| St Helena National Trust Newsletter 5 |
| April/May 2004 |
The year is progressing fast, and it is time for me to greet you once again. The SHNT will soon be two years old. We have 129 members to date, which is not as many as hoped, but still a good number for a small island with a dwindling population, and overseas friends. This month we are instigating a membership drive, and you will find an appeal for SHNT, Museum and Millennium Forest at the end of this Newsletter. We also enclose the brochure for those of you who have not yet joined the National Trust. Subscriptions are due annually on the 1st. of April, and all membership cards will be dated till 31 March the following year. A team of 3 from DFID has been on a two week visit to the island, along with the Desk Officer from FCO. We have had good opportunity to talk with them, and we have fed them lots of information, besides again appealing for funds for restoration of the built environment. They were keen to listen and we felt it was a useful visit. A meeting with Legislative Council took place in March at the Consulate. The aim of the meeting was to inform our Council about the status, achievements and future plans of the NT and its member organisations; to facilitate discussions on issues of common concern and, provide an opportunity to answer questions and raise suggestions. It was favourably received on the day and all the members of Leg.Co participated. The President gave an introductory presentation on the SHNT, followed by the Curator of the Museum, Lucinda Caesar, on the future plans, and the French Consul, Michel Martineau explained what is happening with the French Properties. The Director gave a presentation on Historic Buildings, after which the President chaired an open discussion. The whole atmosphere was good, and we felt this was a positive move. More of our Government understand what we are trying to do, and hopefully will appreciate the need to finance the running costs of the Museum and the National Trust. Whilst no direct request for funding was made at the meeting, it is hoped however that those involved in the decision would be better informed when discussing our proposal. We are delighted to announce that the Bid for The Establishment of a Protected Areas Plan for the Peaks Project was successful. Dr. Cairns-Wicks will be Coordinator for this OTEP Project, and back up will be from this Office. We are trying a black and white Newsletter this time, printed by SHG. It is cheaper, of course. Please comment, enjoy reading, and do join the SHNT! Barbara B. George, Director.
INAUGURAL PROJECTS Flaxmill Museum Update Following on from last Newsletter - The Flax Mill working group had agreed that the restoration of a Flax Mill was too ambitious at present, and agreed to extend interpretative displays in the museum. Subsequent to their meeting and a visit to the Pipe Building – a former working Flax Mill in town, behind the jail, with its original engine still in-situ, which impressed and enthused the group, we had a reply to our letter of May 03, from the Office of the Chief Secretary informing us that we can share the building with the Police, who want part of it for a prisoner workshop. They were promised the Pipe Building over 2 years ago, and had secured funding to repair it. This arrangement seems ideal for us as they will spray and clean up, re-roof the building and build a wall to separate their part from ours. Funding for Display Boards will need to be found, but this help is a great start, and there may be room for more machinery to be on display. We are delighted that Ken Denholm has given us permission to print his research, so a book on the Flax Industry is in the pipeline too.
School Resource Packs A presentation of the first five packs took place on Thursday 18 March 04, to Education Officer and Heads of Middle Schools. The remaining packs to be completed hopefully by September 04. The packs provide local historical information and illustrations to support the National Curriculum. The production of the packs is intended to be dynamic. We are expecting to receive feedback from the teachers on their content and usefulness and respond accordingly and we will continue to add more information to develop the packs. The Director hopes to find time to complete the others soon. This has been a huge, but rewarding task.
Millennium Forest The Governor’s Discretionary Fund donated £741.95 towards improvements to surrounds at the Forest, which was created as a community project to celebrate the Millennium, by returning through shared effort, lost natural habitat in the eastern part of the Island. The Project continues to be developed as a community conservation initiative through the Millennium Forest Committee. The Committee will work with SHG and the Trust to agree the Management Plan for the future of the Forest that is now ready for submission. It is hoped that shortly after this the Committee will come fully under the umbrella of the Trust as a Committee of the Trust. The Trust has already made a big step towards this by taking on the administration of the project through provision of secretarial support, management of the accounts, address base and promotion through the NT website, and the sale of trees and tee-shirts.
MEMBER ORGANISATION REPORTS The Museum of St Helena Clive Stewart finished his working model of the Inclined Plane, and this is now a welcome addition to the “hands on” items in the museum. Warm thanks to Clive for his dedication. The second Art Exhibition is again a big success. We are amazed by the hidden talent of those we know, and it is great that they have the opportunity to display it publicly in the museum. Displayed are works related to the following medium categories: Photography and Digital Imaging by Robert Newman, Christina Stroud and Michael Thorpe. Ceramics and Pottery by Corinda Essex and Serena Thorpe Sculpture by Johnny Drummond and Corinda Essex Drawing by Johnny Drummond, Mark Brooks, Sue Fisher, Aubrey Stevens, Christina Stroud, Laura Lawrence and Emma-Jane Yon. Painting by Dan Coutts and Laura Lawrence. Needle Point by Mary Flavell and Muriel Gardiner. Multi and Interactive Media by Robin Richards Jewellery by Sandie-Jane Walters. Collage and Mixed Media by Emma-Jane Yon, Dan Coutts, Mark Brooks, Christina Stroud, Corinda Essex and Sophie Joshua. Fine Wood Craft by Jackie Essex. Film by Nichola Bruce A wonderful donation of two original books of Old Records ( and Magnetic Tables) from the Magnetic Observatory at Longwood, and a silver trowel, made on St. Helena, to the museum by Trevor Hearl, our valued historian in England, was another highlight of the past months. The silver trowel was presented to the wife of Governor Alexander Walker in 1826, on the occasion of the laying of the foundation stone for the Ladder Hill Observatory, which was abandoned when the Crown took over the running of the island. The Longwood Observatory dates from 1840. It was appropriate that Mrs. Hollamby, wife of the present Governor, was able to present this trowel back to St. Helena, on behalf of Trevor Hearl. The St Helena Nature Conservation Group along with the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds have raised money and organised the construction of two life size models of the Red-billed Tropic bird (Trophy) and the Cape Hen (Pomarine Skua) especially for the museum. The models have just arrived and are now displayed in the natural history section of the museum. Liz Young, Curator of the former museum since 1998, and valued assistant during and after the move to the new one, is leaving her job at the museum, for a well deserved long holiday. She will be sorely missed, as she has an intricate knowledge of the exhibits, and provided invaluable continuity during and after the move. This dynamic facility continues to grow and develop. Since the opening on 21st May 2000 the Museum has provided much needed focus for visitors to the Island and, for many, a base point for further Island exploration. It has also become an important focal point for schools and its temporary displays provide further stimulation for educational activities both during term time and as a basis for holiday activities. The National Trust cannot possibly, at this point in time, financially support the projects of its member organisations but we would like to appeal for funds for the museum. We have asked SHG for basic running costs, and we have made some suggestions as to what support some of you might like to offer, to help it to grow.
St. Helena Nature Conservation Group This group of enthusiasts continues to advertise Sunday walks for the public, and it does a lot to help people discover the island’s unique charm. They published a timetable for the year in the Herald.
Tourism Association I guess because our tourist trade is minimal, and the future uncertain regarding an airport and the safe landing of passengers from Cruise ships, this has not been easy to keep going. However, it does now have a committee of dedicated people involved in the trade, and in April, the Tourist Office hosted an evening to promote the Association when several more people joined. The St Helena Diving Club (SHDC) has been busy with activities over the past few months. In February we held our annual Dive Club day out at Lemon Valley and invited the St Helena Yacht Club (SHYC) members as well. In total there were around 65 people present. It was indeed an amazing sight to see Lemon Valley buzzing with people of all ages. Activities included a snorkel trip to the Spangaried wreck, skiing and knee boarding and sailing. Almost everyone went swimming and just generally relaxed. Two huge pots of pilau (plo) were cooked by the ladies and a few gents! Everyone enjoyed this along with numerous eats for tea. All in all it was a very successful day. The other main activity throughout these past months was the annual sponsored swim. Usually it is held in the swimming pool, however this year it was with a difference as members had to swim in the sea at the front steps. Buoys were moored off to determine the end line and the object was to see how many lengths you could swim in 10 minutes. The winner of this was Mr Mark Lofts who managed to do a startling 14 lengths. The junior winner was Mr Damien Stevens who swam 11 lengths. There was a great atmosphere with many non-members as spectators. The evening ended off with all participants having another pot of plo – aarh, best St Helenian dish! The total amount raised from this occasion was approximately £650.00 which is a real boost and shows the commitment of the members towards the club. Saturday mornings are still successful regular dive days and going strong with Mr Graham Sim. There is always a good turn-out with the core of regulars and different members each week. To date, the Dive Club has 72 members. It is a thriving club that has great potential. If you are interested in joining then do not hesitate to contact us on email: SHDC@helanta.sh.
MONTHLY TALKS These continue to be a successful event, and we look forward to many more informative evenings. Our place in the Universe ( adapted from Sophie Joshua’s Report in SHH) Stedson George, our local amateur astronomer, was invited to be our guest speaker for the month of March. He was able to elaborate and delve into his passion of star study, touching on scientific theories and observations of what happens in the dark surrounding known to man as ‘space’ or the Universe.. The vastness of the Universe makes it difficult to know where is the central point, said Stedson, and in years gone by the feverish fascination humans had with space continued to grow, opening opportunity to form new theories and make further observations. They were aware that stars had fixed positions in the sky, in relation to each other. They identified various constellations and studied how the constellations moved through the year, and how it affected human behaviour, known popularly today as astrology. Even more fascinating were the singled out “wanderers”, or planets of the sky. He went on to say how asteroids form the remainder of our solar systems orbiting bodies and how they occasionally bump into each other, some thought to have even entered the Earth’s atmosphere and wiped out the dinosaur population many years ago. The sun is one of billions of stars which form our galaxy. Our nearest neighbour galaxy is Andromeda which is about 2.4 billion light years away. Stedson explained how distances in space are measured in light years, giving a minute understanding of how vast the Universe really is, for light, which travels at a speed of 186000 miles per second, to be seen throughout space. It takes the sun’s rays 8 minutes to reach us here on earth. It will eventually die, like every star, and as it ages it will erratically disrupt life on this planet. Stedson, being Stedson tended to dramatise this point and some of the children in attendance had nightmares! Just as stars die, so new stars are being born all the time, in what is called pillars of creation, although it is not certain what triggers star birth. “Stars are like people” said Stedson “no two stars are alike. They are born, they enter an adolescent stage, they reach middle age, grow old and die.” “Big stars die rather spectacularly” he added. They simply implode, then explode, a process called supernova.. Other night sky topics explored were black holes in space and space in relation to what is visible to the naked eye. Some of the questions raised from the floor brought to life the subject of shooting stars and comets also.
The St. Helena National Trust Dear Sir or Madam, We enclose the brochure for the St. Helena National Trust, and hope that you will fill in the membership form and return to us with your cheque/postal order, if you would like to support the work we do. Annual running costs of the SHNT till 2005, of £15,724, are funded by a Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) Start Up Grant. Running costs for the Trust for 2005/6 onwards will hopefully be funded by SHG, as we have requested, but even if that is agreed, we need many more members to carry out the other work needing to be done. The National Trust is demonstrating that it is an important organisation for preserving the environment of St. Helena and it must be able to continue with its work. Our goals for 2004/5 are:-
If we are to succeed we need the support and participation of all those who value our environment and our heritage. On the eve of our second birthday we are appealing for new members to join us and launching an appeal for funds for the Museum of St Helena and the Millennium Forest at the same time. I hope you will find the information of interest and join us today to preserve the best of St Helena for future generations to enjoy. I would like to:- Join the SHNT Make a donation. Please fill in the form in the brochure and return to the address given. Please note that all subscriptions are due on 1 April each year, payable to St. Helena National Trust Yours sincerely, Dr Rebecca Cairns-Wicks, President
The native vegetation of St Helena was almost entirely destroyed, mainly by feral goats introduced by the Portuguese to provide fresh meat for homeward bound sailors. Large wooded areas were still in existence when the Island was settled 150 years later but with few exceptions these were quickly destroyed. Evolving in isolation for millions of years the native plants were almost all endemic to the island (found nowhere else). Several of these remarkable and beautiful trees are now lost forever and many more remain precariously poised on the brink of extinction. The last St Helena Olive died in 2003. Myrtle Ashmole an ecologist carrying out research on the Island at the time stated, “witnessing the death of a species puts global extinctions into sharp focus!” The St Helena Gumwood dominated the mid-altitude flora. It became an important source of timber but was soon reduced to isolated trees on cliffs. In 2000 seed was collected from the largest surviving population of trees and then planted by the community to create the Millennium Forest. With a population of around 4000, on just one of the public planting days about 600 people turned up, and every school age child planted a tree. To date over 5000 trees have been planted on 37 acres of land. As it grows the forest has the potential to reduce the threat of extinction of the Gumwood and it has already become a popular place of recreation and education for Islanders. The creation of the Millennium Forest shows that this generation cares about our natural heritage. The rehabilitation of our native forests will bring benefits for all but most particularly for generations to come. The project was initially funded with a grant from the Foreign & Commonwealth Office, but more money is needed to care for the trees and expand the forest. Please consider supporting the Forest. To sponsor a tree costs £5. The names of all those who have planted or sponsored a tree or trees in the forest are recorded on a database. The names of those who planted or sponsored trees in 2000 are recorded on weatherproof panels in the gatehouse entrance to the forest. All names from 2000 will be published on our website later this year and this will be updated regularly. A tree or trees can be dedicated to someone special. A contribution of £250 ensures the planting of a plantation of 100 trees that we could dedicate to a particular person, or group. To have a marker placed beside your tree with your name or the name to which the tree is dedicated costs £20. I would like to: Sponsor a tree(s) Sponsor a tree(s) and have a marker Sponsor a plantation Make a contribution to the Millennium Forest I enclose a cheque for £……….. made payable to the Millennium Forest Name ………………………………………………………………………… Title…………... Address…………………………………………………………………………………………. ……………………………………………………………………………Postcode…………... Name(s) to which tree(s) to be dedicated……………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………………………. Please send to: The St Helena National Trust, Broadway House, Jamestown, STHL 1ZZ. Don’t forget to include details of the names to which the trees are to be dedicated.
The Museum of St Helena The Museum of St Helena was devised, created and now managed by the St Helena Heritage Society with the support of the Friends of St Helena. The Museum would not have happened had it not been for the financial support received from the St Helena Government, The Foreign and Commonwealth Office Challenge Fund, the United Nations Development Programme, the Friends of St Helena and many others. The Museum is a place of inspiration where people deepen their understanding of themselves, others and the world and it’s opening on the 21st May 2002 to mark 500 years since the discovery of the Island moving into a future empowered by an understanding of the past. People of all ages and interests are putting the new museum to good use as an enjoyable and accessible educational resource. The Museum provides much needed focus for visitors to the Island and for many a base point for further Island exploration. It has also become an important focal point for schools. The exhibits inspire study into the history and environment of the island and enhance curriculum-based learning both during term time and as a basis for holiday activities. Beyond the educational benefits, the new museum provides a secure long-term repository for the island’s material heritage. The new museum is committed to ensuring the long-life and security of its collections. The Museum’s annual running costs amount to nearly £22,000 and financial projections in the Museum’s Business Plan 2004/5 predict that the Museum will make a net loss of £6,000 this coming financial year. SHG has been asked to support basic running costs of this important facility. Unless long term funding can be secured the museum’s future is in doubt. Please consider supporting the Museum by either making a donation or sponsoring an exhibit or educational programme. The cost of a showcase is £200 and an interpretative graphic panel is £500. The provision of educational resources costs the Museum £500 annually. I would like to: Sponsor an exhibit in the museum Sponsor the educational programme Make a contribution to the Museum of St Helena I enclose a cheque for £……….. made payable to the Heritage Society. All sponsorship or donations will be fully acknowledged unless you indicate otherwise. Name ………………………………………………………………………… Title…………... Address…………………………………………………………………………………………. ……………………………………………………………………………Postcode…………... Please send to: The St Helena National Trust, Broadway House, Jamestown, STHL 1ZZ.
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