Attendees at the St Helena Islands Environments Conference held at Anne’s Place from January 29th to February 8th which included field days. Conference papers were presented by international researchers and academics with an interest in St Helena. Abstracts of 27 conference papers are presented on pp 19-23.

In this issue Joining the Friends of St Helena Committee 2 Editorial / Joining the Friends We have vacancies for new members to join the Friends 3 Report on the AGM held at Oxford / Ascension talk by Polly Burns of St Helena committee. The committee normally has 4 Polly Burns talk (cont) between 10-12 members and meets twice a year, for 5 -6 Ascension Island History by John Woolven-Allen half day meetings, at the Friends Meeting House in London (opposite Euston Station). 7-8 Sale and New Career of RMS St Helena by Edward Baldwin 9 St Helena Airport Shrugs off “World’s Most Useless” Tag by Committee members also assist as necessary with the Andreas Spaeth and Flight News Update by E. Baldwin running of the two annual membership meetings – in the 10 Number Resident on St Helena approach 5,000 (Stats Dept.) summer (AGM) at the Friends Meeting House in Oxford and a New Approach View of St Helena by L. Carter and in the late autumn at the Victory Club in London. 11 Astronomer Jets in to Launch Star Gazing Event - SH Tourism There are no particular qualifications for committee 12-13 Country Shops of St Helena (parts 3 and 4) by Sharon Henry membership other than a long-term interest and/or 14 Owen George: A Tribute and Another Luny on the Market involvement with St Helena. Computing and 15 A Visit to St Helena by Laurence Carter administrative skills would be an added asset. 16 PASH Global to Provide Solar Energy for St Helena by SHG If you are interested please contact the chairman Ian 17 Plastic Reaches St Helena Beaches by Leigh Morris of BLUE Mathieson in the first instance on 18 A View from the Castle, David Smallman – Review by I. Mathieson 19-23 St Helena’s Diverse Islands Environment Conference – [email protected] Abstract of Papers 23 St Helena’s Whale Sharks by St Helena Tourism 24 St Helena, Ascension and Tristan on BBC’s Mastermind Autumn Meeting 2018: the next meeting will be held as usual at the Victory Club, Seymour St, London W2 2HF. The date has not been finalised as Governor Honan has agreed to address the Society in the company of one or more councillors but the date is yet to be fixed. It is likely to be either Saturday 17th or 24th November.

Editorial As we noted in our last editorial “Access issues have dominated the life of the St Helena Connection.” The airport proposal featured on the front page of the first issue in 2006 and it has featured on no less than 13 subsequent front pages despite the lengthy period of the “pause” when no-one knew if the airport was on or off. Now we have reached the end of an era as access drops off front page news. This issue’s front page features the timely and imaginative Environmental Conference held In Jamestown in February. On pages 19-23 we have brief summaries from all 27 papers given by authors from around the world, who have a focus on St Helena and, I am pleased to say, include two members of the Friends. Access issues remain but the RMS is now gone to pastures new, but of perhaps a slightly shady nature as Edward Baldwin reports on pp7-8. Issues remain about the inability of passengers to embark or disembark the plane during its fuel stop at Windhoek but it seems likely that these will be resolved with time and a much easier link to Cape Town established. A few unlucky passengers have not been allowed to board the flight because they have not been in possession of adequate “medivac” insurance. This remains an issue not properly explained on the appropriate websites and nearly caused the termination of Laurence Carter’s visit to the island with his family after an absence of 16 years, as he recounts on page 15. But St Helena’s airport is no longer the beloved target of the Daily Mail’s outrage as aviation expert Andraes Spaeth reports on page 9. His successful flights to and from the island, and those of most other visitors, proving again that the label “the world’s most useless airport” is utter nonsense. The Environmental Conference was an inspired idea as it sets an agenda for St Helena’s future. Tourism is the economic future as was always the raison d'être for the airport. St Helena’s unique environment is its star attraction. New areas of interest to visitors are emerging. For many years Stedson George was happy to discuss and explain St Helena’s night sky to visitors but they could only find out on the grapevine that such knowledge existed on the island. Now, as we report on page 18, stargazing is very much on the visitor agenda thanks to the efforts of astronomer Bob Bower, who in the Environmental Conference described St Helena’s night sky as far better than at his home in Scotland, which he had selected for the very reason that it had dark night skies! St Helena’s links with Halley, Maskelyne, Manuel Johnson and other astronomers provide a superb historical context. The island’s whale sharks (see Environmental Conference abstract by Alistair Dove of the Georgia Aquarium on p20) were largely unknown outside the fishing community until the last few years. Evidence is growing that whale sharks come to St Helena as part of their reproductive cycle, which makes the island unique in the world. The Mantis Hotel has picked up on this as being a big draw for the summer months early in the year and their website offers the added attraction of a 5% discount on accommodation for the period. St Helena is only just waking up to the potential of its marine environment. Its isolation will hopefully secure its future from over-exploitation, although not necessarily from oceanic pollution, another topic of the environmental conference and graphically illustrated very recently as we report on page 17. Our AGM was held in beautiful weather once again at the Friends Meeting House in Oxford on 9th June and featured two excellent talks on Ascension, a subject that we have only briefly touched upon in the past. John-Woolven-Allen provided a very well- informed summary of Ascension with some excellent photos of him viewing giant USAF aircraft on Wideawake Airfield which was apparently open to children in the 1980s (see pp 5-6 and also SHCs 19,20,21 for earlier articles by John on Ascension). We also delighted to welcome Polly Burns who had carried out research into the behaviour of sharks in Ascension waters for her MSc dissertation at Edinburgh University. This is a particularly topical subject in view of the recent shark attacks on swimmers and led to a lively discussion as members of the audience shared their experiences of swimming in Ascension waters. We are always in need of new committee members with links to St Helena both for ideas about how FoSH can develop or to assist with the various tasks of running the organisation. If you would like to help or just be involved please get in touch with me at the address below or through any of the committee members listed

The St Helena Connection The St Helena Connection aims to provide news and information on people and current and historical events of interest to anyone with connections to the Island of St Helena. All contributions welcome. Please contact the editor: Ian Mathieson, Callender House, 90, Callender St, Ramsbottom, Lancs BLO 9DU. T 01706-826467. Email [email protected] Published by the Friends of St Helena c/o the Editor at the above address Printed by Direct Offset, Glastonbury, Somerset.

Joining the Friends or Subscribing to the St Helena Connection Membership To join the Friends please contact the Membership Secretary, Margaret Dyson on [email protected] Annual Membership is £20.00 per family at the same address in the UK and £30 overseas. Life Membership £350.00. The St Helena Connection is published twice a year in June (after the AGM) and December. It comes as a benefit of membership together with a copy of Wirebird which focusses on island history and is published in September.

The Friends of St Helena The St Helena Connection Editor: Ian Mathieson President: The Earl of Iveagh Wirebird Editor: Colin Fox Chairman: Ian Mathieson Web Manager: Ian Bruce Vice-Chairman: David Young Committee Members: Edward Baldwin, Vicky Beal, Patricia Treasurer: Colin Fox Young, Matthew Woodthorpe, David Hall, and Nick Braddock. Secretary: Brian Frederick Membership Secretary: Margaret Dyson (not -re-elected)

Page 2 St Helena Connection 24

Annual General Meeting 2018 The AGM took place again at the Quaker Meeting House in central in Oxford on June 9th. It was once again a beautiful summer day although attendance was rather lower than usual. The reason for this was not clear although a significant number of regular attendees appeared to be on holiday. We were very sad to report that two members, Shirley and Howard Crapper, who seldom have missed a meeting, where involved in a very serious car accident just outside Oxford in early May. Shirley did not survive although it is understood that Howard is recovering. We send our condolences and best wishes to Howard. In the absence of the Secretary, Brian Frederick on holiday, the meeting was run by Vice- Chairman David Young. He reported changes to committee membership. Margaret Dyson, who has run the website since 2013 and membership since 2014 did not seek re-election at the AGM. She has already handed over web management to Ian Bruce who previously filled the post from 2011-2013 and will continue as membership secretary until a new secretary is in place. We are grateful to Margaret for all her work over the last few years. As website manager she mentioned how much she appreciated the kind comments regarding the site and she particularly enjoyed the telephone conversations when members told her of their Ascension Island Speakers at the AGM: John Woolven-Allen and connections with St Helena. As membership Polly Burns in the Oxford Friends Meeting House gardens secretary she leaves membership in good health at a steady 300. We wish her all the best. Since the last AGM Conrad Eades has also resigned from the committee for family reasons. We appreciate his efforts in the early stages of updating the website. We welcome Janet Suffield, who is half Saint, as a new committee member with immediate effect. Talks on Ascension were presented by John Woolven-Allen who discussed Ascension’s history from his perspective as a child on the island in the 1970s and 1980s. This was followed by Polly Burns who talked on her MSc thesis examining Ascension’s changing marine environment, particularly in relation to the occurrence of sharks. This lead to an interesting discussion of the audience’s experience of sharks in Ascension waters and supported Polly’s thesis that perceptions of fluctuating numbers and dangers of sharks vary considerably amongst the resident and visiting human population at any given time. Ascension Island: An Island in the Ocean of History by Polly Burns Throughout the world, many marine ecosystems have been exploited for centuries and today we are faced with the resulting problems such as depleted fish stocks and habitat damage. It is therefore important to consider any historical changes that have occurred, so we can account for these in future management goals. In order to move forward we have to understand and learn from the past. For the last year I have been undertaking a research masters looking into the history of the marine environment around Ascension Island, based at the University of York. This project is funded by the BLUE Marine Foundation 1 (https://www. bluemarinefoundation.com), who are a fantastic charity particularly focussed on marine conservation around UK Overseas Territories. I am in the fortunate position of having had the chance to visit both these amazing islands for my fieldwork, which meant three months spent on St Helena, Ascension Island and the RMS St Helena travelling between the two islands and Cape Town. My fieldwork involved studying historical accounts in archives and undertaking interviews with those who lived or have lived on Ascension Island to gain an insight into their perceptions of change, if any. It also gave people the chance to express their views and discuss concerns – a vital step when developing marine management plans.

St Helena Connection No 24 Page 3 As remote islands, Ascension Island and St Helena offer a perfect example of locations in which so much can be learned from both the historical accounts when early explorers visited the islands and from the community members who have lived on and by the sea for most of their lives. Listening and capturing stories can help us to connect with nature – when someone tells you about something they are passionate about it is infectious. I certainly found this to be the case in my experiences of both islands. I have always felt a bit different to other people my age – travelling the world did not seem like something I was particularly interested in. I didn’t want to take a With Stedson Stroud, St Helena gap year, or spend my university summers in far flung parts of the world. So when I was with my research but also just the hospitality and kindness I was preparing for this trip, I’ll be honest in that I was nervous. For a shown. I learnt so much from the community and I felt privileged start, a five-day boat trip was something I had never to listen to the stories of fishing and diving in years gone by. experienced: would I get sea sick? Then there was the remoteness: how would I cope with being in the middle of the By collating and listening to these and older stories I have been Atlantic for several weeks, cut off from the communications I able to build up a diverse and thorough picture of Ascension’s was used to? As it turns out, I’ve never been happier. marine history. In the next edition of the St Helena Connection I am looking forward to presenting a summary of my findings and Travelling on the RMS St Helena was a once-in-a-lifetime their importance for marine conservation. experience and I feel so lucky to have had the opportunity to 1 travel this way, especially now it is no longer running. By the See page 17 for an article on plastic pollution by Leigh Morris of BLUE time I arrived on St Helena I felt like I had built up strong Marine Foundation friendships and frankly, I didn’t want to get off! Thankfully I did, as I had the most amazing time on St Helena getting to know the island as best I could in three weeks and having the opportunity to speak to as many people as possible that had previously lived on Ascension. I swam in the sea every day which is pretty much my perfect scenario, especially when accompanied by sea turtles! Once again, the next stage of my adventure, heading to Ascension, was a mixture of excitement and sadness at leaving behind so many friends and where I felt so at home. It turned out I needn’t have worried (again). Ascension was surprisingly different to St Helena. I had spent the last four months reading and hearing about this place from my office in York, and it was a brilliant feeling to finally be there to experience it for myself. I have never been made to feel so welcome anywhere as on this island. I had the opportunity to go fishing, walk the incredible landscapes and experience the local wildlife. I was overwhelmed by Polly on the summit of Sandy Bay Barn people not only wanting to get involved

Page 4 St Helena Connection No 24 Ascension Island by John Woolven-Allen Ascension and St Helena were discovered during the Portuguese voyage to India of 1501, and were never associated with the Falkland Islands; that was until 1982. Although the Falklands War saw unprecedented British activity at Ascension, the impact on the island itself, compared to what happened in 1942, was small. However, unlike World War Two, the legacy – Travellers Camp, the air bridge, tourism, areas being put out of bounds – was long lasting. The island was little known before 1982; subsequently everyone knew of it. A magmatic upwelling created Ascension around a million years ago. The island is made of successive trachyte and basalt extrusions. Strange formations, such as the Kangaroo, bear testament to its fiery origin, but wind and water respectively have shaped asymmetric hills and dry river beds. The sixteenth to the eighteenth centuries saw Europeans, beginning with the Portuguese, become ever more frequent visitors. When James Cook visited in 1775, the East India Company forbade their ships The author as a child with his mother, Linda, next to an American from calling at Ascension, for fear of detrimental Boeing EC-135N ARIA otherwise known as “Snoopy” encounters with American vessels. In 1815 the garrison that became Georgetown was founded, and following Napoleon’s death, new purpose came in 1821, when the West Africa Squadron was based at the island to thwart slaving. Patrols ceased in 1867 but purpose was restored in 1899 by the Eastern Telegraph Company making Ascension a hub in its operations. In 1922 the Admiralty left the island, leaving the cable men alone for two decades. At the outbreak of the Second World War the Ascension Defence Force was formed, consisting of volunteer locals armed with rifles. Antique guns were brought to bear on a submarine which approached on Christmas Eve, 1939. Luckily HMS Severn was identified and re-supplied. 1941 saw two guns taken from HMS Hood manually positioned above the Governor’s Lodge. Six months later another submarine appeared outside the bay. U-124 was shelled from Cross Hill and the German craft disappeared, its purpose having been to act as decoy for a passing flotilla. The US 38th Combat Engineers came ashore in 1942 and in three months built a runway, a fuel tank farm, and two radar stations, all with road and other infrastructure. The runway, Wideawake Field, was to function as a stopover for thousands of aircraft to be ferried to Africa. (An earlier non-stop trans- Atlantic mission had resulted in nine lost aircraft.) Much to the Americans’ chagrin the first plane to land was a Fairey Swordfish from HMS Archer, come to report a German raider. Over 20,000 transports and bombers were taken through Ascension, which was defended by the 1st Composite Squadron of P-39 fighters and B-25 bombers. Every beach was defended from machine gun nests, and for years the US population The Nose Hanger – built in 1942, demolished in 2012. topped 4,000. Although no fighting occurred on the island (why the Germans never attacked remains a mystery) aircraft from Wideawake Field were often engaged in anti-submarine missions. Five planes from the island sank U-848 in November The Americans returned in 1956. Hiring many Saints, they 1943 with the loss of its entire crew. Such incidents, and the 56 resurfaced the runway, built a new Base next to the old American graves at their cemetery where Two Boats Village Georgetown road, and refurbished the Nose Hanger as a point stands today, remind us of the tragic nature of the whole of entry. In 1964 the UK Foreign Office installed an enterprise. One American fatality was USN Ensign Rodney Administrator to take overall charge of British interests on the Rice, killed with four crew mates when his B-24 crashed on island, ahead of the arrival of the BBC. An army of Saints and take-off. Owing to secrecy, his parents were informed of his Barbadians built the English Bay transmitter and power house, death, but could not be told where he had died or was buried. the receiver at Butt Crater, and Two Boats Village. Later in the early 1970s boxes of TNT were found in a shed at the The last US forces left in 1947, and apart from discarded bottles transmitter building. Taken to a presumed safe distance, they and bullet shells left little behind besides Command House, the were remotely detonated; the explosion smashed all the nose hangar and the flat expanse of the runway itself. The latter custom-made windows in the transmitter building! would be remembered, but for the next decade Cable and Wireless had Ascension to themselves again. St Helena Connection No 24 Page 5 Great efforts have been made to conserve island habitats. At the centre of these activities is Stedson Stroud who has one of the world’s best located offices at Red Lion on Green Mountain.

Two Boats Village 1976 NASA arrived in the late 1960s and built the Devil’s Ashpit Tracking Station, again with Saint labour. The space men contracted Cable and Wireless to build the Earth Station at Conservation Officer Stedson Stroud in his Green Mountain Donkey Plain, and in 1980 the runway was lengthened to office. (He recently retired and returned to St Helena). accommodate the space shuttle. NASA’s greatest legacy remains the road to the Devil’s Ashpit; unmaintained for over Conservation interests sometimes conflict with other interests. twenty years it is still the island’s best road. The South African In these circumstances conservation is often the loser. A good Cable Company joined the fray in the late 1970s, by which time example of this happened in 2010 when a dirt road was the KWV was instituted to co-ordinate the interests of all the bulldozed to the remote Letterbox Peninsula, paradoxically island’s organisations. The KWV was not an abbreviation of opening up access to a dedicated nature reserve. some grand Whitehall collective; it was the name of Ascension’s wine supplier! And it was unprecedented, during a KWV meeting in April 1982, that administrator Bernard Pauncefort was interrupted by his secretary, “I’m sorry Sir, but I’ve got London on the phone…”

Lack of Environmental Awareness? The dirt road bulldozed in 2010 to Letterbox Peninsula

“I’m sorry sir I‘ve got London on the phone” – The Administration and User Groups at the start of the Falklands Conflict Since the Falklands War there have been some lasting changes, including a British military presence. The RMS St. Helena has been discontinued, but the island still receives annually 12 visits from the MOD freighter, ten from the US freighter, and four from the MV Helena. However the RAF’s air Ascension’s Museum (right centre) holds a fine collection bridge to the Falklands, which ran for over two decades, has of artefacts from the island’s history. been re-routed via St. Vincent, effectively stopping tourists reaching Ascension, and replaced by a monthly air link to St. Helena, essentially only for contract personnel. Conservation was taken seriously and the new department, which still flourishes, did much work on the indigenous plants and birds. The author first went to Ascension as a child in 1973 with his parents. His father, Roger, worked as a radio engineer helping Heritage now also receives greater attention, but mainly due to to run the BBC's South Atlantic Relay Station at English Bay. volunteers. Less positive actions relate to buildings; some have The family lived in Two Boats Village, until 1982. See also SHC been preserved such as the Red Lion and Command House but 21,22 and 23 for other articles on Ascension by the author. others have been destroyed such as King Ted’s Tank and the Nose Hangar. A museum to be proud of is housed in a new building below the hospital, where all sorts of artefacts are chronologically organised.

Page 6 St Helena Connection No 24 Sale and New Career of the RMS St Helena by Edward Baldwin

After her final voyage to Cape Town from St Helena, arriving on The vessel made its last 1,500-mile voyage between Cape 17th February, the RMS was decommissioned and prepared for Town and the British overseas territory in February, after its sale. St Helena related pictures and artefacts, as well as the long-delayed airport opened. There had been fears the ship crest from the bow, were removed from the ship and returned to would be scrapped if a new owner was not found. Built in 1989, the island. it has transferred people and cargo on its five-day voyages since 1990. The ship, currently berthed in Cape Town, will be There followed a long silence while a potential sale was renamed MNG Tahiti and is expected to enter service within two progressed. Then on 17th April it was announced that she had months. The name was chosen because explorer Captain Cook been sold to Tahiti Shipping Ltd. for an undisclosed sum, visited both islands and the St Helena Government asked for thought to be in the region of US$2 million. The buyer turned the vessel’s name to be changed. out not to be an exotic tour company in the South Seas, but a newly registered UK holding company based in Wimborne, MNG Maritime co-director Mark Gray said the ship would Dorset. The ship is to be chartered to MNG Maritime Logistics transfer guards and equipment to vessels entering the "high Ltd. (www.mngmaritime.com) as an anti-piracy support vessel risk" area off Somalia and in the Red Sea, from its new base in in the Gulf of Oman. She has been renamed MNG Tahiti and the Gulf of Oman. The former Royal Marines colonel, who is a registered at Basseterre in St Kitts and Nevis. She left Cape counter-piracy expert, previously commanded a naval task Town for an undisclosed destination on 2nd May. The following group off Somalia. He said RMS St Helena was ideal for the two extracts from the international press tell the story: job. "You could not have designed a better ship - we need to store a lot of kit and people. It is about the only ship I have come From “The Scotsman”, 17 April 2018 across that is exactly that. Taking over the vessel's heritage is The last ship built in Aberdeen switched today from providing St extraordinary." Helena’s sole lifeline to joining the fight against Somali pirates. The ship was bought on MNG’s behalf by investors who formed Royal Mail Ship (RMS) St Helena, which linked the remote a new company, Tahiti Shipping Limited, for the purpose. A Atlantic island to South Africa for nearly 30 years, was sold spokeswoman for the St Helena Government (SHG), which today to investors on behalf of MNG Maritime. The firm ferries owned the vessel, said it authorised arms-length operator St armed guards and weapons to protect shipping in the Indian Helena Line (SHL) to sell. “The buyer is Tahiti Shipping Limited, Ocean. who took ownership of the vessel this morning. SHG and SHL are pleased the former RMS St Helena, having provided such St Helena Connection 24 Page 7 an important service to the island and people of St Helena, will Founded in 2012 by a recently retired Royal Marine and an now have a future providing a different but important service in entrepreneur businessman who met at University, MNG another part of the world.” Maritime was built from the bottom up to offer high quality logistic, storage and transfer services to Private Maritime The ship was due to have ended its St Helena role two years Security Companies (PMSCs) operating in the Indian Ocean ago but continued in service because of delays to the opening and Red Sea. of the airport. It travelled 2.5 million miles and carried 101,000 passengers since taking over the route. The vessel was built at The founders spent well over a year working closely with Hall Russell as the last of more than 3,000 constructed in governments, especially the UK Government, PMSCs, ship Aberdeen since at least 1606. owners, insurers, military and law enforcement bodies and industry organisations (such as BIMCO, SAMI, SCEG and Press release from MNG Maritime: ICoC) to create a service which addressed all the concerns about so-called floating armouries – specifically security, transparency, accountability, licensing, control, access, legitimacy and competence. As a result, MNG Maritime were able to launch their first service in the Gulf of Oman in October 2013, the first such service to be licensed by the UK Government’s Export Control Organisation (ECO) specifically to operate a floating armoury. MNG Maritime delivers a cost- effective, safe and secure, demand-driven service, in which licensing governments, flag and coastal states, law enforcement organisations and PMSCs can have full confidence. We operate transparently to the highest ethical standards and deliver a world-class service to our growing number of clients. As the operation has matured, MNG Maritime has grown both the size of the armoury ships and the range of services offered. Bespoke and powerful software allows us to track all components of the specialist equipment on the armouries, and whilst in transit.

Weapon maintenance and servicing by professional armourers, MNG Maritime are pleased to announce their forthcoming and on-board military training are available on both the Red Sea charter of the ex-RMS St Helena, a uniquely-designed cargo and Indian Ocean floating armouries. and passenger vessel combination, which eminently suits the role of maritime security support vessel. The ship, at almost A reliable shuttle service is provided, transferring Maritime 7,000 gross tonnes, has been acquired for us by Tahiti Shipping Security Operators (MSO) to and from the respective airport to Limited, and has been renamed MNG Tahiti, and re-flagged with the armoury, via vehicle and craft, including all visa and customs the St Kitts and Nevis Registry. management. PMSCs can now be supported by a MNG Land Armoury adjacent to the Malacca Straits, and in facilitating their As with all previous MNG logistic support vessels, MNG Tahiti requirements for secure ship transits through the hazardous will be subject to the licensing and rigorous audit regimes of both Sulu and Celebes Sea. MNG Maritime’s strong reputation for the UK and St Kitts, ensuring that the controlled goods licensed high standards, safety and delivery in the field of enabling specifically for counter piracy tasking, are used solely in that role logistics is not restricted to armoury and maritime security and not diverted to other tasks nor fall into the wrong hands. services. Complex operations in high risk environments MNG Maritime’s held ISO 28000 and 28007 accreditations, demand robust, reliable and effective support. MNG Maritime attest to the highest possible industry standards, that MNG are ready to employ their skills, knowledge and people to Maritime uniquely achieves. support your current and future missions, collaborating towards MNG Tahiti provides levels of accommodation and assured and successful outcomes. storage for maritime security operators and their equipment, combined with the in-house training regimes that MNG conducts on board, which will set another new industry standard, and ensure that security guards are properly rested and recuperated, as well as being professionally prepared for their forthcoming task. Ship owners and CSOs can remain absolutely certain that a security team embarked from an MNG platform is supplied by a Private Maritime Security Company that exceeds all industry standards, as well as complying in all respects with international law. Personnel deployed from MNG platforms exceed the training standards set out in ISO 28007, employ firearms that are legal, licensed and owned by the PMSC contracted to the task, and those weapons will have been checked and serviced by MNG’s on board armourer, prior to embarkation.

Page 8 St Helena Connection 24 Remote St Helena Airport Shrugs off “World’s Most Useless” Tag By Andreas Spaeth

This offers thrust increased by 1,000lbf to a total of 21,000lbf per engine. “The additional performance offers an advantage in hot and high situations such as prevail on departure from Windhoek at 1,719m for St Helena,” explains the CEO. “The ambient summer temperatures at Windhoek are often over 35°C and the E6 engines will enable an increase in payload by approximately 1,200kgs, which is of material benefit especially in terms of revenue opportunity.” When airlineratings.com took flight SA8131, the one-hour refuelling stop in Windhoek was used to fill the two tanks almost to capacity, giving Captain Johann Du Toit 13 tons of fuel. “That is enough for an endurance of six hours, taking us to St Helena, do several approaches and if need be continue on to Ascension as our alternate airport including extra provisions,” Du Toit points out. Though a point of no return (PNR) is calculated over the ocean, it’s more academic than of practical importance. It’s done to ensure ETOPS doesn’t live up to its St Helena’s airport, once dismissed as the “world’s most useless nickname: “Engines Turn Or Passengers Swim”. About three airport” by British media, is becoming a reliable asset. hours after taking off from Windhoek, the approach to St Helena The airport opened in June 2016 but it took another year for it to starts. Captain Du Toit announces he might have to go around. be certified for commercial passenger jets. The originally This is apparently his reading of wind shear warnings in the planned Boeing 737-800 flights by Comair from Johannesburg cockpit, and enough for some fearful flyers to cover their faces didn’t materialise after severe wind shear was detected on the in terror. Then the routine announcement on these flights is first test flight in April 2016. made by the flight attendant: “Approaches to St Helena can In October 2017, a new bidding process was won by South experience turbulence, please make sure your seat belts are African regional carrier Airlink and regularly weekly scheduled fastened tightly.” flights started from Johannesburg with a fuel stop in Windhoek. Only minutes before touchdown, the island becomes visible in The airline now utilises its two factory-fresh Embraer E190ARs the endless Atlantic. On the two-mile final for runway 20 aircraft with increased gross weight and extra thrust. are usually hit by swirling updrafts while battling crosswinds. Official SHG statistics show that from October 2016 to February Today, a moment of light turbulence occurs, followed by a 2018 a total of 1,417 passengers arrived on the flights and 1,386 smooth landing. This is because just after the threshold, having departed. This while the RMS St Helena was still in operation. been relocated 280m down the runway and leaving a Landing Operations have been unexpectedly smooth and on-time with Distance Available (LDA) of 1,550m, the wind dies down, due to just one flight having had to be postponed and rescheduled due the shelter provided by King and Queen Rocks. to weather in the first half year of operations. Between June After a flight of 3:22 hours from Windhoek, another scheduled 2016 and March 21st 2018 there were 81 aircraft movements flight has and on time proving again that the label carrying 3,376 passengers including 16 medevac flights landed safely operated by Guardian Air from Lanseria airport. “The demand “the world’s most useless airport” is utter nonsense. for seats has exceeded expectations,” Airlink CEO Rodger Source: edited from an article published in Merco Press Foster told airlineratings.com.

There are hints that a second weekly service will be introduced as South African and Namibian authorities negotiate issues Flight News Update by Edward Baldwin related to routing and fifth freedom rights. These are tiny issues compared to connecting one of the world’s most remote islands Since publication of the above there have been two more flight to international aviation. To reach Africa one needs to travel cancellations/delays. As Airlink now has a better understanding 1,950km to the east to reach the city of Namib in Angola. of landing weather conditions, it seems they prefer to cancel the Turning west it is 2,900km to Salvador de Bahia in Brazil. The flight from Johannesburg, when the forecast arrival conditions extreme location and the current low passenger market volume, are bad and reschedule it from Saturday to Monday. This was st th makes it difficult to make commercial flights economically viable. the fate of the flights timetabled for 21 April and 12 May. This must be disruptive to their regular timetable, as during the week “Balancing the economics of these flights is a serious challenge the Embraer 190 used for St Helena usually makes three trips a as due to its remoteness and the concomitant logistics issues, day from Johannesburg to Pietermaritzburg. Things will be fuel at the island is extremely expensive, as are all other aspects improved by the delivery of another E190AR in July. of aircraft handling due mainly to the very low passenger traffic volume,” says Foster. One major criticism involves ticket prices, On 4 May, SHG and SA Airlink announced that 19 extra flights which start at £804 return in economy. These are not discounted will be scheduled between December 2018 and April 2019. for Saints, making the journey unaffordable for a populace These will leave Johannesburg on Tuesdays. There will also be earning an average annual income of just £8,000. “The UK an extra flight to Ascension in December and another in January government underwrites the air service,” St Helena governor to cover the Christmas peak on that route. The provision of a Lisa Honan told airlineratings.com. “If the average load factor second weekly flight is a major improvement to the accessibility drops below 48 passengers per flight, the UK government will of St Helena. Hopefully this will lead to a permanent schedule pay for the losses.” Initially only up to 76 of the 98 seats were of two weekly flights. sold, with two extra ones occupied by Airlink maintenance With the promised connecting flight from/to Cape Town at mechanics monitoring the aircraft en route and on the ground. Windhoek unlikely to be provided any time soon, there is also Now, thanks to two aircraft with enhanced engines, 87 seats can talk of moving the outward bound refuelling stop to Walvis Bay. be sold. By thus shortening the mainland to St Helena leg, the full seating In December 2017 Airlink got its first leased E190AR aircraft, capacity of the plane could then be utilised. equipped with CF34-10E6 engines instead of the E5 variant. St Helena Connection No 24 Page 9 St Helena Stats: Number Resident on St Helena Close to 5,000

The number of people on St Helena at the end of January 2018 • During the five-month period between October 2017 and was 4,901 - the highest number recorded for at least the last ten February 2018, there were very high numbers of total arrivals years, according to new population estimates released by the - 2,908, more than a thousand higher than in the same period Statistics Office. The population of St Helena is usually higher in 2016/17. This period represents the historical peak season around the Christmas period, but an additional factor this year for arrivals to St Helena, when many Saint Helenians visit was the overlap of the RMS St Helena and the scheduled air family and friends for Christmas and when weather service between October and February. The number declined by conditions are favourable. Additionally, both the newly over 200 in February, following the typical trend after Christmas, scheduled weekly Airlink air service to Johannesburg and the when visitors return to their usual residence or off-shore three-weekly RMS St Helena shipping service to Cape Town employment. were operational, almost doubling the total passenger arrival capacity compared to either the shipping or air service alone. At the end of March, the estimated number of persons on St Helena, residents plus visitors, was 4,713. The resident • Most passengers arrived by air, some 1,417; this is 50 population, excluding visitors, was estimated to be 4,628. This is arrivals higher than the number arriving by sea, on the RMS a very slight increase compared to the end of February 2018 and St Helena, during the same period in the previous year a 4% increase compared to the end of March 2017. The St (1,367), or an average of ten arrivals more per month. Of Helenian resident population was estimated to stand at 4,276, this those passengers arriving by air, 42% came to St Helena for is a 2% increase from the previous month and a 4% increase tourism or a holiday, and of those, there were twice as many compared to the end of March 2017. arriving per month in December, January and February compared to October and November ARRIVALS AND DEPARTURES ESTIMATES RELEASED The new monthly estimates of the number of arrivals and • Around a quarter of tourists arriving by air were British, with departures to and from St Helena, with a focus on the period since 22% South African, 19% St Helenian, 6% French, and 15% the start of scheduled air operations in October 2017. Some from elsewhere in Europe. The most common age group was highlights are as follows: 40-59 (41%), with a further third 60 and over. Only 6% of tourists were under 20 www.sainthelena.gov.sh/statistics-data

The New Approach View of St Helena

Photo Laurence Carter

Page 10 St Helena Connection No 24 Astronomer Jets in to Launch Star Gazing Event

Bob Bower, Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society and populated areas on St Helena are better than the night sky at Member of the British Astronomical Association visited St home. The Milky Way is so good it can be mistaken for a Helena in April to help launch a new stargazing event. cloud. St Helena really does have an asset because being close to the equator we get to see 90% of the whole sky. Bob has been an amateur astronomer since 1986 and built his first telescope in the early 1960s. He co-presented a weekly astronomy programme on Scottish radio from 2003-08 and has given talks on the night sky and history of astronomy to organisations and societies across Scotland and England. He spent two weeks on St Helena showing islanders how to use the telescopes provided by Enterprise St Helena, holding night time star-gazing sessions and introductory courses for those interested in becoming stargazing tour guides as well as teaching local school children about their night sky. His trip culminated with the launch of St Helena’s first ever stargazing event on 20th April at Francis Plain. The event was timed to coincide with Dark Skies Week (15–21st April) and International Astronomy Day on 21st April). When asked about his time on St Helena, Bob said: “Where do I start! The island “Everyone is incredibly friendly and it’s much more fertile than is brilliant and is everything I’ve expected and more. I have expected, which proves that just trying to look at pictures been waiting to come here for years.” online means nothing, it’s the atmosphere, the place and how green it is. I am also glad to miss the Scottish snow!” “The skies are absolutely fantastic. I moved to a remote place St Helena Tourism in Scotland for a dark sky, but even the skies in the most St Helena Connection 24 Page 11 Country Shops of St Helena (parts 3 and 4) – by Sharon Henry Part 1 of Sharon Henry’s series on St Helena’s shops was “This building was put here especially for the shop. My published in SHC 22 and covered Yon’s, New Ground, Phillip husband Frank was alive then and he had someone build it, he John’s, St Pauls and Delray’s, Cleugh’s Plain. Part 2 in SHC 23 was a carpenter so him and my son did all the woodwork. From covered Greentree’s New Ground and Thorpe’s Sandy Bay. all those years ago it’s still the same shelves. I suppose they Part 3 covers Blue Hill and Longwood and Part 4 Andy’s at Half will collapse on me one day (laughs) but they’re still there. Tree Hollow Nowhere did we have any help or money from outside, we did it all on our own. So long as I can hold up to it, I will carry on. My Pictures by What the Saints Did Next daughter Cicely (Williams) has been my assistant ever since we Blue Hill Shop and sub-Post Office opened. She was quite young then – so was I! I’m 81 now and still drive (bread orders). I don’t drive in town anymore, my children say it’s too busy, although I feel I could do it but I won’t go against them.” “At one time we used to sell paraffin oil from a big drum. People used to use paraffin for lamps, maybe cooking and they came with gallon cans. Then I guess rules and regulations came in and we stopped selling it. That was before we had electricity. Back in the 70s we never thought we would have such a thing because they said we were too far out. Even piped, running water. Each house had to have their own tank and drums because we didn’t have running water. We caught rain off the roof and when there wasn’t any rain we used to fetch water from the spring. That was the way we used to live and we didn’t think too much about it. Electricity? That was never going to be out our way we thought, but now of course we’re fortunate to have it. Even TV, internet and mobile phones.” “We been a sub-Post Office for a couple of years now but not a Blue Hill Shop in the local foggy scenery. lot of mail come and go nowadays because people have email, Skype and Facebook. They tend not to write a lot anymore. I’ve “We opened this shop in May 1974” says Audrey Yon glancing got a Galaxy tablet which does all I want to do to stay in touch. at the blanket of rain falling outside her shop door. “It wasn’t the “If I didn’t have the shop, I would be very bored.” only one at Blue Hill at the time, there was one at Red Gate and one at High Hill, but they have closed down. It is one of the longest operating country shops on the island.”

Traditional style survives at Blue Hill.

Longwood Store, Longwood Avenue Audrey Yon, owner of the Blue Hill Shop. “Blue Hill is a small district and we don’t get all the Blue Hill people coming in here because since they have their own transport they go the other way (town), but we get by. There are no big profits but we’re still hanging in there. We have our regulars but not as many as there used to be. Twice a week I drive to Half Tree Hollow to collect bread from the bakery. It doesn’t pay us but we do it for the sake of our customers. Solomons (bakery) say it’s not profitable for them to deliver this far, which means if it doesn’t pay them it won’t pay us but we do it for the sake of the people.” “In the early days marg used to come in big tins and rice and sugar used to come in bags so we had to weigh them out. We were everlastingly weighing out things. We used to get lard, you hardly see lard now, but we used to get it in big tins. Even flour came in big bags. Very messy. We had an old-fashioned scale then, that I still have but now only use for animal feed. I use a Holding on to tradition, Cynthia Green weighs tomatoes on digital one now, it’s so much easier.” balance scales in Longwood Store. Page 12 St Helena Connection No 24 “This was originally Mr Maddie Crowie’s shop,” says shopkeeper, Cynthia Green, “then it went to Laura Francis (deceased), now it’s in her son Simons’s name. Laura wanted me to carry on with the shop, it was her wish. People always say ‘don’t close it down, it’s a friendly shop, we have ’nuff’ laughs and jokes in here.” “I still use the balance scales and we’re keeping it an over the counter shop. We do bread orders, sell local vegetables and stock the main household items.” “You don’t get much profit out of it, just enough to put the main things back on the shelf. I keep it open for the sake of the people coming in for a chat and socialising. Shop-wise there is quite a lot of competition around here, but I don’t worry about it so long as we have the main things on offer.” “We pass on ideas, ask each other what they’re cooking tonight, it is friendly and you meet different people and hear their views on different things. That’s the reason why I keep it open.” Andy’s Shop Half Tree Hollow

Amelia with the shop staff in Andy’s Shop, Half Tree Hollow. From left: Amelia, Yvonne, Maisie and Inez.

Nicky and Amelia co-own Andy’s Shop in Half Tree Hollow, along with their brother Simon. “The shop started in the late 80’s,” recalls Amelia with a wistful look in her eye, “my Dad (Eric ‘Anderson’ Andrews,) used to work on the RMS, bringing grocery items from Cape Town and selling them from our kitchen door. It was all placed on one shelf and it was cheaper than island prices. Then we moved to a small shop just up from our house until my Dad built a shop onto the house and we have been in operation ever since.” “Since Basil Read’s (airport) contract has come to an end business has become very competitive. When that project was going things was pretty good and everybody was making money. Now people don’t have as much expendable income and we can see the difference.” “We make enough to keep ourselves afloat. It is quite Beautiful Sandy Bay Bananas competitive having a few of the same types of business in Half Tree Hollow. We have a credit system which we’ve done for a “We sell bread, fresh meat from Stevens’ Butchers, any local long time. Some people have been with us for many, many produce. We have bananas supplied all the time, beautiful years, and our faithful customers are amazing. That helps to Sandy Bay bananas, there very seldom is a time we don’t have keep the business going because that’s guaranteed cash. We any. Beautiful, good quality, bananas.” do weekly and monthly accounts so we know that we’ve got that income coming in.” “We have a staff of four and I have a full-time job outside of the shop but come in every afternoon to manage things and to keep “My daddy was a very kind person, his philosophy was, ‘This is abreast of what’s going on within the business. It’s a small shop a community shop, our emphasis is not to get rich’ – that was but quite busy.” him. My mum was the one who built the business up, she was the backbone when daddy was away on the ship. She was also “I’m very proud of how we’ve carried on the business after my dad. It belongs to my brothers Nicky, Simon and myself, we very kind and very much a people person.” work well together and have that family support.” “The main things the shop is here for is a balance, but we do tend to sell a lot of booze and cigarettes and take the main trade “Now we’re just hoping for the economy to pick up. Salaries and for that in HTH. I knock the prices back a bit to encourage wages are so low and the bills are so high. That’s why I think a lot of people live on credit here, lots of people use credit on St sales. It’s the bigger turnover and it’s got highest value, when you sell say a bottle of booze compared to a tin of baked beans.” Helena.”

St Helena Connection No 24 Page 13 Owen George – A Tribute One of St. Helena's finest, Owen Arthur George MBE, died on the 28th March 2018, at the age of 91. Owen was a passionate and driven man, who for many years worked tirelessly for community groups and wide- ranging charities, chief amongst them was the St. Helena Association. His proudest achievements included saving the lives of 12 fishermen, setting up the Saints Reading Sports for UK Saints, being awarded the MBE by the Queen, and serving the church, from aged 7, as a little altar boy, to his final days. He was a prominent member of St Michael's Church in Tilehurst, Reading, where he became head verger. Owen left St Helena for the UK. He worked for British Rail and became a Senior Electrical Supervisor. In November of the same year he became one of the founding members of the St Helena Association. Owen was instrumental in raising the profile of St Helena in the UK. He was a founding member of the St Helena Association and started Reading Sports in 1979 and ran it for ten years after which he passed it over to the SHA committee. He always wore a red cap at the Sports (when he was running it) and that is how many people remember him. He was also a founding member of the Friends of St Helena in 1988 and served as vice-Chairman from the start until 2004 under the respective chairmanship of Terry Spens, Mure Smith and Guy Marriott. Following the loss of citizenship rights in the 1990s Owen became a member of the Representatives Committee who fought successfully to reinstate full British citizenship for fellow Saints in 2002 – St Helena’s 500th anniversary of discovery. In 1998 he received the MBE for 38 years of voluntarily supporting the Saints welfare by fund raising for the island charity organisations. Owen always said he had two hobbies: St Helenian’s welfare and the church. He is loved and missed by his wife, children & grandchildren. The last word goes to Owen "Thank God for the opportunity". Thanks to the Reading Chronicle and Vilma Toms, of the St Helena Association, for information about Owen’s life

Another Luny on the Market

Reader’s will recall our centre fold reproduction in SHC 21 of T. Luny’s An English frigate at anchor off the island of St Helena (1788) which was purchased by Edward Baldwin and is now hanging in the Museum in Jamestown. Another of Luny’s St Helena paintings came on the market in February entitled An East Indiamen lying at anchor off the island of St. Helena with Other East Indiamen getting underway. The painting was dated 1805 and sold by Chiswick Auctions for £8,125.00 including the premium. The buyer is unknown.

Page 14 St Helena Connection No 24 A Visit to St Helena by Laurence Carter The five of us waited excitedly at the check-in counter at (expatriates") and "us" (Saints). Perhaps even more than Johannesburg airport. We'd converged from Manchester, before, given that the number of expatriates has increased Boston, New York and Washington to visit St Helena, where my sharply, particularly in law and order and health and education. daughter, Emily, was born in 1990. We last visited during the There's frustration that Saints still seem to have relatively little 2002 celebrations, when we'd planted some trees in the control over their own destiny. And conspiracy theories continue Millennium Forest, so we were looking forward to seeing the to flourish, partly facilitated by limited disclosure of information. progress there. The check-in clerk broke into our speculative St Helena is a rich environment for outsiders’ suggestions. Let chatter about the landing at St Helena..."I need to see signed me add three designed to strengthen the "voice" of Saints: letters from your insurance company stating that you have medical evacuation cover. I can't let you on the plane without i) follow the French example and allow Overseas Territories to that." What? Nobody told us that. "Sir, it is the responsibility of elect a MP (perhaps 1-2 for all of the OTs together). Saints need each passenger to look at the site of the St Helena immigration to have a voice in the UK's governing chamber. service before travel." We could see the whole (not inexpensive) ii) pass a Freedom of Information Act accompanied by a week disappearing before our eyes. In the end, we found some determined effort by SHG to disclose more information. This evidence on our cell phones that we might have had evacuation would benefit both those on the island and thousands of people insurance, and we were allowed on the plane with the proviso abroad who are interested in St Helena. that we reported to St Helena immigration service upon arrival. On St Helena we learnt that we could buy that insurance at iii) for some services, consider competitively bid 5-7year Solomons for around 2-3 pounds per day per person. It would partnership arrangements, instead of simply recruiting individual be good if this was offered as part of air fare booking process. expatriates. Set performance indicators for partnerships around service outcomes and require the partners to offer training to The approach was exciting, with the cliffs close by but the Saints. One could imagine such partnerships with a health landing was uneventful. Rather like the arrival of the RMS the authority or an education department, for example. This might flight's arrival has become a social event. It was terrific, and address a complaint I frequently heard about relatively simple somewhat stressful memory-wise, to see so many people at the administrative matters: no decision could be made for two airport whom I recognised. We were very lucky to be staying months because expatriate X was on leave. with Debbie and Neil Fantom at Wranghams. After buying the property from SHG in a dilapidated state two years ago, they've And what about those trees planted at the Millennium Forest completely renovated both the house and the garden. It truly is back in 2002? They are thriving! Indeed it is starting to be a lovely spot, enlivened by their wonderful hospitality. possible to experience the dense foliage of the gumwood forest which existed several hundred years ago. Most exciting. What has changed since our last visit 16 years ago? Some Laurence Carter was SHG economist from 1988 to 1991 and physical changes are quite noticeable. Income from the airport currently lives in Washington. He is about to embark on a one project and Saints working abroad has been translated into year walk around England to raise money for Cancer Research better houses and cars. There are some quite major in memory of his wife Melitta who died in 2016. See investments in buildings, by individuals, entrepreneurs and the https://www.3500toendit.com/ government. There are quite a few taxis. Picnic tables and signs for walks are prevalent. Efforts continue with endemics - the Below: Exemplary tourists. The Carter family planting trees Millennium Forest is thriving and slowly expanding and at the Millennium Forest replacing flax with endemics continues near the Peaks. Some of the new infrastructure appears physically ready but isn't open - the road from Ruperts to the airport and the jetty for example. A huge amount of effort has been put into "safeguarding" vulnerable children and older people. Unemployment has virtually vanished, as many working age Saints have sought employment abroad in the past few years. But its worth looking beyond physical infrastructure to see things which haven't changed. There is still a palpable sense of "them" St Helena Connection 24 Page 15 PASH Global to Provide Renewable Energy for St Helena

SHG and Connect Saint Helena announced in April that PASH Environmental Impact Assessment, Planning Approval and Global, based in the UK, has been chosen as the preferred approval from Air Safety Support International (ASSI), and bidder to provide their renewable energy solution to St Helena. 0.5MW of solar panels to be located on land already owned by Subject to concluding negotiations, it is envisaged that a Connect adjacent to the existing solar site at the Rifle Range, contract will be signed soon. Ladder Hill. The solar and battery is expected to be commissioned this year with the wind turbines following on as The project will result in most of the Island’s energy needs being quickly as possible after. PASH visited the Island as part of the met by renewable sources. Currently we provide around 25% of tender process and commenced dialogue with local contractors. the Island’s energy needs from renewable energy and we will at least double that during the initial phase of this project, which CEO of Connect Saint Helena Ltd, Barry Hubbard, said: will comprise new solar and wind energy infrastructure and battery storage. The project will also mean that less diesel will “One of the reasons for creating Connect was the ability to be used to produce electricity on St Helena, which will reduce attract private finance. PASH is a truly world class organisation the Island’s environmental footprint and reduce sensitivity to who have plenty to bring to the party. During the tender process future increases in the price of diesel. they visited St Helena and were very impressed with what they saw. Now we just need to agree contract terms (called a Power The project supports the aims of the Energy Strategy, notably Purchase Agreement) and then we will move very quickly to the that ‘St Helena will increase the production of energy through doubling of our solar capacity and providing battery storage to renewable sources, and reduce the Island's reliance on allow the renewable energy to be optimised. More wind imported fuels, increase fuel security and price stabilisation’. It generation will follow but the planning process will take a little will also support the 10 Year Plan’s aim to ‘Invest in renewable longer. This is a very exciting time. Diesel prices are increasing energy with a view to becoming 100% self-sufficient’ and and renewable energy will stabilise and even reduce our costs.” supports the Sustainable Economic Development Plan by ‘increasing the amount of renewable energy on-Island, reducing It is important to note that renewable energy is not free although reliance on diesel and encouraging improvement of distribution renewable energy does displace the most significant cost networks required to avoid significant increases in energy costs (diesel) which allows Connect to reduce operating costs. The in the future’. This demonstrates St Helena’s commitment to the project will seek to eliminate the SHG subsidy meaning that environment and sees the Island as a global leader in renewable SHG can spend the money on other priorities for St Helena. technology. Source: SHG Press Release PASH’s bid provides for 1.6MWh of battery storage, 1MW of wind turbines located at Deadwood Plain, subject to Page 16 St Helena Connection 24 Plastic Reaches St Helena Beaches by Leigh Morris BLUE Marine Foundation

BLUE’s Team Collecting Nurdles on Sandy Bay Beach

In the last week of May, members of BLUE’s team on St Helena St Helena in the pathway to possibly NE Brazil. Those washed visited Sandy Bay beach to carry out their first weekly beach up at St Helena may have been transported in eddies or perhaps clean in collaboration with the St Helena National Trust. During unbroken bags, which have now been broken. The timing and the clean, the team were concerned to find large quantities of location of those found at St Helena fit in with expected ocean nurdles washed up on the beach. Nurdles are small plastic current transport. From an oceanographic perspective, this find pellets used to manufacture plastic products. When spilt or in St Helena is very concerning.” disposed of irresponsibly, nurdles can get washed into watercourses, ultimately ending up in the sea and possibly Three new Marine Assistants – Luke Bennett, Jamie Ellick and resulting in a global marine catastrophe. Kenickie Andrews – are being trained in beach clean methodology by Leigh Morris, BLUE’s Marine Project The team had found small numbers of nurdles on Sandy Bay Consultant. The team will now check the beaches every week beach in previous months, mixed in with other micro-plastics. and, importantly, collect information on what is being washed However, the large number of nurdles discovered in the latest up. An agreement reached between BLUE and the St Helena visit is both highly significant and extremely concerning. There Government means that BLUE’s team alone will be responsible was a well-reported spillage of billions of nurdles (50 tonnes) for cleaning the beaches at Sandy and Rupert’s Bays, allowing from a shipping container in Durban, South Africa during a storm the team to collect accurate debris data for the beaches over the on 10 October 2017. Having liaised with Lisa Guastella, an entire year. Oceanographic Consultant from South Africa who is coordinating the report on the spillage in 2017, BLUE’s team Leigh returned to Sandy Bay shortly after the initial discovery believes that the nurdles now being washed up in Sandy Bay last week to find that many more nurdles had since washed up. are from Durban, delivered to St Helena’s beaches seven He and the rest of BLUE’s team plan to return to the beach in months later by the Agulhas and Benguela Currents. A sample early June to conduct further monitoring and beach clean-ups. of the nurdles is being sent to Lisa Guastella in order to confirm This case highlights the incredible distances that ocean plastic this. She commented that “while accurate sample comparisons can travel, as well as the importance of accurately recording and are yet to be made, the 5mm diameter, round, translucent white communicating the extent to which plastic debris is ending up in nurdles found on Sandy Bay, correspond precisely to those lost our precious Marine Protected Areas. in a spill in Durban harbour after a freak storm on 10th October 2017. While approximately 25% of the 2.25 billion nurdles have been retrieved from South African beaches, that leaves some 75% unaccounted for. A portion were deposited along South Africa’s beaches and may now be buried in beach sediments but the remainder are floating in the ocean”. Lisa Guastella went on to explain that “ocean current theory suggests some will have entered the South Indian Ocean gyre and sub-gyres, while some may have ‘leaked’ westward into the Nurdles on the Beach at Sandy Bay South Atlantic Ocean, where expected current trajectories place St Helena Connection 24 Page 17 David Smallman – A View from the Castle reviewed by Ian Mathieson

table, in the Jamestown riot and the “shaking of the Governor’s tie” as the press reported it at the time. Smallman describes a “mob” of some sixty assorted islanders swarming into his office shouting “we’ve killed more than one Governor in the past and we could do it again.” One female protestor got hold of his tie and yanked it above his head to show how easy it could be to lynch him. This story, while amusing in hindsight, must have been very frightening at the time but Smallman does not dwell on this and instead, perhaps unwisely, names four of the ring leaders in the most disparaging terms – three have since died. Elsewhere he describes another active councillor as a “bully”. This was a difficult period for St Helena. The islanders exhibited a strong dependency culture (and still do to certain extent) which produced a “somewhat feckless characteristic” with a “slave mentality” as Smallman has it. This is too simplistic. St Helena’s society displayed many of the characteristics of poor rural and semi-rural communities in Africa and Asia where government is seen to have failed to provide for their needs. This failure generates huge resentment towards anyone seen as a representative of that failed government. Helping (through NGOs and others) such poorly educated communities in how to deal with government and how to generate income from their own resources, has had success, but such an approach was never tried on St Helena and the time for it has probably passed. Considering that Smallman has already written his memoirs in One of the Queen’s Men: A Diplomatic Life (2012) - Its publishing apparently passing unnoticed amongst the St Helena literati - one wonders why he has decided to publish again now. James Comey, the former FBI director, is quoted as saying “any book written about one’s life experience can be an exercise in vanity”. The reader is forced towards this conclusion as we read, in the final chapters, of the accolades showered upon the author by people who perhaps had nothing to lose by supporting a former colleague. Comments from islanders are notably absent. The bibliography is idiosyncratic, quoting works (and text) from books such as Julia Blackburn’s The Emperor’s Last Island, which received an excoriating review in Wirebird No 5 or David Smallman was Governor of St Helena from September Winchester’s Outposts where the author offended island 1995 to April 1999, some three and a half years. He is the first sensibilities by describing the children as too poor to have shoes. St Helena Governor to provide an account of his time in office, Smallman seems to be unaware of more recent important works although one or two others have had their St Helena years such as Steve Royle’s Company’s Island containing a new presented as part of their biographies. The most recent was perspective on one of his favourite topics, the East India Admiral Sir Charles Elliot (1863-1870) whose biography by Company, and the works of Andrew Pearson and Colin Fox on Clagette Blake devotes a couple of pages to his seven years on the island’s slavery and liberated African depots as well as the island under the chapter “Gilded Exile”. several others. He also omits to reference Ian Bruce’s article It is also notable that Smallman is one of very few Governors to (Wirebird no 44) on the true date of St Helena Day with which the write more generally about St Helena. Readers will recall his book opens. Quincentenary (2003), which provided an historical account of While much of the book centres on the workings of the Castle, the island with a strong emphasis on the role of the East India there are lengthy sections on the author’s official visits to Tristan Company. It is necessary to look back to Governor Sterndale da Cunha and his landing on Gough Island (events already (1897-1903) for the last literary governor. He most interestingly covered in Quincentenary), the establishment of the Governor’s wrote an anonymous account of St Helena in 1865, entitled Bird Cup and his involvement with island cricket and St Helena radio. of Passage, some thirty years before he took up office but The appendices also repeat a considerable amount of perhaps wisely only a short pamphlet while in office. information from Quincentenary including the list of St Helena’s A View from the Castle provides a detailed account of what being governors and in general repetitions occur throughout the text. governor of a small island “colony” entails, or entailed some 20- An index would have been useful and would have highlighted the 25 years ago. This is generally an interesting account although repetitions prior to publication. the events have long since overtaken the big issues of the time - The postscript runs through the usual list of economic saviours – in particular, the new constitution of 2009 swept away many of endemics, coffee, tourism etc. buy fails to offer much optimism the Governor’s powers. After a lengthy introduction covering for the future. An account of the airport inaccurately states that island history followed by an account of his early career, we are the runway was re-designed to be shorter than planned in 2011. at last off to St Helena on page 33. The book then goes into some It was windshear not runway length that prevented the use of the detail about the island politics of the time. The central issue with planned Comair Boeing 737s. The author concludes that either which Smallman was concerned, was the attempt to develop a by sea or air, tourism is a “chimera” ie. impossible to achieve. In private sector as DFID tightened the aid budget screws. The practice it is much too early to pass judgement. Vision for St Helena contained the policy to achieve this but the change was implemented amidst great controversy which Smallman, D. A View from the Castle, New Generation culminated, when proposals to cut to social benefits were on the Publishing, 2018. 228pp. Available Miles Apart. £12 Inc. post Page 18 St Helena Connection 24 St Helena’s Diverse “Island Environ- rhetoric and the reality of the home that is yearned for is examined through self-reflectivity and the personal journey of a ments Conference” at Jamestown transnational villager who has left but was also left behind and having lived ‘here’ and ‘there’. A snapshot of some of the The 2018 St Helena Diverse Island Environments Conference prominently ‘felt’ sociological and psychological perspectives of took place over a two-week period from 29th January to 8th ‘home’ in this time of growth and change is presented in February. Full conference days were 29th, 30th and 31st celebration of the great and good that is often overlooked. January and 5th and 6th of February, and was hosted at Anne’s Place in the Castle Gardens of Jamestown. Conference field 5) Responses to Economic Shocks on Small, Remote trips ran on the 1st, 2nd, 7th and 8th of February. Islands: Implications for the St Helena Economic Shock of 2016: Kirsty Joshua, Enterprise St Helena 29 January 2018 – People and Economics Economic shocks occur the world over and take a variety of 1) St Helena as a ‘laboratory of modernity’: Mary Ann forms. Humanity constantly experiences and endures economic George and the making of racial selves and racialized shocks. Despite occurring constantly, it is increasingly th others in 19 St Helena: Prof. Daniel Yon, York Uni. Toronto. challenging for communities and governments to decide how to Drawing on the idea of the colony as a ‘laboratory of modernity’ act in response. Furthermore, on a small remote island, when (Stoler and Cooper, 1997) my paper starts with the story of one an economic shock occurs it can be catastrophic to the economy Mary Ann George who, in 1897, was sent from the island to be and the existence of its people. displayed in Hamburg, Germany, as a native ‘specimen’ of St In the case of St Helena, air access was promised over a Helena. The derision and disgust, that was provoked by her decade ago as a way to boost economic growth through tourism departure in the local press, had nothing to do the ethics and and sustainable development. Air access is seen as the catalyst th morality of the 19 century ‘scientific’ practice of human for ‘a last remaining hope’ for St Helena and to end social and displays, but with how this ‘African’ could possibly be conceived economic decline. However, on completion of the (already as an island ‘native’. I demonstrate how ‘the laboratory of delayed) airport in 2016 unforeseen challenges meant plans modernity’ was a place wherein ideas of science and aesthetic and assumptions for commercial operations were postponed sensibilities are collapsed, specifically as played out on St and eventually changed. Helena and in the emergent 19th century ‘science’ of race. I speculate on how the story of Mary Ann George opens up a Through my MBA dissertation at Durham University Business conversation about the rise of racial consciousness and the School I investigated the question of how small remote islands discursive making of a 19th century St Helena identity. In around the world respond to economic shocks and the factors discerning some of the threads of this development, I pay behind successful and less successful responses. From an particular attention to the ‘spectacle’ of race that, I argue, is initial sample of 76 islands, 25 of which have experienced a traceable to the period when the Vice Admiralty Court for the significant economic shock in the last 25 years, I identify 19 Suppression of the Slave Trade was established on St Helena economic shocks on other small remote islands. From these and when ‘liberated Africans’ were captured on the high seas responses, I draw implications in terms of success factors, and brought to the island in their hundreds. elements of a successful response and lessons for St Helena. For the responses that had successful outcomes, the common 2) Tourists marching in, Saints flying out? The social and themes are identified. The findings are linked to the case of St economic impact of air access: Dr Daniel van Middelkoop and Helena with recommendations for policy. St Helena and its Dr Maarten Hogenstijn, Amsterdam University of Applied stakeholders along with other similar islands, can utilise the Sciences findings of this research. What impact can be expected when a remote island’s 6) Balance Between Preservation and Progress: Jeremy accessibility is improved by the provision of air access? We start Harris, St Helena National Trust by presenting a summary of the expectations concerning air access we encountered among Saints while doing research on- Why do we preserve what we do? What is the point of saving an island in 2002. We then present some examples of the impact insect that hardly anyone will ever see? Does a building have that provision of air access has had in other remote places value just because it is old? These are questions that the St around the globe. Finally, we present our thoughts on the impact Helena National Trust must consider on a daily basis. In this that Saint Helena can expect and open the floor for discussion short talk, Jeremy Harris will draw on more than 15 years in on opportunities and possible threats, and how to deal with decision making roles in the conservation world to identify some these. guiding principles when working out how to move forward in this complex environment. 3) The Model Island: Professor Steve Royle, Queens University, Belfast 30 January 2018 – Marine and Fisheries The feature common to islands is that they are bodies of land 7) The Fisheries of St Helena: Elizabeth Clingham, St. Helena surrounded by water. This geographical boundedness brings in Fisheries Corporation train a number of shared issues that affect all islands, though The fishing industry of St Helena has evolved considerably since modified by scale, location and resource availability. These the late 1970’s. Fishing forms an important source of food to the issues encompass problems – the word ‘insularity’ conveys island of St Helena, and offers one of the very few opportunities negative qualities of being inward-looking and St Helena was for generation of export revenues to the island’s economy. Most described by Darwin as a ‘little world within itself’. But there are fishing methods are pole and line, rods and line, supplemented also opportunities; small islands, including St Helena, have by trolling and line fishing conducted from both small inshore often played a significant role in the wider world. Being small and large offshore vessels. and very remote St Helena exemplifies island issues and this paper will discuss how far it might be regarded as a ‘model The industry is subsidised by the St Helena Government but it island’. still struggles to be profitable predominately due to the dynamics of a small island and the associated high operational costs of a 4) Transnational Villagers: Perspectives of Home: Dr Cilla fish processing factory that is currently oversized relative to McDaniel, University of East Anglia industry throughput. St Helena over the years has strived to This paper is set in St Helena, the home of its transnational increase fish throughput through various initiatives however, villagers. ‘Home’, is explored as the multifaceted phenomenon there has really been no significant or lasting increase in where St Helenians live and work in one place and despite throughput largely due to the fact that the prices paid to distance and time, their hearts remain in the place of birth. The fisherman for their efforts are too low. St Helena Connection No 24 Page 19 fisheries science programme under a Darwin Plus project, which New avenues of exploration are now available to facilitate focussed on tuna and has collected valuable data on tuna product value increase. Sustainability is an increasing key factor populations and on movements and habitat use. That in consumer seafood purchasing decisions. St Helena’s programme has been maintained by SHG, with additional declaration of the sustainable use MPA, coupled with the support from the UK Blue Belt programme and from a further predominantly pole & line nature of capture, may present an Darwin Plus award. opportunity for St Helena to access niche markets and obtain a better price for St Helena’s fish. This coupled with the potential 11) Marine Research on St Helena: Annalea Beard, St Helena to export fresh fish weekly via our air cargo services will present Environment and Natural Resources Directorate new avenues for exploration that were previously not available. Low catch volume may limit opportunities or it may In 2016 a 200 nautical mile Maritime Zone was designated as create an opportunity for the development of the St Helena an IUCN category VI sustainable use Marine Protected Area Brand creating exclusivity supporting the “quality over quantity” (MPA) around St Helena. The UK government pledged £20 narrative underpinned by proof of sustainability. million to help implement, manage, surveillance and enforcement of the MPA’s in UK Overseas Territories. Since 8) St Helena One-by-One: Adam Baske and Julie Thomas, then a number of research and monitoring initiatives have been International Pole and Line Foundation established thanks to the Blue Belt Programme. This presentation will discuss how this research fits in with the Marine For centuries St Helena Island commercially fished using the Management Plan (MMP) with a focus on the past and present most sustainable method – one-by-one fishing. Although to marine research programmes at St Helena and discuss future date very few products have been exported, fish has research opportunities and collaborations. predominately been the island’s number one export for many years; albeit in its frozen state due to restrictive transportation. 31 January – Renewables and Terrestrial Environment This is set to change however, as the island has the opportunity to explore new and improved markets for fresh fish exports with 12) Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services in Territories of the opening of its airport in late 2017. IPNLF have been working European Overseas (BEST): Dani Biagorri, S. Atlantic with key stakeholders within the fisheries sector for just over a Environmental Research Institute year to better understand the traditional practices, the The BEST 2.0 Programme is a funding facility, supported by the opportunities, the drawbacks, the strengths and the European Commission as part of the EU Biodiversity for Life weaknesses with the aim to assist in five major areas Policy & (B4Life) flagship. Regulations; Science; Combatting IUU/Fishery Monitoring; Traceability and Communications. To ensure that St Helena’s It aims to support the objectives of the BEST Initiative by fishery receives the attention it deserves internationally for the facilitating the continuation of important environmental and effort they have made over the years to sustainably manage conservation work providing grant funding for small-scale and their fishery for the enjoyment of future generations, whilst medium-scale field actions on the ground for biodiversity making a significant contribution to the economic development conservation and sustainable development in the EU Overseas of St Helena in its entirety. Countries and Territories (OCTs) 9) The Whale Sharks of St Helena in a Global Context: Dr SAERI is in charge of coordinating the BEST 2.0 project for the Alistair Dove, Affiliation: Georgia Aquarium South Atlantic Overseas Territories (OTs) and cover the following areas: Ascension Island, St Helena, Tristan da Cunha St Helena plays home to one of the rarest of all marine biology and the Falkland Islands phenomena, an aggregation of whale sharks, the world’s largest fish. Evidence is growing that whale sharks come to St. Helena There are a number of exciting projects that have been funded as part of their reproductive cycle, which makes the island across the region, and this presentation will give you a flavour completely unique in the world. What is the significance of this of the breadth and depth of these and examples of the research seasonal event and how does St Helena fit into a complex outputs such as: ‘developing a site-based conservation international tapestry of biology, conservation threats, and approach for sei whales, Balaenoptera borealis, at Berkeley international maritime governance? Some of these questions Sound’; ‘forest Restoration and Improved Biosecurity on will take scientists and conservationists some time to answer, Nightingale Island’; ‘An ecological assessment of Ascension but what is clear is that St Helena is in a tremendous position to Island’s shallow-water seamounts as candidate Marine provide leadership in the protection of whale shark populations Protected Areas’. at what may be one of the most critical parts of their life history. 13) Renewables on St Helena: Barry Hubbard, Connect Saint Even with flights commencing, however, the remoteness of the Helena island remains a significant impediment for visiting scientists, so the residents of St Helena should be ever vigilant to gather A presentation on St Helena’s ‘renewable journey’ touching on scientific evidence about what the sharks are doing while they the difficulties of originally introducing new technology to one of are at the island; there is tremendous citizen science potential the most difficult and costly places on the globe to access and here. At the same time, the capacity of the island to develop an how the construction activities associated with the airport have ecotourism industry for whale sharks using the world’s best created enabling opportunities. Barry explains how the original practices, put in place from day one, is another opportunity to bad news story has come good, how with the assistance of the provide world-class leadership, and one which I hope the UK the island enjoys a healthy proportion of electricity generated Islanders will take to heart. If they do, a reliable seasonal whale from renewable sources. He describes how Connect Saint shark aggregation could easily become a jewel of the tourism Helena and St Helena Government are working together as the crown in St. Helena for generations to come. island progresses to the next phase of renewable energy investment. 10) Science in Support of Sustainable Fisheries: Professor Martin Collins, OBE, Centre for Environment Fisheries and 14) Lost and found on St Helena Island: Environmental Aquaculture Sciences Monitoring on the St Helena Airport Project: Bryony Walmsley, Annina Hayes and Kirsten Pritchard, Basil Read and A sustainable fishery is one that can be maintained in the long- Landscape and Ecology Management Plan (LEMP) term without reducing the targeted species’ ability to maintain its population at healthy levels, and without adversely impacting on The St Helena Airport Project presented many opportunities for other species within the ecosystem. Science is essential to potential environmental damage and therefore a comprehensive determine the quantities of target species that can be environmental management and monitoring programme was sustainably harvested and to understand the impacts on other put in place to ensure that endangered and endemic species species in the ecosystem. In 2015 St Helena established a would not be lost. In addition, there were several historical and Page 20 St Helena Connection No 24 robustum Roxb. (DC.) woodland to the degraded Crown Wastes and archaeological features at risk, particularly in Rupert’s area is managed by SHNT. SHNT hope to use the site as the Valley which needed to be closely monitored and protected. basis for a carbon off-setting scheme to mitigate CO2 emissions This paper will highlight just four of the many aspects that were from the island’s airport. The study found that C. robustum managed and monitored during the construction phase of the biomass and its associated carbon pools increased carbon project and some interesting findings. At the start of stocks within the Crown Wastes area by approximately 52.5 ± construction, there were fears that a significant proportion of the 12.20 t over 15 years. pH was found to be highly correlated with global population of the endemic Wirebird would be lost, but on the carbon estimates. Estimated carbon stocks within five the contrary, due to a concerted effort from the construction terrestrial carbon pools within the Millennium Forest restoration team in association with the St Helena National Trust, the site were: aboveground live carbon 52.15 ± 12.25 t; litter carbon Wirebird numbers have actually increased. The little-known 4.9 ± 2.45 kg carbon; deadwood carbon 397.95 ± 42 kg; mole spider became the subject of detailed monitoring and a belowground carbon 37.8 ± 2.1 kg; and soil organic carbon significant amount of information was amassed about this 297.5 ± 23.1t. These results and the level of monitoring, enigmatic species during the construction period. Another reporting and verifying required by international carbon off- aspect that was of concern was the impact of the project on St setting schemes make a locally established- and run- scheme Helena’s endemic plants and so a comprehensive Landscape more financially viable for the island. and Ecology Management Plan (LEMP) was put in place to 05 February 2018 – Terrestrial Flora and Fauna rehabilitate all areas disturbed by temporary works and to offset areas lost to permanent infrastructure. A variety of activities 17) Species extinction on islands: canaries in the coalmine: such as seed collection, plant propagation, plant rescue, Professor Quentin Cronk, University of British Columbia ‘topsoil’ storage and replacement, installation of irrigation and rabbit-proof fences have typified the LEMP initiative and vast Species are more prone to extinction on islands than on tracts of land have been replanted with native plants, supported continents. This is due mainly to small population sizes and by ongoing monitoring, watering and invasive plant limited island geographical ranges coupled with often severe removal. The fourth aspect to be highlighted will be an account environmental impacts of human induced change on islands. of the archaeological findings in Rupert’s Valley. This talk will introduce some of the key concepts concerning island extinction, and, with reference to the plants of St Helena, 15) Emerging Saint Science and Scientists: Stephen Coates, illustrate the nature of island extinction, in the past and in the Prince Andrew School, St Helena future. A detailed understanding of extinction processes is necessary to minimise it. Furthermore, insights from extinction St Helena and the ‘Saints’ who live here are unique in their on islands, where extinction processes are sometimes well attitudes and interactions with the environment. Scientific advanced, may be able to help mitigate the same processes developments and innovations have been utilised here much where they are developing in continental systems. later and less liberally than many parts of the world for a multitude of reasons. Levels of education have also had to play 18) Invasive pests and diseases – biosecurity breaches catch up accordingly and it is a testament to the resilience and from a veterinary perspective. Keeping the outside world fortitude of Saints that they have thrived during such times of out yet letting it in: Dr Joe Hollins MRCVS, Department of change. In “Education and attitudes towards the environment”, Agriculture Tristan da Cunha & ANRD St Helena. which was commissioned for the Education For All Global Monitoring Report 2013/4, researchers concluded that: Remote islands have the best protective borders in the world but “Education levels, in the majority of instances, are linked with they are only as good as our biosecurity protocols. Ships and levels of environmental concern, even when a range of now planes bridge that safety barrier and with the coming of the individual characteristics, likely to be associated with education airport even the quarantine effect of a long voyage has been levels, are controlled for” lost. Setting aside the public health aspect of visitors introducing pathogens to a susceptible population, there are a host of other With such a close relationship to the land, and particularly the issues: invasive pests and diseases that damage the Ocean, Saints have developed a healthy environmental environment. Pests and diseases are spreading around the conscience regardless of educational level; knowing too well world due to the increased mobility of people, animals and that they must respect the environment that provides much of animal products, both legal and illegal. In an increasingly dirty what they need. However, as our knowledge of our environment world this is not a matter of maintaining the status quo, but changes and increases, so sometimes must our behaviour and dealing with a rising threat and St Helena, with her classic sub- attitudes change and this can create problems. For this reason tropical incubator climate, is especially susceptible. Before the I am encouraging my Marine Science and Biology students to word biosecurity was coined there was free movement of address the conference regarding what they think is most animals and food products into St Helena. Many incursions have important for the Island environmentally and how this can be already taken place. This talk looks at the established pests and achieved. We will also attempt to summarise how attitudes differ diseases of veterinary significance and how we deal with them, across generation gaps and how these can potentially be some recent breakdowns in biosecurity despite our best efforts, overcome by utilising education. but also measures we have taken to further protect the island, with brief references to Tristan da Cunha. There are many 16) The Carbon Sequestration Potential of Commidendrum aspects: protection of the island’s almost uniquely disease-free robustum Roxb. (DC.) within the Millennium Forest: Shayla bees, pre-border veterinary health certification of live animals Ellick, St Helena Environment and Natural Resources. and certain animal products such as semen and hatching eggs, The drastic increase in anthropogenic greenhouse gas post-border monitoring and surveillance of livestock for disease emissions (GHGs) (particularly CO2) into the atmosphere is breakdown, and dealing with the existing established invasives, causing climate change around the world. Tropical forests are among them African ticks – superlative vectors for disease, the considered to be significant sinks of carbon, but are subject to lethal Barber’s Pole roundworm, and toxic plants such as widespread degradation and deforestation. Restoring and lantana. The two epidemics of recent years, both in poultry, one conserving tropical forests as a form of climate change probably already endemic in rodent reservoirs, the other mitigation, through the creation of off-setting schemes, can introduced, were good lessons in avoiding complacency and increase rates of carbon sequestration. Islands are particularly resulted in amendments to legislation. vulnerable to climate change, though they contribute relatively 19) St Helena: A Living Laboratory for Green Energy: Jason little to the world’s GHG emissions. St Helena produces about Yon and Samuel Wilkinson, University of Bristol 11,000 t of CO2 annually. The native forests were destroyed following the island’s discovery and only fragments remain. ‘the St Helena has set an ambitious target to have 100% of its Millennium Forest’, restoring endemic Commidendrum electrical power supplied through renewable, locally-generated St Helena Connection No 24 Page 21 interest to both conservationists and biogeographers. This talk sources by 2022. This presents large challenges, but brings will focus on the often colourful endemic fishes, their exciting potential as well, and will brand St Helena as a conservation status, and what their relationships and those of champion of sustainability. In the long-term however, the other fish species can tell us about the colonisation of the picture will become much broader. Within the next decade, island’s shallow water. societies across the world will need to extend ‘the energy question’ beyond renewable electricity generation to a holistic 23) Plastic Pollution in Our Global Ocean: Sources, assessment of our energy needs for transport, heating, cooking Impacts and Solutions: Nicholas Mallo, Ocean Conservancy and industrial processes as well. A broad assessment of energy also presents challenges and opportunities in other aspects of a Ocean plastic debris is one of the most prolific and visible country’s infrastructure, for example, the supply and storage of threats facing our ocean today, endangering ocean wildlife and water. If St Helena faces this bigger challenge with the same harming the billions of people who rely on the ocean every day degree of ambition with which it is approaching renewable for their livelihoods. The lack of effective materials management electricity generation, the benefits for the island are potentially and exorbitant growth in plastics production/consumption are huge – economically, environmentally, and socially. two of the greatest challenges we face in tackling this global issue. Roughly 8 million metric tons of plastic waste enters our Working with colleagues in the University of Kwazulu Natal and ocean each year, and if left unabated, our ocean could contain the University of Exeter, we want to be part of St Helena’s 1 tonne of plastic for every 3 tonnes of finfish by 2025. Ocean pathway to green sustainable energy. In the near-term, St Conservancy’s Trash Free Seas® program has been working Helena is an invaluable case study to instruct and inspire other with scientists, members of industry and non-governmental nations transitioning to renewable electrical generation. Going partners around the world to build off of the best available forward however, the island presents multiple opportunities for scientific research and identify systemic, land-based solutions energy research projects. Our talk will give an overview of the of to addressing marine debris. this research space and expand on our part of it. We will present some initial thoughts around research opportunities in 24) A Flourishing Future for St Helena: but What Will it get renewable energy on St Helena, looking at the role of both out of a Blue Belt?: Charles Clover, Blue Marine Foundation systems engineering and low-level enabling technology. St Helena is part of the Blue Belt, a programme which supports 20) Invertebrates back from the brink? Using the delivery of the UK government’s manifesto commitment to Invertebrate Conservation Evaluation (ICE) Framework on provide long term protection of over four million square St Helena : Dr Alan Gray, Centre for Ecology and Hydrology kilometres of marine environment across the UK Overseas Territories. These territories host globally significant marine Invertebrates dominate global species diversity with many biodiversity and habitats found nowhere else on earth. species threatened with extinction. There are however, many barriers to the effective conservation of invertebrates including: The Great British Oceans Coalition Blue Belt Charter is high species richness; poor taxonomic and ecological supported by 250 UK MPs, which gives St Helena a knowledge; inadequately known biological distributions; powerful argument for its thorough implementation. complex lifecycles; inadequate or limited availability of skills; St Helena’s flourishing future is intrinsically linked with the and a lack of social and political appreciation leading to low successful establishment of the IUCN Category VI Marine priority. We present an Invertebrate Conservation Evaluation Protected Area, which by definition must, amongst other things, (ICE) framework, and using a case study of St Helena show how ‘promote low-level sustainable use of natural resources‘; in this it can be used to review invertebrate data, highlight invertebrate case through both fisheries and tourism. conservation knowledge gaps and lead to the prioritisation of invertebrate conservation within any particular region. This objective is entirely achievable and in all other places in the world Marine Protected Areas – if appropriately managed – can 21) SAERI Research in the South Atlantic: Tara Pelembe, become a huge draw for tourism and provide intergenerational South Atlantic Environmental Research Institute economic security. While the Category VI MPA and indeed SAERI’s vision is to be an internationally recognised academic tourism itself, are in their infancy on St Helena, we would like to institute based in the Falkland Islands, operating in the South ensure that we do not undermine the natural resources, but Atlantic from the equator to the ice in Antarctica, conducting rather maximise their value, sustainably. world class natural and physical science research, teaching To do that, we need to work together to improve infrastructure students and building capacity within and between the UK South (specifically the fisheries processing plant), address waste Atlantic Overseas Territories. This presentation gives an management issues and improve our scientific understanding of overview of some of SAERI’s research highlights over the last 5 the endangered species inhabiting the wonderful, yet fragile years since its inception, and attempts to demonstrate the value marine environment of St Helena. of cross-territory collaborative research as a valuable tool for strengthening links between the islands and the outside world. 25) What is the Value of Valuing the Environment? : Nicole Some of the projects presented will include Natural Capital Shamier, St Helena Government Assessments – a new way of looking at nature; marine spatial Why do we put an economic value on things? Why is it useful to planning – how maps really do help us to see what is happening; know that Gross Value Added in forestry in the UK was £0.63 SAERI PhD student projects; Key Biodiversity areas and billion in 2016? Why do we care that the perceived value of the European Overseas Countries and Territories Research scuba diving market was $8 billion in 2007? Why does this initiatives. It also attempts to tell the story of the creation of a matter and how do economists use this information to influence research institute on a small island, as a model that is already policy? There are good and bad examples of valuation studies being shared with and adapted by other islands. and their use. It then questions the focus of any valuation study 06 February 2018 – Marine Environment and Environmental and the amount of time and resources which one should commit Economics in order to get the most out of a piece of research. Thoughts are expressed as to how to design a valuation study in order for it to 22) Fishes of St Helena with particular attention to central make the biggest positive impact to the environmental cause. Atlantic endemics: Prof Alasdair Edwards, Univ. of Newcastle 26) Isolation, Connection and the Future: Education on St The tropical central Atlantic islands of Saint Helena, Ascension Helena: Shirley Wahler, SHG Education and Employment and St Paul’s Rocks share a number of fish species found only at the three islands and nowhere else, as well as species With the opening of the new airport, St Helena is entering a new endemic to the individual islands. These endemics are of era in economic development and global connectivity. This presentation looks at how the historic isolation of the island has Page 22 St Helena Connection No 24 St Helena’s Whale Sharks A group of 14 whale sharks were seen this week, about 3 miles out of James Bay, six of which were confirmed as being pregnant. Our visiting research scientists, Dr Alistair Dove and Dr Rafael de la Parra, were able to tag several animals that should provide data on location, and migration routes, over the next several months. Gathering this information was of great relief to our visiting marine biologists, who had travelled all the way from Mexico and the US. Whale sharks frequent St Helena’s waters (roughly) from November, of any given year, and in general disappear in April/June peaking in Jan/Feb. It has become apparent that a number of the females seen during a large gathering appeared to be pregnant. Combining international research theories with local Whale Shark Tours anecdotal and data records from the island marine sightings Whale shark tours can be booked with local tour operators. St database, the presence of whale sharks from St Helena could Helena has been a safe haven for whale sharks for be more interesting than we think. generations and we would like to keep it that way. Please ensure that local interaction guidelines are followed if you Since November 2017, whale shark sightings by fisherman have the chance to swim with these magnificent creatures and marine tour operators have been made. As hoped, from . St Helena Tourism the 6th January small aggregations of whale sharks have been recorded from various locations in the lee of the island. Environment Conference continued from page 22 shaped education in St Helena and considers how recent Join The Research development is changing how education is perceived and Whale shark spot patterning is unique to each individual, valued within the community. The recently established St much like the human fingerprint. Photographs taken of the left Helena Community College has a key role in offering side of the whale shark that is perpendicular to their pectoral empowerment and opportunity for Saints, and its short history fin supports the global whale shark research community to provides an indication of how education can contribute to identify individual whale sharks. sustainable development. The need to encourage and support research activities on St Helena is identified as a component of valuing the island’s natural heritage and promoting sustainable policies and practices.

27) 07 February – Webinar What news about dolphins of the Falkland Islands? Dr Marina Costa, SAERI This research is part of a two-year project called ‘Dolphins of the Kelp’ funded by the Darwin Initiative and the Falklands Government. During the session, recent project discoveries will be unfolded for the first time, concerning two dolphins commonly encountered in the coastal waters of the Falklands: Commerson’s dolphin and Peale’s dolphin. New scientific discoveries include the genetic relationship among Commerson’s dolphins in the southern hemisphere and the abundance estimates for both species obtained by Wildbook (http://whaleshark.org/) is a software package that aerial-based survey using line transect methods. Other uses pattern recognition and photo management tools to look information presented concerns seasonal distribution and at the skin patterning behind the gills of each shark and find group size, reproductive peak, movements, and habitat scars to distinguish them from others. To help us and learn overlapping for the two species. These data have been more you can submit photos either directly to ECOOCEAN or gathered during boat survey using photo-identification the EMD marine section. Contact: Elizabeth Clingham, Marine methods. The results presented in this session are the first Conservation Officer. T:22270 Ex 213. Email: elizabeth- available for the Falklands ‘populations’. [email protected] St Helena Connection 24 Page 23 St Helena, Ascension & Tristan on BBC’s Mastermind 26.1.18

1. What was the nationality of the 16th century navigator 9. Diana’s Peak and Mount Actaeon are two of the three Tristao da Cunha after whom the island is named? main peaks in St Helena’s Peaks National Park. What is the name of the third? Portuguese - correct Pass – Cuckhold’s Point 2. Napoleon was exiled on St Helena what is the name of the small house where he spent the first months of 10. Which company laid the first telegraph cable to his exile before he was removed to Longwood House Ascension at the turn of the twentieth century and where he remained until his death in 1821? handled the affairs of the island until 1964? Pass – the Briars Marconi – incorrect Cable and Wireless (We believe it should be Eastern Telegraph Company!) 3. Ascension is one the main breeding grounds of which breed of which turtle. They are now protected by law. 11. What is the name of the giant tortoise that lives on the Governor of St Helena’s lawn. At over 180 years Green Turtle – correct old he is thought to be the world’s oldest living land 4. Tristan’s main settlement is named Edinburgh of the animal. Seven Seas after a visit in 1867 by the Duke of Gerald – incorrect Jonathan Edinburgh. What was his Name? 12. Which neighbouring island did the Tristanians move Prince Alfred – correct to in the immediate aftermath of a volcanic eruption in 5. Two ships that brought the garrison to Ascension that October 1961? occupied the island in 1815. One was the Peruvian Nightingale – correct what was the other? 13. What name was given to the series of raids launched Himstead (?) – incorrect, Zenobia from RAF Ascension on Argentinian targets in the 6. Which trading company was given a charter to govern Falkland Islands during the Falklands war? St Helena in the 1650s. The first governor arrived in Operation Blackbuck – correct 1659? 14. Which country’s forces claimed St Helena in 1633 The East India Company – correct and briefly occupied the island again in 1673 until it 7. What is the more common name of the wideawake was re-taken by the British? tern which nests in great numbers on area of The Dutch – correct Ascension known as Wideawake Fairs? 15. What is the name of the artist and naturalist who was The Sooty Tern – correct marooned on Tristan for several months in 1824. He 8. Which island in the Tristan da Cunha archipelago was made a number of paintings of contemporary island made a UNESCO World Heritage Site together with life? Inaccessible Island in 1995? Pass – Augustus Earle

Gough - correct Total Score 9 Points and three passes

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