ISSUE 31 December 2013ISSUE 33August 2014 2013 – A YEAR …starofthenorth.org.je/files/2014_08.pdf · offer her a big ‘thank-you’. All the best, Elisa. Busy Summer There has

2013 – A YEAR OF SPORTING ACHIEVEMENT!

ISSUE 31 December 2013ISSUE 33 August 2014

The rain held off for the much antici-pated opening of the refurbished playarea in the heart of St John. Childrenfrom St John's School descended onthe park to show their delight at theimproved facility that was delivered ontime and on budget.

Thanks to generous donations fromlocal businesses, individual parish-ioners, Charitable Trusts including theOne Foundation, the Lloyds Foundation,the Jersey Child Care Trust and theRichard Jeune Foundation, the moneyrequired to complete the project cameto fruition early in the New Year.

Shoppers cannot have failed tonotice the new Co-op Locale in the areaand the Trustees are extremely gratefulto the Co-operative Society, representedby Colin MacLeod at the opening, who made such agenerous contribution to the fundraising efforts.

Best DesignA great deal of time and effort went into the designand layout of the area in order to make best use ofthe space and create an exciting facility, particularlyfor younger children. With the help of Sean Blakefrom Romerils, to whom we are most grateful forhis enthusiasm and efficiency, the Trustees of theSt John Youth & Community Trust feel that they havecreated a recreational area that will stand the test oftime for many years to come. Our thanks also go tothe Connétable who has agreed that the Parish willensure the maintenance and upkeep of the Park.

Under the watchful eye of Trudie de la Haye,Head Teacher of St John's School, youngsters cut theribbon amid balloons and cheers from those gath-ered to signal the official opening. Chairman of theTrustees, Andrew Lewis, said that now the secondmajor project co-ordinated by the St John Youth &Community Trust was up and running, the Trusteeswould be turning their attention to the refurbishment

May Day Opening of the Children's Play Area

and improvement of the picnic areas on the northcoast. If anyone would like to contribute to this proj-ect or find out more please don’t hesitate to contactAndrew Lewis on 07797 711042.

Following tea and cakes in the vestry, one young-ster commented – "Can we do this every week?" –food for thought maybe?

Andrew LewisChairman, St John Youth and Community Trust

The Rectory, La Rue Des Landes, St John JE3 [email protected] or [email protected]

www.sjcommunitytrust.orgThe St John Youth and Community Trust has been estab-lished to act as a channel for charitable giving for social proj-ects in the parish of St John that are not otherwise providedby the municipality, for the benefit of all parishioners but par-ticularly the young and the elderly. Projects are designed tobe tangible and provide a lasting legacy to the beneficiaries.

All smiles at the new playgroundPhotograph courtesy of the Jersey Evening Post

NEW RESIDENTS IN ST JOHN see page 14

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Rural LifeThe ‘life-blood’ of any community isthe children so it is wonderful to seeso many of the younger ones hurtlingaround the newly refurbished Churchplayground. This August edition ofthe Star of the North also containsextracts from the St John’s schoolnewspaper with a couple of articlesthat appeared in the ‘St John’s Star’,put together and written by Year-6students; a very professional addition and hopefullythese budding journalists will want to write some-thing for their Parish magazine in the future.

Elisa Cañas, who has been a regular contributorand lively committee member, is leaving the Islandin August to pursue her career as a Voice-over Artistin the UK. We are sorry to see her go, but pleased tooffer her a big ‘thank-you’. All the best, Elisa.

Busy SummerThere has been a huge amount going on in theparish (Flower and Bonne Nuit Harbour Festival etc.)and the Island at this time of year, but I was listeningto a couple of people who live and work in town say-

L’ÊTAILE DU NORD August 2014

EDITORIALing that they had been up to Sorel to lookfor the choughs and how breath-taking thescenery was and I thought how lucky weare to have coast and country on ourdoorstep; don’t forget to take advantage ofit!...I hope you have had your fair share ofbarbecues and strawberries this summer.Until the December issue – Adieu.

Jo Falla, Editor

St John’s Golden Age ClubWANTED: St John’s Golden Age Clubrequires occasional help in the kitchen at theparish hall. If you are available to help in theafternoon on some of the last Wednesdays inthe month, please contact one of the following:

Wendy Rondel .........tel: 863667Daphne Hinault ........tel: 861467Mary Rouillé.............tel: 862835

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Dear Parishioners…Hasn’t the summer started well! Given that at thetime of writing we are in an official drought, thewater table is surprisingly high, probably due to themany months of rain earlier in the year, and thismust be helping to top up our reservoirs. The warmsummer days make such a pleasant change fromwhat we all experienced earlier on in the year.

The good growing conditions have helped thepotato crops, as well as all the other produce whichflourishes in abundance across the Island. Since I lastwrote, the parish allotment holders have planted outtheir plots and are now reaping the rewards of theirlabours with signs of a good harvest. I understandthere are still several sites available, so if anybodyrequires a plot, please contact the Parish Hall andcomplete the application form.

All the fun of Bonne Nuit Harbour FestivalOn the 28th June the Bonne Nuit Harbour Festivalcame around, and was a great success this year, yetagain. The only down side for me is that for the 6thyear in succession I have been asked to partake inthe festive board, in which one is required to eat any-thing from spiders to worms covered in chocolate,as well as other clownery delights! In past years, Ihave managed to eat and keep the delights down;with some difficulty and gagging. This year the firsttwo courses were OK but the dessert, (which turnedout to be a cup cake of rice crispies mixed withMarmite and topped with something yellow) was thefinal straw! On taking the first bite, my stomach said“enough is enough” and I could not finish it, butsomehow I still got into the final. To add insult to an

injured pride, we three fin-alists had to eat a fourthcourse, much to the amuse-ment of the many specta-tors! So off we went again,and in my case the commischef produced yet a furtherMarmite cupcake! The trou-ble was to come, some 12hours later in fact. As I writethis small article I'm still notfeeling well! Enough said...You really love Marmite orhate it!

An abundance of flowersOnce again, thanks to James Bonny for the beautifuljob he has done with the flowers around the parishhall. I'm afraid I missed the entry date by three daysfor the Parish in Bloom competition! It’s now in thediary for next year. While on the topic of flowers,may I say “well done” to all the ladies, gents whodecorated the church for the flower festival andthose who donated them. I saw the Rector one morn-ing watering the blooms. Well done, Andy!

When you get this letter the Parish staff will bebusy preparing for a referendum and the electionslater in the year. Nominations for all positions close inSeptember, with voting day being the 15th October.

Being aware the magazine is always short ofspace, I will sign off now, until the autumn.

Wendy and I wish you all a very happy summerbreak.

Phil Rondel,Connétable

St John FC ladies team won their record-breakingfifth successive Colin Welsh Trophy on 29th Aprilagainst the Jersey League and Channel Island cham-pions, St Paul's FC, with a 3-0 victory.

Two goals before half time from Rosie Corbettand Jess Vieira, followed by a second-half goal fromJodie Botterill secured a comfortable win, whichcould have been more after hitting the woodwork onmultiple occasions. An excellent team performance,with many players saving their best performances ofthe season for the final.

Following a difficult first half of the season, thereturn of key players and the addition of new players,resulted in an excellent second half of the season,culminating in the cup victory.

Team: Rebecca Single, Nicola Barnes, Kelly Hughes(capt), Fiona MacKinnon, Sylvia Spinola, ShannonO'Neill, Marta Ascensao, Rachel Bowker, Jess Vieira,Jodie Botterill, Lisa Godinho

Substitutes: Hope Perry, Rosie Corbett, RebeccaJohnstone, Tracey Da Costa, Ashley Whitfield

Squad members: Sophie Dines, Lili Le Brocq,Lia Whitnell

Team manager: Andy FortuneNigel Perrée,Football Club

FANTASTIC PERFORMANCE FROM ST JOHN FC LADIES TEAM!

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The days leading up to the outbreak of war withGermany were chronicled very vividly in the pinkbroadsheet pages of the EP (it became JEP manyyears later). The chosen dates show how somethingwhich seemed so far away, a small quarrel in EasternEurope, suddenly became much more immediateand much much closer to home. It is interesting tonote how much closer the links with France were 100years ago and it is really how those links wereaffected, rather than the situation in England, whichdominated the issues of the end of July and earlyAugust. It is also fascinating to note, with none ofthe modern technology which newspapers employtoday, how up-to-the-minute the news was. Thereseemed to be a lot of daily shipping between bothEngland and France and presumably they, as well asthe telegraph, carried the news.

I have tried to show how the tone of the paperchanged in just nine issues; the paper was publishedevery day except Sunday, August 2nd, although thefront page on Bank Holiday Monday, August 3rd,was identical to that of Saturday, August 1st:

Wednesday July 29th

• The large photograph on the front page was of theisland tennis and croquet teams who were playingin the inter-insular with Guernsey at Springfield.

• Reminder of Trinity Sunday School outing at TrinityManor on Thursday July 30th.

• Notice about 20 vergées of oats for auction at theManoir de St Jean, also on Thursday 30th.

• Advertisements for Béghins, Frederick Baker andVoisin & Co.

• Wests Cinema was showing a Keystone Cops film“Between the Showers”, starring Charlie Chaplin.

• Report from English House of Commons – mainitems were debates on boxing and House of Lordsreform with just a brief mention of the Austriandeclaration of war on Serbia.

• Just one small, slim column of War news.

• Adverts for day trips to France for the BankHoliday Weekend.

How the outbreak of World War I was reportedin the JEP July 29th – August 5th 1914

Thursday July 30th

• Report that the German ambassador had a longinterview with Sir Edward Grey at the ForeignOffice that morning.

• Signs that trouble had been forseen as the Gar-rison Companies of the RJM were ordered toparade at Fort Regent at 2pm and every morningafterwards: West battalion at St Peter; East battal-ion at Grouville. This was the first time the militiahad been mobilised for over a century.

Friday July 31st

• St Mark's Church Boys Brigade had to abandontheir camp in Guernsey as the Guernsey militiawas mobilised and needed the arsenal and equip-ment. Boys returned to Jersey that night.

• A letter on the front page bemoans the factthat the annual Dispensary and Infirmary Ball onThursday was ruined because all the young menhad to be on parade at the various arsenals.

• The weekend trips to Dinard and Dinan were can-celled!

Saturday August 1st

• French news – Jean Léon Jaures, French Socialistleader was assassinated in a café in Montmartre.

• The English Antarctic expedition left the south-west India Dock in London to convey Sir ErnestShackelton on his way to the South Pole.

• Victoria Dairy advised its customers they mighthave to collect their own goods as 12 of theiremployees had been called up for militia duty.

• The marriage took place at St Thomas’s Church ofMr Arthur Marks of China Quarries and MissJanet Feuillet of Sion, St John. The honeymoonwas ruined as the bridegroom was forbidden toleave the Island by the military authorities.

Monday August 3rd – Bank Holiday

• Reports of many ships leaving the Island filledwith French reservists. Hundreds of French nation-als living and working in Jersey answered the call;“aux armes citoyens”.

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The Vicomte, R. R. Lemprière, reading proclamation of war

Société Jersiaise

• SS Laura left with 88 men and other ships leftGorey for Carteret filled with Frenchmen answer-ing the call to arms including several Frenchpriests.

• Rev Audumares from Wesley Grove was recalledto the colours leaving a weeping congregationbehind.

• Thousands of people went down to the docks tosee the ships off on Sunday and Monday. Manypathetic scenes as the men were parted from theirwives, children and girlfriends.

• Ships to France badly hit by French mobilisationas all French crew had to leave.

• Hotels badly hit as French tourists rapidly returnedhome and those coming from France cancelled.

• The editorial took the Island's women to task fordisplaying panic. The editor said that you wouldhave thought the German fleet was anchored in StAubin's Bay. He himself had been in London onAugust 1st and had seen no sign of panic there.Also complained about tradesmen immediatelyraising their prices – profiteering!

• Detailed news from around the world includingGerman ambassadors being handed back theircredentials from countries such as Russia and herallies and sent home.

Tuesday August 4th

• War declared between Britain and Germany.

• Bank holiday extended by three days by order ofBritish Government to prevent a run on the banks.

Wednesday August 5th

• Official proclamation issued by George V on August4th of the Jersey Militia being recalled to activeservice.

• The official Declaration of War.

• Drastic measures being taken by the States ofJersey to preserve food and fuel stocks.

• Exports of coal, cattle etc, now prohibited.

• Island Defence Committee given a free hand andstringent powers.

From a front page photo of the island tennis teamto photos of war zones, mobilisations and detailedaccounts of battles in just nine days: by August 10ththe paper was publishing the names of English casu-alties in battle. Jersey, because of its location and

close links with France, obviously felt very vulnerablein those few short days. The Jersey people were keptfully informed by the EP and their offices werebesieged daily by people wanting the latest news.

The actual newspapers, held in the Jersey Library,are at once very different to look at, but at the sametime very familiar in content to what we get in the JEPtoday. In 1914 that pink newspaper was a must inmost island homes as it remains today.

Rosie Bleasby

The Channel IslandFamily History Society

If you are interested in history, the Channel IslandHistory Society welcomes new members. Monthly

meetings take place on the last Monday of themonth starting at 8pm, normally in the Members’

Room of the Société Jersiaise at 7 Pier Road,St Helier. The Society tries to have a guest speaker

at each meeting and the scheduled meetingdates, venues and talks are as follows:

29th September: “350th Anniversary of New Jersey”with Marie-Louise Backhurst

October: at Jersey Archive, Clarence Road, St Helier

November: Jersey Postcards with Graeme Harris

For more information please visit:www.jerseyfamilyhistory.org

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What do you know about Dyslexia? Did you know that at least ten percent (10%) of thepopulation is dyslexic? In Jersey, that would be app-roaching 10,000 people.

The word 'dyslexia' comes from the Greek mean-ing 'difficulty with words' and is due to a differencein the way the brain processes language. Dyslexia istermed as a Specific Learning Difficulty (SpLD), butmany prefer to use the term ‘learning difference’.

Dyslexia often runs in families and is not relatedto intelligence or to a person's background. Dyslexiavaries from person to person; issues and their sever-ity can affect many areas of a dyslexic’s life, not justin reading, writing and spelling, but also in process-ing information, organisational skills and short-termmemory. In some cases maths may be an issuerather than literature and for some there may also beassociated visual and auditory difficulties.

Dyslexia is a lifetime condition, however, withsupport; many dyslexic people are able to overcometheir difficulties.

Creative thinkersAlong with the difficulties,many dyslexics have realstrengths in other aspects oftheir lives; they tend to thinkdifferently, often havinggreat problem solving skills,and enhanced creativity.Dyslexics think ‘outside ofthe box’ which is an asset inmany situations. Dyslexicpeople are often highly elo-quent and very creative,often excelling in the artsand music, politics and bus-iness. They can have remar-kable memories as oftenthey have had to memorisehuge amounts of detail andfacts in order to get throughschool.

A large proportion of successful millionaire entre-preneurs and inventors are dyslexic – Lord Sugar,Richard Branson, Robert Dyson, Jamie Oliver just toname a few. They have often opted out of the educa-tional or employment systems early in their careers.

Every one of us knows, or works with someonewho is dyslexic, even if we don’t know it! Unfort-unately, for every one who succeeds in overcomingtheir dyslexia, many will not find a way forwardalone. Dyslexia Jersey aims to be there to supportthese people.

Dyslexia Jersey is a small charity, run by volun-teers and without funding support from the States ofJersey. We have a number of projects that we are

working towards for support of adults and children,these new initiatives will make a considerable differ-ence for dyslexic people living in Jersey.

Our campaign, ‘Embrace the Difference, Unlockthe Potential’, calls on the States to lead the way insupporting dyslexics in the workplace and, in doingso, encourage at least 50% of businesses to be fol-lowing best practice within five years. Constable PhilRondel of St John and Constable Simon Crowcroftof St Helier have agreed to become political ambas-sadors for the campaign, which has been endorsedby both the British Dyslexia Association and DyslexiaScotland.

Dyslexia Jersey has also been working closelywith the Education Department to ensure that schoolsreceive new, accredited training in dyslexia, with theBritish Dyslexia Association, with a view to theirbecoming ‘dyslexia friendly’ in the near future. Ourfirst training courses are about to be offered to

schools with a plan to launchin October or November thisyear. It is our aim to makeJersey the first ‘dyslexiafriendly country in the world’.

Although there has beena considerable change inJersey’s provision for dys-lexia in some schools overthe past couple of years,there is not yet a consistentstandard of support acrossthe island. There is still a lackof dyslexia awareness inschools and the wider com-munity therefore support fordyslexics can be limited.Many teenagers still leaveschool each year undiag-nosed, disillusioned andfrustrated with their lack ofsuccess in school.

Dyslexia Jersey wants tocatch children early before they become frustratedwith education and their ‘perceived’ inability to learnand support them with the tools to succeed. We alsowant to ensure that there is support and provisionfor dyslexic adults, in the work place and in the com-munity, as the vast majority of dyslexics are alreadypast school age and may be struggling to reach theirpotential due to lack of support in their early years.

If you need help, think that you, or your childmight be dyslexic, or if you would like to learn more,or get involved, please check out our website athttp://www.dyslexiajersey.org.je/about-us.aspx orcall us on (01534) 506404.

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The Parish of St John now has a butcher’s shopagain in Temple Court, right behind the church. Theshop reopened its doors under new management onMarch 7th this year, after being closed for somemonths. The new business is now called A. R. VitelFamily Butchers. André Vitel, the new owner, hasbeen working in various butchers’ shops aroundthe island for many years, and prior to opening thenew business in St John, André was working at thewell known Village Butcher in Gorey Village.

André makes very good quality home-madepork sausages, beef burgers and lamb burgers, andis quite certain that word of mouth in the parish isgetting about, as so many customers are cominginto the shop and saying they have heard how goodthe sausages are. But it’s not just the sausages andburgers that the customers are enjoying. He alsosells Drovers Irish (award-winning) beef, pork fromSomerset, and high quality English lamb. Andréalso sells Genuine Jersey lamb from Martin Shipley,when available, and the quality is equally good asany English lamb.

In the shop there is also a selection of the ChilliKitchen products, free-range Jersey eggs whenavailable, vegetables from Three Oaks Vineries,and home-made pork pies and Scotch eggs fromJon Hackett, all of which are Genuine Jerseyproduce. Looking ahead to the coming months,Christmas in the butchery trade is planned well inadvance, and is not something that can be left tothe last minute. André has secured a partnershipwith Peach Croft Farm in the UK to supply freshaward-winning turkeys and geese.

André will be visiting the farm in October toview for himself the quality of the products his cus-tomers can enjoy. Come and talk to him to orderyour turkey or goose in time for Christmas.

Everything else associated with the Christmasdinner: pork joints, gammon, sausage meat etc, willall be available over the counter on Monday 22ndand Tuesday 23rd of December.

André looks forward to welcomingold and new customers alike.

Shop opening hours:Tuesday to Saturday from 08:30 to 17:30

A. R. VITELFAMILY BUTCHERS

Telephone: 868838Please note:

We will be closed for annual holidaysfrom 26th August to the 2nd September

André with his popular pork sausages

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A bright, fun day down at the HarbourThe sixth annual Bonne Nuit Harbour Festival tookplace on Saturday 28th June, in beautiful weatherand was once again enjoyed by over 1,500 people.

Congratulations are extended to AnnabelleHodson, from St John, who was the 2014 BonneNuit Bonnie Baby; to Helen Day, from St Helier theStrongest Lady who held two 3kg sandbags atarms’ length for 1min 15sec, and runner up HannahGardener; also Adrian O’Conner from Ireland whotriumphed as Bonne Nuit’s Strongest Man, holdingtwo 5kg sandbags for 1min 59sec. The Fun FoodChallenge was the usual enjoyable spectacle, withthe Rector struggling with the second course whichincluded a whelk, and the Constable unable to com-plete the third course of a Rice Krispie cake whichhad been made with marmite!

Thanks to allAs always thanks are offered to all those who con-tributed to making the Harbour Festival the huge suc-cess that it has become, including; those stewardingthe car park; the volunteer minibus drivers; the hon-orary police for looking after safety on the roads; theWomen’s Institute on the gate and the school choirfor their songs.

The planning committee are pleased to recogniseand thank our sponsors: Ronez; Centamin plc; FarmFresh Organics; and Patterned Paving Limited.

Silent Auction lotsThanks are also due to the donors of the silent auc-tion lots: Jersey Aero Club, for the trial flying lesson;Jane Luce, for one hour home massage; Joyce Berry,for her oil painting; St John’s Church Bell Ringers,for a taster session at bell ringing; Chris Thomas,Expression Photography, for the family portrait to thevalue of £50; Farm Fresh Organics, for a day on thefarm with ploughman’s lunch; Neil Cotillard, for aSmokey Shed hamper; Jersey Harbours, for a halfday with Jersey Coastguard; Elizma Lawrence, for a60-minute beauty treatment; Ronez, for a tour of thequarry and watch the blast; Ricky Leith, for a visit tohis dairy farm; Helen Papworth, for two sessions ofpersonal training; Club Carrefour, for a month’s freemembership; and Le Mourier Swim School, for two30-minute swimming lessons.

Please help this family community event growfrom strength to strength by forwarding yourthoughts, reflections and suggestions for 2015, andoffers of help to the secretary, by post to the Rectory,or by phone 861677.

Andy Thewlis Bonne Nuit Harbour Festival Secretary

Fun food challenge

School choir

Thanks also go to those who supported theevent by the purchase of raffle tickets and toRuaridh Papworth for the manufacture of our owntombola drum. Congratulations to the six winnerswho have all been notified and have receivedtheir prizes. This year’s winning numbers were:1st Prize £1,000 – 471; 2nd Prize £500 – 1414; 3rdPrize £250 – 2249; 4th Prize £125 – 3792; 5th prize£75 – 4371 and 6th Prize £50 – 2152.

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LES MATHIONNETTES – ‘Northern Lights’Retired stonemason, artist and craftsman with an interest in marine biology,

Frank Gautron talks to Mary Rouillé

Frank Gautron was born in 1941, the younger of twochildren, at Alma Villa in St John. Three years laterthe family moved round the corner to La Cocagne,on Rue de la Ville Guyon. His father, a stone-dresser,had served for two years in France in the First WorldWar, and for a further three years after the war withthe occupying forces and as a result he spoke Germanfluently. During the German occupation of the SecondWorld War his father was arrested for owning a crys-tal radio set and spent six months in Newgate Prisonwhere his knowledge of German was greatly dislikedby the German soldiers who knew he understoodeverything they said. Fortunately he was imprisonedtowards the end of the war and so escaped beingsent to France as many others were. He was releasedafter D-Day due to overcrowding in the prison.

In 1945, at the age of four-and-a-half, Frank beganhis schooling in St John, which he attended untilthe age of 15. He remembers the day before he leftschool. The headmaster asked him what sort of jobhe would like to do. Frank replied that he wanted tobe a commercial artist. That was not to be: his firstjob was as an apprentice carpenter, which involvednot only the skill of working with wood but also howto paint and decorate. Ten years later, and with afamily of his own to look after, he left and joined abuilding company for better pay.

Change of directionAfter another four years working as a carpenter hetook the opportunity to join his brother-in-law Alan,as a stonemason. A partnership was formed, and thecompany name became Vibert and Gautron. Frank’sfather and grandfather were both stone-dressers,and as this gift was evidently genetic, Frank had noproblem getting to grips with the job. (I found out thedifference between a stonemason and stone-dresser.The stone-dresser can only shape and smooth thestone whereas a stonemason can build as well asdress). The company operated originally from a smalldepot in St John, before eventually buying part of

La Saline quarry. This enabled them to quarry theirown stone, rather than having to buy it in.

It was in the late 1950s when Frank was workingfor a customer in Rozel Bay that he noticed the girlsworking in the fields. One such girl was Shirleyde Gruchy, a farmer’s daughter. Frank and Shirleywere married in 1963 and set up home in a cottagein Mont Mado. After his parents passed away, thefamily, which included twin boys and a girl, movedinto La Cocagne. Frank tried to buy this property butfound the valuation too expensive. After hearing onthe grapevine that Ville des Chênes village was beingbuilt, he put his name forward for a plot, and in 1971moved into the house where he still lives today.

Retirement and skilful hobbiesFrank retired at 50 and needed to find an interest, asby nature he is always on the go. After building agranite fireplace and developing his garden he sortedout his garage where he has built a number of fishtanks, filling them with seawater. Always being inter-ested in marine life, it has given him the opportunityto study and monitor unusual fish. In 1996 he had acall from a fisherman who had been fishing inPlémont Deep and had landed a seahorse, which hadattached itself to a lobster pot. The seahorse had thebends due to it being brought out of the sea quickly.Frank managed to resuscitate it by holding it in a tankfor five to six hours. Word went round and more sea-horses were given to Frank to save; 14 in total. SueDaly, the marine photographer, became involved, andas a result BBC South West TV and the JEP got holdof the story, ending up with a queue of reporters andcameramen outside the house.

Painting pictures from photographs, some ofBonne Nuit, has been another hobby, with manybeing entered in the Eisteddfod where they have wonawards, including gold and platinum. Always enjoy-ing a challenge, he has built a dolls’ house whichbegan with making the staircase and then buildingthe house around it. Even with much of the furniturebeing bought in France, it still took five years to finishand 1,045 hours to make. The house was entered inthe Eisteddfod and won Platinum. His latest ‘build’ isa miniature garden scene which includes a shed withnest box on one side, a wheelbarrow, garden bench,and numerous garden implements which are allin proportion. Frank’s talents have evidently beenpassed on to his children as both sons are stone-masons and his daughter a very good artist.

Right: Photo collage by Richard Dupré

of Frank and some of his work

MOBILE LIBRARYAt St John’s Parish Hall 1.00 – 2.00pm

Every Monday

Anyone for Croquet?The Jersey Croquet Club at Les QuennevaisSports Centre is looking for new members.Please contact Elizabeth on: Tel: 741879

Page 12

I moved to the parish in 1993with my wife Julie anddaughter Jessica who wastwo at the time. Rebecca wasborn shortly after and thenVerity in 1997, and Todd in1999. It's the longest periodthat I have lived in one area.I was born in Liverpool butgrew up in Morecambe Bayin Lancashire. Back thenMorecambe was famous forits potted shrimps, bathingbeauty competitions, open-air swimming pool, WestEnd and Central Piers, More-cambe lights (mini Blackpoolstyle), theatres, fish and chipshops, fairgrounds and,much like the Jersey ofyester-year, its summertimetourist trade.

Hang on a minute; I needto answer the phone. Ah, it’sdaughter No. 1 wanting toknow if I can help coordinatea replacement door in theflat she has been renting intown. It seems a hole some-how appeared in it!

St John’s School hasplayed a substantial role in family life, providingexcellent primary education for each of my childrenand each of the four head teachers during that timeplayed an important role in the school’s develop-ment – Jo Davenport, Pam Pitman, Andrew Willisand Trudie de la Haye.

The phone is ringing again – this time it’s aFacetime call from daughter No. 2. It seems the land-lord of the house she is living in in north Londonwants to use the deposit to cover the shortfall in rentdue from one of the other tenants who decided tomove out after an argument with another flatmate!

I joined the Sport, Leisure and RecreationDepartment in 1999 and spent the next 12 yearscoordinating the Fort Regent events programme,contracting and presenting everything from comedi-ans to rock bands, fire-walking to motor shows, latenight dance events to classical music concerts. TheIsland’s first ice-skating rink, ballet, opera, tradeshows, careers fairs, fitness presentations, banquetsand conferences; a wide and varied range of events.During that time I was asked to assist with the mar-keting of the Active Card health and fitness member-


ship programme on a temporarybasis, something that lasted farlonger than I had anticipated. And,in 2012, I handed over the eventsprogramme to fully embrace themarketing and commercial sec-tion of the department.

Community involvementWhen the Bonne Nuit HarbourFestival was mooted I used myevents management experienceto assist with the managementstructure, preparing the eventplan and coordinating the licenceapplication to the Bailiff’s panel.The drive and enthusiasm of allthe members of the committee,the volunteers and supporterswas wonderful and despite theatrocious weather conditions ofthat first festival in 2009, it estab-lished the event and prepared theway for future celebrations.

It is my cruise ship trainingthat continually comes in useful.Life on board a ship was neverdull, where being dropped intosomething at the last minute was

the norm and learning to beresourceful and not panic despite

pressing circumstances was the key. A new chal-lenge was lurking around each corner includingbeing told at the last minute to take the JewishSabbath Service one Friday evening. It really testedmy nerve, particularly when I invited the congrega-tion to send forward a volunteer to officiate and no-one responded. I came to an agreement with theassembly that I as I was not wholly familiar with theintricacies of the Jewish Sabbath Service, I wouldstart things off and they would take over as we pro-gressed. I nervously proceeded and was congratu-lated with many a warming embrace.

Daily life tends to be quite hectic which is not sur-prising given that we have a big family plus a largeblack Labrador, Bosley. In addition Julie and I bothteach fitness and dance. We met when I auditionedto be in a show on one of Royal Caribbean’s CruiseLines ships in the Caribbean. Previously I had dancedwith London Festival Ballet, Wayne Sleep and hisDash Company, and was in the West End productionof the George Abbot musical ‘On Your Toes’ whichtransferred from Broadway to London. Julie hadtoured with her own dance group as well as choreo-

A day in the life of… COLIN STANIER

Colin writes about his work, family, entertainment, fitness and dance commitments

Colin at the Fort

Continued ››

Page 13


graphing for Dick Ray at Caesars Palace and forBenny Hill. She was working for an American pro-ducer at the time we met and being a tough task-master, she put me through my paces in the audition,so much so that I ached for days afterwards. I think Igot the job because I could lift her on to my shoulderwith ease, which I am sad to say, is no longer thecase due to the ravages of time. We had a very excit-ing time on the ships, travelling to various parts ofthe world and meeting interesting people. Julie isvery proud of her island and invited me to pop overand visit. That was in 1987, and here we are nowlooking forward to celebrating 25 years of marriagein October.

It’s the phone ringing again and as it’s the Mrs I’dbetter answer promptly! “Yes dear I won’t forget tocollect our son and his clarinet from school. And yes,I will make sure he has something to eat, does hishomework, stays away from the games console, andI’ll speak to him about growing pains and life!”

DanceDance and entertainment have always played a bigrole in our lives. Julie and I started teaching Zumbaa few years ago when it hit Europe, the UK and theIsland by storm. Our cruise ship training came inhandy as we had learnt merengue and Latin rhythmson the ships prior to taking our fitness qualificationsover here. Earlier this year we were asked to teachpartner dancing to couples who want to dance whengoing out to a function or party. We introduced LeRoc (modern French jive) to a small group of friendlybut apprehensive couples living in St John whoreally embraced the social aspect of dance, some ofwhom can be seen trying out their dance steps in thenew allotments!

Text from Jersey Live office. “Fiancé and I want todo a wedding dance. We’ve never danced togetherbefore and the wedding’s in six weeks! Can you andJulie help?”

I really look forward to getting out and walkingBosley, particularly as once my working day startsand I’m inside the bowels of Fort Regent I rarely seedaylight. Living in St John and walking these ruralareas of the parish is wonderful and a great tonic fora sometimes frenetic life!

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Red-billed choughs are now athome on the cliffs at Sorel

Glyn Young and Liz Corry write about the scheme to reintroducethem to Jersey after an absence of over 100 years

Last year some former residents made their homeon the National Trust for Jersey’s fields at Le DonPaton. These are red-billed choughs, a beautiful rel-ative of the crow that, unlike its relative, feeds onants and other insects in the soil particularly ongrazed coastal land. The all-black choughs can bedistinguished by their blood-red, long, down-curved,bill and red legs and feet. They are masters of the air,seeming to enjoy playing on the winds that rush upthe cliffs. Choughs are rarely alone and like to be inpairs or small groups calling regularly, their highpitched ‘chow’ travelling on the wind. It is probablythis call that gave them their common name,changed over the years and now pronounced ‘chuff’.

Choughs died out in Jersey around the start ofthe 20th Century through changes in land use, lossof coastal grazing and persecution in times less bird-friendly than now. A widespread, typically mountainbird in Europe, Asia and North Africa, a rare populationof these birds occurs in coastal areas only from Brittanyto western Ireland and Scotland’s Inner Hebrides. Birdsof this population are often called sea crows and arethe emblem of Cornwall and, long associated withThomas Beckett, appear on coats of arms of twoOxford University colleges as well as Canterbury inKent and Canterbury in New South Wales.

Landscape changesChanges in Jersey over the past 100 years have seenincreasing development, agricultural intensificationand a move away from mixed farms with a conse-quent loss of livestock grazing marginal areas of thecoastline. This has led to the spread of invasive nativeand non-native species such as bracken and hottentotfig on our coast, causing a loss of quality habitat.

These changes have exacerbated problems forlocal wildlife with the consequent loss and declineof many birds like the skylark, yellowhammer andstonechat. Birds On The Edge is a partnership ofDurrell, States of Jersey Department of the Environ-ment and National Trust for Jersey to support theactive management of Jersey’s coastal land to res-tore populations of birds and bring the project’semblem, the chough, back to the Island.

ReintroductionA temporary aviary at Le Don Paton was finishedearly last year and the first choughs arrived in Aprilfrom Paradise Park in Cornwall. Breeding pairs ofchoughs, also from Paradise Park, arrived at Durrellin 2010 in order to produce further birds for theproject but only successfully bred for the first timethis year.

Page 15


This year, with some new rec-ruits from Cornwall in the flock,the birds were again released inearly April. Although some havewandered, a flock of six birds nowroams the coast between MourierValley and Ronez. Although at lib-erty, mostly they stay near thesheep-grazed fields at Le DonPaton and return to the aviary forextra food and a safe place toroost at night. Please go and lookfor the choughs as they fly, call-ing excitedly along the St Johncoastline and admire these stun-ning, returning, neighbours. Oh,and don’t be surprised to seesomeone who appears to be car-rying a TV aerial nearby, it’s oneof the tracking team, collectinginformation on the birds’ move-ments and activities.

Above: Locating choughs using their individualradio transmitters

Left: Locating choughs at night

Dr Glyn Young is conservation biologist and Durrell’sproject manager for the Birds On the Edge project.Liz Corry is Chough Reintroduction Field Manager.

All the choughs carry indi-vidually numbered and colouredrings on their legs so that eachone can easily be identified.They are further tracked veryclosely using radio transmittersattached to their tail feathers. Infact, unexpected moult of thetail feathers meant that the first,and momentous, release of thebirds only took place in August2013. After that the birds spentseveral weeks at liberty mostlyexploring Ronez Quarry beforethey were brought back intothe aviary as winter weatherworsened.

Left: The aviary at Sorel

Page 16


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Page 17


THOUGHTS FROM THE UNITEDREFORMED CHURCH

As I write, we have been enjoying several weeks of realsummer weather, with the barometer hardly moving.After such a wet winter and spring it has been good tobe able to plan ahead in the certain knowledge thatwhen we awake there will be blue skies and sunshineto greet us. But in due course all that will change. Asyou read these words it may already have done so!

Similarly life has its ups and downs. Everythingseems to be going well and then something happensto upset things. All we can really be sure about is thelove of God, which never changes. In good times andbad He is always with us, encouraging, strengthen-ing and guiding. As a congregation committed tomaking known that love, we are very well aware ofthe prayers of friends around the globe helping usand we would welcome the opportunity to share theGood News of Jesus Christ with you.

Except for those Sundays when we worship as aParish, we are always here in Sion for Sunday worshipat 10.30 am and you are most welcome to join with us.

On a practical note, we have been much exer-cised of late in dealing with legal problems concern-ing our large Manse following the retirement of ourlast Minister. I am pleased, and relieved, to be ableto report that with considerable assistance from ourAdvocates, Messrs Le Gallais and Luce, and the LawOfficers those problems have now been overcomeand we can start making plans for the ‘proper’ use ofthis lovely old building.

Michael Ruskin, Church Secretary

Nobody would have thought twice if they’d seen medelivering the ‘Star of the North’ a few weeks ago. Itwas a pretty unremarkable sight. For me, however, itwas a momentous day because, after many years ofdelivering the parish magazine, this would be my lasttime. Doing so made me think of the many ‘last times’my family and I will be experiencing over the nextfew weeks as we prepare to move to another parishafter living in St John for eighteen years.

St John has become a part of who we are. Mychildren, Ben and Jacob, have lived here all theirlives. My dogs, Otto and Lola, have walked (anddragged me around) the lanes and cliff paths hun-dreds of times. My parents, on their frequent visitsfrom the UK, have enjoyed the village atmosphere,our local pubs and the unfailing delight of seeingJersey cows chewing quietly in so many of our fields.

There is so much that makes St John special: theatmosphere, the way it balances calmness and dig-nity with energy and fun; its rugged beauty andquirky features. It is a parish that often punchesabove its weight in terms of community involve-ment. St John has an identifiable political and socialconscience. It stands up for itself but is not too set inits ways to listen to others.

Helping at St John’s SchoolOver the years we have delighted in getting to knowso many parishioners. I had the pleasure of being avolunteer helper at St John’s Primary School a fewyears ago. The young people and staff there werealways welcoming and friendly. Some pupils, now intheir mid-teens, still say hello to me when they seeme. That always makes me smile. I also enjoyed driv-ing the minibus to Forest School and spending timewith the younger children there. My own childrenhave made good use of The Recreation Centre bytaking part in gymnastics, kick-boxing, yoga, footballand shooting. We have even made friends out dogwalking (a big thanks to Dusty for sharing his dogbiscuits ungrudgingly). St John is a blanket of famil-iar faces that has helped keep us cosy over the years.

Life, of course, is a mixture of highs, lows – andthe bits in between. We were so fortunate to have‘struck gold’ in the house we chose to live in as ourneighbours have been wonderful. Leaving them is awrench as they have become our extended family andan important part of our lives. Obviously, we are onlymoving a few miles away so will still see them regu-larly but we will miss our almost daily chats, theirslightly eccentric senses of humour and their quiet,unwavering support. They are the best gift St Johncould have ever given us.

Looking to the futureAlthough those ‘last times’ are important, we nowneed to look to the future. As we move on from the

‘last times’ we arelooking forward to allthe ‘first times’ we willbe doing things in ournew home and newparish. Leaving any-thing is always tingedwith sadness but wewill take with us many

happy memories and lasting friendships.So, that’s all from the Rabet family, formerly of

Mont Mado, St John. We’ve loved living in the parishand enjoyed being part of the community. As weshut the door on our house for the last time we’d liketo say: ‘Thank you St John. You’ve been great’.

Amanda, Ben and Jake RabetOn behalf of the Star of the North Committee we thankAmanda for her regular support in delivering the mag-azine and wish her and the boys all the very best intheir new home and parish.

A Fond Farewell……

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Dear Parishioners…I was very honoured to be chosen as your Deputy inOctober 2011, and subsequently the States gave fur-ther heavy responsibility to me when I stood in theStates election to become the Minister for EducationSport and Culture and a member of the Council ofMinisters. As you can imagine the last three years orso has been a very busy time for me: the introductionof an apprentice scheme (Trackers); a vocationaltraining initiative for 14 to 16-year-olds; expansion ofHighlands College for school leavers; extra fundingto cover university fee increases and funding fornurseries in schools. In addition a replacement pri-mary school is being built in St Martin; a centre forthe Youth Service has been developed in St James;the Crabbé Outdoor centre has additional facilities.A new secondary school will be built at Les Quen-nevais, an IT strategy for schools has been devel-oped with a budget of £6m, and there is a new sportsstrategy with funding to include the NatWest IslandGames in 2015.

However there is one area of development in ourEducation system that needs a careful review andpotentially a considerable amount of work. Politicaland public pressure continue to grow around thebelief that our secondary school system is not asinclusive as it should be. We must be very sure thatopportunities and outcomes for children, whatevertheir backgrounds, are as equal as possible, but with43% of children in subsidized fee-paying educationand another 6.4% in free but academically selectiveeducation from 14 onwards, there is a feeling that,although our aspirations around meritocracy andinclusivity are well developed, our education systemmay not be as in tune with that as we would all like.

Bearing this in mind I believe that the next elec-tion cycle is likely to be a very difficult one for thenext Education Minister. A Senator elected into officeby the whole Island would be in a stronger positionto try to manage the likely emotive arguments andentrenched positions that exist.

I must be honest and say that having enjoyed thejob of Minister for Education, wishing to continue init, and in the knowledge that there is much morework to be done there, if I do stand for election I muststand as a Senator and seek an Island-wide mandate,that would, of course, include my home Parish of StJohn that will always be special to me. I would justlike to thank you all for your support over the lastthree years.

Probably the last important thing I can do for theParish before completing my term as your Deputy isto raise the profile of something that potentially Ibelieve has big implications for the future democraticrepresentation in the Parish. I will explain:

October 15th ReferendumOn the14th July this year or soon after, the States

will debate the question to beput to the public in the 15thOctober referendum on StatesReform. The design of the ques-tion being proposed has such farreaching importance, particu-larly for St John, that as yourDeputy I cannot let it just slip byunder the radar so to speak. Thatis why I have tabled a majorchange to its design and exactlywhat questions are to be asked in the referendum.

This is the question being proposed: The 2018election should be for 49 members and one class ofStates member, with all members voted in Parishesin equal proportion to the population in each Parish.There is only one single all-encompassing YES/NOanswer allowed.

If the result has a majority in favour it will mean:the end of Senators and the Island-wide elections;the end of the Constable's automatic right to sit inthe States (although he can stand separately in thegeneral election); no further reduction in Statesmembers from the 2014 election number of 49.

And finally and crucially for St John: the spreadof 49 members ACROSS PARISH BOUNDARIESwould mean St John voters would be allocated ONEMEMBER to vote for even though the population inthe Parish is close to 3,000 people, whereas eachSt Helier voter would have the ability to influence thechoice of up to SEVEN MEMBERS each, dependingon the district of St Helier they live in. This is clearlyundemocratic!

Also voters may like part of the question butprobably not all, and there will be no knowing after-wards which part they agree or disagree with.

My amendment to this proposal is that threemain questions at issue should be asked:

1. Should the Constables lose theirautomatic right to sit in the States......Yes/No

2. Should the Senators and the Island-wide vote disappear..................Yes/No

3. Should the number of States members be reduced to 44 ..................Yes/No

Three simple yes/no questions and no need to voteon all three if you don’t want to, or are not sure.

After the vote the States can design an assemblyaround the result and ask an independent bound-aries commission to decide how to allocate the pub-lic’s choice of members with or without Senators andConstables across the Island.

Due to copy deadlines, as I write this article it isnot clear whether my amendment will be successfulbut I can only do my best to try and ensure a fairerdeal for the St John voters.

Yours sincerely,Patrick Ryan


Page 19

Page 20


St John’sWomen’s Institute:in, out and aboutWe have enjoyed meetings about the Archive Centreand family history, a report on the annual AGM inLeeds; where the resolution to try and persuade peo-ple to become organ donors was overwhelminglyapproved, and an all-day outing to St Aubin by bus;Le Petit Train and lunch were a great success.

Plenty going onThe separate social outings have been appreciatedby many members and have included a visit to a playat the Arts Centre, a beauty evening at Voisin and Co.and a lovely afternoon tea at the Golden Sands hotelin St Brelade. A trip to ‘The Mousetrap’ at the OperaHouse is planned for later in July. August is a holidayand then the programme begins again in Septemberon the second Tuesday of each month at the parishhall.

THE UNWELCOME VISITORAT MAISON LE VESCONTE

Will the unspoilt peace and tranquility of Maison LeVesconte ever be restored?—or will it become a dis-tant, nostalgic memory?

It all began in early Spring when, unannouncedhe majestically walked out from the archway ofleaves and branches that form the entrance from the‘copse’, a woodland area adjoining Maison LeVesconte, proudly making his way across the lawns.His attire was cheerful and bright, adding gloriouscolour to the normal daily scene. Then the nightmarebegan. We weren't sure we had heard right the firstfew times it happened and comforted ourselves withthe thought that his visit would be a short one! Hemust have come from somewhere and surely some-one was missing him? Alas no search party arrived,no report of him missing in the JEP. “Maybe he'slost,” says 'Himself,' “I'll catch him and take him toSorel, I'm sure that's where he is from”

Waiting, waiting...Many, many moons have passed. Himself watcheseach dawn present its spectacle of colour. On onesuch dawn Himself was enjoying a ‘ciggy’ at thebathroom window when suddenly the scoundrelcautiously stepped out in view. Himself was readywith his small pellet gun – steady, aim, fire – nochance, this chappie wasn't deterred by a few plasticpellets, his coat was shock proof! Nevertheless hescampered back into the shelter and darkness of thecopse raising havoc in the process. After a few weeksHimself came up with plan B. “We'll lassoo him!” Soduly armed, accompanied by two grandchildren anafternoon of lasso making and throwing ensued. Ithink the scoundrel was secretly watching all thisactivity and decided to stay put!. He's smart, smarterthan we gave him credit for.

Dirty tacticsThen some genius came up with a foolproof plan:soak a bowl of food in whisky, then when he's eatingor trying to crawl away you'll catch him. With thisplan in mind Himself sets to work. I blink and shakemy head at the sight before my eyes as Himself pourshalf a bottle of his once favourite Bells onto a bowlfull of food.”That will sort him out,” he mutters. Oncethe food had absorbed the alcohol, Himself sets a trailof food outside and patiently watches as the greedy,raucous soul devours the lot! After which the scoun-drel saunters off into the hedgerow to “sleep it off.”“Aha,” says Himself, “this plan may work!” He hap-pily sets up a box on its side, the lid held open with asuitable stick to which string is attached, this leadingto the bathroom window, where Himself will bewatching and waiting! He then places a generous

amount of whisky-soaked food in and around the boxand places himself behind the window to keep vigil.

After 45 minutes Himself admits defeat; this char-acter really was something else! He'd eaten the sur-rounding food but wasn't tempted by the contents ofthe box – he's no fool! Himself decided that maybe thebox wasn't big enough, so he acquired a huge dogcrate, big enough to house a St Bernard. Once againthe same procedure was put in place and for severalweeks Himself kept watch. Every species imaginablevisited and helped themselves to the tasty morsels onoffer but not this scallywag! He continued rampagingfrom dawn to dusk, taking food and shelter fromthe neighbours. Something had to be done! SuddenlyHimself emerged from his hiding place behind thebathroom window. “I nearly got him! His foot and headwere in the cage, then I pulled the string hoping thegate would push him in when it closed, but I was tooblooming quick and the blighter ran off leaving someitems of attire behind!”... So that's the cage gone.Next plan, “How about an archer?” says Himself, ormaybe a net will be next. By now desperation is tak-ing hold and I'll be leading the queue for St Saviour'sor wherever. Maybe a petition to the Constable andTrustees would offer a solution! Perhaps not! Butwhen we do catch this pesky rooster we'll stop hiscrowing once and for all, in the stewpot! MeanwhileHimself is busy working on plans X,Y and Z.

Nanette Vibert

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I must start with a great big thank you to the found-ing members of the Skate Park Association who havedone a magnificent job to get such a fantastic parkup and running which was no easy feat having toovercome opposition and funding issues. There hasnow been a change of committee members as listedbelow and I hope that you will continue to supportsuch a worthwhile and well used community area.The committee is currently looking to re-establish itsmembership in order to ensure its continued opera-tion, maintenance and, above all, success.

The membership fee is £12 and this will currentlygive you membership up until December 2015. Sowhat are the benefits of being a member, I hear youask? Well, it is a well maintained and managed areahaving weekly maintenance checks and kept cleanand tidy. The committee is currently looking to nego-tiate some form of discount offers from local busi-ness for members of the park. We will update youwith details of this once confirmed.

The park is also a members only area, whilst thisis not policed 24/7, spot checks will be carried outfrom time to time and the skateboarders who are notmembers will be given the opportunity to join.

I am sure you will agree that this is a great facilitythat we are privileged to have the use of and one thatyou will want to continue. This will only be possiblewith continued support from the community and thepark’s members.

Should your children or grandchildren wish tobecome members, please complete and return themembership form delivered with this edition of themagazine. Additional forms can be found at St John’sParish Hall and if you know of any friends or otherfamily members that may also be interested in usingand supporting the park, please pass the word on.

Thanking you in advance for your continuedsupport.

John Fosse

St John Skate Park current committee members andcontact details:

John Fosse: [email protected] 07700 747 694

Jo Carter: [email protected]

Sandra Genée: [email protected]

Nicky Brown: Committee [email protected]

Lloyd Pinel: Committee MemberJohn Dibbens: Committee Member

[email protected] Rev Andy Thewlis: Committee Member

St John Skate ParkAssociation update

A service for everyone

8.00am – Book of Common Prayer Communion 9.30am – Holy Communion with Traditional Hymns11.00am – Contemporary Worship

Page 22


News from the Pews

Left: Walkers atMillennium Cross

Sixteen members of the Church family, plus one dog, walked from church,past the Millennium Cross to Sorel Point and back, stopping off for prayeralong the way, re-enacting the traditional Whit Sunday walks of the past.

The morning concluded with a delicious church family lunch which wasenjoyed by all and so it will be repeated in 2015, as we invite others to joinus in walking a different section of the Parish Boundary.

Congratulations to the 22 individuals and groups,including St John’s School, who contributed amaz-ing floral creations which enriched our St John’s Tidecelebrations through the June Flower Festival.

The beautiful floral arrangements depicting bigbible stories were a delight to the eye and touchedhearts and souls of many visitors as they reflectedupon the creative interpretation of familiar stories,which contain eternal truths. The £222.45 raised indonations is to go towards the internal refurbish-ment of the church building.

Two important strands in the life of a Parish Church are worship and witness, which on Sunday 8th June foundexpression in a Pentecost Prayer walk of witness.

On Sunday 6th July 50 or so folk gathered at BonneNuit, at 10.30am, for the annual St John’s Group ofChurches Sea Sunday Service during which AssistantHarbourmaster, Ian Lawrence, spoke of his time atsea.

The collection of £216 has been shared equallybetween the Mission to Seafarers, R.N.L.I. andChannel Islands Air Search.

In addition to the normal rhythm of weekly wor-ship we’re planning special services focusing upondifferent aspects of life, and invite you to considerjoining us for the following:

Fun in the Sun, with songs, a story Jesus toldabout some fishermen he once met on a beach, end-ing with a sandcastle building competition, at the10.30am Beach Service at Bonne Nuit on Sunday10th August.

Our traditional Harvest Celebration, is at 10.30am,on Sunday 28th September as we join together togive thanks to God for all that is good in life. In recog-nition of the plenty we enjoy and the struggle of oth-ers we invite you to bring along gifts of dried food,tins or toiletries, which will be distributed by theFriends of Ecce Homo Trust to the poor in Romania.

Floral designs

Sea Sunday Service

Page 23


Page 24

The Big Brownie Birthday was launched in Januaryfor Brownies all over the world to celebrate becom-ing 100 years old. To recognise this huge landmark,Brownies were challenged to do a number of thingsthey had not done before around the themes ofWorld, Community and You.

25th St John’s Brownies accepted the challengewith great enthusiasm and the girls came up withloads of exciting ideas. We would like to share someof them with you.


St John’s Brownies suggested having a cup of tea atGovernment House so we sent their idea to SoniaMachon – our Island Commissioner. We were deli-ghted to receive an invitation to attend a tea partyalong with other members from Girlguiding Jersey.We all looked splendid wearing our hats which wemade for this very special occasion.The challenge: To have a cup of tea in a very unusual

place.

St John’s Brownies stillawake

Les Ormes Creepy Valley

We invited Jepson to join us on an evening whenOlivia Hodges made her promise and Ruby Gouldsonand Mia Murphy chose to work for their HostessBadge. In honour of Jepson’s visit, both girls decidedon a teddy bear theme and provided delicious home-made cakes and cake pops.The challenge: To appear in a local newspaper expl-

aining why Brownies is so much fun.

On 5th & 6th April lots of Brownies on the Islandjoined together for a massive 48-hour-long party atthe Merton Hotel. Various activities at Creepy Valley,Les Ormes, and Fort Regent were on offer for thegirls to enjoy. Not much sleep was had but amazingexperiences and huge fun for everyone involved!

The challenge: To go out and about and explore

something new.

The Mad Hatters’ Tea Party at Government House

And finally, we are meeting St Saviour’s Guides andGrève d’Azette Brownies for a campfire.

None of this could have been possible withoutthe dedication of our Leaders & Helpers

at St John’s Brownies.A BIG THANK YOU to Louise Read, Wendy Collins,

Sue Davis, Eloise Hamon and Ellie Hodges.If your daughter or you would like to know more

about joining please visitwww.girlguiding.org.uk/interested

Donna Tupper

Our challenges continued with:

Bell ringing at St John’s ChurchPampering Night with MumsGames Night with 1st SouthRainbowsVisit to Albert BartlettPure Adventure on waterA bus ride to St CatherineWe met La Pouquelaye Brownieson St Aubin’s beach and togetherwe took part in Ready SteadyGlasgow 2014 Badgeand held our own mini-Commonwealth Games.

Page 25

Fencing has become a very popular sportthroughout the school of St John. It ismostly popular in Year 4 because theyhave been given lessons by a professionalfencer, Gianpaolo Marini. The profes-sional fencer was so impressed with themthat he put a few of them in a competi-tion: Jadyn Dupré, Jamie Raphael-Hall,Oliver Tomlinson, Liam Cosgrove andDaniel Farnden. After they did the com-petition we interviewed all the pupils thattook part.Jamie Raphael-Hall said that he was feel-ing happy but nervous when he found outwho his opponent was. He got a bit wor-ried because they were a strong team andthey were very competitive. He got a welldeserved bronze medal and a certificate.

Jadyn Dupré, another fencer said he

The Year 6 pupils at St John’s Schoolcompiled a school newspaper, detail-ing some events that took place dur-ing a specific week this year. Hereare a few paragraphs from our news-paper to produce a snapshot ofschool life.

A BUSY SCHOOLBy Olivia and Emily Yr6

This year St John’s School has been noth-ing but busy and there is still much morefun to come. We have just had our annualSports Day, which everyone thoroughlyenjoyed. It was a day of sunshine and fun.This year we had two winning teams –Uruguay and England! Congratulations toall the participants and the runners in theindividual races!

For Book Week in St John, the schoolfocused on newspapers. Year 6 created aschool newspaper that took precious timeand effort to make. This took approxi-mately half a term to produce. It was sucha relief for us once it was finished as itwas surprisingly such hard work to be ajournalist. Also there is so much to findout about within the school.

Mr Jones, our school inspector, camein as we were making our school paper. Hewas really impressed with our school andwrote an amazing report. On top of that,Oscar Puffin and Jepson Bear came in tothe younger classes of the school. JohnHenderson of the BBC, Skyped years 4and 6. Even though we could only vaguelysee parts of his face it was still enjoyable.

As well as all this we were reallybusy with sports. We had the Swim-arathon, Netball and football matches,cross country running races, chess tour-naments and a fencing tournament. Welldone to everyone who took part in any ofthese exciting activities.

We have loads of fun and excitingtrips to go on but the best have to be theresidential visits like the Scout Hut, Sark,St Aubin’s Fort and the legendary Frenchtrip to finish off your time at St. John’s.As Year 6, who have been on every trip,all we can say is how brilliant they are.

For Mr Le Rossignol there was excit-ing news on the 21st February as his littlejunior was born.


was feeling excited because it was hisfirst time doing it. He got a bronze medaland a certificate. We also interviewedDaniel Farnden who said he was feelingexcited but a bit nervous because he hadnever done it before and was worried ifhe got the rules wrong. He also got abronze medal. So let’s hope that the nextYear 4s get the opportunity to do a fenc-ing competition too.

On the 10th of March 2014 eight net-ballers from St John’s school went to anetball match at St Peter’s CommunityCentre.

When everyone arrived they realisedthey had no netball bibs as they had for-gotten them so the team ended up playingwithout any! Also the team had two subswho were Emily Bell and Ella Barette.Emily was swapped on at half-time.

We interviewed Ella Barette fromYear 6 as she played in the netball match.

“I thought it was a good netball matchbecause at half time it was 11–1 to themand then we scored 9 goals. I thought Icould have done better but I was sub forhalf of the game so it was hard. I don’treally know how I could have done better.”

The day after the netball matchEmily Bell, from Year 6, said, “It was avery good game because we all tried hardand played our best. I think I could havedone better by marking my player better.”

The netballers lost the match 19-10but all of them had fun.

So this is how busy we are as aschool. We have so many learningopportunities. We would like to saya big, warm thank-you to all the staffwho have made these possible.

Trudie de la Haye, Head Teacher

NETBALLST JOHN v ST PETER

SPORTINGSUPERSTARSFENCING

By Ella Baudin and Charlotte Bainbridge

Page 26


L’ÊTAILE DU NORDThe magazine is published for the Parish ofSt John by the Editorial team:c/o East Wing, Les Issues, La Route desIssues, St John JE3 4FA. Tel: 861611Email: [email protected]

We do not necessarily hold the views that areexpressed in the articles.

The magazine is printed by Mailmate Print.

EDITORIAL TEAMEditor – Jo FallaAssistant editor – Roger LongAdvertising manager (Acting) – Richard DupréTreasurer – Terry Le SueurDistribution – Rosemary DupréEditorial Committee members –Rosie Bleasby, Angela Le Sueur, Mary Rouillé,Revd Andy Thewlis

ADVERTISING RATESEighth page – £30 Quarter page – £50Half page – £95 Half back page – £120Full page – £175 Flyer, inserting only – £50For full colour rates, and to advertise pleasecontact Richard Dupré, Advertising Manager(Acting) Tel: 866880; email: [email protected]

WEBSITEStar of the North website:www.starofthenorth.org.jeKindly sponsored by C.I. Web Solutions.The latest edition will be available on line assoon as it is published.Archive editions will also be available.

PARISH OF ST JOHN ADMINISTRATION

CONNÉTABLE: Philip J. Rondel

PROCUREURS DU BIEN PUBLIC: Michel Larose,Andrew Jéhan

RECTOR: Revd Andy Thewlis

CENTENIERS: Jonathan Plunkett, Trevor Pointon, Jim Elam,Dave Ward

VINGTENIERSHérupe: Sharnie OlliverNord: Trevor de la MotheDouet: Maxine Fergusson

CONSTABLE’S OFFICERS:John Gallichan, John Renouf, Manuel Pereira,Tim Luce, Ian Syvret, Chris Taylor, Steve Pallot,Mya Florence, Nigel Daye, Denise Daye

ROADS COMMITTEE:Constable, Rector, Steve Hewlett,Ron Le Herrisier, Bill Wheaton

ROADS INSPECTORSHérupe: Tony Le Brun, Eddie Le CornuNord: Peter PallotDouet: Stephen Masters, Andrew Godwin

LA COMITÉ DU COMMUNE RURALE DE ST JEAN:Constable, Deputy, Brian McCarthy,Martin Whitley, Martin Farley,David Ward, Andrew Morris

ASSESSMENT COMMITTEE: Tim Le Feuvre, Will Simpson,Paul Berks, Peter Donne Davis

DEPUTÉ: Patrick Ryan

REGISTRAR: Gwen Batho

DEPUTY REGISTRAR: Christine Lister

CHURCH WARDENS: Andrew Lewis,Rosemary Bleasby

EMERGENCY PLANNING OFFICER: Martin Whitley

PARISH SECRETARY: Sue Rodrigues

PARISH HALLTel 861999 Fax 864553 E-mail: [email protected]

Website: www.parish.gov.je/st_john/

PARISH HALL OPENING HOURSfrom January 2014

Monday, Tuesday and Friday9.00am – 1.00pm 2.00pm – 4.00pm

Wednesday 9.00am – 1.00pm 2.00pm – 7.00pm

CLOSED ALL DAY THURSDAY

Anyone who lives outside the Parish and wishes toreceive ‘L’Etaile du Nord’ is invited to take out ayear’s subscription (3 issues) for £6. Please fill inthis form:

Name……………………………………………

Address……………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………

…………………………Postcode……………..

I enclose £6 cash/cheque made out to: ‘Star of the North’.

Please send to: The Editor, c/o East Wing, Les Issues,

La Route des Issues, St John JE3 4FA.

Page 27

AUGUSTSun 10th 10.30am Beach Service at Bonne Nuit,

organised by the Parish ChurchTues 26th 7.30pm Muriel’s Bingo in the Parish Hall Wed 27th 2.30pm Golden Age Club meet at the

Parish Hall

SEPTEMBERWed 3rd Back to schoolThurs 4th 2.15pm Visite du BranchageTues 9th 7.30pm WI in the Parish Hall. Jackie

Vautier & FriendThurs 11th Battle of Britain Day. No SchoolWed 24th 12.00pm Golden Age Club lunch departs

from the Parish HallSun 28th 10.30am Harvest Celebration at the Parish

ChurchTues 30th 7.30pm Muriel’s Bingo in the Parish Hall

OCTOBERSat 4th 7.00pm Harvest Supper in the

Parish HallTues 14th 7.30pm WI meal at St John’s InnWed 15th 8am–8pm States Elections and ReferendumFri 17th 2–4pm Exhibition topic on the

Island of Jersey. St John’s SchoolFri 24th Last day of half-termTues 28th 7.30pm Muriel’s Bingo in the Parish Hall Wed 29th 2.30pm Golden Age Club in the Parish Hall

NOVEMBERMon 3rd Back to schoolSun 9th 10.30am Remembrance Sunday Service at

the Parish ChurchTues 11th 7.30pm WI AGM in the Parish Hall.Tues 25th 7.30pm Muriel’s Bingo in the Parish Hall Wed 26th 2.30pm Golden Age Club AGM in the

Parish HallFri 28th St John’s School Deco DaySun 30th 6.00pm Advent Sunday Service of

Remembrance at the Parish Church

DECEMBERWed 3rd Afternoon Reception/KS1 Christmas

Production, St John’s SchoolThurs 4th Afternoon Reception/KS1 Christmas

Production, St John’s SchoolFri 5th Afternoon Nursery Christmas Production,

St John’s SchoolTues 9th 7.30pm WI Christmas Party in the Parish

Hall, with Park Life Choir.Wed 10th 1.15pm KS2 Production of Robin Hood,

St John’s SchoolWed 10th 7.00pm KS2 Production of Robin Hood,

St John’s SchoolThurs 11th 1.15pm KS2 Production of Robin Hood,

St John’s SchoolThurs 11th 7.00pm KS2 Production of Robin Hood,

St John’s School


PARISH DIARY – August to December 2014Sun 14th 6.00pm Candlelit Carol Service at the

Parish Church, organised by theSt John’s Group of Churches

Mon 15th Christmas Parties at St John’sSchool

Tues 16th Last day of termWed 17th 12.30pm Senior Citizens Christmas Dinner

at The FarmhouseThurs 18th 7.30pm Harmony Men Christmas Concert,

in the Parish Church

SUNDAY WORSHIP IN ST JOHNTHE PARISH CHURCH Every Sunday8.00am Holy Communion9.30am Holy Communion with traditional hymns11.00am Contemporary Worship – All-age Worship,

Celebrations or Communion.

UNITED REFORMED CHURCHSundays at 10.30am Family Worship

Holy Communion,monthly, as advertised

ST JOHN’S PARISH CONTACTSArchery: Martin Pomroy – 855479Bell Ringing: Justin Read – 888484Bingo: Muriel Poisson – 863184Bonne Nuit Boat Owners: Linda Carter – 864828Bonne Nuit Harbour Festival: Neil Cotillard – 077977 97834Brownies: Donna Tupper – 865728Carpet Bowls: Shirley Caurel – 863825Caesarean Handbell Ringers: Diane Nelson – 481898Constable: Phil Rondel – 861455Deputy: Patrick Ryan – 851934Football Club: Nigel Perrée – 865113Friends of Bonne Nuit: Gary Romeril – 861972Golden Age Club: Wendy Rondel – 863667Honorary Police: 866560Jersey Gym Club: Jody Whittingham – 721630Les Frères Mother Toddler and Baby Group: Claire Kybett –

07700 702661Parish Hall: 861999Rector: Rev Andy Thewlis – 861677School: 861692Shooting Club: John Renouf – 861908Skateboard Association: John Fosse – 861688Star of the North (Editor): Jo Falla – 861611Youth & Community Trust: Andrew Lewis – 862663Tennis: Tina Spencer-Nairn – 861716Twining Association: Ron Le Herissier – 862010Women’s Institute: Karen Cotillard – 863296United Reformed Church: Secretary Michael Ruskin –

482366Youth Project: Rosemary Dupré – 866880Youth Worker: Nicky Brown – 07797 844861

Page 28

Documents

ISSUE 31 December 2013ISSUE 33August 2014 2013 – A YEAR …starofthenorth.org.je/files/2014_08.pdf · offer her a big ‘thank-you’. All the best, Elisa. Busy Summer There has