THE

ST HELENA
INDEPENDENT
Est. 2005

VOLUME XVIII ISSUE 19, 21st APRIL 2023, PRICE £1

Businesses Welcome Lord Michael Ashcroft

Are We Supporting Our Bright Young People?

INSIDE: Cultural Centre Supported by Lord Ashcroft

 An Enjoyable ‘Thank You’ Event for
Lord Ashcroft Held on Sunday

Back in 2019, Lord Ashcroft was asked to support the charity

Last Sunday afternoon an informal event was held in the court- work of the British Napoleonic Bicentenary Trust. When it was
yard at the Livery Stables for Lord Michael Ashcroft to meet made known Jacob’s Ladder was in need of substantial repair
with a wide range of people from St Helena’s private sector. but there was no money available or this work, Lord Ashcroft
Very nearly all who were invited showed up for what turned out agreed to provide the required funding. A key reason for doing
to be very pleasant social occasion. The event was organised this was his childhood experiences. It was, in a sense, in
by the St Helena Independent. homage to his father. In a speech made by Lord Ashcroft on
Sunday, he said “it closed the circle”. Some time ago, Lord
The Ashcroft – St Helena Link Ashcroft visited Longwood House to see the goldfish pond he
Michael Ashcroft has had an association with St Helena that fell into. He recognised it immediately from photos in his fami-
goes back 75 years. It was rekindled, however, more recently. ly’s album.
The link between the Ashcroft family and St Helena started Lord Ashcroft visited St Helena last December and it was hoped,
back in 1948, when it centred on Jacob’s Ladder and a gold- at the time, the repairs to Jacob’s Ladder would be completed.
fish pond. Young Michael Ashcroft was two years old when he The work has taken longer than originally anticipated so an
first set foot on St Helena. His parents brought him ashore official re-opening of the Ladder did not happen during that
from a ship which stopped briefly at St Helena on its way to visit. It was suggested on Sunday the Ladder might be re-
South Africa. For Michael Ashcroft, the visit was most notable opened this week but Lord Ashcroft had to leave St Helena
for two things; first, his father, a strong and athletic former early on Monday for his next engagement.
army officer, carried him as he climbed Jacob’s Ladder from
bottom to top. Second, during the subsequent visit to Longwood What Lord Ashcroft Said on Sunday
House, the two-year-old Michael Ashcroft fell into the goldfish Soon after the social gathering started at 4pm, Mike Olsson
pond at the back of the property. said a few words of welcome; to Lord Ashcroft and to the Saints
who attended. There were owners, chairmen and chief execu-
These two events were often mentioned as Michael Ashcroft tive officers present from just about all the main private sector
grew up; they figured prominently in the recollections of the businesses.
family’s past. Stories about a very young and very wet Michael
Ashcroft being taken back to the ship have often been told in In reply, Lord Ashcroft said he had visited all the British Over-
the Ashcroft household. From the age of seven or eight, Michael seas Territories apart from the British Antarctic Territory. He
had a desire to re-visit St Helena and see again the Island that mentioned the UK Government could improve the relationship
had become part of his family’s folklore. It was these two child- between Britain and the Overseas Territories; too often, deci-
hood incidents that were the driving force in Lord Ashcroft’s sions are made in Whitehall which are not the best decisions
long-held desire to return to the island at some point. for a particular Overseas Territory or the Territories generally.
Lord Ashcroft then spoke about the Turks and Caicos Islands
Some 15 years ago, Lord Ashcroft campaigned for an airport where he has had significant business interests for many years.
for St Helena and in late 2009 he “buzzed” the island and con- He also mentioned he is a “Belonger” of the Turks and Caicos
ducted an interview from a private aircraft with Mike Olsson for Islands, something which he greatly values and which has
Saint FM Community Radio to support moves for an airstrip encouraged him to maintain his strong links with the islands.
funded by UK taxpayers. After the airport was eventually Lord Ashcroft also has business interest in other Caribbean
opened, Lord Ashcroft returned to the island in early 2017, countries. Lord Ashcroft referred to the international bank he
nearly 70 years after his first visit. set up in Turks and Caicos. It is a wholesale bank, providing

The St Helena Independent Volume XVIII, Issue 19, Friday 21st April 2023 2
 An Enjoyable ‘Thank You’ Event for
Lord Ashcroft Held on Sunday
services for big organisations and commercial companies making large
transactions.

During his recent visits to St Helena, Lord Ashcroft has frequently been
asked if he wanted to invest in the island but it was clear that it would take
some time for international tourism to grow and he declined. Lord Ashcroft
has a banking background but the Bank of St Helena was not for sale.
Lord Ashcroft has previously pointed out the differences between “invest-
ment” and “speculation”. Investment is, of course, about seeking to make
a profit but it is also about developing St Helena as a whole. Speculation is
about making money, often at the expense of St Helena. Going back sev-
eral years, SHELCO was an investor, not a speculator; but the UK Govern-
ment stopped their plans for an airport, an airline and a five star-plus hotel.
It was a package which was seen as the foundation for real economic
activity in St Helena. 25 years later we are still awaiting the UK Govern-
ment’s version of the full SHELCO package.

After the speeches, Lord Ashcroft spoke with many of the guests, chatting
easily, with humour and sometimes a little teasing. Sometimes a serious
point was made about current issues but, it was a Sunday afternoon and
everyone was there to enjoy the occasion. Several of the guests knew Lord
Ashcroft from previous visits. Also there to enjoy was Roy Richard’s ex-
cellent catering. A plentiful range of high quality and very tasty choices
was available from the finger buffet.
Museum donation pledge from Lord Ashcroft
During his visit, Lord Ashcroft also visited the Museum of St Helena where
he met senior representatives from the St Helena Heritage Society. He
later stunned and delighted museum supporters by announcing that he
intends to donate £100,000 to their fund-raising appeal to expand the mu-
seum into a “cultural centre”. This donation is subject to the rest of the
funding, more than £500,000, being raised in other ways, including grants.
. Now that Jacob’s Ladder is restored and the plaques marking this work
are soon to be in place, it seems Lord Ashcroft’s journey involving St Helena
has come to an end. He told friends on the island that he has no current
plans ever to return again to the island.
Where is Lord Ashcroft Going next?
Having left early on Monday morning, Lord
Ashcroft flew to DR Congo, from there he will
go to Namibia and then to Nigeria. There has
been talk about St Helena developing links with
Namibia; Lord Ashcroft has already done it. In
Nigeria, he has business interests in the build-
ing of a new city. The new city of Eko Atlantic
is located on the coast, just south of Lagos. It
is designed to stop coastal erosion and is
planned to have a population of 250,000 when
complete.
After Nigeria, Lord Ashcroft goes on to New York
City. Lord Ashcroft mentioned that Mark Lan-
caster, a former Conservative MP and now Lord
Lancaster of Kimbolton, was interested in visit-
ing St Helena at the same time as him but, on
this occasion, it was not possible for the two
men to come to the island together.

The crew on the Transocean

drillship Deepwater Titan wanted
to reach out and thank the Port
Authority and the crew on the
launch boat Wideawake for as-
sisting our crew member that
departed, resulting in an unex-
pected stop at your island dur-
ing our transit back to the Gulf of
Mexico.

We took the opportunity to take

some arial photography and
wanted to share.

Regards,

Bobby Badger
Thank You SDPO, Deepwater Titan

The St Helena Independent Volume XVIII, Issue 19, Friday 21st April 2023 3

One day last week I switched on the radio just after 7am to
listen to the local news. I was in bed, just woken up after
burning the midnight oil writing stuff up for the Independent
and waiting for the religious bit to finish. OK, I was half asleep
admittedly, but whoever was speaking on the radio said we
should all be a member of a religious organisation – because
none of us can find our own way to god. He then compared
the importance he thought we should have for fully paid-up
religious membership with driving a car. You wouldn’t put the
ignition key in the cigarette lighter he said. So, he added,
it’s the same with religion.
I struggled with this. I hadn’t even had my first cup of coffee.
Is this man comparing the bible with the operating manual for
a car? The operating manual tells you what to do if the car
breaks down. Does the bible do that for religious organisa-
tions? I couldn’t be too sure myself. The fact is, religious
institutions are run by human beings so they do break down
from time to time, human beings are good at that. And why
is it necessary to be a member of a religious organisation if
you are religious in any way. Which religious organisation is
the best? Each one of them will tell you they are the best
one. Do we look for the operating manual for Judaism, Hin-
duism, Buddhism, Islam or should we follow aboriginal spir-
ituality. I like the idea that all objects are living and share the
same soul or spirit that Aboriginals share. The whole thing
raises many questions and the logic of what was said at
7:04am one morning last week completely escapes me.
Where’s the ignition key for firing up religion? Who has the
key?
In the Pentagon, the headquarters of the United States De-
partment of Defence, there is a man named Sean Kirkpatrick
who is in charge of the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Of-
fice. There was a time you could ask anyone what their job
is and you would get a straight answer. These days the
answer you get is gibberish. The All-domain blah blah blah is
on constant look-out for Unidentified Flying Objects, espe-
cially the ones from outer space which pass through the Milky
Way.
Sean Kirkpatrick, along with Abraham Loeb a professor at
Harvard University have written a draft ‘scientific’ paper about
a cigar shaped object which was spotted passing though the
Milky Way which “could potentially be a parent craft that
releases many small probes during its close passage to Earth.”
The paper was received with thinly disguised derision from
many astronomers and others in the business. It was openly
debated that Sean Kirkpatrick of the US Defence Depart-
ment had no business writing a paper that purported to be
scientific. Surely it could also be wondered what he is doing
working for the US Defence Department.
Cabin crew on planes have a responsibility for passenger
The St Helena Independent Volume XVIII, Issue 19, Friday 21st April 2023
Tel: [+290] 22327
Email: independent@helanta.co.sh
http: www.independent.sh
safety as well as to wake you up to eat very doubtful plastic
food just as you have finally succeeded in getting to sleep.
An ex-flight attendant has been on social media spilling the
beans about what really is behind the fixed smile on the faces
of cabin crew. With some airlines the blanket and pillows get
re-used several times. Too make sure yours has just come
from the laundry only accept blankets that are in a sealed
plastic bag. The water you drink with your tea or coffee may
not be as clean as you would like. The water tanks on some
planes may not be cleaned out very often. Use only bottle
water is the advice. While you are gazing sadly at the tray in
front of you when the food is handed out, wondering which
item might be the least poisonous, the cabin crew are sup-
plied with their own food trolley with better quality food for
them.
But flight attendants don’t always get the best deal. Passen-
gers will be inconvenienced by delays to planes but cabin
crew have their schedule messed about with too. After leav-
ing one flight, cabin crew may have a 10-hour break sched-
uled before the next flight. The 10 hours will be for having a
meal, showering, getting ready for bed, getting ready in the
morning and travel time to the airport. A 2 or 3 hour delay to
the incoming plane plays havoc with the beauty sleep.
Sending emails can turn out to be like navigating a minefield
without a metal detector; especially when emails are between
people of different generations. One UK prime minister signed
off his emails with either his initials or ‘LOL’ – it could be one
or the other and no reason for using one instead of the other.
It was explained to him that ‘LOL’ means ‘laugh out loud’. He
thought it meant ‘lots of love’. What I often say is ‘DIM’ –
‘Does It matter’. Maybe some people think I’m challenging
their mental abilities. MTOU – means I ‘Made That One Up’.
But (god’s honest truth) I recently replied ‘don’t shout’ to some-
one who replied ‘Yes!’ using a BIG font. My ‘don’t shout’ was
whispered in the smallest font I could find.
But seriously, emails should be written with care. When we
talk face to face there are hundreds of body signals we make
to whoever we talk to, to help convey what we are trying to
say and to signal whether we are relaxed, impatient, annoyed
or couldn’t care less. None of this gets through in an email,
it is just the words and the words only. So often words and
phrases can be misinterpreted and the cause of serious mis-
understandings.
Have a restful stress-free weekend
Vince
4
 The Time Bomb in the Body
Not a Good Name for a Time
Bomb
Abdominal aortic aneurysms are defi-
nitely NOT what anyone talks about in
the pub, while shopping or when telling
bed-time stories to the kids BUT it cer-
tainly does need some close consid-
eration.
A big drawback are the words them-
selves. What do they mean? How do
you even pronounce them? After find-
ing that out, how do you remember? The
aorta is the biggest blood vessel in the
body – as big as a garden hose. It
stretches from the heart down through
the body (including the abdomen) to the
legs. Never mind how to spell or pro-
nounce aneurysm; it’s a swelling of the
blood vessel at a weak spot. Basically,
an abdominal aortic aneurysm is a gar-
den hose which will eventually burst,
except in your body its not water spurt-
ing out – it’s blood.
Ready to blow!
In most cases you will not know the
‘garden hose’ pumping blood through
your body is about to blow. Usually
there is no pain, no ache, no soreness
and no swelling. As you continue as
normal with what you do every day the
swelling will gradually get worse. The
swelling could increase to 7cm (3 ins)
in diameter and you still wouldn’t know
about it. But if the swelling gets that
big it will probably burst about 9 months
later. When it bursts, you have big
problems – but your problems will be
The St Helena Independent Volume XVIII, Issue 19, Friday 21st April 2023
short-lived. In the past year at least two people have died because of an abdominal
aortic aneurysm.
Repairing the Garden Hose
To find out who has swellings of this kind, the Health Department started screening
men who are 65 and over last November. The screening started with the older ones
first then gradually working towards the 65-year-olds. The screening is by appoint-
ment and after a letter has been received from the Health Department telling you it’s
your turn. So far, 129 people have been screened and seven aortic aneurysms have
been detected. Five of these have been detected in the early stages and only need
to be monitored at regular intervals. Eventually, surgery will be needed.
Now for the Good News
One very large swelling was detected. The swelling would certainly have burst
within months if left undetected. The person concerned was Perry Yon of Old Boys
School Jamestown. He wants people to know a life-threatening condition can be
avoided if you go along for a screening after receiving the letter from the Health
Department. An operation was organised for Perry in South Africa. He has been
back in St Helena for two weeks now and recovered well since the operation which
involved a small cut in the groin to give access to the swelling so it could be re-
paired. Perry spent one night in the ICU after the operation as a precautionary
measure but could walk again immediately, although with a little soreness while the
cut healed.
The Importance of Perry’s Message
While 129 people have made an appointment for a screening, there are 446 who
have received a letter inviting them to make an appointment for a screening who
have not yet done so. This means less than a quarter of those receiving invitations
have had a screening. In simple terms it also means if 7 people screened out of
129 were found to have a swelling on their aorta (garden hose), there could be
around 22 – 25 people among the 446 who have not yet made an appointment for a
screening who could have a swelling. The swelling may be small at the moment
but it will grow and needs to be monitored. Worse still, the swelling could be at an
advanced and dangerous stage and needs immediate treatment. How many peo-
ple with swollen blood vessels there may be no-one knows without the screening.
More important, none of us know if we are carrying a swollen big blood vessel inside
us, which might be ready to burst, without being screened for abdominal aortic
aneurysm or AAA. What Perry Yon thinks, after his experience, is anyone who
can have a screening should get one.
5
 Lord Ashcroft Says “Find £100,000 for Funding the Cultural
Centre and I Will Match It With Another £100,000”
During Lord Ashcroft’s speech at the social event organised building to create entrances, windows and to maintain the
on Sunday for him to meet leaders in St Helena’s private stonework.
sector, he adopted an attitude on mock indignation, saying
he was the object of outrageous flattery from a lady earlier
that day. “I resisted the flattery” he said defiantly. He then
announced that while he was defiantly resisting flattery, he
agreed to put up £100,000 in matching funding for the St
Helena Cultural Centre. The flirtatious lady is the chair of the
St Helena Heritage Society, Ivy Ellick. The Cultural Centre
is planned to be in the old PWD Stores at the Grand Parade
and matching funding means if the Heritage Society can raise
£100,000, Lord Ashcroft will add a further £100,000 to it.

The PWD Stores is planned to accommodate the public li-

brary and the archives. New equipment, fixtures and fittings
will be provided in larger, better designed areas. For the
archives, a temperature controlled and pest free environment
is planned to protect the archives from heat, humidity and The front of the planned Cultural Centre with the
insects that like to eat very dry paper. museum behind

Detailed plans need to be discussed and agreed. The gen-
eral layout is foreseen to have the public library on the ground
floor, the archives on the 1st floor and an annexe to the mu-
seum on the 2nd floor. There may be some floor space avail-
able for other facilities.
There is a useful amount in funds already raised for the Cul-
tural Centre but more is needed. The Heritage Society, with
strong support from the Friends of St Helena have partnered

Preliminary work has started inside the PWD Store. The

original wooden floors have been removed; the excellent
irocha wood has been retained and will be re-used within the
refurbished building. The roof is supported by strong, sound,
original ironwork and the roofing panels were replaced a few
years ago. Investigative work has been done on the ground
floor. It confirms it is possible to lower the floor level by
about one foot. This will provide extra height between and
ceiling and make the ground floor within the building level
with the ground outside. The foundations to the building ap-
pear strong and stable.

Further excavation would be required to know exactly how

deep the foundations are.

Some concept designs were produced about five years ago.

Details are Important – It is likely the pulley system
These designs are provided to offer ideas on how the refur-
above the opening, which survives from the building’s
bishment and renovation might look and offer ideas for the
days as a warehouse, will be retained and maintained
final plan. Some work will be required on the outside of the
The St Helena Independent Volume XVIII, Issue 19, Friday 21st April 2023 6
 Lord Ashcroft Says “Find £100,000” for Funding the Cultural
Centre and I Will Match It With Another £100,000”
in fund-raising campaigns . The PWD Store was originally
an East India Company Warehouse. It is a prominent build-
ing, constructed in the early 19th Century, erected during the
time of Governor Hudson Lowe. Subsequent uses for the
building include a hotel and the Custom House. The Custom
House sign was rescued a few years ago by the Heritage
Society and is in their custody. The PWD Store is now leased
to the St Helena Heritage Society by the St Helena Govern-
ment on a 99 year lease at a peppercorn rent.

Lord Ashcroft’s funding initiative has been widely welcomed

and those involved believe it is possible to raise £100,000 to
match Lord Ashcroft’s offer. While it is clear the plans for the
Cultural Centre involve a considerable amount of money, de-
tailed costings remain to be completed. It is hoped that when
sufficient funds are raised to match Lord Ashcroft’s offer there
may be sufficient funding, together with the finds already
raised, to start of the first phase of the renovations.

Great thanks are extendeded to Edward Baldwin and Adam

Sizeland for their longstanding work and commitment to the
project.

The Original Organisers

Ivy Ellick apologies for the names that she forgot to
mention during the interview with Sharon on Thursday
regarding the composition of the committee which or-
ganised the renovation of the Old Power House to the
Museum. The committee consisted of:

Alan Nicholls,
John Newman
Gay Marr
Linsday Gratten-Cooper
Nick Thorpe
Olive Brown
Ivy Ellick

Many thanks to Mike Olsson for his support during the

visit of Lord Ashcroft.

PSSST!!......a little inside info from the Indy….

If you need to have spectacles or shoes repaired, then please contact Logan Duncan
of Alarm Forest on Telephone No, 24903.
Contact him for further information…..

To the folks of Near High Knoll who very kindly found a sum of money
last weekend in the St Paul’s area….

Thank you for your honesty – it is great to know that it still exists, as
instilled in us by our elders.
The St Helena Independent Volume XVIII, Issue 19, Friday 21st April 2023 7
 Hey! Keegan! Leave the Kids Alone
Last October Gillian Keegan (centre) became the 5th UK Education Minister in 4 months. The previous four are to
the left and right
Gillian Keegan is the UK Minister for Education at the mo-
ment. She has been in post since last October which is
longer than any of her four predecessors. Because they have
come and gone so quickly it would take some detective work
to find out which one of them is responsible for changing the
arrangements for funding higher education in the UK for St
Helena’s brightest young people. But that is only detail;
Keegan is the education minister now – she is the one in the
firing line.
On Tuesday four of the five people students due to start higher
education courses in the UK lined up on one side of the Council
Chamber to present their case to the councillors about the
change in funding arrangements for students continuing their
education with full-time study at universities and colleges in
the UK.
It was very well organised. The students circulated a paper
before the meeting entitled ‘A Plea For Help From Very Con-
cerned and Unhappy Students’. It was addressed to minis-
ters and elected members of Legislative Council. The paper
had an introduction which pointed out the students are Brit-
ish citizens but they are being treated like foreigners by the
UK government. They feel excluded but appreciate the sup-
port they have received from many people and organisations
in St Helena and the UK.
The next part of the paper described what each student will
be studying: -
Kyla Joshua will be studying to become a Diagnostic Radi-
ographer. The course starts as an undergraduate course for
a Bachelor of Science (BSc) degree. This could lead to fur-
ther studying for a Master’s (MSc) degree. Kyla would like to
work in St Helena if the opportunity arises.
Kirsten Augustus wants to be a qualified architect. She
The St Helena Independent Volume XVIII, Issue 19, Friday 21st April 2023
has a long road to travel before she gets to her destination.
Graduating with a BSc in Architecture will achieve Part 1 of a
three-part qualification needed to become a qualified archi-
tect. An MSc in architecture well achieve Part 2 but working
for a year in an architectural practice comes before that. Part
3 requires more work with a practice and further study. Kirsten
too would like to return to St Helena to use her knowledge
and training – if the jobs she seeks are available.
Katie-Raye Williams will study biological sciences. She is
most interested in the conservation, environmental and eco-
logical areas of study. She already has some experience
with the St Helena National Trust and the Research Institute.
Her intention is to use the knowledge and skills she gains in
St Helena after completing her studies.
Cerys Joshua was accepted by all five universities she ap-
plied to. She too wants to work in conservation and take a
four-year course of study. Student Finance England does
not support four-year courses so Cerys is delaying the start
of her higher education to earn extra money to make the
additional fourth year of study possible.
Ronaldo Johnson is studying for a BSc in Biomedical Sci-
ence. Further practical work and study is necessary after
graduating before becoming a certified Biomedical Scientist.
After that, studying for an MSc is planned and finally (hope-
fully) a Doctorate in Science of Biomedicine.
The final part of the paper presented to elected members
describes the uncertainty the students have experienced since
the Scholarship Scheme ceased to exist; to be replaced by
funding of tutorial fees but no allowance made for rent, food,
travel and all other essentials. The shock and disappoint-
ment they have experienced is very apparent. Other parts of
this section of the paper describe the massive difficulties in
attempting to find the enormous amount of money needed to
8
pay UK landlords and UK prices for essentials. The UK aver-
age salary last year was calculated to be £27,756. The me-
dian salary in St Helena recently published by the govern-
ment statistics office is put at £9,460, roughly one-third of the
UK average.
The paper concluded with the students asking for support with
the cost of living in the UK and travel to and from the UK.
Everyone in Favour Say Aye –
Passed Unanimously
In reply to the student’s oral presentation which was presented
equally by the four students present, every elected member
from the Chief Minister and the two other minister present, to
all seven councillors gave their support to the students cause.
The Director of Education supported the students and con-
gratulated them on an excellent presentation. But the prob-
lems that face the students are not over. The support was
moral, not monetary. The outcome of the monetary issue will
be known later.
On the monetary side there is support from the Chamber of
Commerce; how much this might be is not yet known. SHG
might contribute to the overall costs which are not now cov-
ered by student grants but again, how much this might be will
not be known until the whole budget for this year is sorted
out. There will still remain a large proportion of the money
which has to be found by parents and by students working in
part-time jobs while studying.
It is known some supporters in the House of Commons and
House of Lords are arguing the students’ case, as is the UK
Representative Kedell Worboys.
Despite being British Citizens in a British Overseas Territory,
the students, and the rest of us, are being treated like foreign-
ers. If being British meant anything, our students would not
be having to beg, borrow and work late shifts when a day of
studying finishes to make ends meet. The students are re-
quired by the UK government to apply as overseas students.
The rules and regulations are horrendously complicated and
seem designed to be as difficult and unnecessarily confusing
as possible.
The St Helena Independent Volume XVIII, Issue 19, Friday 21st April 2023
The Chief Minister explained it will take some time get any
progress on this. She is travelling to the UK shortly for a Joint
Ministerial Conference and will raise the issue there. Other
Overseas Territories are in a similar position on student fund-
ing. Julie Thomas will also have a one-to-one with Zac Gold-
smith, the Overseas Territories Minister, on this issue. It looks
like is will take a lot of continual, concerted pressure to get
any of the progress looked for. This is very different to when
this big problem started. The previous Scholarship Funding
Scheme was suddenly stopped without warning at short no-
tice and just as last year’s students were making their final
arrangements to travel, live and study in the UK. The UK
government finds taking money away easy enough, but giving
or replacing money is a long process which involves a lot of
talking first and definitely no action.

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The St Helena Independent Volume XVIII, Issue 19, Friday 21st April 2023 10
The St Helena Independent Volume XVIII, Issue 19, Friday 21st April 2023 11
The St Helena Independent Volume XVIII, Issue 19, Friday 21st April 2023 12
The St Helena Independent Volume XVIII, Issue 19, Friday 21st April 2023 13
 

ASCENSION ISLAND GOVERNMENT

VACANCY NOTICE
Finance Assistant - Flight Bookings
Total package value up to £21,820
(single status including allowances and housing and dependent of qualifications and experience)

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Closing date: 05 May 2023

Interviews: Week beginning 09 May 2023
Start date: As soon as possible

For information, a job description, and to apply visit: ZZZDVFHQVLRQJRYDFOLIHVW\OHDQGHPSOR\PHQWZRUNLQJKHUH

If you have any queries about the role, please email: UHFUXLWPHQW#DVFHQVLRQJRYDF

The St Helena Independent Volume XVIII, Issue 19, Friday 21st April 2023 14
 ACCESS TO PEAKS NATIONAL PARKS PROHIBITED
UNTIL DECEMBER 2023
In March, it was announced that there was increasing
concern over the impact of multiple plant pathogens
that are affecting endemic tree species within the Peaks
National Park. At that time, we encouraged people not
to access the Peaks unless strictly necessary. This
was because the movement of soil, mud and water is
known to spread plant pathogens and we know that
endemic trees along the Peak’s path network are the
most affected, and therefore dying, due to plant patho-
gens.
Since then, an amendment to the Environmental Pro-
tection Ordinance 2016 has been made. This allows
authorities to manage access to specific areas of St
Helena’s terrestrial and marine environments which are
affected by or could potentially be affected by patho-
gens, diseases or organisms that could cause irrepa-
rable damage to St Helena’s biodiversity. This can in-
clude prohibiting access where necessary. This
amendment was proposed and approved at the last
formal sitting of Legislative Council on Thursday 06
April 2023, with the changes brought into effect on Tues-
day 11 April 2023.
To help prevent the further spread of plant pathogens
within the Peaks National Park, especially along foot-
paths, these powers have been used to legally prohibit
access to some areas of the Peaks National Park.
Where applicable, these prohibitions were brought into
effect from 11 April 2023.
This is not a decision that has been taken lightly, and
careful consideration has been given to the potential
risks of not taking action now to try and protect our
precious and threatened endemics, when considered
against the option of keeping the Peaks National Park
open to the public.
Environmental Protection Notices will be erected at
those areas where access is prohibited, with clear in-
formation and instructions about what the closures
mean. Physical barriers, either closed locked gates or
chains, will also be in place. The Environmental Pro-
tection Notices are legally enforceable and must be
complied with. Failure to comply with these is an of-
fence and may lead to prosecution.
Initially, access to specific areas of the Peaks National
Park will be prohibited until the end of December 2023.
During this period, we will continue to undertake fur-
ther disease research and monitoring so that we can
better understand the distribution and impact of the
various plant pathogens.
The St Helena Independent Volume XVIII, Issue 19, Friday 21st April 2023
Access restrictions will only be in place as long as nec-
essary and decisions to restrict access have not been
taken lightly. However, the threat posed by plant patho-
gens is very serious and if the diseases continue to
spread and impact vulnerable tree species, it may be
necessary to extend access restrictions.
The prohibition of access has only been put in place to
help safeguard the Island’s precious habitats and
endemics, and we ask that everyone plays their part in
trying to achieve this aim.
If you would like any additional information in the mean-
time, please contact ENRP Portfolio Director, Darren
Duncan, at darren.duncan@sainthelena.gov.sh or
Chief Environmental Officer, Isabel Peters at
isabel.peters@sainthelena.gov.sh or by telephone on
24724 for both officers.
Research indicates that pathogen diseases are present
across the Peaks National Park, most notably around
the paths. The most notable at this stage is a water
mould, Phytophthora, which lives in soil and attacks
trees by rotting them from the root up. This means that
it can be spread in many ways, but the fact that most
disease is being observed in trees immediately next to
paths suggests that the main method of spread is via
the movement of soil and mud.
The cloud forest is a vital habitat for nature and people.
It provides a large amount of the Island’s water cap-
ture and supply, and has high concentrations of the
Island’s endemic plants and invertebrates. The
endemics here are not only very rare but are also very
isolated. This makes it a sensitive conservation site,
placing the unique and rare biodiversity within it at risk.
Where similar pathogens have been found elsewhere
around the world, they have been known to spread
widely and have significant negative impacts on the
forests affected. It is therefore necessary to take pre-
cautionary action to try to slow the spread.
#Pathogens #Endemics #Biodiversity #Biosecurity
www.twitter.com/StHelenaGovt
www.facebook.com/StHelenaGovt/
SHG
18 April 2023
15
 CANNERY: UPDATE

COMING TOGETHER IS A BEGINNING, KEEPING TOGETHER IS PROGRESS, WORKING TOGETHER IS

68&&(66fThe great thing about collaboration is that you always have others on your side.

This venture would not have gotten off the ground without the continued encouragement and support
of ThH6DLQW+HOHQD&RPPHUFLDO)LVKHUPHQpV$VVRFLDWLRQ6+)&$. These guys have been instrumental
with their drive, their patience and most of all, their belief that together we could change the landscape
of RXULVODQGpVILVKHU\

Many challenges and lessons have been learnt over the past two years, resulting in our cannery venture
being at least six months behind our original schedule, but with planning permissions now granted and
a lease signed ZLWK6W+HOHQDpVgovernment in March, we can now move forwards.

They say a picture paints a thousand wordsf

9LVLWRUV WR WKH 5XSHUWpV DUHDRYHU WKH SDVW IHZ ZHHNV PD\ KDYH QRWLFHG WKHGLVPDQWHOLQJRI WKH ROG
cannery building. A huge thank you to AMD Engineering for agreeing to undertake this work at short
noticefD sterling job. We would DOVROLNHWRH[SUHVVRXUWKDQNVWRWKHUHVLGHQWVRI5XSHUWpVDQGWRWKRVH
occupying nearby commercial plots for their understanding whilst the dismanteling works have been
carried out.

So, ZKDWpVKDSSHQLQJnow and what are the potential bottlenecks and pain-SRLQWVf

The St Helena Independent Volume XVIII, Issue 19, Friday 21st April 2023 16
 With the old building gone, our focus is now on the planning and execution of getting the necessary
utilities connected to the site and thereafter, the arrangements for shipping the necessary raw materials
to the island and the commencement of the new build cannery. At this stage it is imperative that the
activites on-island run in parallel with the remaining legal and contractural obligations overseas and that
we keep the ohorse in front of the cartp. This also means that during the early stages of this project, while
the preperation work on St. Helena may at times appear to slow down, activity continue overseas.

Testing for the compatibility of can/lids and canning machines

We received our sample cans/lids from Eviosys in February. These were sent to Somme (canning
machine manufacturer) in Spain when I returned to the UK from St. Helena in March, and we have since
received notification that the testing and compatability results are positive.

European Hygienic Engineering & Design Group (EHEDG) certification:

In order to be able to import food goods (fresh, frozen or ambient) into the UK or EU, the above
certification must be obtained. TGFC have partnered with The Food Incubator Company (based in
Leicester) to attain the necessary food cooking and food safety accreditation. The laboratory testing will
take approx. 10-days and we are hopeful that our testing will commence w/c 24th April.

As soon as the EHEDG certification has been completed and shared with our relevant stakeholder parties
(including our prospective retail partners), we will be in a position to finalise our legal and contractual
obligations with our investor partners. Confirmation of our process and our being able to export from
St. Helena without any food standard concerns, is now key to being able to call-off the agreed funding.

Bottlenecks and pain-points:

CONNECT ST. HELENA t Our planning permission has been granted with certain conditions, the main
one being sewerage. Some may know that a new sewerage system has been installed in 5XSHUWpV but
it is not yet operational. Understanding when this system will come online or whether we need to adopt
alternative measures (as per the planning conditions) is critical at this stage, because our contractor
needs to effectively plan the next phase for groundworks and foundation excavations. We have asked
Connect this week for an update and await their response. We are now in limbo until this is received.

SHIPPING t Understanding future shipping schedules and costs is crucial for our project planning and
for setting the dates for the opening of the cannery. Having a timeline in-place for ordering and booking
freight for raw materials, and for the shipment of equipment to St. Helena remains our biggest concern.
More importantly though, our retail partners need to know when to expect their consignment of goods
because it is customary for them to work a season/year in advance, and for our product, spring and
summer are peak seasons because of the productps use e.g. for salads, sandwiches and pastas etc.

Currently, with a temporary shipping service in place, we are unable to provide long-term shipping
information to retail partners, and XQWLO VXFK WLPH DV ZHpUH DEOH WR do this, we will not receive any
commitment from them regarding 2024 order quantities. We are now reliant on SHG to provide updates
and we hope that news of the future shipping service will be forthcoming soonfNot having a confirmed
shipping schedule has a huge impact on build schedule, cannery opening and managing forecasted
cashflow, and this impacts all stakeholders i.e. contractors, fishermen, investors and retail partners.
Continued on NEXT PAGE

The St Helena Independent Volume XVIII, Issue 19, Friday 21st April 2023 17
 St. HelenapV)LVKHU\DQG6+&)$UHSUHVHQWHGDWWKH*OREDO6HDIRRG([SR
This annual event commences next week (25th t 27th April) and TGFC will be attending for the duration.
:KLOVWZHDUHXQDEOHWRH[KLELWZHGRQpW\HWKDYHDSURGXFWwe will be using the time at the event to
SURPRWH 6W +HOHQDpV ILVKHU\, our Pole & Line fishermen (SHCFA) and to meet the suppliers and
organisations who will work with and support both TGFC and SHCFA once the cannery is in operation.

The highlight of the event will be attending the International Pole & Line FoundationpVPHPEHUVRQO\
session. Exclusively for the IPNLF membership, this presents an opportunity for members to discuss
local challenges and to draw-on the experiences of other fishers regarding adopted technologies and
importantly, ensuring the IPNLFpVoFRGHRIFRQGXFWp is being adhered to. TGFC will use this opportunity
to showcase our final product packaging and to give to interested members, an overview of our journey,
our ambitions and our projected economic impact on the islandps fishing industry and the wider local
economy.

Post our return from the Global Seafood Expo, we will await the results of our laboratory testing and the
conclusion of our legal and contractual obligations. Thereafter, we anticipate our Founder and CEO
returning to St. Helena in May to see the commencement of the new cannery build.

We trust this provides a true reflection of our progress and ongoing commitment to provide a much
QHHGHGVROXWLRQWRWKHLVODQGpVILVKHU\FKDOOHQJHV, but would welcome any questions or queries if indeed
there are any concerns among local residents or other interested parties or organisations.

On a separate matter, TGFC are pleased to announce that we have concluded our first local sponsorship.
We have agreed to be a part-sponsor for the team uniforms for the upcoming Island Games in Guernsey,
and on behalf of everyone connected to TGFC, both on St. Helena and overseas, we would like to take
this opportunity to wish the entire team every success in their representation of the island.

For and on behalf of:

The Green Fish Company St. Helena Island Limited, trading locally as TGFC.

Sending Happy Birthday wishes to my very

Special Daughter Regan Benjamin for 26th
April. Hope you have a lovely day.

With love & best wishes from Daddy &

Dianne xx

The St Helena Independent Volume XVIII, Issue 19, Friday 21st April 2023 18
 SHAPE would like to advise the public that it is an offence to trespass on SHAPE property when the
SHAPE Centre at Sandy Bay is closed, especially on the weekends and during public holidays.

SHAPE Centre is a place of work for our Trainees with disabilities and for our vulnerable people who
cannot access employment. At SHAPE, they learn valuable skills so that they can become employable.

Gardening is part of our Trainees programme and the growing and harvesting of fresh produce is one of
our business operating activities that will help make money to assist with the operating costs of SHAPE.

Together with their Trainers, the SHAPE Trainees work extremely hard and are proud to see the fruits of
their labour resulting in successful crops.

Upon our arrival at work yesterday morning we were disheartened to discover that vegetables were
stolen from the garden over the weekend.

There are signs at either side of the garden and on the front gate that clearly states ‘PRIVATE PROP-
ERTY - NO TRESPASSING!’

We wish to advise that if anyone is caught trespassing on SHAPE property; this offence will be brought
to the attention of the Police.

APPLICATION FOR DEVELOPMENT PERMISSION

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that an Application has been received in respect of the following proposal:

1. Application 2023/17: FULL Planning Application for Proposed Construction of a Container Storage
Shelter, Hunts Vale, Alarm Forest on Parcel AF0350. Applicant: Axel Oberem

Copies of the Applications and Plans may be inspected by prior appointment with the Planning
Section, Essex House, Main Street, Jamestown, Monday to Friday, from 8.30am to 4pm.
Appointments can be made with the Portfolio Assistant on Telephone 24724 or email
Karen.Isaac@sainthelena.gov.sh stating the Application Reference Number they wish to inspect.

Any person who wishes to make Representations on the above Application should make them in writing
within 14 days to the Planning Office, Essex House, Main Street, Jamestown or Email
karen.isaac@sainthelena.gov.sh

Public Representation Closing Date 4pm ʹ 6 April 2023

Shane Williams, Planning Officer

The St Helena Independent Volume XVIII, Issue 19, Friday 21st April 2023 19
 Football from from the Couch
Mike & Sharon
PREMIER LEAGUE RESULTS - Saturday 15th April
Aston Villa 3 Newcastle United 0
Chelsea 1 Brighton & Hove Albion 2
Everton 1 Fulham 3
Southampton 0 Crystal Palace 2
Wolverhampton Wanderers 2 Brentford 0
Tottenham Hotspur 2 AFC Bournemouth 3
Manchester City 3 Leicester City 1
Erling Haaland scored twice as Premier League champions
Manchester City maintained their winning streak with a domi-
nant victory over relegation-threatened Leicester City on Sat-
urday.
The hosts cut the gap to league leaders Arsenal to just three
points, but Mikel Arteta’s men can re-establish their advan-
tage when they face West Ham on Sunday.
It was a thoroughly comfortable day for Pep Guardiola’s men,
who scored twice in the first 13 minutes through John Stones’
thumping effort and Haaland’s penalty.
The 22-year-old Norwegian goal machine added his second
with a delightfully dinked finish 12 minutes later, but could
not add to his tally after being substituted at half-time.
Goalkeeper Daniel Iversen made a superb flying stop to deny
Riyad Mahrez’s curling strike, the closest the hosts came to
a fourth in the second half.
Meanwhile, Dean Smith suffered a nightmare start in his first
game in charge of Leicester, although Kelechi Iheanacho
grabbed a 75th minute consolation and also hit the post
against his old club.
The St Helena Independent Volume XVIII, Issue 19, Friday 21st April 2023
The Foxes remain deep in trouble at the wrong end of the
table, sitting in 19th position and two points off safety.
Manager Gary O’Neil said relegation-threatened Bournemouth
“took a huge step” towards Premier League survival as sub-
stitute Dango Ouattara scored a stoppage-time winner in a
stunning finish at Tottenham.
Son Heung-min opened the scoring for the hosts in the first
half before Uruguay left-back Matias Vina marked his first
Premier League start with a deserved equaliser for Bourne-
mouth.
The Cherries looked set to clinch all three points after Dominic
Solanke put them in front early in the second half, only for
Arnaut Danjuma to come off the bench and equalise against
his former club on 88 minutes.
Fellow Spurs substitute Richarlison then sent a free header
wide deep into stoppage time and, moments later, the visi-
tors went up the other end and Ouattara netted a dramatic
winner.
After winning at relegation rivals Leicester last week to climb
out of the bottom three, the Cherries are now six points clear
of the drop zone in 14th.
“To come here and win is one thing, to come here and be as
dominant as we were is impressive,” said O’Neil, whose side
next face relegation rivals West Ham, Southampton and Leeds
in the space of seven days.
“We’ll enjoy this one but we try not to get too carried away.
There’s a huge week coming next week as well so we’ll make
sure the lads are ready.”
Bournemouth suffered an agonising late defeat at Arsenal last
month, but Burkina Faso forward Ouattara fired home his first
Premier League goal to ensure it was a triumphant return to
north London.
Spurs remain fifth as chairman Daniel Levy continues to
search for Antonio Conte’s successor, with Burnley boss Vin-
cent Kompany the latest to be linked with the job this week.
20
 Football from from the Couch
Mike & Sharon
PREMIER LEAGUE RESULTS - Sunday 16th April
West Ham United 2 Arsenal 2
Nottingham Forest 0 Manchester United 2
On Sunday leaders Arsenal missed a penalty and threw away
a two-goal lead as they drew at West Ham in a blow to their
hopes of winning the Premier League.
A close-range finish from Gabriel Jesus and Martin Odegaard’s
volley put the visitors 2-0 ahead inside the opening 10 min-
utes at London Stadium as they looked to be cruising to the
victory.
But, just as they did in the 2-2 draw at Liverpool last Sunday,
Mikel Arteta’s side could not hold on to their advantage and
dropped valuable points in their title battle with Manchester
City.
Said Benrahma’s penalty, after Gabriel had brought down
Lucas Paqueta, gave the Hammers a way back into the game,
before Arsenal got a spot-kick of their own, following Michail
Antonio’s handball, but Bukayo Saka shot wide.
That proved costly as the hosts scored less than three min-
utes later through Jarrod Bowen’s superb volley from Thilo
Kehrer’s lofted pass.
PREMIER LEAGUE RESULTS - Monday 17th April
Leeds United 1 Liverpool 6
On Monday Mohamed Salah and Diogo Jota both scored twice
as Liverpool claimed a first win in five Premier League games
by inflicting a second successive home hammering on Leeds
United, who remain mired in a relegation battle.
The Reds had not won since putting seven unanswered goals
past Manchester United at the start of March, but after a slow
start they ruthlessly dismantled Javi Gracia’s hapless side.
Trent Alexander-Arnold used an arm to control the ball but
neither the referee or the VAR felt it worthy of penalising,
before he drove forward to exchange passes with Salah and
set up Cody Gakpo for the opener.
The Egypt forward doubled his side’s lead soon after, firing a
sweet shot in after being set up by Jota to put the visitors in
control.
The St Helena Independent Volume XVIII, Issue 19, Friday 21st April 2023
Leeds were given hope after the break when Luis Sinisterra
dispossessed the ponderous Ibrahima Konate and cleverly
chipped the ball beyond Alisson.
However, Liverpool quickly responded through Jota’s neat fin-
ish as the Portugal forward notched his first goal since April
2022.
After seeing a goal ruled out for offside, Salah then slotted
home his second at the end of a superb move to put the game
to bed before Jota grabbed his second when he steered in a
Jordan Henderson cross.
Substitute Darwin Nunez completed the rout with a neat side-
foot finish against a shambolic Whites side, who conceded
five last weekend at home to Crystal Palace and now have the
worst defensive record in the Premier League.
On an encouraging night for the visitors, there was also a
return to action for Luis Diaz as the Colombia winger made
his first appearance since October as a late substitute.
Jurgen Klopp’s side remain eighth in the table, a point behind
seventh-placed Brighton and two shy of Aston Villa in sixth.
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE QUARTER-FINALS RESULTS -
Tuesday 18th April
Chelsea 0 Real Madrid 2 (Agg 0-4)
Napoli 1 AC Milan 1 (Agg 1-2)
Wednesday 19th April
Bayern Munich 1 Manchester City 1 (Agg 1-4)
Inter Milan 3 Benfica 3 (Agg 5-3)
Manchester City set up a Champions League semi-final
clash with holders Real Madrid as Erling Haaland’s goal ended
Bayern Munich’s hopes of a comeback.
Bayern boss Thomas Tuchel felt his side needed a miracle to
go through after losing the first leg 3-0 and they squandered
plenty of opportunities to get back into the game.
Haaland made them pay as he lashed home a shot into the
top corner to cap off a swift counter-attack, 15 seconds after
Ederson had saved Kingsley Coman’s shot at the other end.
That was the Norwegian’s 48th goal for City this season. He
could have reached that figure earlier in the game but blazed
over a penalty after a Dayot Upamecano handball.
Just like in the first leg last week, Upamecano - who was also
beaten easily for the 57th-minute goal - had a nightmare.
The French centre-back was shown a red card early in the
game for a professional foul on Haaland, but it was overturned
because the City striker was offside.
21
 EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST
DESIGN & BUILD OF A NEW PRISON
Reference: TISD-1699-SHG

St Helena Government are requesting Expressions of Interest from suitably, qualified con-
tractors to design and build a New Prison on St Helena Island.

The Government of St Helena has received planning permission and is committed to

constructing a new prison development on a rural, greenfield site in the north-east of the
Island. A concept design has been developed for the new prison to house approximately
60 inmates. It is envisaged that the detailed design of the new prison will be based on the
UK Ministry of Justice (MOJ) Category C requirements, incorporating appropriate relaxa-
tions/exemptions to suit the particular circumstances of St Helena. The Government of St
Helena intends to procure the new prison under design & build arrangements (FIDIC
Yellow Book).

The proposed prison will be located within the Longwood Area (Bottom Woods) and will
require the provision of a new access road, civil works to form the proposed site, associ-
ated service provisions (anticipated to include for a sewerage treatment plant which may
be required to service properties in the Longwood locality), full build and subsequent fit
out.

The Government of St Helena would therefore now like to hear from firms who have an
appropriate track-record of designing and/or building prisons for the MOJ, or other clients,
and who would be interested in submitting a design and build tender for the construction
of a new prison in St Helena.

Interested firms should register on the St Helena Government eProcurement Portal through
https://in-tendhost.co.uk/sainthelena/aspx/Home. A number of documents with additional
information are available on the site.

Interested firms should submit their name (legal entity), company brochure, registered
address and contact details via the e-procurement portal by the deadline. Submissions
should also include brief details of prisons constructed for MOJ or other clients (with
dates) in the £3 - 10 million range, and particularly highlighting any relevant overseas
projects experience.

All communication, clarifications, general questions and submissions of your response

must be made via the eProcurement Portal.
Help guides to assist registration can be found on the Supplier Information section.

The deadline for expressions of interest is submissions is Friday, 12 May 2023, at

1pm GMT.
SHG
13 April 2023
www.sainthelena.gov.sh

The St Helena Independent Volume XVIII, Issue 19, Friday 21st April 2023 22
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The St Helena Independent Volume XVIII, Issue 19, Friday 21st April 2023 23
 T20 Cricket League
Submitted by St Helena Cricket Association

T20 DISTRICT LEAGUE 2. Aiden Leo

Last weekend saw the start of the T20 District tournament 3. Cormac Crowie
2023. The district tournament comprises of 6 teams, reigning
chamions Levelwood, Half Tree Hollow, St Paul’s, Sandy Bay, Levelwood won by 100 runs
Longwood and Jamestown.
Saturday 15th April 2023 Saturday 15th April 2023
1.30pm Levelwood vs St Paul’s 10.00 am Longwood vs Sandy Bay
Levelwood won the toss and elected to bat Sandy Bay won the toss and elected to bat
Levelwood 190/6 after 20 overs Sandy Bay 120/8 after 20 overs
Best batsmen Best batsmen
- Greg Coleman 67(34) - Ronan Legg 73(64)
- Aiden Leo 39(34) - Brett Isaac 8(11)

Best Bowlers Best Bowlers

- Jordi Henry 2/23 from 4 overs - Weston Clingham 3/10 from 4 overs
- Cliff Richards 2/36 from 4 overs - Sean-lee Thomas 3/23 from 4 overs

St Paul’s 90/10 after 16 overs Longwood 122/3 after 11.2 overs

Best Batsmen Best Batsmen
- Dax Richards 35(34) - Weston Clingham 36(36)
- Cliff Richards 25(20) - Sean-lee Thomas 24*(7)

Best Bowlers Best Bowlers

- Cormac Crowie 4/12 after 3 overs - Kieron Williams 2/8 after 1.2 overs
- Aiden Leo 2/14 after 4 overs - William Knipe 1/27 after 2 overs

Top performers Top performers

1. Greg Coleman 1. Weston Clingham

The St Helena Independent Volume XVIII, Issue 19, Friday 21st April 2023 24
 T20 Cricket League
Submitted by St Helena Cricket Association
2. Sean-lee Thomas Best Bowlers
3. Ronan Legg - Barry Stroud 2/26 after 4 overs
- Ashton Benjamin 1/8 after 2 overs
Longwood won by 7 wickets
Top performers
1.30 pm Half Tree Hollow vs Jamestown 1. Scott Crowie
Half Tree Hollow won the toss and elected to Bat HTH 167/10 2. Ashton Benjamin
after 19.5 overs 3. Tristan Thomas
Best Batsmen
- Ashton Benjamin 39(31) Half Tree Hollow won by 5 runs
- Jamie Essex 38(13)
Next week’s fixtures
Best Bowlers Saturday 15th April 2023
- Tristan Thomas 2/22 after 4 overs 10.00am- Half Tree Hollow vs Levelwood – Umpires – Longwood
- Jason George 2/40 after 4 overs 1.30pm – Longwood vs Jamestown - Umpires- Sandy Bay
Sunday 16th April 2023
Jamestown 163/8 after 20 overs 1.30pm – St Paul’s vs Sandy Bay - Umpires- Jamestown
Best Batsmen You can follow T20 District 2023 on CricHeroes and view scores
- Scott Crowie 78(52) LIVE ball to ball.
- Robert George 17(23) https://cricheroes.in/tournament/621863/T20-District-2023
Via CricHeroes App
https://crichero.es/apps

NEWS, UPDATES AND COMMUNICATIONS

SURVEY REMINDER
SHG is currently running a survey asking people what they think of the news, updates and communications
provided by the government.

SHG regularly publishes communications on public services, projects, vacancies and Ministerial activities,
amongst others things. We are running the survey to find out what you think of the information we put out and
what it is you want to hear about from us.

By completing a survey form, either online or via hardcopy, you can tell us whether you receive SHG informa-
tion, if so how you receive this information, and whether or not the information provided is understandable.

Results from the survey will help SHG improve the current service it provides so please let us know what you
want to hear about, how you want to hear about it and when you think you should hear about it.

The survey is available online through https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/SHNews_Multi.

Hard copies are available from the Post & Customer Services Centre, the Public Library, ANRD Reception,
the Reception at the Castle, the waiting areas at Hospital Outpatients and the Dental Clinic, and from the
Rural Sub Post Offices - MTB Town Shop; Andy’s Shop; Red Hill Shop; Phillip John’s Shop; New Ground
Shop; All Sorts Shop; Marcus Fowler’s Shop; Blue Hill Shop; and Longwood Supermarket.

You can also complete an online copy of the survey at the Tourist Office at the Canister in Jamestown using
their tablet. The Tourism Office is open 08:30 to 16:00 every day and Tourism staff will be happy to help.

SHG
19 April 2023

The St Helena Independent Volume XVIII, Issue 19, Friday 21st April 2023 25
 Banking Facilities in the Falklands – Major Report
The Falkland Islands Chamber of Commerce commissioned
consultants to undertake a review of the provision of banking
services in the Falkland Islands. Banking services are pro-
vided by Standard Chartered Bank. In St Helena there is a
general view that the Falklands are lucky to have a ‘proper’
bank because it must make life easier for business and pri-
vate transactions. Standard Chartered was established in
the Falklands in 1983. Their website claims, “we provide a
comprehensive range of financial products and services in-
cluding retail banking for individuals, small and medium-sized
enterprises, corporate banking and access to the interna-
tional financial markets.” The report commissioned by the
Falklands Chamber of Commerce tells a different story.
· The Falkland Islands offers limited banking services
· Bank of St Helena has more
Queenstown Strategic Advisors (QSA), who wrote the report,
point out early on, “Many businesses and individuals have to
find creative solutions to work around the challenges created
by the rudimentary nature of the current banking proposition
in the (Falkland) Islands.”
QSA were asked to undertake a comprehensive review of
Falkland banking services to assess the historical and cur-
rent landscape, to consider how the Islands compare against
other small island jurisdictions and to identify initiatives
which could be pursued by stakeholders to improve the cur-
rent arrangements.
After pointing out the rudimentary, or basic, nature of the
current banking service the consultants added, “In addition
to the poor customer experience, the resilience of the oper-
ating model appears to be increasingly fragile with businesses
reporting a rise in the number of errors being made in terms
of payment processing. In the run up to the recent Christmas
period the bank had a significant number of staff absent ow-
ing to Covid and because customers cannot self-serve it was
necessary to reduce the opening hours of the branch. A
number of firms reported they had payments made a number
of days late including wages for their employees.”
When comparing the Falklands banking service with other
small islands QSA assessed a range of small island serv-
ices across the world and four were selected for close in-
spection and comparison. They were Gibraltar International
Bank, Niue Development Bank, the Issuing Institute for Over-
seas Departments (French Overseas Territories) and the Bank
of St Helena.
As the QSA report works through how the four small island
banking services compare with the Falklands they conclude,
“St Helena and its banking services are a case that should
be considered for further in-depth discovery and research due
to the many similarities it has with the Falkland Islands”. In
other words, the Falklands Standard Chartered Bank are ad-
vised they might learn a thing or two from the Bank of St
Helena about how to operate more effectively in the midst of
a harsh international financial regulatory environment.
The St Helena Independent Volume XVIII, Issue 19, Friday 21st April 2023
In fact, the Bank of St Helena is assessed in almost the
same detail as the Falkland branch of the Standard Char-
tered Bank. The report gives a fairly detailed opening de-
scription of the BOSH operation. “BOSH was founded in
2004 when it took over the operations of two banks; St Helena
Government Savings Bank, and Ascension Island Savings
Bank. It is an SOE (State Owned Enterprise) of the Island’s
government, yet the bank has been operationally independ-
ent from the government for a while now. Products and serv-
ices have improved over time with present capabilities being
current and savings accounts, personal and commercial lend-
ing, online banking, local debit cards, foreign exchange, and
cash-back services in retail shops around the island.
There are of course, improvements to be made to these serv-
ices in comparison to what is offered in continental banks.
The advantage of the locally owned bank is that the unique
and niche challenges can be addressed through unique and
innovative solutions such as “St Helena Pay.” This is a serv-
ice that mediates between the credit card restrictions and
international payment challenges they have, where ease-of-
access is made for tourists to the island by uploading money
to a “tourist card” using a QR code. Perhaps because of its
position as an SOE, the bank has made great strides in
terms of financial inclusion, even winning an award recognis-
ing this.”
The report also makes the point that St Helena (together
with the BOSH branch on Ascension Island) operate in less
well-developed economies and dependent upon financial aid
from Britain. Despite this, residents of St Helena and As-
cension have access to digital/mobile banking – where as
residents of the Falklands do not have digital banking offered
by Standard Chartered Bank. Referring to the Falklands, the
QSA report says internet bandwidth has much improved over
the last five years and St Helena, which has poorer internet
connectivity has had digital banking for some time. Improve-
ments that have been made at Standard Chartered to their
banking services have been “around the edges” and do not
include the introduction of new, more modern services.
Taking BOSH as an example, the QSA report states, “it shows
that access to internet banking is possible in a jurisdiction
as remote and isolated as the Falkland Islands. Indeed, look-
ing at the profitability of BOSH’s annual reports, it shows
that there is a business case for implementing an e-banking
platform.”
Broadening their assessments to wider considerations of UK
government involvement with their Overseas Territories the
QSA report points out that St Helena and the Falkland Is-
lands enjoy a long-standing relationship with the British Crown
as British Overseas Territories. St Helena continues to be
reliant on aid from the UK government whereas the Falkland
Islands is financially independent owing largely to the suc-
cess of the fisheries industry. Both countries have small
markets and have only a single bank providing a limited range
of services. The British have tended to adopt a less interven-
tionist approach in terms of the provision of certain infrastruc-
Continued on NEXT PAGE
26
 Golf Report for Sunday 16th April 2023
Last Sunday 16th April the club hosted the annual Fox Motors
sponsored 18 Holes stroke play furrows competition. This
was the second SHGCC qualifying event where points were
awarded to all players who completed the competition and to
those who finished on top of the leaderboard. The biggest
challenge in this format was to keep the ball in the correct
fairway. Hitting your ball into the wrong fairway was consid-
ered out of bounds and attracted 1 stroke penalty. Sixteen
players teed off in beautiful golfing weather conditions. Fin-
ishing on top of the leaderboard to win first prize was Mr Mar-
tin Joshua who returned the only score on the 60s net 67.
The president Mr Tony Green tied with the Handicaps man-
ager Mr Pat Henry with net 70. After a play-off of the last hole
Pat Henry birdied the hole to win second prize with Mr Green
ready to play his 4th shot. The overall results were as follows.

Winner 2023 Martin Joshua (67)

Longest drive Bramwell Bushuru
2nd Prize winner Pat Henry (70)
Nearest to pin Leon Crowie

The prizes were presented by Mrs Helena Stevens from Fox

Motors. The club wishes to profoundly thank Fox Motors for
their continued support and look forward to this collaboration
into the future.

Coming up on Saturday and Sunday 22-23 April 2023 tee off

12:00 is the annual Solomons sponsored 36-hole stroke play
competition. This event will be the 3rd and 4th St Helena Golf
Club Championship (SHGCC) qualifying round in which play-
ers will earn points for completing the 1st and the 2nd round as
well as finishing in the top 5. As always Solomons who are
one of best sponsors will have great prizes for the winners
who finish in the top 3 as well as 2 prizes for nearest to pin
and 2 prizes for longest drive. This is an event not to be missed.
Registration closes on Friday 20th April at 15:00.
Happy swinging.……!
Contributed by SHGC.

Banking Facilities in the Falklands – Major Report

ture compared to, say, France. This includes the banking
sector. More broadly, as part of the evolving post-Brexit rela-
tionship between the British Overseas Territories and the UK,
consideration should be given as to the future role the UK
government might play in ensuring each Territory has access
to the core infrastructure, including banking, required to sup-
port further economic development. The report adds, “the
Government of St Helena and Ascension are exploring how
they might either attract an international bank or financial
institution who can introduce greater international
connectivity”
together to raise awareness with politicians in the UK, per-
haps through relevant All-Party Parliamentary Groups and
the UK Overseas Territories Association. This outreach might
also usefully extend to include a number of the key trade
bodies including UK Finance. By working collectively, there
is a greater propensity to help educate key UK stakeholders
about the unique character, identity and challenges facing
the islands and the British diaspora who live there.”
The QSA report for the Falklands Chamber of Commerce is
probably almost as useful to all interested parties in St Helena.

Towards the end of the QSA report it is suggested that Brit-

ish Overseas Territories which share similar situations should
join forces. It is pointed out that “Awareness of the British
Overseas Territories, what they are, their relationship with
the United Kingdom and the challenges they are facing is
lacking.” It is suggested, “For those territories which do not
have an international finance centre it might be useful to work

The St Helena Independent Volume XVIII, Issue 19, Friday 21st April 2023 27
 Football Team Selected Yesterday

The St Helena Football Association (SHFA) yesterday after-

noon announced the names of the potential team selected
to participate in Guernsey 2023. The names will now be
passed to the National Sports Association of St Helena
(NSASH) who will carry out a screening process on the foot-
ballers as there are criteria that has to be met.

Names put forward yesterday were:

Manager Mr Johnny Isaac
Coach Mr Gary Davis
Team Players Keith Yon
Mikee Williams
Owen Richards
Clayton Benjamin
Rico Benjamin
Tyler Benjamin
Schmichael Benjamin
Blake Peters
Shane Stroud
Ronan Legg
Brett Isaac
Dane Wade
Weston Clingham
Jordan Yon
Matthias Young
Sam Collins
Louis Barnikel
Christo Crowie

Once the potential footballers have being through the screen-

ing process with NSASH, eligible names will be handed back
to the SHFA who will then make the final selection of the
team to represent St Helena in Guernsey in July this year.

Reserve Players announced yesterday were:

Rieedwaan Richards
Jerome Peters
Anelka Leo
Travis Samuel-Yon
Ethan Harris

Text and Pictures:

Leigh Richards

The St Helena Independent Volume XVIII, Issue 19, Friday 21st April 2023 28