Category: Public Announcements

HE Governor and Mrs Capes will depart the Island on Wednesday 30 April 2014.  The Governor will participate in a Governor’s Conference and the annual ‘Leadership Conference’ at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in London. Governor and Mrs Capes will also attend a Royal Garden Party at Buckingham Palace before taking some leave and returning to the Island in June.

If time permits, on his return journey through Cape Town, Governor Capes will renew contact with officials and business contacts there.

Mr Sean Burns, Head of the Governor’s Office, will be appointed Acting Governor until the Governor’s return on Tuesday 17June 2014.

Also departing the Island this week on completion of his contract will be Chief Secretary Owen O’Sullivan, accompanied by his family.

SHG

28 April 2014 

 A FEW TIPS FROM THE DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION

With the Easter weekend behind us, many young people and their families are beginning to look towards the examinations that will take place in the next few weeks. For our young people who are taking exams in May and June they are now entering the ‘revision season’. This can be a worrying and tense time for all of the family and here are a few tips to help you prepare for those important exams.

 

WORK OUT A REVISION PLAN THAT SUITS YOU

Your teacher will have helped you to work out from your mock exam which areas of study you need to give extra attention to. Once you know the timetable of when your exams take place, try to develop a weekly schedule of which subject you are going to revise and how much time you are going to spend revising each topic.

Once you have drawn up your plan, let your family know how important it is and then stick to it!

 

GET TO KNOW THE WAY YOU ARE GOING TO BE TESTED

Doing past papers or practising how to write an essay in the time that you will have for an exam, is very beneficial.

 

BUILD ON YOUR PREVIOUS BEST AND THEN DO IT AGAIN

Set yourself realistic targets to improve the marks you can get by repeating exercises you have learnt, not only once, but maybe each week and see how you start to improve your scores.

 

DON’T BE SCARED OF MAKING MISTAKES

Making mistakes is how we all learn.  When you check your answers, spend some time working out why you went wrong and practice doing things the right way!

 

DON’T JUST REVISE, BUT RELAX TOO!

It is important that apart from your busy revision schedule, that you have a good amount of sleep each night and also keep fit.  Regular exercise is a great way of keeping fit and alert.  A healthy body makes a healthy mind!

 

LOOK AFTER YOURSELF AND DON’T LISTEN TO BAD ADVICE

During revision time, some people will always pretend they are not doing any revision and might encourage you to do the same.  It is really important that you focus on what you are aiming to achieve and don’t get distracted by people who might want you to develop bad habits. Exams do matter and people who are properly prepared for the exam do better than those who aren’t.

 

SOME ADVICE FOR PARENTS AND FAMILY

For the person in your family who is taking an exam, it can be a very stressful time.

Be patient, be helpful and give your son, daughter or relative lots of encouragement to do their best.  Don’t forget to ask them how it went, when they get home. Once one exam is finished help them to prepare for the next one.

 

And finally……..

 

GOOD LUCK WITH YOUR REVISION!

 

Colin Moore

Director of Education, SHG

28 April 2014

 

 

 

 

 

 

   On Saturday 26 April 2014, a Garden Party was held at Plantation House to mark the birthday of Her Majesty the Queen.

The weather held out, and with good organisation of the event by Debbie Stroud many mingled and enjoyed the day which included a mixture of St Helenian society; Prince Andrew School Students, Girl Guides, Boy Scouts, private sector individuals, retired public servants, SHG Officials and Councillors attended – with many individuals having their medals on display.  

HE Governor Mark Capes, called the gathering to order by blowing the ‘Bosun’s whistle’, presented to him by the Captain of the French Frigate ‘La Fayette’ on 15 April.

In addition to recognising the commitment and service of Her Majesty the Queen, the Governor also acknowledged individuals on the Island for their dedication and service to the community.  The Queen’s Certificate was awarded to Mr Lionel Lawrence, whose working career commenced in 1949 when, at the age of 15 years, he was employed as an apprentice in the Agriculture and Forestry Department.  Lionel retired in 1991 having served the Department for a total of 42 years.

The second award for the Queen’s Certificate of Honour went to the late Mrs Shirley Anderson-Leo, who worked for 40 years as a registered general nurse and midwife.  

The achievements of those returning from study were also commended.  Ricardo Fowler, April Lawrence, Nikita Crowie and Tara Thomas, who have recently returned from the United Kingdom, were all recognised for their achievements.  

Also mentioned were Robyn Sim, who will shortly be leaving St Helena on a three year teacher training course at the University of Hertfordshire and Matt Joshua, who will be taking up a place on a three year Diploma in Hotel Management at the International Hotel School in Cape Town. 

The Governor highlighted these individuals as examples of those who choose to better themselves to improve the Island’s skill base, vital for the future prosperity of St Helena.

 The Governor’s speech is attached, together with four pictures.

 

 

SHG

28 April 2014

The Agriculture & Natural Resources Division (ANRD) has today announced that the one calendar month of Quarantine applied to Farm Lodge, St Paul’s, will lapse at midday on Saturday 26 April 2014.  Farm Lodge will then be open for business as normal.

The period of Quarantine was applied on 26 March 2014 to the entire premises and land at Farm Lodge, following an outbreak of Fowl Cholera amongst the flock of ducks. In all, 111 ducks died or were humanely destroyed.

The remaining flocks of guinea fowl and chickens have been monitored by ANRD, initially daily, with no signs of any spread of the disease. In the meantime, the duck areas have been cleansed and disinfected, and kept free of any stock.

As a precaution, and based on international data available on this infectious organism, the Economic Development Committee, chaired by Councillor Lawson Henry, has agreed to apply a further five calendar months of Quarantine (until 26 September 2014) on the duck area alone – comprising a pen, yard and small paddock. This small area of Quarantine will remain unstocked with poultry and be out of bounds to the general public.

In all other respects, Farm Lodge will resume for business as usual.  Stephen Biggs and Maureen Jonas are commended for their cooperation and hard work which has provided this successful outcome.

SHG

25 April 2014

 

Paul McGinnety, former Interim Director of the Environment & Natural Resources Directorate (photo attached), has today been appointed to the new post of Assistant Chief Secretary, Performance.  This post replaces that of Director of Strategic Policy and Planning, vacated by Susan O’Bey in February 2014.

The post of Assistant Chief Secretary will be vital in supporting SHG in delivering its short, medium and long term strategic goals as the Island enters a defining period in her long and proud history.

To ensure that Government becomes more effective and efficient, the Assistant Chief Secretary will have a strong corporate policy and planning focus, will implement improvements across SHG and build strong relationships between SHG and DfID, ESH, the private sector and civil society.

Commenting on his appointment, Paul McGinnety said:

“It is clear to me that SHG needs to continue to modernise, maximise the impact of all available resources and tightly focus on delivery of our key objectives, while ensuring we protect vulnerable groups.

“It’s vital as the Island moves forward that we achieve sustainable economic, environmental and social improvements, particularly at this time of change. I’m looking forward to leading on this important area of our work, partnering with all our key stakeholders, including the public.”

SHG

22 April 2014

Saturday 19 April 2014 saw St Helena’s new offshore fishing vessel reach the Island at around 5:30 pm, to an enthusiastic welcome party of around 200 people. 

Terry Richards, General Manager of the Fisheries Corporation, commented:

“The seven day journey from Hout Bay to St Helena was uneventful except for a period on Wednesday when the vessel was dead in the water, due to the raw seawater pump malfunctioning.  But thanks to the ingenuity of the Skipper, Trevor Thomas, and Engineer, Errol Thomas, the problem was soon rectified and the Extractor resumed her journey after 2 ½ hours.

“The vessel proved to be very responsive and handled all sea conditions encountered with ease.  Hopefully she will continue to do so and be an effective fishing platform when commercial fishing commences.”

The Extractor, built in 1998, is 22 metres in length.  The welcome party was given a brief demonstration in St James’ Bay of her handling ability, followed by clearance by Customs and Immigration officials.

Lead Skipper, Trevor (Otto) Thomas, and crew members Waylon Thomas, Peter Benjamin, Errol Thomas, and Terry Richards, were presented with a St Helena Flag for the MFV Extractor by Cllr Lawson Henry, Chairman of the Economic Development Committee.

Following the presentation, the crew was welcomed by a reception at the St Helena Yacht Club, where Councillor Henry, Terry Richards, Trevor Thomas and Rob Midwinter all commented on the significance of the Extractor’s arrival at St Helena and thanked all who supported the crew during their time away.

Robert Midwinter, Director of Enterprise St Helena, said:

“The arrival of the ‘MFV Extractor’ marks a real turning point in the economic development of the Island’s fisheries.  Not only does it allow local fishermen to target our seamounts, but it also provides us with a platform on which we can re-build the industry, including opportunities for training, scientific monitoring, and the policing of our waters.  The Extractor will also provide a measure of assurance for those smaller vessels that are capable of going further offshore.”    

Four pictures are attached to this release.

SHG

22 April 2014

 

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office invites nominations for the 2015 New Year Honours List.

Persons wishing to submit nominations for the 2015 New Year Honours are reminded that the overriding principle is that honours are awarded on merit for exceptional achievement or any service recently carried out over and above what normally is expected.  

Where possible, nominations should place emphasis on voluntary services.  It should also be noted that age is not a factor in awarding Honours and younger members of the community who have made an outstanding contribution or have given exceptional service should not be overlooked.  It is important that nominations are kept confidential and that nominees are not made aware that they are being proposed for award of an Honour.

Nomination forms are available from Mrs Carol George, Corporate Services Executive Manager.  Completed forms should be returned to the Executive Secretary, Honours Committee at the Castle – in a sealed envelope, marked confidential, by Friday, 16 May 2014.

SHG

22 April 2014

 

 The public are advised that from 4pm Thursday 17 April 2014 the Wharf will be closed to vehicles.  Pedestrians are still allowed to pass the barriers, for the traditional Maundy Thursday fishing activities.     

The port authority has authorised this closure until the RMS’s departure – expected to be on Thursday 24 April 2014.

The public are thanked in advance for their cooperation.

SHG

17 March 2013 

The price for a full British passport changed on 7 April 2014.  The previous and new prices are as follows:

 

Passport type	Previous price	New price
Full British (Adult)	£124.50	£83.00
Full British (Child)	£79.50	£53.00
Full British (48 page)	£150.50	£91.00

 

In addition to the above, there is currently a handling charge of £18.80 per passport.  Applications dated prior to 7 April 2014 will be processed at the previous prices. The timescale for delivery of a new passport following despatch from St Helena is three months.

 

St Helena British Overseas Territory Citizen type passports, issued by the Immigration Office on Island, are not affected by this price change.  The price for these passports will continue to be £40 for each adult and £20 for each child.

 

Immigration Office

SHG

14 April 2014

Executive Council met today, Wednesday 16 April, with two items on the Open Agenda.

The first item was the proposal to increase Government Landlord Housing rental by £1 per week, effective from 1 July 2014.  It was noted that this will have no impact on IRB and BIP recipients. Executive Council approved this proposal.

The second item sought to reinstate the requirement for certain types of development applications to be referred to ExCo for approval. These are generally large scale infrastructure projects that are crucial to the economic development of the Island.  Executive Council agreed that it is important to retain political oversight of such projects and agreed that a directive should be issued to the Chief Planning Officer.

On the Closed Agenda, the St Helena Maritime Sector Review from Marine Maven was discussed.  The report had made a number of recommendations and these had been considered by the Economic Development Committee.  Not all recommendations had been agreed and the report and a press release outlining the agreed actions from SHG will be published soon.

On behalf of Legislative Council I would like to wish you all a happy, chocolaty and safe Easter.

ExCo

16 April 2014