Members have received the Autumn 2022 issue of The Bulletin with contributions from Geraint Jennings, Patrick McCathy, Sue Hardy, Georgia Le Maistre, Rob McLoughlin – and new editor Anna Baghiani. Congratulations Anna!
It is with great sadness that we report the death of Edouard Le Maistre, secretary, vice-chairman, chairman and vice-president of the Society, on 22 October following a short illness. We plan to pay tribute to Edouard’s remarkable service to the Society in a future Bulletin and on this website.
For the second year running, we held our AGM virtually on 6th April, after which we were delighted to welcome Dr Matt Pope who updated us on the archaeological investigations at La Cote de St Brelade.
On Thursday 11th March the society gathered for the Annual General Meeting. However, this one looked a little different to normal as it was hosted on Zoom!
Following the usual updates from key members of the council, and council elections, Chairman Nicholas Paines led the attendants of the meeting in an island-based general knowledge quiz.
For those not able to make it, please see below the quiz and (separately) the correct answers so you can play along.
Download the quiz and answers here
The Puzzle Solutions!
The Society’s Council wish all members a happy start to the Society’s 125th anniversary year. We hope that the Society’s Christmas cracker enlivened your Christmas. No doubt you found all the solutions, but here they are in case you want to check.
How many of the photos did you recognise? The seagull’s eye view was of Bonne Nuit Bay. On the back page, just visible in the mist, is La Rocco Tower. Next to it – and congratulations if you got this one – La Rosière Bay, situated next to La Corbière. Below them, with Jersey in the background, is a view from Les Ecréhou. The other seagull’s eye view is of Egypt and the frozen water mill is Tesson Mill.
On the centre page, the famous person in a Jersey bonnet is Constable Sadie Rennard singing Beautiful Jersey. Here are links to a couple of her Liberation Day performances, one in Jèrriais and one in English.
And here are the answers to the quiz questions:
Parish crests
Crossword answers
Members of the society will be sad to learn that Chris died on the morning of 15th October after a long battle with a progressive illness which he initially made light of and which he fought until the end when it could no longer be ignored.
He was an indefatigable, meticulous and long-serving Events Secretary whose devotion to Jersey was reflected in his determination to continue in his role with the help of his family.
We have individually and collectively lost a loyal friend.
A funeral service for Chris will be held at Trinity Parish Church at 12 noon on the 28th October.
Chris’ family welcome friends to join them at the church service, however this will be followed by a private family burial.
In lieu of flowers donations to Parkinson’s UK, c/o Sarah Earles, would be welcomed.
Our last meeting of the year will take place on the 17th October, this will be a lecture given by Georgina Malet de Carteret, president of the National Trust.
Georgina Malet de Carteret, President of the National Trust for Jersey
The National Trust for Jersey is an independent charity dedicated to permanently protect Jersey’s natural beauty, rich wildlife and historic places for all to enjoy and experience. Georgina will be speaking about some of the National Trust’s recent projects, and its plans for the future.
Georgina’s background makes her the ideal person to be speaking about this: from her experience working at the Prince’s Charities Office overseeing abroad range of areas including the Built Environment, the Arts, Responsible Business and Enterprise, Young People, Global Sustainability and Rural Affairs, to her personal mission to restore the gardens and woodlands around St Ouen’s Manor to conserve its natural beauty and encourage wildlife, she will bring the enthusiasm and passion to bring this fascinating topic to life.
As usual, there will be a three course meal preceding the talk, and bar facilities open throughout.
More details are available on the booking form here, and the menu can be viewed here.
We look forward to welcoming you to our second talk of the 2019 lecture programme. On Thursday 23rd May at the Vincent Rooms, London, Ian Ronayne, historian and author of ‘Ours: The Jersey Pals’ and ‘Jersey War Walks’ will speak on the topic of The Great War: An island story at a time of conflict.
Ian Ronayne, historian and author of ‘Ours: The Jersey Pals’ and ‘Jersey War Walks.’
Over the last four years, the world has commemorated the First World War. We have marked centenaries of epic battles, recalled heroics, horrors and sacrifice, elevated ground-breaking wartime achievements. In short, we have dutifully remembered a period in world history that should never be forgotten.
Jersey too has been remembering a period of its history that was largely forgotten until comparatively recently. Overshadowed by occupation in the Second World War, Jersey’s own Great War experience slipped out of mind. Today, rightfully, that situation is changing.
Ian Ronayne is a Jersey historian with a passion for history. Some years back, that passion turned to the story of the island between 1914 and 1918. In 2009, Ian published his first book on this subject, the acclaimed ‘Ours: The Jersey Pals in the First World War’. It dealt with a small group of men from Jersey who left in 1915 to serve gallantly with the Royal Irish Rifles. A follow-up book, ‘Jersey’s Great War’, was published in 2014 to record the whole story of islanders between 1914 and 1918.
In recent years, Ian has led or supported many initiatives linked to Jersey’s remembering and commemorating of its First World War experience. These include visits to the former battlefields of Jersey soldiers, school and public talks, weekly blogs, ceremonies and monument erection. All of which safeguard the legacy of Jersey’s Great War and the islanders who lived through it.
As usual, there will be a three course meal preceding the talk, and bar facilities open throughout.
More details are available on the booking form here.
Nicholas Romeril’s exhibition Breaking Ice celebrates his recent expedition to Antarctica aboard HMS Protector, which he undertook as Artist in Residence for the Friends of the Scott Polar Institute.
Breaking Ice: Nicholas Romeril in Antarctica
A Jersey native, Nicholas Romeril captures the essence of what is central to many islander’s lives. His striking motifs of boulders, sand dunes and foaming seas create beautiful and dramatic visions of pristine coastlines.
The exhibition Breaking Ice will feature over 70 works. It is open from the 2nd April until 4th May at Chris Beetles Gallery, 8&10 Ryder Street London SW1Y 6QB.
Our first meeting of 2019 is sure to be a good one, on the 7th March we will be joined by Simon Boas the Director of Jersey Oversea Aid.
Simon Boas, Director of Jersey Overseas Aid
For over 50 years, Jersey has operated a taxpayer-funded overseas aid and development programme. A little rock off the coast of Normandy has funded boreholes, schools and clinics in six continents, and sent almost 1,000 volunteers on work trips to developing countries. We even have a Minister for International Development. Why do we bother? Shouldn’t charity begin at home? Can our aid really change anything? For that matter, can anyone’s?
Simon Boas has been Director of Jersey Overseas Aid (JOA) since October 2016. Brought in with a mission to reform and professionalise Jersey’s overseas grant-making, he will lift the lid on Jersey’s humanitarian and development donor ship and provide a candid assessment of what’s worked and what hasn’t. He will explain how funding decisions are made, the changes underway at JOA, and set out how the Island can maximise the impact of its international aid programme over the next five years.
Before arriving in Jersey, Simon spent most of his career designing, implementing and evaluating aid projects in developing countries. He managed UN and NGO offices in the Middle East and South Asia His experiences range from long-term development policy-making to immediate post-disaster relief. He was educated at Winchester and Oxford before, more latterly, receiving a Master’s degree in International Policy Analysis from Bath University.
As usual, there will be a three course meal preceding the talk, and bar facilities open throughout.
More details are available on the booking form here.