, Island newspapers, a comments book from all involved in the St Helena Airport project, a special Airport stamp issue, St Helena currency, St Helena crafts, seeds from plants endemic to the Island and the Electoral Roll.
A total of 131 entries were received from the schools and were judged by Lindsay McGinnety, Pamela Murray and Liam Yon. The high quality of the entries meant Judges had a difficult task of choosing winners for each category, and as a result an additional three entries were highly commended.
Competition winners are as follows:
Primary School Pupils – Paint or draw a picture of What St Helena looks like to you in 2014
Age 3-6 years
1st Prize – Leonna Coleman (Picture of the Seafront and RMS St Helena) – Harford Primary School
2nd Prize – Jordi Henry (The STAR Supermarket and Post Office in Jamestown) – Harford Primary School
3rd Prize– Zach Robinson (Francis Plain Football Field) – Harford Primary School
Age 7-11 years
1st Prize – Ananda Thomas (Basil Read Road and Rupert’s Hill on St Helena) – Harford Primary School
2nd Prize – Jacob Williams (Airport Site and Dry Gut Fill) – St Paul’s Primary School
3rd Prize – Nesta Yon (Jamestown and James’ Bay) – St Paul’s Primary School
Highly Commended
Ben Crowie (RMS St Helena in James’ Bay) – Pilling Primary School
Charlize Crowie (Bradley’s Camp) – Harford Primary School
Christy Jo Scipio-O’Dean (St Helena, June 2014) – Harford Primary School
Lower Age Students, Prince Andrew School – Write an essay entitled ‘How St Helena will Change with an Airport’ of up to 500 words.
1st Prize – Jacob Bowers, Jamestown
Upper Age Students, Prince Andrew School – Write a poem entitled ‘St Helena – Past, Present and Future.’
1st Prize – Jodie Scipio-Constantine, Jamestown
2nd Prize – Jordan Stevens, St Paul’s
Commenting on the competition entries, the judges said:
“We’re very impressed with the level of thought that has gone into the entries – there are some really interesting perspectives and viewpoints. It’s very interesting to see what young people see now in 2014 before the changes from the Airport fully appear.
“The poem and essay entries were amazing and it was such a hard decision. In the drawings there is so much quality in all of them, from the younger groups right up to age 11. Everyone draws differently and has their distinct styles, so we’ve tried to choose drawings that are not necessarily the most artistic but those that have ideas, and there are a lot of ideas here.”
First Prize Winners in each category will now receive an invitation to the Commemorative Stone Ceremony on Saturday and their entries will be placed into the Time Capsule to be buried on the day. These entries – two pictures, one poem and one essay – are a snapshot of St Helena and these children will now be an important part of the Island’s history showing how they lived and saw their Island home in 2014.
SHG would like to thank all pupils and students who took part in the competition and for sharing their amazing ideas and views about St Helena. All entries will soon be displayed in Porteous House and members of the public are encouraged to take a look at the talent of the Island’s young people.
Prizes will now be distributed to all schools and presented to competition winners in the coming weeks.
Three photos are attached to this release.
SHG
23 June 2014
Highly CommendedWinners Age 7-11 YearsWinners Age 3-6 Years
Executive Council meets tomorrow, Tuesday 24 June 2014, in the Council Chamber.
Commencing at 9.30am, the meeting will be open to the public for the following Open Agenda items:
Amendments to Customs and Excise Ordinance and Customs Regulations (Tariffs and Exemptions) (Amendment No 2) – Duty Free Products
The Customs Regulations 2014 (Arriving and Departing Ships) (Amendment)
Application for Development Permission – Fire Station
Application for Development Permission for proposed improvements to Constitution Hill Road
Request for approval for variation of Order relating to the constitution of land as National Forest, in order to remove unproductive land from the National Forest Estate
Winding up of the St Helena News Media Services Board
Request for approval to register the company St Helena Hotel Development Limited (SHHDL)
Executive Council Members are: Ian Rummery, Christine Scipio-O’Dean, Lawson Henry and Wilson Duncan. Councillor Brian Isaac is temporarily sitting on ExCo while Leslie Baldwin is away on overseas business
