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Towards the end of May this year, a local fisherman spotted some wreckage washed ashore at Turks Cap Bay. Unfortunately, due to large swells, the fisherman could not get close enough to identify the wreckage. It was later reported to the St Helena Sea Rescue Service.

On Friday, 1 June, the Sea Rescue Service went out to investigate. On arrival, in Sea Rescue 3, sea conditions were again too rough to deploy someone ashore, therefore the directorate’s drone was flown from the boat to take aerial footage of the wreckage. The footage obtained indicated that the wreckage was part of the overturned hull of a boat.

Following the report from the Sea Rescue team, Emergency Planning Manager, Ian Johnson, and Emergency Planning Officer, Marco Yon, along with Sea Rescue Auxiliary, Paul Cherrett, hiked down to the beach to take a closer look and take further photos. The wreckage has now been identified as part of a catamaran, probably of South African origin.

Further investigation is being carried out by the South African Sea Rescue Service to see if the boat can be identified.

#StHelena #SeaRescue #EmergencyPlanning #BoatWreckage

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SHG
15 June 2018

At the Garden Party to mark the birthday of HM Queen Elizabeth II, held at Plantation House on Saturday, 9 June 2018, Her Excellency Governor Lisa Honan awarded Certificates and Badges of Honour to persons for their loyal and valuable services that have provided exceptional benefit to the people of St Helena.

In HE’s speech before the presentation, Governor Lisa said:

“We cannot forget that since the last Queen’s Birthday Party we have said a sad farewell to the RMS St Helena. Much has been said and written about the RMS, which I won’t repeat. But what I would like to do today is recognise the people who provided long and valuable service to her and, by extension to the Island.”

Certificates & Badges of Honour

In recognition of 20+ years’ continuous service on the RMS St Helena until the ship was decommissioned in February 2018, Certificates & Badges of Honour were awarded to Captain Andrew Greentree, Captain Adam Williams, Jacqueline Joshua, Timothy Francis, Cyril Joshua, Jeffrey Augustus, Ethel Benjamin, Patricia Osborne and Alan Buckley.

David Yon received a Certificate & Badge of Honour for long service (37 years) and outstanding achievement on the RMS.

Certificates and Badges of Honour in recognition of 20+ years’ service on the RMS were presented to Chedric Jonas, Patrick Peters, Patricia Reynolds and Daniel Stroud.

Frederick Green was presented with a Certificate for 20+ years’ continuous service on the RMS until the ship was decommissioned in February 2018 and Patrick Williams and Donald Bowers received Certificates in recognition of 20+ years’ service on the RMS. These crew members had previously been awarded the Badge of Honour in April 2007 for serving on the old RMS St Helena during the 1982 Falklands War.

A Certificate and Badge of Honour in recognition of loyal and valuable services in the nursing profession was also presented to Wendy Herne.

Although recipients have been awarded a Certificate and Badge of Honour, they were only presented with their Certificates at the Garden Party as the Badges are yet to arrive on Island. Badges of Honour will be presented to recipients at a later date.

Acts of Bravery

Acts of Bravery Awards were presented to Wayne Yon and Ricardo Williams for performing an act of bravery on 12 July 2016 by putting their own lives at peril in attempt to rescue a friend and fellow fisherman whilst the MFV Amalia was on an offshore fishing trip.

Dean Gonsalves, Craig Scipio and Paul Scipio were awarded a bronze medal and Act of Bravery Certificate from The Royal Humane Society – a British charity which recognises those who have contributed to the saving of life – for performing an act of bravery by being instrumental in the sea rescue of a victim who had been attacked by a shark whilst swimming in English Bay, Ascension Island on 21 April 2017.

#StHelena #PlantationHouse #HMQueensBirthday #Awards #Honours

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SHG

13 June 2018

Her Excellency Governor Lisa Honan hosted a Garden Party at Plantation House to mark the 92nd birthday of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on Saturday, 9 June 2018.

Invited guests included various members of St Helena’s community, Prince Andrew School students, Girl Guides, Scouts, private sector individuals, retired public servants, Miss St Helena & her Runners Up and Elected Members.

In HE’s opening speech, Governor Lisa, said:

“As you look around today, the common thread is ‘achievement’. St Helena has come a long way since the last Queen’s Birthday Party. Sometimes you don’t even see it happening. But the achievements and progress this year are in no small part down to the people here today. So I want to thank you. Going forward it’s certainly not going to be plain sailing, but if we all work together and cooperate, I am confident St Helena will move forward.”

Governor Lisa then presented Certificates and Badges of Honour to crew members of the RMS St Helena for over 20 years continuous service, and for long service until the ship was decommissioned in February 2018. Awards for Acts of Bravery were also presented, as well as a Badge of Honour recognising long service and commitment to nursing.

Prince Andrew School student, Keira Francis, also gave a speech on the day. Keira said:

“It’s halfway through the year of 2018 and so much has happened. There have been so many achievements, celebrations and future prospects/aims here on St Helena. The Island is changing, and I feel it is changing for the better. St Helena is leading the way forward in the eyes of increased connectivity, environmental awareness and sustainability.”

The day concluded with guests mingling and enjoying live music provided by the ‘Get Togethers’ Orchestra.

#StHelena #PlantationHouse #HMQueensBirthday #GardenParty #Celebration

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SHG

12 June 2018

Executive Council met today with no substantive items on the Open Agenda.

Under the Closed Agenda, Council was asked to approve the excision of four Land Parcels from the Green Heartland Zone and for these parcels to be rezoned within the Intermediate Zone with associated development privileges as provided by a design brief.

Members were happy to approve the excision, noting that there were exceptional circumstances relating to this request. Members requested that a press release on this matter should be issued by the Chief Planning Officer.

Under any other business, Members noted that there had been a news item on one of the local radio stations in relation to SHG’s representation as the major shareholder on the Board of Solomon & Company (St Helena) Plc and that this was being addressed.

The meeting closed at 10.45am.

ExCo

12 June 2018

A significant south-westerly swell is forecast for St Helena from Wednesday, 13 June, through to Friday, 15 June 2018. This may result in unsettled sea conditions in James Bay and Rupert’s Bay.

The public is therefore asked to use caution when accessing the Sea Front area. To avoid damage to vehicles, drivers are asked to take care when parking near the safety rails. Care should also be taken in the Rupert’s Beach, Shears and Wharf areas.

Port Control will be monitoring sea conditions and may restrict access to the Sea Front, Jamestown Wharf, and Rupert’s Jetty if conditions worsen.

#StHelena #SeaConditions

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SHG
12 June 2018

Councillor Derek Thomas will depart St Helena on Sunday, 10 June, to attend the Joint Ministerial Council (JMC) EN Meeting in London on Thursday, 14 June 2018.

The focus for St Helena at this meeting will be the impact Brexit has on the Overseas Territories (OTs). Of particular interest to Councillor Thomas will be the loss of European Development Funding and the arrangements Her Majesty’s Government (HMG) will have in place to replace and support this type of funding, freedom of movement into the European Union (EU) with British Passport Holders, job opportunities and the impact on exports into the EU such as fish and coffee.

Councillor Thomas will also attend the UKOTA Pre JMC meeting on Wednesday, 13 June. This meeting will discuss the JMC – EN agenda, proposed agenda items and format for the JMC in November, HMG’s relationship with the Overseas Territories, Environmental issues and the proposed Foreign Affairs Select Committees report into the Overseas Territories.

In addition to the JMC meeting, Councillor Thomas will also attend bilateral meetings with the Foreign & Commonwealth Office Minister Lord Ahmad, DFID Minister Lord Bates and Andrew Mitchell MP.

Councillor Thomas explains:

“The purpose of these meetings will be discuss the prospects for Capital Programme Funding going forward, limited budget provisions which do not allow for enabling development, challenges arising from Air Access including limited visitor numbers, which are impacting upon private sector businesses, and the fact that the Island is going through a really difficult period and we need further support from HMG.”

On his return journey to St Helena, Councillor Thomas will spend a week in Johannesburg accompanied by the Director of Health, Dr Akeem Ali, to visit the proposed hospital and accommodation arrangements to assess their medical facilities. This follows after the clinical recommendation that similar levels of medical treatment can be obtained in Johannesburg compared to Cape Town where there are additional costs of more than £800 per patient and logistical issues including an overnight stay in Johannesburg.

Councillor Thomas said:

“Medical care overseas supported and funded by SHG is crucial in ensuring that treatment not available on the Island can be obtained by as many people who need it as possible. The reality is that the available resources is never enough to cover all the needs out there. As a government, we work hard to ensure that the health of Saints and access to medical care is given utmost priority. With DFID funding, we support patients sent to South Africa for overseas treatment and this is at substantial cost. We want to ensure that the available budget covers as many people’s needs as possible, therefore, we work hard to get good outcomes at good cost. There are currently additional costs to sending people to Cape Town to receive medical care that can be avoided.

“I, along with members of the Public Health Committee and other Elected Members are keen to ensure safe and effective overseas care for all who need it, at the same time we do not want to incur additional costs that are avoidable so that we can support more people to receive care overseas when they need it.”

Councillor Thomas will return to the Island on Saturday, 23 June 2018.

 #StHelena #CouncillorTravel #JMC

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SHG

8 June 2018

The Highways Authority has given approval for the road, from the Canister in Jamestown to Greenlands, Market Street, to be closed on Wednesday, 13 June 2018, between 1pm and 4pm.

This closure is to allow the Roads Section to mark and paint the new zebra crossing.

Appropriate diversion signage will be in place.

The Roads Section would like to thank the public in advance for their co-operation.

 #StHelena #RoadsSection #MarketStreet #RoadClosure #ZebraCrossing

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SHG

7 June 2018

The Highways Authority has given approval to pilot a new zebra crossing on the road adjacent to the Canister in Jamestown.

A zebra crossing is a type of pedestrian crossing (photo attached) used in many places around the world. Its distinguishing feature is alternating dark and light stripes on the road surface, resembling that of a zebra. A zebra crossing typically gives priority to rights of way to pedestrians.

These road markings not only control traffic by giving orders, they also warn you as a driver that there may be pedestrians crossing or waiting to cross the road.

Zebra crossings are fairly new on St Helena and the following advice is provided to both drivers and pedestrians on what to expect when approaching a zebra crossing:

This is a pilot scheme and limited signage will be put in place at this moment. The advice to all pedestrians and vehicle operators is to approach this zebra crossing with great care.

Line painting works will be carried out on Wednesday, 13 June 2018, and a separate press release detailing closing times and diversion routes will be issued shortly.

#StHelena #ZebraCrossing

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SHG

7 June 2018

 

 

 

 

The Environment & Natural Resources Directorate (ENRD) would like to advise the public that the main office at Essex House will open at the later time of 9.30am on Tuesday, 12 June 2018, to allow staff to attend a meeting.

ENRD would like to thank the public in advance for their co-operation.

#StHelena #EssexHouse #LaterOpening

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SHG

7 June 2018

Visitors to Horse Point Landfill Site will now see a new sign to promote use of the Public Recycling Facility.

This sign was skilfully created by Landfill Manager, Patrick Crowie, using only waste materials, as a demonstration of the circular economy approach – recycling everything we produce, while at the same time generating zero pollution.

Environmental Risk Manager, Mike Durnford, said:

“Patrick has demonstrated excellent resource management and ingenuity, using recycled waste materials, which contributes towards efficiency savings and a reduction of waste to landfill. The sign is a testament to the commitment by Waste Management Services Staff to achieve their mission statement of working in partnership with customers for a cleaner and greener St Helena.”

Horse Point Landfill Site is open 24/7, but in the interest of safety the public is advised not to use the site during the hours of darkness. Please consider recycling your waste before any disposal into the bulky waste cell.

#StHelena #WMS #Recycle

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SHG

6 June 2018