www.sams.sh THE South Atlantic Media Services, Ltd. Vol. 6,SENTINEL Issue 47 - Price: £1 “serving St Helena and her community worldwide” Thursday 01 March 2018 About the Business Road Show First-person accounts from the ESH Road Show held in Johannesburg Feb. 17-24 ... pages 10 - 12 Motion of the ... page 8 Teutonic Hall Restoration Ocean Update ... page 5 Wirebird Numbers Up Since Last Year ... page 6 Photography Exhibition Humanises Remains ... page 17 2 www.sams.sh Thursday 01 March 2018 | THE SENTINEL OPINION YOUR LETTERS 25 February 2018 a friend of George Young, Shipping Dear Editor Editor of the Cape Times, and I was SENTINEL able to meet him. After the meeting, How the St Helena Line got started the Cape Times published a long article on the issues facing St Helena, COMMENT Now that the island has said a final and the content was further reported Mic-kail Harris, SAMS apprentice farewell to theRMS, it occurs to me by several maritime publications. As that your readers might be interested it turned out, this publicity was a I recently have been feeling to know something of the background critical element in the search for a that money causes corruption. to the start of the St Helena Line. solution. “Corruption” is a strong word, but Many on the island will remember After a few restful days at sea I was it feels appropriate, as I have been the pre-RMS shipping service to able to spend a week on the island experiencing people, especially St Helena and Ascension, provided before the departure of the next young people, acting needy after by cargo ships of the Union Castle cargo ship back to Cape Town. It was overspending (and this is a bad Line. Many will have experienced a busy time, what with collecting pattern to get into at a young age). the inter-island service between St information on passenger numbers When people get £10, £20 or even Helena and Ascension on the deck and discussing the options for a £100, they seem to think that they of a Union Castle ship. The service shipping service. I was also able have power. They dream of buying was provided under contract to the to broadcast a talk about shipping new technology or a new set of UK Government, with Union Castle options on St Helena radio and go on wheels (or maybe a cat!). Once receiving a specified payment for a guided walk with the late George they get and spend money like each call at Ascension or St Helena. Benjamin. this, they’ll always want to have Here is a brief description of how the On my return to the UK, I was and spend money until money has St Helena Line got started. including intrigued to find a letter from control over what they do. my own involvement in the process. Andrew Bell, Director of Curnow Many seem to forget that In early 1975, the Union Castle Shipping Ltd, asking for information sometime in the near future, they Line informed the UK Government about providing a shipping service may not have money in their that, as a consequence of the to St Helena, which I was pleased to pockets. They will just spend containerisation of the Cape Town provide. Andrew had seen a magazine money immediately on things that route, it would no longer be economic article about the shipping problems don’t matter long-term, such as for its ships to call at St Helena facing St Helena, based on the earlier their “personal entertainment” and Ascension. The Government article in the Cape Times. He believed (drinking and smoking, etc). commissioned Peat Marwick Mitchell he had two elements of a possible Afterwards, whilst broke, they and Co Management Consultants to solution: (i) a shipping company; will expect money to appear in prepare a study of the options for and (ii) potentially, a suitable ship to front of them. Subsequently they shipping services. At the time I was provide the service. The ship which will try to do things (maybe drastic a consultant with the firm and was he had in mind was the ‘Northland things) just to get money. selected to do this work. Prince’, a mixed passenger/cargo Mobile data is the same. When In June 1975 I flew to Cape Town ship, which had been used to provide mobile phones were first active to board the next Union Castle cargo a service along the coast of British on St Helena, those that used ship to the island. In Cape Town I had Columbia, but was now laid up in dry “Pay-as-you-go” would carefully a stroke of luck. The senior partner dock in Vancouver. monitor how much data they used in the Peat Marwick office there was In due course, the UK government online or messaging. But soon, they wanted to be online 24/7. So they tried to get money for Top-up cards by asking others (sometimes strangers) “to send credit please.” This is not right. Having the privilege to go online via mobile data should be a reward rather than something to abuse. Once you’ve used up your data, take a break until you have the money to refill, or take advantage of the free internet after midnight. If you really need money or credit, work for it or save it better. Think of others who may never have enough money to overspend on ‘wants’ and then ask others for help paying for ‘needs’ (like bills). South Atlantic Media Services, Ltd., The Media Centre, Castle Gardens, Jamestown, St Helena, South Atlantic Ocean, STHL 1ZZ. Tel: 22727 E: [email protected], W: www.sams.sh THE SENTINEL | Thursday 01 March 2018 www.sams.sh 3 YOUR LETTERS launched a competition to appoint a on the waterfront in the capital, and tales of all she had seen and done company to be contracted to provide Jamestown, to watch the ship arrive. didn’t seem to do much in the way a service to St Helena and Ascension. In due course the ship’s general of convincing the more reluctant In considering how to respond, cargo capacity of 990 tons proved to of them, particularly those prone Curnow Shipping Limited found be too little to meet the needs of the to seasickness. The most taxing themselves in a Catch 22 situation. island and agreement was reached to part, though, was trying to find a They could not bid for the contract replace the ship with a new RMS ‘St convenient time for 14 people from without having a ship, but did not Helena’, built in the UK, which was four different family groups, and have the money to buy and convert launched in Aberdeen in 1989 and after having finally settled on a date the ship they had in mind i.e. the entered service in November 1990. the planned voyage was cancelled company was not able get a loan The ship has been in service for due to engine trouble. from the bank unless it was sure of 27 years. The first RMS was sold to Despite these challenges the date winning the contract. South African buyers but was not was eventually set, a voyage booked, Fortunately, Andrew Bell is a put to productive use and eventually and accommodation for a week on the determined and energetic person. went to India for scrap. I myself island arranged at the magnificent He managed to ‘square the circle’ by have made several journeys on the Princes Lodge, a colonial house persuading all parties that all was ‘second RMS ‘St Helena’, the most displaying the largest collection of well with his bid, and eventually recent in 2011,and was pleased to St Helena pictures and maps in the got a bank loan of £1 million to buy recall my own part in the origination world. the ship. In October 1977, Curnow of the service. Sea sickness tablets were bought, Shipping Limited was awarded the Eric Arnold boxes of dried foodstuff were contract to run the St Helena and packed, passports checked, and the Ascension shipping service. family were ready to go on what would become one of the greatest A VISIT TO REMEMBER adventures they had had together. July 2017 Getting to the island was part of the adventure itself – the RMS St Once upon a time there lived an Helena is a unique cargo-passenger old woman who loved adventures. ship that transports food, mail, She lived by herself in a tall narrow visitors, and the resident ‘Saints’ house, and every once and a while among other things. The family were she would take herself off on a new welcomed cheerfully on board and exploit to see what the world had to soon 7 children were racing along offer. passageways and up and down stairs Being especially partial to sea in an enthusiastic exploration of what cruises, she decided to join a group would be their home for the next 5 Eric in 2004 on the deck of the second RMS ‘St of friends who were off to explore days. Soon a routine was established Helena’ approaching the island. one of the remotest inhabited places for life at sea. Breakfast, board games/ Eric is a consultant with GIC limited, an on earth, the island of St Helena. activities in the lounge, on deck international consulting firm which has undertaken “Where’s that?” and “Why go competitions such as shuffleboard several advisory assignments relating to St Helena. there?” she was asked repeatedly and deck quoits, tea, movies, lunch, Eric Arnold [email protected] by friends and family alike.